QNAP TS-459 Pro Turbo NAS with Intel Atom D510 Review

TS-459 Pro – Final Thoughts

When comparing the QNAP TS-459 Pro Turbo NAS to the older TS-419P, there is not much to compare. They both look exactly the same. They both have the same Ajax-based software included. Basically, the main upgrade in the TS-459 Pro is in the processor and chipset that QNAP selected.

By upgrading the processor to Intels latest (and fastest) Atom D510, the TS-459 Pro picks up an incredible performance boost. As with all of QNAP’s Turbo NAS Business Series family, the NAS supports file sharing across Windows, Mac, Linux and UNIX environments without missing a beat. For business users, QNAP has equipped the TS-459 with a ton of applications built in such as file server, FTP server, printer server, web server, and Windows AD support. The dual-core Intel Atom also helps to expand the the number of iSCSI targets the TS-459 Pro supports (256, up from 8 on the TS-419P).

As a home user, though, we didnt really use that many of the features but could appreciate how power-packed the TS-459 is for business applications. The main thing for me was just how easy QNAP’s software made setup and everyday use. As we said in our review of the TS-419P, the AJAX GUI is one of the best we have seen. Not only is it quick and responsive, the layout is logical and intuitive. This interface continues to be the best we have seen in a network attached storage device.

Real-world performance shows that the Intel Atom upgrade is not just marketing hype. As shown below in a chart comparing the TS-419P with the TS-459 Pro, write speeds have increased almost 200% over the TS-419P and read speeds have increased 57%!! This is pretty incredible.

All of this performance increase does come at a cost though. Street price for the older 4-bay TS-419P starts around $599 equipped with no hard drives. QNAP has introduced the TS-459 Pro Turbo at just around $ $950 about a $350 difference. As a home user, this is a pretty big jump in cost for ‘only’ increased read/write speeds. Remember, the software and GUI are exactly the same between the units. While you do get a few more tools and applications, its hard to justify this kind of cost to a home user. If, however, you are an IT manager looking for scalable and reliable network storage with the fastest speeds on the market, you should definitely look at the TS-459 Pro.

The Intel Atom D510 is the heart of QNAPs new family of Turbo NAS devices and we can clearly see the improvements in performance over the last generation of servers. QNAP and Intel have delivered one of the most complete backup solutions on the market and have set the bar very high for others.

Legit Bottom Line: The TS-459 Pro is a powerful little machine with an amazing array of features. QNAP has finally delivered on its promise of an Ultra-High Performance NAS and for business, it is worth every penny.