Specifications, Availability and Pricing

Modern NAS servers have moved well beyond data storage through a network. In order to get the most out of a NAS you have and look at the extra hardware and software features. The QNAP TS-869 offers a good mix of features on both of these fronts.

Before we dive into the software let's cover the hardware. The QNAP TS-869 Pro uses an Intel Atom 2.13GHz processor and pairs it with 1GB of RAM. The RAM can be upgraded with an additional 1GB or 2GB stick, but this system is limited to 3GB total.

The primary method of transferring data to the TS-869 Pro is through dual gigabit Ethernet ports that can be 'teamed' to deliver up to around 220MB/s (peak burst rate) or configured in a round robin or even a single connection configuration. This unit also has dual USB 3.0 ports that are accompanied by four USB 2.0 ports and two eSATA ports.

After looking around online we managed to find the QNAP TS-869 Pro for less than $1100. This price includes the full two year warranty, but is for a diskless system, so you'll still have to purchase drives. Companies like AVADirect can offer you a turnkey system configured for plug in play to your existing network and with the drives installed and configured.