Comparison QNAP TS-264-8G RAM 8 GB vs QNAP TS-230 RAM 2 GB

The ability to remove one of the NAS server's internal drives and replace it with another without shutting down the entire server. Thanks to this, time is not wasted on rebooting, and the information on other media remains constantly available. Note that even if this feature is available in the NAS server, it may not be available when using RAID — some versions of this technology (see "RAID support") do not allow hot- plugging drives.

The number of M.2 connectors provided in the design of the NAS server.

The M.2 connector is used to connect various internal peripherals, mostly miniature form factor. Note that two electrical (logical) interfaces can be implemented through this connector — SATA 3.0 and PCI-Express, and each individual M.2 socket on the board can support both of these interfaces at once, or only one of them. These nuances should be clarified before buying, since the possibilities for using M.2 directly depend on them. So, with support for SATA 3.0, such a connector is intended exclusively for drives, and the speed of SATA is noticeably lower than that of PCI-E; so this M.2 variant is mostly used by inexpensive SSD modules. In turn, PCI-E is somewhat more expensive, but it is faster and more versatile. Support for this interface allows you to connect both high-end SSDs and various expansion cards (for example, sound cards or internal wireless adapters) to the NAS server.

The number of PCI-E slots provided in the design of the NAS server.

PCI-E is one of the most popular modern interfaces for connecting internal components to a computer motherboard. Specifically, in NAS servers, it can be used, in particular, for wireless adapters and SSD drives; in the latter case, PCI-E allows higher speeds than SATA and fully realizes the potential of solid-state memory. And the number of such connectors corresponds to the number of PCI-E components that can be simultaneously installed in the server.

Note that the PCI-E connection can use a different number of lines (1x, 4x, 16x), and for normal operation it is necessary that the slot on the "motherboard" has no fewer lines than the installed component. In fact, this means that a component with a 1x connector will easily fit into any slot, but with a larger connector, the connection should be specified separately. However, in the case of NAS servers, even PCI-E 4x capabilities are rarely required, not to mention 16x.

The number of LAN ports provided in the design of the NAS server.

LAN — a connector used for a wired connection to Ethernet local networks (the most common "local" format today, it is also used to access the Internet). For a relatively simple network (say, within a medium office), one LAN port will be enough. However, models are produced where there are more than one such ports, mainly 2 and 4 connectors. They are designed for large networks divided into subnets with separate access to the NAS server: the presence of several LAN connectors allows you to connect each of the subnets directly without using a router. This simplifies the network architecture and optimizes the load.

The maximum operating speed supported by the LAN port(s) of the NAS server. For the LAN ports themselves, see above; in today's networking equipment, higher speed means compatibility with lower rates

In general, the higher the LAN speed, the wider the bandwidth, the faster the device will cope with data transfer and the easier it will be for it to work with several network requests at once. As for specific standards, 1 Gbps is the most popular nowadays: it gives quite decent speed and at the same time is inexpensive. The more advanced 10 Gbps standard is less common, mostly in professional equipment designed for high loads. The middle and rare link are models with a speed of 2.5 Gbps. But LAN 100 Mbps is considered completely obsolete version.

The number of USB 2.0 ports provided in the design of the NAS server.

USB connectors are used in computer technology to connect various external peripherals. In the case of NAS servers, we are most often talking about external drives — flash drives, hard drives, etc. In this way, you can transfer information from an internal drive to an external one (for example, for backup purposes) or vice versa, and even expand the total working volume of the server . In addition, on models with a VGA output (see below), a keyboard can also be connected to USB, and on models with a print server function (see "Software Features"), respectively, a printer. For added convenience, the USB connector can be placed on the front panel (see below).

As for USB 2.0 specifically, today this version is generally considered obsolete due to the relatively low speed (up to 480 Mbps) and the low power supplied through the connector. Peripherals of newer versions can be connected to such a port, however, the speed will be limited by the capabilities of version 2.0, and the power supply may not be sufficient. Therefore, in modern NAS servers, such connectors are quite rare — mainly as an addition to the newer and faster USB 3.2 gen1 (see below), designed for relatively unpretentious peripherals like keyboards.

The number of USB 3.2 gen1 ports provided in the design of the NAS server.

USB connectors are used in computer technology to connect various external peripherals. In the case of NAS servers, we are most often talking about external drives — flash drives, hard drives, etc. In this way, you can transfer information from an internal drive to an external one (for example, for backup purposes) or vice versa, and even expand the total working volume of the server . In addition, on models with a VGA output (see below), a keyboard can also be connected to USB, and on models with a print server function (see "Software Features"), respectively, a printer. For added convenience, the USB connector can be placed on the front panel (see below).

Specifically, USB 3.2 gen1 (formerly known as USB 3.0 and USB 3.1 gen1) is the direct successor to USB 2.0 and is the most common USB standard today. This version provides data transfer rates up to 4.8 Gbps, as well as a fairly high power supply. At the same time, such connectors are backward compatible with peripherals using USB 2.0.

The number of USB 3.2 gen2 ports provided in the design of the NAS server.

USB connectors are used in computer technology to connect various external peripherals. In the case of NAS servers, we are most often talking about external drives - flash drives, hard drives, etc. In this way, you can transfer information from an internal drive to an external one (for example, for backup purposes) or vice versa, and even expand the total working volume of the server . In addition, on models with a VGA output (see below), a keyboard can also be connected to USB, and on models with a print server function (see “Software Features”), respectively, a printer. For added convenience, the USB connector can be placed on the front panel (see below).

Specifically, USB 3.2 gen1 (formerly known as USB 3.1 and USB 3.1 gen2) is the direct successor to USB 2.0 and is the most common USB standard today. This version provides data transfer rates up to 10 Gbps, as well as a fairly high power supply. At the same time, such connectors are backward compatible with peripherals using USB 2.0.

The presence of an HDMI output in the NAS server; either the presence of such a connector itself or its specific version can be indicated here.

HDMI is a digital interface specifically designed to carry high-definition video and multi-channel audio. This is the most common of these interfaces, most modern monitors, TVs, home theaters, projectors, etc. have this type of input. Thus, even in such a specific technique as NAS servers, such outputs have several applications. The first option is to connect a monitor to monitor the parameters of the server; some devices at the same time allow you to connect keyboards / mice and control the server directly, like a regular computer. The second option is to use the NAS server as a media centre to broadcast movies and other content to a TV, home theater, etc.

The specific functionality of HDMI should be specified separately. As for the versions, the following options are relevant today:

— v 1.4. Relatively old (2009), but still quite widely used version. Supports resolutions up to 4096x2160 (at 24 fps), as well as frame rates up to 120 Hz, which allows you to play 3D content as well. It is found both in the original version and in improved versions v 1.4a and v 1.4b — they have advanced features for working with 3D.

-v 2.0. Version released in 2013. The increased bandwidth compared to its predecessor made it possible to provide full support for 4K video (at frame...rates up to 60 Hz), as well as multi-channel audio up to 32 channels and 4 streams over a single cable. HDMI v 2.0 did not originally support HDR, however this feature was introduced in the v 2.0a update and was improved and expanded in v 2.0b. With all this, old cables, originally designed for version 1.4, are also suitable for connecting according to this standard.

— v 2.1. Standard introduced in 2017. Also known as HDMI Ultra High Speed, bandwidth has increased so much that it is possible to transmit video at resolutions up to 10K at 120 frames per second. Note that to use all the features of this version, you need cables that were originally created for it (although the functionality of earlier versions will be available when connected via a regular cable).

In conclusion, we note that different versions of HDMI are mutually compatible, however, the signal transmission capabilities in such cases will be limited by the characteristics of the older and slower standard.