QNAP now offers pre-installed bundles for the company's NASbook TBS-h574TX, featuring EDSFF ( Enterprise and Datacenter Standard Form Factor) E1.S SSDs, commonly referred to as the "ruler" form factor. The Thunderbolt 4 NAS, powered by an Intel processor, is now available with capacities of 9.6TB or 19.2TB.

The TBS-h574TX supports standard M.2 2280 and enterprise E1.S SSDs. The NAS employs a simple hot-swappable design that simplifies drive upgrades and replacements. It supports up to five SSDs. Two tiny 40mm cooling fans provide active airflow. While you can purchase the TBS-h574TX and install your own drives, QNAP's pre-configured option may be more convenient for those seeking to avoid the complexities of purchasing and installing compatible drives.

The 9.6TB configuration comprises five 1.92TB E1.S drives, while the 19.2TB configuration offers a per-drive capacity increase to 3.84TB. The mentioned capacity is with a RAID 0 array without drive redundancy. A RAID 5 configuration, which is the more common configuration, provides approximately 7.68TB or 15.36TB, respectively. The NAS employs QNAP-branded drives; however, the vendor does not specify the manufacturer. Notable manufacturers of E1.S drives include Solidigm , Kioxia , and Micron , but it remains unclear which, if any, QNAP uses.

The device employs a PCIe 3.0 x2 interface; therefore, although newer and faster drives may be used, their performance will be limited by the slower interface. QNAP's internal testing with five 3.84TB E1.S PCIe 4.0 SSDs in a RAID 5 array delivers sequential read and write speeds of approximately 1,400 MB/s. The vendor claims 4K random write speeds of up to 70,000 IOPS.

QNAP NASbook TBS-h574TX Specifications

QNAP offers the TBS-h574TX with three different processor options; however, the company only provides the pre-installed configuration featuring the Core i5-1235U, a processor from the 12th Generation Alder Lake series. The ten-core processor features two P-cores and eight E-cores, with a maximum turbo frequency of 4.4 GHz. The integrated Iris Xe graphics engine handles hardware decoding, encoding, and transcoding.

The Core i5-1235U represents a downgrade, especially since QNAP sells a variant of the TBS-h574TX equipped with a Core i5-1340PE ( Raptor Lake ), which is newer and more powerful. The only rationale we can think of for QNAP not utilizing the Core i5-1340PE is to minimize costs. The vendor pairs the Core i5-1235U with 16GB of soldered memory.

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The TBS-h574TX's networking capabilities encompass a 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet port and a high-speed 10 Gigabit Ethernet port. Although the NAS is equipped with two Thunderbolt 4 ports, it also offers a standard USB 2.0 port and two USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports supporting 10 Gbps data transfer. The sole display output is a single HDMI 1.4b port, which is suitable for up to 4K (3840x2160) at 30 Hz. The TBS-h574TX typically draws around 46W of power. The device comes with a 120W power adapter.

The TBS-h574TX-i5UC-05S01-US, the 9.6TB model, sells for $2,899 on QNAP's official website. Since the company does not offer a standalone Core i5-1235U model, it is impossible to determine the individual value of the five E1.S SSDs. However, by referencing the Core i5-1340PE model, the estimated cost per drive is approximately $290. The TBS-h574TX-i5UC-05S02-US, which has the largest storage capacity (19.2TB), comes with an even more eye-watering price tag at $4,399. Essentially, you are paying 52% more for double the storage capacity, which may be considered a reasonable offer when evaluated objectively.

QNAP offers a standard three-year warranty for the TBS-h574TX. Conversely, the E1.S drives are covered by an extended five-year warranty or until they reach the TBW rating — whichever occurs first. The specific TBW rating remains undisclosed, as QNAP does not specify the manufacturer or model of the drives used.

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