The QNAP TS-1677X bends what it means to be a desktop NAS. Realistically, the features of the QNAP TS-1677X push it firmly into a workgroup or on-premise server category. Visually, it is hard to stop staring at these units as there is so much going on.
QNAP TS-1677X Workgroup NAS Server
Looking at the unit, there are a few immediately noticeable features. First, there are twelve 3.5″ bays for rotating hard drive storage as well as four 2.5″ SSD bays.
The rear of the unit has four 1GbE ports along with two 10GbE ports, an array of outputs for USB and audio. The QNAP TS-1677X chassis is huge for a desktop NAS so there is room for a double width GPU in the unit as well all fed by a single PSU.
Beyond the raw connectivity, underpinning this NAS are first-generation AMD Ryzen CPUs ranging from the 8 core/ 16 thread AMD Ryzen 7 1700 in the top end models and also including 6 core / 12 thread AMD Ryzen 5 1600 and 4 core / 4 thread AMD Ryzen 3 1200 models. RAM options span from 64GB with the top end AMD Ryzen 7 1700 model to 4GB with the lowest end Ryzen 3 1200 model.
The OS is QNAP’s standard QTS operating system which has a host of not just storage features, but also the ability to run virtual machines and containers. Although it can run its own virtual machines, it is also VMware Ready, Citrix Ready, and Windows Server 2016 certified.
We see the obvious appeal of this NAS unit for remote branch office deployments. Many businesses have physical locations that need onsite storage and application deployment. IT administrators can deploy these units remotely at each location and have the ability to run a number of applications and store close to 200TB of data at their edge locations.
What the price like?
$2700 with R3, $3100 with R7