QNAP TS-873A 8-Bay Ryzen Tower NAS

More Drive Bays for a Growing Business Library The QNAP TS-873A brings eight drive bays to teams managing expanding project libraries, business backups and shared working files. A Ryzen processor and dual 2.5GbE ports support everyday collaboration, with dedicated NVMe slots and two PCIe expansion slots for a more tailored system. The larger drive layout offers more RAID choices than a compact entry system, while QTS or QuTS hero lets administrators choose a storage environment suited to their applications. Highlights Ryzen Processing and Memory Flexibility Four cores and eight threads with 8GB DDR4 installed. Two SODIMM slots support up to 64GB; compatible ECC memory is an optional replacement. Separate Capacity and Acceleration 8 hot-swappable SATA drive bays. Two M.2 NVMe slots without occupying the front bays. Network and Application Options Dual 2.5GbE ports and two PCIe Gen3 x4 slots. QTS or suitably resourced QuTS hero with operating-system-specific applications. Key Features A capable platform for everyday business storage The Ryzen V1500B keeps shared folders, backup services and supported business applications on one manageable system. Its four cores and eight threads provide a useful foundation for mixed office activity, with hardware encryption acceleration for supported tasks. Assess the complete workload when planning performance: drive selection, network links and simultaneous services matter as much as the processor. Keep flash acceleration separate from the drive bays The dedicated NVMe slots allow compatible SSDs to serve supported caching or storage roles without occupying the front SATA bays. Each slot uses a PCIe Gen3 x1 connection, so it should be planned around the application rather than the headline speed of a newer SSD. Use suitably sized heatsinks and verify the drive, firmware and cache configuration before deployment. Build a network upgrade around the system Two built-in 2.5GbE ports offer a practical step beyond Gigabit Ethernet when the switch and clients support it. Two PCIe Gen3 x4 slots can accept compatible network or storage cards for a more demanding installation. Link aggregation requires a suitable network configuration; it does not automatically give a single transfer the combined speed of both ports. Choose QTS or ZFS with the right memory QTS provides the familiar EXT4 storage environment and supported Qtier configurations. QuTS hero offers ZFS features such as data integrity checking, compression and supported deduplication. QuTS hero needs at least 8GB RAM, while deduplication needs at least 16GB and benefits from more. Switching operating systems reinitialises storage, so make and verify a separate backup first. Bring backup and recovery into the same plan Hybrid Backup Sync coordinates scheduled copies to another NAS, supported cloud storage or a connected backup drive. Snapshots provide useful recovery points for supported volumes, shared folders and iSCSI LUNs, according to the selected operating system. Keep a separate, tested backup: RAID and snapshots on the same appliance do not protect against every equipment failure, stolen system or compromised administrator account. Share information with clearer control SMB and NFS file services connect business workstations and supported servers, while directory integration, shared-folder permissions and encrypted connections help administrators manage access. Qsync supports synchronised working folders for suitable clients. Set permissions around the team and its applications rather than giving every user broad access, and keep the NAS and applications updated as part of normal maintenance. Use applications with resources to match Virtualization Station and Container Station can place suitable virtual machines and containers near their storage. Available memory, processor demand, licensing and operating-system support determine what should run together. Reserve resources for file services, backups and surveillance before adding other workloads. Hardware encryption acceleration helps supported security tasks, but does not remove the need for sound access controls and recovery procedures. Summary The TS-873A is a practical foundation for a growing business storage library. Eight SATA bays provide room to choose a suitable capacity and RAID layout, while separate NVMe slots and PCIe options keep future changes more flexible. Match the drives and memory to the workload, and maintain an independent recovery plan. Are drives and upgrade cards included?ExpandCollapse The NAS is supplied without storage drives. Optional networking, NVMe adapters and external expansion equipment are purchased separately. Which operating system should I choose?ExpandCollapse QTS supplied; QuTS hero alternative requires at least 8GB RAM. Switching OS reinitialises storage. Select QTS or QuTS hero around the application, storage layout and required features, and keep an independent backup. Can I expand storage beyond the built-in bays?ExpandCollapse Yes. Supported USB, SATA, SAS and USB4 expansion enclosures are listed in the specifications. USB4 requires the optional QXP-40G2UC card, a supported BIOS/firmware combination and direct USB4 cabling. Expansion types have different pool rules. How many cameras can the NAS record?ExpandCollapse QVR Surveillance QTS planning estimate up to 79 recording channels for the factory memory configuration, subject to the stated scenario and licences. QVR Surveillance QTS planning estimate for recording only, 1080p H.264, 30 fps and 4.096 Mb/s per camera, with all 8 SATA bays populated in RAID 6; no AI analysis or local playback. An estimate is not a certified model maximum. Actual capacity depends on drives, retention, network and other workloads. QVR Pro on supported QTS provides 8 included camera channels. QVR Surveillance provides 2 base channels plus 6 additional channels after eligible registration, giving 8 in total. Additional channels require the applicable licences and supported software. Does RAID replace a separate backup?ExpandCollapse No. RAID can maintain access through selected drive faults, while snapshots can help recover supported earlier states. Neither replaces a separate backup against theft, major hardware failure or compromised credentials. Keep protected copies and test that important data can be restored. Which service and storage add-ons should I choose?ExpandCollapse The 5–8-bay NASCare tier is the relevant starting point for this chassis, subject to service eligibility. Choose a qualified NAS drive from the recommended IronWolf family and confirm its exact model and firmware against the intended RAID and workload. Read more