Need to build a high-performance private cloud? You need the QNAP TVS-1282T3 Thunderbolt 3 NAS

The other day I covered Synology's new DS220j and DS420j NAS boxes. Great devices for those looking for an entry-level network attached storage box to create a private cloud. But some of you need more. More power. More storage capacity. More performance. More of everything.

If you need more, then you should take a look at the QNAP TVS-1282T3 Thunderbolt 3 NAS.

This is a beast of a system, with performance -- and price -- that isn't for the faint of heart.

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There's a lot to the QNAP TVS-1282T3 Thunderbolt 3 NAS.

Tech specs QNAP TVS-1282T3 Thunderbolt 3:

• 3.4 GHz Intel i5-7500 or 3.6 GHz i7-7700 processor (7th-gen, 14nm)
• 16GB/32GB/64GB of DDR4 RAM
• 8 x 3.5-inch/2.5-inch hard drive or SSD bays
• 4 x 2.5-inch SSD bays
• 2 x Built-in M.2 SATA 6Gb/s slots & 2.5-inch SSD slots
• 4 x Thunderbolt 3 ports (40 Gbps)
• 2 x 10GbE 10GBASE-T ports
• 3 x HDMI out ports
• Qtier technology and SSD cache enable 24/7 optimized storage efficiency
• The Network & Virtual Switch app assists network traffic distribution, and re-routes dedicated bandwidth for diverse applications
• Supports QRM+ unified remote server management, Q'center for centrally managing multiple QNAP NAS, virtual machine and container applications, and storage for virtualization

There's a lot of customization options there, from picking the processor you need, to the RAM options, to how to load the system out with drives.

The 2.5-inch SSD trays and 3.5-inch hard drive trays have been designed to be tool-less for easy installation and replacement, although if you want to dig deeper into the system you will need to wield a screwdriver. That said, the TVS-1282T3 has been designed to be taken apart and rebuilt, which is nice. Everything is well thought out, and engineered in such a way that makes it easy to take apart and put back together.

The NAS is also fast. Using Thunderbolt 3, the QNAP TVS-1282T3 can achieve file transfer speeds up to 1,600 MB/s. The Thunderbolt 3 ports are also compatible with USB-C cables/devices and supports 10 Gbps USB 3.2 Gen 2, allowing compatibility with a broad range of external drives/enclosures.

Thanks to QNAP's Qtier Technology, the TVS-1282T3 is smart, and features Auto Tiering that continuously optimizes storage efficiency across M.2 SSD, SSD and SATA drives by allowing the system to move frequently-used "hot" data to high-performance storage tiers and less-accessed "cold" data to lower-cost, higher-capacity drives. This allows you to get the very best out of your investment in drives.

The system is surprisingly quiet in normal use, although the harder you push it, the more cooling it will require, and the noisier the cooling fans will be.

It's not cheap though. A diskless QNAP TVS-1282T3 with a Core i5 processor and 16GB of RAM will set you back over $3,300. But, if you need power and performance, it doesn't get much better than this.

QNAP TVS-1282T3 Thunderbolt 3 NAS

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