QNAP TS233 2 Bay NAS Drive

QNAP TS233 2 Bay NAS Drive


 Key Specifications

CPU: ARM 64-bit Cortex‑A55 quad‑core, up to ~2.0 GHz 

Memory: 2 GB DDR4 onboard (fixed, non-upgradeable; some reserved for graphics) 

Storage Bays: 2× SATA 6 Gb/s supports 3.5″ HDDs or 2.5″ HDD/SSDs (hot-swappable) 

Network: Single Gigabit Ethernet port topping at ~115 MB/s real-world transfer rates in RAID 1 

USB Ports: 2× USB 2.0 + 1× USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps) 

Hardware Features: Integrated NPU for AI-accelerated tasks (face/object recognition via QuMagie), AES‑256 encryption, Wake on LAN, jumbo frames, snapshots, cloud sync, and iSCSI support 

Power Usage: ~10.8 W typical, ~3.4 W in standby 

 Performance & Use Case

Everyday tasks: Sustains modest file sharing, backups, DLNA streaming, and QuMagie AI photo sorting efficiently.

Speed benchmarks: StorageReview measured sequential speeds of ~115 MB/s read and 98 MB/s write over SMB, slightly higher over iSCSI (~105 MB/s) 

IO-intensive limits: 8K random IOPS peaked at ~5,700 reads / ~4,400 writes—adequate for light workloads but limited by RAM and CPU under heavy multitasking 

Pros

Affordable and compact with clean vertical design, easy to blend in at home or office QNAP

AI NPU enables faster photo sorting and object detection with minimal CPU overhead QNAP

Very energy efficient—ideal for always-on basic backup and sharing QNAP

Limitations

Fixed RAM: Only 2 GB onboard — no expansion possible, which restricts multitasking, container apps, and surveillance use 

Single 1 GbE: No multi-Gig or link aggregation; limits transfer speeds around ~115 MB/s 

Constant disk activity reported: Users note persistent background writes—even with minimal services running—which can prevent disk spin-down and cause constant noise 

Stability issues: Some users experienced random network disconnections or offline behavior, requiring reboots; UPS recommended for best results 

Setup quirks: Compatibility issues reported with certain large disks or firmware, leading to setup loops or failure to create volumes