Turning heads with a network-attached storage box is tough, given the market is chock-full of NAS enclosures to suit just about anyone. Rising to the challenge, QNAP is headlining its 2025 line-up with TVS-AIh1688ATX, which is the brand’s first to sport an Intel Core Ultra processor complete with integrated neural processing units.
The idea here isn’t just storage, it’s hybrid acceleration for Plex, AI, VMs, editing suites, and whatever else you throw at it. With up to 24 cores, 192GB of ECC DDR5 RAM, and a 4+12 NVMe/HDD bay layout, this is one NAS not just content to sit in the corner doing backups. For creative professionals, media hoarders, and power users still clinging to their TVS-h1288X with pride, this is QNAP saying it’s time to evolve.
Core Ultra comes to NAS
The inclusion of Intel’s Arrow Lake Core Ultra CPUs marks a generational shift in what users can expect from a high-end NAS. These aren’t just beefy desktop chips, as they come with on-die AI acceleration via Intel’s 13 TOPS NPU, promising slicker behaviour across machine-learning-assisted workflows. Even if you’re running standard media server with none of the frills, it promises to lean into efficiency, being kinder on your electric bill.
On the physical side, the AIh1688ATX doesn’t hold back. You get 12 SATA HDD bays, 4 U.2 NVMe SSD slots, and dual 10GBASE-T networking out of the box, with support for 25GbE expansion if your ambitions (or cat videos) demand it. The cherry on top? Dual USB4 ports, which support Thunderbolt 4, with an optional Thunderbolt 5 expansion just waiting to be tapped. That makes it equally appealing to Mac and Windows users, and potentially a killer editing rig for shared video projects.
For Plex aficionados or multi-user households, the Core Ultra chip brings the promise of improved hardware transcoding, lower idle power draw, and enough multitasking headroom to manage dozens of streams and workloads simultaneously. Think of it as a content server, AI workstation, and backup vault all rolled into one carbon-black box.
Compact creators
Not everyone needs 192GB of RAM and neural grunt. For those who favour a smaller footprint, QNAP’s updated tower NAS lineup introduces new options that strike a better balance between size, performance, and modern I/O.
TS-262A and TS-462A both run on Intel Celeron N5095 processors and offer a blend of M.2 NVMe SSD and SATA HDD bays, making them ideal as entry-level creative workhorses. Compact yet flexible, they feature 2.5GbE networking and USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports for speedy local access.
Meanwhile, TS-h974TX is the standout for desk-bound video editors. Powered by a 12th Gen Intel Core i3-1215U, it houses five SATA bays and four 2.5in U.2 PCIe Gen 3 slots, offering fast tiered storage inside a box that wouldn’t look out of place in a studio setup. With dual Thunderbolt 4 ports, 10GBASE-T, and 2.5GbE, it’s one of QNAP’s most connectivity-rich offerings, blurring the lines between workstation and NAS.
Plug-and-play RAID
QNAP also reaffirmed its commitment to easy expandability with a gentle nudge toward TR-002 and TR-004 USB Type-C RAID enclosures. These are designed for users who want basic DAS functionality without the complexity of network management, or those who simply need to bolt on a few more terabytes to their main NAS.
They feature hardware RAID switches, lockable drive bays, and USB 3.2 support. While they won’t excite spec chasers, they remain an underrated solution for small studios and family archivers who just want storage that works.
Strong ARMing
Tucked away among the high-performance showpieces is a curious little unit: the QBoat-300. This DIN-rail mountable, ARM-based smart NAS is clearly aimed at industrial and embedded deployments, running on a Rockchip RK3568J, 4GB of RAM, and three M.2 NVMe SSDs.
Connectivity is minimal with just dual Gigabit LAN, but its purpose isn’t bulk storage. Rather, it’s a compact edge node for factory monitoring, IoT workloads, or secure local data capture in remote environments. For the right niche, QBoat-300 could prove invaluable, even if it’ll never get its own subreddit.
Check out the rest of our Computex 2025 coverage and follow Club386 on Google News to stay in the know. There’s still plenty more to come.
