The look of the TS-453mini is very different from QNAP's other 4-bay NAS servers. In addition to a stylish, glossy look, it features a streamlined, vertical design that takes up less space than traditional NAS devices. The TS-453mini measures 210 x 151 x 200 mm (8.27 x 5.95 x 7.87 inch) and weighs in at 2 kg (4.41 lbs) without any hard drives installed.
Instead of an LCD panel, the TS-453mini uses a series of LED indicators to show the current state of the system, hard drives, network and any USB devices connected to the device. The NAS also has a large blue, skyline LED that will flash when the system is in S3 sleep mode. Also on the front is the TS-453mini's power button, one touch copy button and one of its USB ports.
As I mentioned earlier, the TS-453mini's drive bays are located on top of the unit rather than the front. To access them, you have to remove a cover which is held on using magnets. These magnets are quite strong and do a great job of holding the cover on securely.
The rear of the TS-453mini is pretty straight forward. Along with the power connector, you can see two USB 2.0 ports, a pair of gigabit ethernet ports, two more USB 3.0 ports and a single HDMI port. One thing you don't see on the back of the TS-453mini is a cooling fan. Instead of an external fan, the device utilizes an internal compact exhaust that helps dissipate heat, deliver less noise and reduce dust.
Upgrading the memory on the TS-453mini is a quick and easy process. Instead of having to open up the case or remove the hard drives, QNAP built a small panel into the bottom of the device. Simply remove one screw, lift the compartment cover away and you have access to both RAM slots.
