The QNAP TS-873A is QNAP’s prosumer 8-bay desktop NAS, designed for users who want serious storage capacity, fast networking and the expandability to grow over time. Built around an AMD Ryzen V1500B quad-core processor, it brings dual 2.5GbE networking, PCIe Gen3 expansion slots and QNAP’s QTS operating system. Bare-chassis price is around $1,499. This QNAP TS-873A review covers the hardware, software and value.
QNAP TS-873A-8G 8 Bay High-Performance NAS with 2 x 2.5GbE Ports and Two PCIe Gen3 Slots
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QNAP TS-873A at a Glance
| Component | Specification |
|---|---|
| Bay count | 8 bays (3.5″/2.5″ SATA HDD/SSD) |
| CPU | AMD Ryzen V1500B quad-core (4C/8T, 2.2 GHz) |
| RAM (default + max) | 8GB DDR4 default, expandable to 64GB (ECC supported) |
| Network ports | 2x 2.5GbE RJ-45 (link aggregation supported) |
| USB ports | 3x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A (10Gbps) |
| Max raw capacity | Up to 144TB with 8x 18TB drives |
| RAID modes supported | JBOD, RAID 0/1/5/6/10/50/60, RAID-TP (triple parity) |
| OS / Software | QNAP QTS 5.x (web-based) or QuTS hero (ZFS) |
| Approx price | around $1,499 (bare chassis, no drives) |
Hardware & Performance
The TS-873A is built around the AMD Ryzen V1500B — a quad-core, eight-thread processor running at 2.2 GHz. It is the same family of chip Synology uses in the DS925+ and DS1522+, and on a NAS it delivers strong multitasking performance: virtual machines, Docker containers, snapshot-heavy workloads and a busy file server can run together without the CPU becoming a bottleneck. ECC memory is supported, which is a meaningful feature for buyers who care about data integrity. The base unit ships with 8GB but is officially expandable to 64GB — substantial headroom for VMs, ZFS (under QuTS hero) and demanding applications. The Ryzen V1500B does not include an integrated GPU, so hardware-accelerated transcoding is limited, though QNAP does support a discrete GPU via the PCIe slots for buyers who add a low-profile card.
Storage & RAID Options
With 8 hot-swappable bays accepting 3.5″ and 2.5″ SATA HDDs and SSDs, the TS-873A is built for serious capacity — up to 144TB raw with 8x 18TB drives. RAID options are comprehensive: JBOD, RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, 10, 50 and 60, plus QNAP’s RAID-TP for triple parity (under QuTS hero with ZFS). The TS-873A is one of QNAP’s models that supports both QTS and QuTS hero, the latter built on ZFS for advanced data integrity, snapshots and deduplication — a significant feature for buyers who want ZFS without building a custom server. Two M.2 NVMe slots accelerate random-access workloads, and PCIe Gen3 expansion slots allow 10GbE, 25GbE and even GPU add-ins for buyers who want to extend the unit. Capacity expansion via QNAP’s TR-002 / TL-D series expansion units is also supported, taking total bay count well past 8 for buyers who outgrow the chassis.
Software & App Ecosystem
QNAP QTS is a mature, capable NAS operating system with one of the largest app ecosystems in the category — QNAP supports more third-party applications than Synology DSM, which is a draw for buyers who like flexibility. Container Station provides Docker and LXD support; Virtualization Station is a polished hypervisor; Hybrid Backup Sync covers cloud destinations; QuMagie handles AI-organised photo libraries. For users who want ZFS, QuTS hero is a free swap that brings advanced data integrity at the cost of more strict memory requirements. QNAP’s app store is broader but historically less polished than Synology’s; in 2026 the gap has narrowed considerably. See our best QNAP NAS roundup for more on the platform.
Networking & Throughput
The TS-873A ships with two 2.5GbE RJ-45 ports as standard, link-aggregatable for 5Gbps of theoretical throughput. The PCIe Gen3 expansion slots accept QNAP’s own 10GbE and 25GbE cards for buyers who want to move beyond 2.5GbE. Real-world sequential throughput on a healthy RAID 5 spinning-rust array exceeds 1GB/sec over 10GbE; SSD-cached or all-flash configurations can saturate 25GbE. SMB 3.0 with Multichannel, NFS v4, iSCSI and WebDAV are supported. The TS-873A is a strong choice for buyers building 10GbE small-office networks. QNAP-branded 10GbE cards are typically based on Aquantia/Marvell controllers, which work cleanly with TrueNAS Scale or Unraid if buyers later move to alternative operating systems.
Use Cases — Plex / Backup / Files
For Plex the TS-873A is workable but not the unit’s strength — the Ryzen V1500B lacks an integrated GPU, so transcoding is software-only unless you add a discrete GPU via the PCIe slot. For buyers leading with Plex see our best NAS for Plex Media Server guide. For file serving, backup and ZFS-based storage the TS-873A is excellent: 8 bays, ECC RAM support, QuTS hero ZFS and PCIe expandability make it a strong long-term platform. For virtualization Station hosting and Container Station Docker workloads the V1500B’s four cores and eight threads are well judged. The 8-bay capacity also makes the TS-873A a strong choice as a Veeam or Proxmox Backup Server target — large, redundant capacity for an off-host backup repository at a fraction of the cost of equivalent dedicated backup appliances.
Verdict
At around $1,499 (bare chassis) the QNAP TS-873A is a strong choice for prosumer buyers who want 8-bay capacity, fast 2.5GbE networking and the flexibility of either QTS or QuTS hero ZFS. The Ryzen V1500B is a capable platform, ECC memory is a meaningful data-integrity feature, and the PCIe expansion slots open the door to 10GbE upgrades. The lack of an integrated GPU is the main weakness for Plex households. For serious file servers and ZFS enthusiasts, it earns a strong recommendation. See our best NAS for small business for further comparisons.
QNAP’s historical reputation for security vulnerabilities is worth addressing — the company has had several high-profile incidents in past years where ransomware groups targeted internet-exposed QNAP units. QNAP has responded with significantly improved security hardening in QTS 5.x, including automatic security updates, mandatory strong passwords on initial setup, and reduced default attack surface. Buyers should still follow best practice: do not expose the admin panel to the internet, use MyQNAPCloud or a VPN for remote access, keep firmware up to date and enable two-factor authentication. With those practices in place, the TS-873A is a strong long-term platform. For buyers wanting ZFS specifically the QuTS hero firmware is included free, and the hardware here meets the ZFS RAM requirements comfortably. Compare with Synology rivals in our best Synology NAS guide and TerraMaster alternatives in our best NAS for backup guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the QNAP TS-873A support ZFS?
Yes. QNAP offers QuTS hero, a ZFS-based alternative to standard QTS, as a free firmware swap on the TS-873A. QuTS hero brings ZFS snapshots, deduplication and advanced data integrity, with the trade-off of higher memory requirements.
Can I add 10GbE to the TS-873A?
Yes. The TS-873A has PCIe Gen3 expansion slots that accept QNAP’s own 10GbE and 25GbE network cards. Combined with the dual 2.5GbE ports built in, it is a flexible networking platform.
How much RAM does the TS-873A support?
Up to 64GB of DDR4 ECC, in two SODIMM slots. The base SKU ships with 8GB. ECC RAM support is a significant feature for ZFS users running QuTS hero.
Is the QNAP TS-873A good for virtualization?
Yes. The Ryzen V1500B quad-core, eight-thread CPU with up to 64GB of ECC RAM is well suited to QNAP Virtualization Station for hosting several VMs simultaneously.
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