During CES, QNAP introduced TBS -574X NAS, the first NAS in the industry that we know uses E1.S SSD. Since the availability of E1.S is limited, this NAS also includes an M.2 to E1.S converter so you can connect your M2. 2280 SSD to the EDSFF slot
It can accommodate up to 5 E1.S with a thickness of 15mm per E1.S. But first, what is E1.S, and how does it compare to M.2
E1.S is the short M.2 like form factor of EDSFF
E1.S is one of the form factors of a standard called EDSFF (Enterprise and Data Center Standard Form Factor). EDSFF has the form factors E1.S , E1.L , E3.S and E3.L. The E1 form factor is physically equivalent to an M.2 hard drive and the E3 form factor is equivalent to a 2.5-inch FF. All these form factors are NVMe and use the same connectors.
E1.S is comparable with M.2 22110 and therefore of particular interest
E1.S is 111.40 mm long. Compare that to the most popular datacenter M.2 22110, which is 110 mm long, and the M.2 2280, which is 80 mm long. At 31.5 mm wide, the E1.S is wider than the M.2's 22 mm.
So the E1.S is slightly longer and slightly wider than the M.2 and offers features that the M.2 does not. The E1.S is hotpluggable, has better thermals, and has higher capacities compared to the M.2 (thanks to its larger size). Since E1.S also uses NVMe PCIe, there are converters that convert an M.2 NVMe to an E1.S NVMe.
E1.S availability in UAE
Samsung PM9A3 offers E1.S form factor, but is not very readily available in the UAE. Exascend E1.S has short lead times and is usually available in 10-12 days. So we are ready for any projects that need the E1.S format.
Will QNAP TBS -574X go mainstream?
We do not think so. QNAP is the first to introduce and launch the latest hardware, and they always show a model that is a kind of concept model. Mostly, TBS -574X is a model that is presented to show QNAP's hardware capabilities, and given the small market for E1.S-powered devices, it is unlikely to become a mainstream model.
