CONCLUSION

   Thanks to its rather impressive hardware specifications (Intel Core i5-7500T/ 16GB DDR4-3200/ Thunderbolt 3) our sample of the XCubeNAS XN8008T had no problems climbing on top of our performance charts so if you’re looking for a blazing fast centralized storage/file server for your PC or MAC or even your local network (via a 10GbE card of course) then QSAN has you covered. In terms of design the entire XCubeNAS line won the Good Design Award a while back so there’s not much to ask here either. Power consumption and noise levels are also pretty much on par with what we’ve seen in the past by similar models (although our power consumption results seem a bit too low, we will double check with QSAN just in case - as we had thought the i5 used in the XN8008T is far less power hungry than the Celeron used in the XN5008T) but what stands out is build quality and that’s a very important aspect for SMB targeted models. That being said although the XCubeNAS XN8008T offers everything we’d want from a “pure” NAS (just like the XN5008T) the lack of available apps is without doubt a serious issue for many people and although QSAN clearly aims their XCubeNAS line towards small and large businesses it’s really strange that they’ve yet to release more applications aimed primarily towards demanding home users (with functions like a torrent client, media server, media player and more).

   Back when we reviewed the XN5008T availability was a rather serious issue as well for QSAN, today however things have improved even if just by a little (enough however to slightly lower prices). So currently the “basic” version of the XN8008T (8GB DDR4-3200 RAM instead of 16GB and without the TB3 card) can be found in the USA for USD2450 (Amazon.com) and for 1730Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de). Of course in order for you to get the package we tested today (XN8008T with 16GB RAM, XN-TB302 TB3 Card and TB3 Cable) you will need to spend around USD2900/2050Euros (excluding of course the cost of a TB3 compatible system) and unfortunately that’s hardly a price which we can justify for that you’re getting in return (if QSAN builds a rich app selection perhaps). Prices are certain to drop even further as QSAN continues to further expand their distribution network but at least for now we expect this to be a serious issue (even for businesses). Still thanks to its impressive 10GbE/TB3 performance, available settings, OS stability and looks the XN8008T is definitely worth our Golden Award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Quad Core Intel i5 7500T CPU
- Top of the Charts Performance
- 8GB DDR4-3200 RAM (Expandable To 32GB / 16GB In Our Sample)
- 4 RJ45 Gigabit Ethernet Ports (Link Aggregation Supported)
- Gen3x8 PCIe Slot (10/40GbE/Thunderbolt 3.0 Ready)
- 9 Drive Bays (8x3.5”/1x2.5”)
- 5 USB 3.0 Ports
- HDMI Output (Service Menu)
- Power Consumption
- XReplicator Software
- RAID 0/1/5/6/10/50/60/JBOD + Hot Spare Support
- QSM 3.1 OS
- Design (Good Design Award)

CONS

- Price (For Some)
- Limited Apps (Both NAS And Mobile)
- Global Availability (Currently)