Asustor Lockerstor 4 Gen 3 (AS6804T) NAS Review

Epilogue

The Asustor Lockerstor 4 Gen 3 (AS6804T) is a very different kind of NAS relative to the Gen 2, so much so that drawing any comparisons is not sensible. The AS6804T brings the embedded Ryzen processors’ raw performance and exceptional power efficiency, making them a very solid option for any NAS. Being an Asustor NAS, it is heavily focused on providing the most hardware, having dual 10Gbit, dual 5Gbit, and dual USB4 support.

However, despite its impressive feature set, the AS6804T may be overkill for casual users or those with basic storage needs. Its higher cost and power consumption might be more than necessary for home users simply seeking a simple backup or media server. It primarily targets power users, small to medium-sized businesses, and content creators who need high-performance, reliable, and potentially scalable storage solutions.

The AS6804T also enables the use of virtual machines and Docker containers and is equipped with comprehensive data protection features like ECC memory and various backup solutions. It’s also a great choice for users who run demanding applications on their NAS, such as virtual machines or require fast data transfers for specialized tasks.

The lack of integrated graphics doesn’t render it incapable of media transcoding or streaming since the very capable CPU will handle these tasks. Still, if that’s your primary use case for a NAS, then the Gen 2 would be a better option.

While the price increase of the Gen 3 has been much discussed, we should not forget what it offers in terms of connectivity and performance for the price bracket it sits in. Competitors using Ryzen embedded CPUs, such as the QNAP TS-873A and Synology DiskStation DS1621+, don’t have the same connectivity options (10 Gbit or 5 Gbit ). In contrast, others that do, like the UGREEN NASync DXP8800 Plus, still cost more. Subsequently, the hardware provided is a solid solution at this price point.

Lastly, let’s discuss the software. ADM has reached its 5th major iteration, continuously improving, but still lacks some native apps such as VM, opting to provide support for third-party solutions. It is realistically up to the end user to decide if it’s good since some may like that Asustor does not try to reinvent the wheel and offer a lesser experience in the process.  Nonetheless, Asustor has nailed all the basics and will cover most users’ requirements.