30-second evaluation
Ugreen overturned the NAS apple cart, launching a sequence of highly effective NAS within the spring of 2024. Many of those machines should not have a direct equal in different manufacturers’ ranges.
Now Asustor is again to tackle Ugreen with the Asustor Lockerstor 4 Gen 3 AS6804T, providing {hardware} that nearly justifies the size of its title.
The AS6804T, as I am going to name it from this level onwards, is a four-bay NAS that takes 2.5 or 3.5-inch standard drives or SATA SSDs, and inside are additionally two M.2 slots for PCIe NVMe drives. The inner SSDs can be utilized both as direct storage or to cache the arduous drives, which could be vital relying in your community infrastructure.
It helps 4 LAN ports, with two every of 10GbE and 5GbE, as much as 30GbE of potential community bandwidth if you happen to can squeeze that out of 4 arduous drives and 4 PCIe NVMe drives. It additionally has the extra choice of direct connectivity over USB 4.0, enabling the AS6804T to be straight linked to a bunch PC.
A strong AMD Ryzen 3000 processor (V3C14) that makes use of ECC DDR5 reminiscence caps out what’s, for its dimension, one of the potent NASs it’s doable to purchase.
And, as you in all probability anticipated, know-how like this comes at a hefty price ticket of round $1,300. A machine that’s destined for our best NAS devices, however just for specialist necessities.
Asustor AS6804T: Value and availability
- How a lot does it price? From $1,300/£1240
- When is it out? Obtainable now
- The place are you able to get it? Amazon and lots of different on-line retailers
The Asustor Lockerstor 4 Gen3 AS6804T is the primary rung on the Lockerstor 4 Gen 3 sequence ladder and prices $1299 from Amazon.com and £1239 from Amazon.co.uk. Asustor seems to have enforced this pricing throughout retailers, because it prices the identical from NewEgg and B&H Photograph within the USA.
For the AS6806T, AS6808T, and AS6810T fashions, Asustor provides six-, eight-, and ten-bay variants, every costing $1499, $1699, and $1849, respectively.
This worth compares the AS6804T to the marginally dearer QNAP TVS-h474-PT-8G, which solely has twin 2.5GbE LAN ports and an Intel Pentium Gold processor.
Synology has nothing shut in its four-bay choices and seems to have gone chilly on SOHO NAS basically. The DS923+ is cheaper however makes use of DDR4 reminiscence and solely helps a twin 1GbE LAN and a single 10GbE port. In brief, these aren’t on the identical stage.
To get a twin 10GbE LAN from Synology, you want the DS3622xs+, a NAS with a Xeon processor and twelve bays. That is greater than double the value of the DS3622xs+, which is $3000 earlier than you add storage.
Ugreen has the DXP6800 Professional for $100 much less, that is six-bay, makes use of an Intel Core i5 ten-core processor, twin 10GbE and Thunderbolt ports, and a x4 PCIe slot. This NAS does not help ECC reminiscence, and the UGOS working system is not similar to Asustor’s ADM 5.0.
The plain conclusion is that Asustor has discovered a distinct segment for the AS6804T that is not already occupied by a competitor product. Due to this fact, it could cost no matter it thinks is reasonable.
Asustor AS6804T: Specs
| Merchandise | Spec |
|---|---|
| CPU: | AMD Ryzen Embedded V3C14 (4 cores, 8 Threads) |
| GPU: | N/A |
| RAM: | 16GB DDR5 ECC RAM expandable to 64GB |
| SATA Storage: | 4x 2.5 or 3.5-inch drives (HDD or SSD) |
| M.2 Storage: | 4x M.2 NVMe PCIe 4.0 |
| Ports: | 1xPCIe 4.0 4x slot, 2x USB 4.0, 3x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Sort-A |
| Networking: | 2x 10GbE LAN, 2x 5GbE LAN |
| OS: | ADM 5.0 |
| Most Capability: | 4x 36TB HDD + 4x 4TB M.2 NVMe |
| PSU: | 12V 7.5A 90W |
| Dimensions: | 185.5 x 170 x 230 mm (HWD) |
Asustor AS6804T: Design
- Familar design
- Lockable trays
- NVMe and reminiscence upgrades
Asustor NAS are usually well-made, and the AS6804T is a compact metallic field with the plastic elements restricted principally to the facia. It is nearly as good as something Synology makes in its smaller NAS however not as impressively constructed because the Ugreen machines.
For many who skilled the prior Gen 2 mannequin, this seems to be largely similar from the surface.
On the entrance is a show that can be utilized to initialise the machine with out referring to the net interface, a front-facing USB 3.2 Gen 2 port, and 4 lockable drive trays.
One speedy disappointment for this reviewer was that putting in any drives requires instruments because the notion of tool-less trays seems to have evaded Asustor.
However then you definitely additionally want a screwdriver to open the case if you wish to set up NVMe drives, so it may need been a pleasant contact at this worth if Asustor had included one within the field.
The trays do lock, fortunately, however you will have a flathead screwdriver, not a crosshead, to lock them.
The AS6804T is much less ergonomic than many competitor NASs as a result of putting in further reminiscence or NVMe SSDs requires disassembling the NAS.
Nevertheless, this is not one thing that IT individuals or house owners are prone to be doing daily, and it solely takes three screws to get the metallic case off. On the AS6804T, eradicating the quilt gives entry to an unused reminiscence slot and 4 M.2 NVMe slots.
As soon as inside, the construction had a couple of complicated facets, the primary of which was that there was no entry to the primary reminiscence slot. Ultimately, I discovered the placement for the primary occupied slot, which is on the opposite aspect of the board for the user-accessible one. Attending to that requires you to dismantle the complete NAS.
By default, the machine has 16GB of DDR5 ECC 4800MHz reminiscence in place and a most of 64GB. At present, DDR5 ECC is available in a most dimension of 32GB, so to realize the potential 64GB restrict requires you to take the NAS to items. A requirement that is not talked about within the Asustor doc about including reminiscence.
Nevertheless, these paperwork reveal that eradicating the PSU is important to improve the six, eight, and ten-bay fashions. Within the AS6804T, that is not a requirement.
When scanning the specs for the AS6804T, I did some fundamental analysis concerning the AMD Ryzen Embedded V3C14 CPU and puzzled the way it managed to supply all of the exterior ports, 4 SATA, 4 M.2 slots and a PCIe slot from a chip with solely 16 PCIe lanes?
A part of the reply is that the 4 M.2 slots are on a riser card that goes into the 4X PCIe slot, making utilizing the cardboard slot inconceivable if you happen to refuse to surrender the M.2 drives.
That is not best, and with the machine coming with 4 LAN ports already, there appears little level in including one other 10GbE LAN port to the AS6804T because the 4 arduous drives would discover it tough to saturate a single 10GbE port, and inconceivable to service three of them plus two 5GbE ports.
These options posed extra questions, the reply to which we’ll discover within the subsequent part, however my speedy response to scanning inside was that in all probability the machine that the Asus engineers designed first was the AS6810T, after which they tried to shoehorn that {hardware} into the smaller machines.
Asustor AS6804T: Options
- AMD Ryzen Embedded V3C14
- Lacks a GPU
- Bandwidth bingo
The selection of processor for the AS6804T was attention-grabbing. The AMD Ryzen Embedded V3C14 is a four-core Zen3+ structure that consumes a normal 15W (45W max) and may course of eight threads concurrently utilizing Simultaneous Multithreading (SMT).
It won’t be essentially the most highly effective CPU I’ve seen in a four-bay NAS, however it’s massively energy environment friendly, permitting the machine to run off a 90W PSU.
When in comparison with the Ugreen NASync DXP4800 Plus, which makes use of the Intel Pentium Gold 8505 processor, it wants a 150W PSU to help a chip that may eat as much as 55W.
The Intel Pentium Gold 8505 has older CPU know-how, does not help ECC reminiscence and makes use of Intel 7 fabrication (10nm node) the place the AMD chip is 6nm. However the place the Intel chip can trump the V3C14 is a GPU.
If the structure within the AS6804T has any weaknesses, it is the shortage of a GPU and its makes an attempt to juggle 20 PCIe lanes over all of the ports and providers that it helps.
Not having a GPU is not good for individuals who use Plex, though it simply implies that extra of the CPU is occupied to course of video.
However, the PCIe lane subject goes to the guts of this {hardware} and what you’ll be able to realistically do with it.
We have seen this subject on different NASs and Thunderbolt hubs, the place the bandwidth is massively over-subscribed, limiting what can realistically be achieved.
To clarify; a single 10GbE LAN port would require at the least 4 lanes of PCIe 1.0 for 10GbE, however the V3C14 has Gen 4, permitting it to help that port with a single PCIe 4.0 lane.
Due to this fact, the LAN ports alone use three of the twenty lanes accessible, the SATA ports for the drive bays one other two, the USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports one other three, and 4 lanes are used for the riser that helps the M.2 NVMe playing cards.
That implies that every M.2 card solely will get a single PCIe 4.0 lane that is equal to 1,000MB/s, regardless of what specification of NVMe you utilize.
These holding rating will know that is twelve PCIe lanes, leaving eight for USB 4.0 ports or 4 for every port. That is not sufficient to help the 40Gbps that port, in concept, can switch, and Asustor quotes 20Gbps, even when there is not sufficient whole bandwidth to help that.
Whereas attaching a PC straight utilizing USB 4.0 is a helpful backchannel that avoids LAN visitors, for these utilizing twin 10GbE LAN ports, it will not be considerably sooner than the LAN.
And, that assertion is that if the storage being accessed is not simply uncooked standard arduous drives, since they’d be quick sufficient to help 1,000Mb/s nonetheless you might be linked.
The opposite machines on this vary have extra arduous drives, which suggests they will extra simply ship increased drive efficiency. Conversely, extra SATA ports convert into much less PCIe bandwidth for different issues, like USB 4.0.
Asustor AS6804T: Software program
- ADM 5.0 is spectacular
- A number of purposes
Together with Synology and QNAP, Asustor has a mature NAS atmosphere that’s stuffed stuffed with options and instruments addressing lots of the use fashions this machine could be helpful.
The model of the ADM working system presently used is 5.0.0.RCG1 and the Lockerstor 4 Gen 3 vary are the optimum Asustor NAS that it was made for.
In contrast with different mature NAS platforms, the one obvious weak point I seen in how drives are dealt with is that ADM does not differentiate between storage swimming pools and volumes. Due to this fact, you’ll be able to’t have a number of volumes on one pool, though you’ll be able to have a number of shares, so which may not matter to most.
For many who like old-school constructions, each iSCSI and LUNs can be found, one thing nonetheless lacking from Ugreen UGOS, however accessible on Synology DSM, QNAP QTS and TerraMaster TOS.
As soon as the system has been initialised, a default number of purposes which are essential to normal operations is pre-installed. These core instruments are principally wonderful and well-considered, and I particularly appreciated the file explorer and the way a lot better it’s than those on UGOS and TOS. Its means to compress and decompress archives is terrific.
Because the safety points that hit all NAS makers a couple of years again, Asustor has put loads of effort into beefing up safety. Alongside the present Firewall, ADM 5.0 helps WORM (Write As soon as, Learn Many) knowledge storage know-how, a system that protects knowledge from ransomware assaults the place knowledge is remotely encrypted.
It additionally provides snapshots, permitting the system to be returned to some extent earlier than one thing unlucky occurs, such as you by chance deleted one thing you want.
For community directors, the power to configure a VPN, making distant entry safer, can also be best. The system may also implement two-factor authentication, stopping customers from writing passwords on sticky notes at their desks.
The app choice is complete, but when the instrument you most need is not one among these, you’ll be able to set up it as a Docker container or use the Asustor VirtualBox app to run it in a VM.
These strategies are quickly overtaking OS-specific apps, even when Asustor places a considerable quantity of effort into curating an honest number of them.
Asustor has backup instruments for desktop interactions that dump laptop knowledge to the NAS in timed operations or create a dwell sync for brand new information. Nevertheless, these are completely for Home windows machines and usually are not replicated on the Apple Mac OS.
Asustor has assumed, like many NAS manufacturers, that supporting Time Machine as a service negates the necessity for Mac software program. However that does not absolve them of Linux help, which is totally lacking in motion.
Fortunately, one of many third-party purposes on this NAS is GoodSync, a instrument that provides Home windows, Mac, Linux, Android and iOS syncs.
It is attention-grabbing to notice the place Asustor thinks its app duties fall and the place it depends on Docker, VM or third-party instruments to finish the circle. It is higher than TerraMaster or Ugreen, and it is extra on par with QNAP however nonetheless barely behind the Synology curve.
That stated, ADM 5.0 is a powerful platform offering sturdy performance in your required course. The funding in software program growth sources is obvious to see, and the Asustor group needs to be rightly happy with how the OS has developed from ADM 3.0 by ADM 4.0 to the 5.0 launch.
Asustor AS6804T: Efficiency
- 1x PCIe limits
- USB 4.0 choices
I may spend months testing a NAS based mostly on the potential configuration choices, so I restricted myself to answering a couple of attention-grabbing questions on what speeds a single person can expertise when linked to the Asustor Lockerstor 4 Gen 3.
The primary subject I examined was the efficiency of a single M.2 NVMe drive, in my case, a Corsair MP600 PRO LPX. A single NMVe shared on this approach over USB 4.0 hit a learn velocity of 1068Mbps and 591MB/s write. That matches properly with the only PCIe lane situation and in addition confirms that on this PCIe 4x bus, there isn’t a PCIe change allocating extra bandwidth if you happen to do not use all of the drives.
Shifting contained in the NAS to straight entry the drives from the command line, the efficiency caps at round 1300MB/s in each learn and write. An array can go sooner ought to you’ve got sufficient NMVe drives to create one.
I did not check arduous drive efficiency a lot, as a result of it was by no means going to oversaturate a 10GbE LAN port or USB 4.0 community connection, regardless of what arduous drives had been put in.
What if you happen to join a USB 4.0 exterior drive and share that over a USB 4.0 community, I hear you ask? By no means tried this on a NAS earlier than, and the outcomes had been much like the M.2 NVMe over USB 4.0 networking.
Due to this fact, if you happen to do not intend to construct NMVe RAID arrays, then connecting them externally is an actual risk.
These experiments with USB 4.0 know-how on this NAS reveal that this could be the best know-how to chain a number of machines collectively for backup/sync operations, eliminating the Ethernet LAN solely.
If solely Asustor had a chip with sufficient bandwidth to run 40Gbps USB 4.0 and never solely 20Gbps, then that may be a incredible spine community efficiency for chaining NAS.
Asustor AS6804T: Last verdict
With the Asustor Lockerstor 4 Gen 3, the makers have laid out a roadmap the place they envision NAS from this model goes, and it is an thrilling vacation spot,
The mix of a contemporary processor utilizing extremely dependable ECC reminiscence and the power to make use of the machine in DAS mode by way of USB 4.0 are all extremely fascinating options.
Personally, I would have most well-liked that they ditched the 2 5GbE LAN ports and as a substitute handed that bandwidth to the M.2 subsystem. However I may also settle for that having NVMe drives going sooner may need created a warmth technology subject that the present efficiency stage avoids.
With the ability to set up a low-profile PCIe 10GbE card as a substitute of the M.2 card is a neat trick, however who of their proper thoughts would try this? With out the caching of the M.2 drives, the standard drive storage will plateau at about 500-600MB/s, a lot lower than the LAN or USB 4.0 connections can deal with.
For these contemplating the AS6804T, I’d keep away from this mannequin from this sequence. The elevated variety of discs, particularly within the AS6808T and AS6810T, may make an enormous distinction to the sustained switch speeds of these linked.
Even if you happen to scaled down the drive sizes, going from 8TB to 4TB however with double the variety of drives, the consequence could be the identical capability however double the throughput for these drives configured in a RAID 5 pack.
This NAS, in all its incarnations, delivers a spanner within the works of different NAS manufacturers, particularly people who see software program builders, video editors, and knowledge archivists as their pure prospects.
It’s debatable which of the opposite manufacturers will need to compete because the growth of the brand new NAS takes at the least a few years. Synology appears disinterested in something that is not rack-mounted, and for different manufacturers, that is out of the value vary for a four-bay NAS.
Whereas QNAP, TerraMaster, and Ugreen would possibly need to full it, it is unlikely that something aggressive will arrive this 12 months except it was began in 2023.
For a time period, that is an open area the place this prancing NAS poney can cost round, protected within the data that it will not unexpectedly crash into something comparable.
The issue, and it’s large, is the value, which is sort of double what Asustor was asking for the Gen 2 four-bay. Sure, ECC is not low-cost, however it’s not that costly for 16GB.
Asustor would possibly assume that is a suitable price for a four-bay NAS, however for dwelling and small enterprise customers, it is extreme.
Time will inform if Asustor had been proper concerning the worth or if market gravitation forces pull this unit all the way down to a thousand {dollars} or much less.
Do you have to purchase a Asustor AS6804T?
| Worth | Costly for 4 bays, even with this spec | 3.5 / 5 |
| Design | Nothing radical or totally different from Gen 2 | 4 / 5 |
| Options | Enormous community bandwidth and highly effective processor | 4.5 / 5 |
| Software program | Excllent app choice and have set | 4.5 / 5 |
| Efficiency | A powerhouse best for builders, however it lacks a GPU | 4.5 / 5 |
| Total | Extremely highly effective NAS, however too costly | 4 / 5 |
Purchase it if…
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