CONCLUSION

   ASUSTOR has once again manufactured a high-performance NAS but unlike every single one of its 1GbE predecessors thanks to the addition of 2.5GbE connectivity (thanks to Realtek) it’s a lot faster, or at least it can be. Unfortunately, just like 10GbE connectivity you need to have the appropriate equipment to effectively use 2.5GbE so both your router/switch and your mainboard need to have such ports. The good news is that mainboard manufacturers have started using Realtek 2.5GbE Ethernet chips in some mainboards and the same goes for some network manufacturers with their latest routers and USB to 2.5GbE adapters. Still we’re talking about a very limited number of such devices (as of now) and the end result doesn’t change much since these models are obviously more expensive (alas not as much as 10GbE compatible models) compared to the “regular” 1GbE models. Moving to noise levels there’s nothing really new here, ASUSTOR claims in their datasheet that the AS5304T doesn’t go over 32dBA during normal use and even though we did record higher numbers keep in mind that we do our tests from just 10-15cm away whereas manufacturers do them from at least 1 meter away. The ADM is as always one of the best operating systems in the NAS industry (287 free apps right of the box) but we do feel that the lack of support for an HDMI media player like KODI (or at least a player with similar features/characteristics) is something that ASUSTOR needs to address, perhaps even more so than QNAP and others since their brand new Nimbustor line is aimed towards gamers. Last but not least the plastic exterior ASUSTOR has been using lately (even though slightly different in design here) may not sit well with some professionals and enthusiasts we’ve talked with recently but for a home-oriented model we don’t think it matter much.

   Currently the brand new Nimbustor 4 AS5304T NAS by ASUSTOR retails for USD479 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 505Euros inside the EU (Amazon.co.uk) a price tag which is quite balanced for what you’re getting. As mentioned earlier however unless you already have compatible network equipment, you’ll need to spend more in order to fully utilize its 2.5G ports and so this is also something you need to keep in mind. Overall, we’re very satisfied with the Nimbustor 4 AS5304T model, performance if you can use its 2.5G ports is extremely good, power consumption is at low levels and you’re also getting one of the best OS in the market today with support for 287 apps (at the time of this review). Taking into consideration all of the above we’re happy to award the brand new Nimbustor AS5304T with our Golden Award.

PROS

- Performance Levels
- Dual 2.5G RJ45 Ports (Link Aggregation Supported)
- ADM v3 Operating System (287 Available Apps Currently)
- Black & Red Color Theme (For AMD & ASUS ROG Fans)
- Low Power Consumption
- Android / iOS Apps
- Three USB 3.2 Gen 1 Ports
- HDMI v2.0a
- Single / JBOD / RAID 0 / RAID 1 / RAID 5 / RAID 6 / RAID 10 Modes
- Expandable RAM (Up To 8GB DDR4-2400)

CONS

- 2.5G Equipment Costs
- Plastic Enclosure (For Some)