INTRODUCTION

   NAS (network attached storage) devices have not only managed to replace regular servers used in offices and small business but also home theatre PCs, NVR (network video recorder) systems and in some cases even regular external hard drives. Data transfer performance has always been a slight issue with affordable 1GbE (Gigabit) NAS models so for consumers looking for high speeds USB 3.0/3.1 external drives just offered (and in many cases still do) a much better bang for the buck. However, thanks to the somewhat recent push by many manufacturers to bring 10GbE (10 Gigabit) connectivity to the mainstream market and the appearance of many affordable 10GbbE cards and switches and even mainboards with onboard 10GbE connectivity this may not be the case for much longer. A few months back ASUSTOR released the AS4004T NAS which is their very first affordable model with built-in 10GbE connectivity and it's also been on our test bench for almost 2 weeks now.

   Founded in 2011, ASUSTOR Inc. was established via direct investment from ASUSTeK Computer Inc. The ASUSTOR brand name was created as a portmanteau of “ASUS” and “Storage”. ASUSTOR is a leading innovator and provider of private cloud storage (network attached storage) and video surveillance (network video recorder) solutions, also specializing in the development and integration of related firmware, hardware and applications. We are devoted to providing the world with an unparalleled user experience and the most complete set of network storage solutions possible.

     Since the AS4004T belongs in the home to power user line of NAS models by ASUSTOR we didn't expect miracles in terms of specifications (aside the built-in 10GbE connectivity which renders it futureproof even if you don't own the necessary equipment right now). So, under the hood we find the ARMADA 7020 (88F7020) Dual-core ARMv8 Cortex-A72 CPU by Marvell (at 1.6GHz) with 2GB DDR4 RAM (fixed, not expandable) and a 512MB SLC NAND flash DOM (disk-on-module) by A-DATA. The AS4004T also features a front magnetic plastic cover, two USB 3.1 Gen1 ports, two Gigabit Ethernet RJ45 ports (link aggregation is supported), single 10GbE BASE-T (probably by Marvell although that wasn't verified by ASUSTOR) port and four 3.5" SATA III drive bays (hot-swap) which can be configured in single, JBOD and RAID 0/1/5/6/10 modes. Unfortunately, ASUSTOR skipped on placing an HDMI output on the AS4004T but since this is an NAS aimed clearly towards consumers looking for high data transfer rates that shouldn't be a big issue for potential buyers.