ASUSTOR AS3104T 4-Bay SOHO NAS Review

Final Thoughts

Pricing

At the time of writing, the ASUSTOR AS3104T can be yours for just $342.99 at NewEgg, £339.95 at Overclockers UK, and €415.58 through Geizhals.

Overview

We saw a solid NAS server that allows the average user to turn four drives into a full fledged VM and Media centre, and that for a very fair price. The system has a great base with its Intel Celeron dual-core CPU and 2GB dual-channel memory. Sadly the memory isn’t expandable, but 2GB should be plenty for most people’s needs anyway. The CPU comes with both hardware encryption engine and floating point unit that further help the performance of systems while the dual-channel memory helps with intensive tasks such as transcoding and 4K resolutions.

There are plenty of USB 3.0 ports for peripherals and external storage, a gigabit ethernet LAN port, and an HDMI 1.4b port for direct usage. Everything you’ll want, more or less. You can even control it with an IR remote thanks to the built-in IR receiver.

Connection wise it’s kept simple, but we find everything we need. Starting with three USB 3.0 ports where one is located on the front for easy access and two more on the rear. It further features a Gigabit Ethernet LAN port for the network connectivity and an HDMI 1.4b port for direct connection to a TV or monitor. Thanks to the built-in infrared port, you can easily manage the whole thing from the comfort of your couch. The remote control is an optional purchase tho.

Performance wise, we saw some solid figures in all our benchmarks, and that includes a strong encryption performance. The latter is due to the CPU used that does a really great job here, but also an operating system that can take advantage of it.

The AS3104T isn’t just performing well, it also looks good with the simple exterior and diamond pattern on the front. It doesn’t feature external drive bays, which you might consider good or bad depending on what you want. But the lack of external drive bays does give it a sleeker appearance. The setup and installation are still a breeze thanks to the finger screws for both the chassis and drive installation.

The whole thing is powered by ADM which is a powerful operating system. It is built more like a mobile operating system than a classic NAS system in the design and where you find things. This makes it very easy to find things for novice users that aren’t that familiar with NAS system. Those who are will also find what they’re looking for quickly thanks to the logic design and grouping of features that belong together. One window has everything in regards to drives, another to access rights, and another again for backup and so forth, you get the drift. And speaking of apps, there are plenty to choose from. Whether you want to collect, stream, or manage video files, photos, or audio files, you’ll find what you need with the Photo Gallery, LooksGood, and SoundsGood.

With the HDMI port, the NAS can be used directly with any HDMI monitor. Just attach a keyboard and mouse or use a remote control. The ASUSTOR portal then allows you to use the NAS as a PC replacement in many ways. You can use LibreOffice to work, play games, or use KODI to browse all your media files – and much more.

I would rate this NAS as a home user NAS, but it still features plenty of functions that businesses are looking for. From iSCSI support over surveillance systems to mail server and cloud integration, the AS3104T does it. It even comes with the VirtualBox app which lets you run VMs on the AS3104T.

Pros:

• Intel Celeron CPU, hardware encryption engine, and hardware transcoding
• HDMI 1.4b output with 4K support
• Stylish design with scheduling and night modes
• Tool-less installation
• Up to 32TB raw capacity with 8TB drives
• Infrared receiver
• HTPC and VM abilities.

Cons:

• RAM isn’t upgradeable/expandable

“The AS3104T provides excellent storage features as well as VMs, Direct Usage with 4K, and HTPC replacement. Everything you need in a small and efficient box.”

Thank You ASUSTOR for providing us with this review sample.