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ASUSTOR is seeking to reinvent its NAS portfolio with the Nimbustor 2 Gen2 AS5402T, and the 2-bay NAS will get quite a bit proper. It makes use of Intel’s confirmed {hardware} platform, has 4 M.2 slots — greater than every other NAS on this section — and comes with 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet connectivity.
The most important situation with ASUSTOR servers prior to now was the software program, and the model was the goal of a ransomware assault two years in the past. So it overhauled the software program, beefed up its safety measures, and rolled out a ton of latest helpful options.
ASUSTOR is betting on worth to get potential clients to choose up the AS5402T over different merchandise on this section, and that is the perfect {hardware} package deal of any 2-bay NAS within the sub-$500 class. I used the AS5402T for simply over three months, and here is why I feel it has a number of potential.
ASUSTOR AS5402T: Pricing and specs
ASUSTOR unveiled the AS5402T alongside the 4-bay AS5404T again in Might 2023, and the NAS is now out there globally. The AS5402T retails for $369 on Amazon within the U.S., and it’s out there from all main retailers. Over within the U.Ok., the NAS prices £374 ($473). ASUSTOR presents a three-year guarantee as commonplace with the NAS. Calling a product Nimbustor 2 Gen2 AS5402T will get annoying actually rapidly, so I am simply going to discuss with it because the AS5402T in the remainder of the assessment.
Class | ASUSTOR AS5402T |
---|---|
Inner drive bays | Two (24TB every bay), 3.5-inch HDD, 2.5-inch HDD/SSD |
Community interface | 2 x 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet |
USB ports | 2 x USB 3.2 Gen2, 10Gbps |
eSATA ports | Row 3 – Cell 1 |
PCIe | Row 4 – Cell 1 |
HDMI | Sure, HDMI 2.0b port |
CPU | Quad-core 64-bit 2.0GHz Intel Celeron J5105 |
Plex transcoding | Sure |
RAM | 4GB DDR4 non-ECC, upgradeable to 16GB |
M.2 slots | 4, M.2 2280 commonplace |
Cooling | 1 x 70mm fan |
Dimensions | 170 x 114 x 230 mm |
Weight | 1.71kg, 3.77lb |
ASUSTOR AS5402T: Design
NAS producers do not normally change the design of their merchandise, and that’s the case with the AS5402T as effectively. It has the identical design language as ASUSTOR’s earlier choices, and the unassuming design means it simply blends into the background. You aren’t getting any vents on the edges, however there’s a 70mm fan on the again that does a great job making certain the drives do not get too sizzling.
That mentioned, ASUSTOR went with a geometrical sample all through that appears fairly good, and it offers the NAS a bit little bit of character. The NAS has two drive bays, and so they simply slide out. There’s a shroud masking the drive bays, and it attaches magnetically to the enclosure. Whereas the remainder of the AS5402T has a plastic design with a matte texture that does not choose up mud simply, the shroud is made out of shiny plastic, and it’s a mud magnet.
There are standing LEDs for the onerous drives, community ports, and USB ports, and also you get a USB-A port on the left. Set up of three.5-inch HDDs is tool-free, however you may want to make use of screws if you happen to’re mounting 2.5-inch SSDs or HDDs. The most effective options of the AS5402T is that it has 4 M.2 2280 slots. The draw back is that accessing these slots is not simple; you may must take away the screws in the back of the enclosure, take out the onerous drive bays, after which slide the entrance cowl again.
This allows you to entry the innards of the chassis, with the M.2 slots situated on the prime. Putting in the SSDs is simple sufficient when you get to the slots, however a slide-out panel would have made issues significantly simpler. There are vents above the M.2 slots that provide some quantity of passive cooling, however I might have appreciated to see thermal pads put in beneath every slot. And contemplating a screwdriver is critical to get to the M.2 slots, ASUSTOR ought to have included one within the field — like TerraMaster.
Apart from that disadvantage, I did not discover any points with the design. ASUSTOR did a great job sustaining design consistency with earlier generations, and the fan on the again manages thermals effectively with out getting too loud.
ASUSTOR AS5402T: Ports
ASUSTOR is thought for delivering a great worth with its NAS servers, and the AS5402T is not any completely different. The NAS has two 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet ports on the again, and also you get twin USB-A ports as effectively. What I significantly like is the inclusion of an HDMI 2.0 port; this permits the NAS to be related to a TV.
All three USB-A ports now use the USB 3.2 Gen 2 commonplace, and so they get the complete 10Gbps bandwidth, so if you happen to’re seeking to join exterior drives to the NAS, you may get quick transfers. The large differentiator is the quad M.2 slots on the NAS, so if you happen to’re seeking to combine conventional HDDs with quick SSD storage, you are able to do that with the AS5402T.
Curiously, the AS5402T reuses the identical M.2 backplane as the more expensive AS6707T, and the HDD backplane is identical because the AS5302T. This does not have an effect on the usability of the NAS in any manner, and there are many different manufacturers that use the identical {hardware} throughout their merchandise. However given how ASUSTOR labels its mannequin quantity on all of the components, it is easy to see what servers they had been designed for.
ASUSTOR AS5402T: Software program
ASUSTOR was the goal of a ransomware assault two years in the past, and following the incident, the model overhauled its safety measures. The ASUSTOR Knowledge Grasp (ADM) web-based interface suggests methods to tighten the safety of the NAS after you log in, and it picked up a visible refresh — it now has a definite gaming aesthetic, and the daring styling appears to be like good.
The interface nonetheless would not look fairly as polished as what you get with DSM, however ASUSTOR did a great job including a number of options. Icon administration is a bit intuitive, and settings might have been organized higher, however on the entire, you get a ton of helpful utilities, together with the likes of House Assistant, Tailscale, Plex, AdGuard, and extra.
ASUSTOR additionally has a collection of cell apps that allow you to again up pictures and movies, and whereas they do a good job, they’re in want of an overhaul.
ASUSTOR AS5402T: Efficiency
ASUSTOR is continuous to supply Intel {hardware} on its NAS enclosures, and the AS5402T is powered by the quad-core Celeron N5105, delivering sizeable good points over the N4xxx collection. It’s loads quick in day by day use, and it an excellent selection if you wish to arrange a strong Plex server.
The AS5402T does an important job with {hardware} transcoding normally, and if you happen to’re trying to make use of the characteristic in Plex, this is without doubt one of the greatest residence NAS servers out there. It’s higher than the DiskStation DS224+ — my present 2-bay choose — on the subject of Plex streaming, and it holds up significantly effectively with excessive bitrate content material.
The AS5402T has 4GB of DDR4 RAM out of the field, and there is one other SO-DIMM slot out there that allows you to add as much as an 8GB module. ASUSTOR would not hobble the NAS in any manner, so the perfect NAS onerous drives will work with none points on the AS5402T, together with the IronWolf Professional and WD’s Crimson Professional collection. You’ll be able to even slot within the new 24TB IronWolf Professional drives within the NAS, however seeing as how they value $549 in the mean time, you are higher off shopping for 8TB IronWolf HDDs.
I examined the AS5402T with twin 6TB IronWolf drives, and it was simple sufficient to saturate the switch price of the onerous drives when shifting information from the SSD of a Home windows machine. The truth that you get 2.5GbE connectivity makes issues considerably simpler, and also you needn’t fear concerning the community ports being the limitation on this space.
ASUSTOR AS5402T: The competitors
When you just like the look of the AS5402T however need one thing with extra drive bays, you must contemplate the Nimbustor 4 Gen2 AS5404T. It has the identical Celeron N5105 {hardware}, similar variety of ports on the again, and equivalent reminiscence and M.2 slots. The one distinction is that you simply get the power to fit in 4 3.5-inch drives, and out of doors of that, it’s the similar because the AS5402T.
The DiskStation DS224+ is extra reasonably priced, however you aren’t getting anyplace near the identical degree of {hardware}. You aren’t getting any M.2 slots, you are restricted to Gigabit Ethernet, and there isn’t any {hardware} transcoding. The software program options are the explanation why the DS224+ is a giant deal, nevertheless it would not measure as much as the AS5402T by way of the {hardware}.
ASUSTOR AS5402T: Must you purchase it?
You can purchase this if:
- You need a highly effective Plex residence server
- You want loads of M.2 slots
- You need nice {hardware} and multi-Gigabit connectivity
You should not purchase this if:
- You want polished software program
On the entire, the AS5402T is without doubt one of the greatest residence NAS servers you may get on this section. The NAS has terrific {hardware} throughout the board, and it is clear that ASUSTOR is positioning it as a creator-focused mannequin. The mixture of M.2 slots and twin 2.5GbE connectivity makes it an important selection if you wish to use SSD storage along with mechanical drives.
Whereas ASUSTOR’s software program nonetheless wants a bit of labor, the model made a number of constructive strikes on this space during the last 12 months. When you’re seeking to arrange a strong Plex server and wish the perfect {hardware}, the AS5402T is a straightforward suggestion.
With the perfect {hardware} in its class and loads of M.2 slots, the AS5402T has every little thing you want if you wish to construct a Plex server.
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