Introduction

We would like to thank Asustor for supplying the review sample.



Asustor was among the first companies to use Intel's Celeron N3050 processor for its NAS products. Currently, the AS6104T, AS6102T, AS3102T, and AS3104T use this CPU, while the higher-end AS6202T and AS6204T use Intel's stronger N3150 CPU. The N3050's and N3150's major asset is that they feature a hardware encryption engine that is compatible with Intel's new AES-NI instruction set, which will allow these to offer high speeds with encrypted-file transfers, an area where NAS servers equipped with the Intel Celeron J1900 struggle because it lacks support for the instruction set.

According to Asustor, the N3050 isn't only fast with encrypted files as it is also capable of smooth 4K multimedia playback over the NAS's HDMI port, and a NAS meant to play a major role in a home should be compatible with 4K content since 4K monitors and TVs are widely available now. The Celeron CPU's hardware transcoding engine helps with 4K and 1080p content playback, and the NAS has a decent amount of RAM for a home NAS to make sure it won't bottleneck. The AS3102T sold for almost 260 bucks at the time of review, making it one of the most affordable two-bay NAS servers equipped with an Intel CPU. After a first glance, its only downside seems to be the lack of removable HDD trays as the HDDs are directly installed internally, which makes hot-swapping them impossible unless you operate the unit without its casing. The lack of HDD trays most likely won't be a set-back for home users who will install their HDDs once, without bothering with them afterward unless more storage space is required or one dies.