Introduction

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


The Drivestor 4 Pro uses a Realtek Quad-Core CPU clocked at 1.4 GHz and supported by 2 GB of DDR4 RAM. 2 GB of RAM is low, and the RTD1296 CPU is not that strong, but given NAS servers operate around the clock, offering acceptable performance while consuming as little power as possible is what matters the most. Moreover, this being a home-oriented NAS, it is not meant for business environments. Support for PLEX and the 4K transcoding capability are good news for users wanting a NAS to handle their multimedia content. In this review, I will also check on whether it can actually do so, though.

The Asustor Data Master operating system has reached its fourth edition, which brings with it several new features. The user interface is more appealing and now includes a dark mode, which more and more users prefer. Asustor promises increased performance and enhanced security. At the face of the NAS, the new Asustor rose-gold color logo caught my eye even though I don't pay much attention to aesthetic details when it comes to IT products, but such is the nature of a NAS in a living room that looks matter as well.

With 2 GB of memory, media transcoding can be a challenge, and this is where media mode steps in to improve performance. Through this feature, 512 MB of RAM are reserved for multimedia tasks, so even with other stressful tasks conducted simultaneously, video playback remains smooth. The 2.5 GbE port is another significant plus since several mainboards have compatible ports and compatible switches are affordable. Finally, supporting exFAT out of the box is an excellent move since it removes the need for an extra plug-in to do so.

Specifications

This is a budget-centric NAS. It mainly addresses users wanting a NAS with decent performance for increased storage space. The three-year warranty is a bonus as most brands offer two years.