Introduction

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


Asustor recently introduced the Lockerstor 4 NAS, a four-bay NAS with some interesting features. For starters, it uses a capable quad-core Intel Celeron processor for a NAS, with burst frequency of up to 2.7 GHz. Such a server has to strike a balance between power and energy consumption when it comes to the CPU since it operates continuously around the clock. A power-hungry CPU would increase the thermal load, which requires active cooling. Active cooling, on the other hand, is not as reliable as passive cooling and may get noisy. Keeping internal NAS temperatures low is of immense importance for other reasons as well—it ensures less storage-related issues over the long run. While aggressive fan-speed profiles will work, no one wants a noisy NAS at home.

Another interesting feature is the HDMI 2.0a port, which supports up to 4K resolution with a refresh rate of 60 Hz. In combination with the Asustor Portal applications, which include Plex, this NAS can be a powerful multimedia hub. Besides multimedia, there are other scenarios where an HDMI port may come in handy (e.g., surveillance). Below are a few more strong points that speak for the AS6604T.

• Two 2.5 Gbit Ethernet ports
• Pair of M.2 NVMe SSD ports
• Upgradable RAM
• Dual file-system support for internal storage (btrfs and EXT4)

Finally, if four bays are not enough for your needs some time down the line, you can easily expand your storage by connecting other Asustor NAS units over the bundled USB 3.2 ports.

Specifications

Contents and Bundle

The box is quite large, but has a carrying handle, so you can easily move it around. At its face are some icons for the major features and a photo of the NAS.


Packing protection is excellent, and the NAS is wrapped in plastic to avoid scratching it during unboxing.


The bundle includes the power adapter and its power cord, two RJ45 network cables, and lots of screws for mounting 3.5" and 2.5" disks onto the trays. Asustor also includes a quick installation manual, which you should read before setting up the NAS.


The PSU is by Delta Electronics, so it is safe to assume it is of high quality. Its model number is DPS-90AB-3, and it can deliver up to 7.5 A with 12 V output.
You will find the trays, LED indicators, a USB port, the power and copy buttons, and an LCD screen on front.


Close-up photos of the trays, LED indicators, and the front USB port.


The two-line LCD screen displays useful information about the state of the NAS and deactivates automatically once the boot-up phase completes, conserving energy. Four buttons next to the screen allow you to check on various states or perform basic administrative tasks.


The NAS stands on four removable plastic feet.


You will find all I/O ports on the rear, including an HDMI 2.0a, two 2.5 Gbit Ethernet, and two USB 3.0 ports (also called 3.2 Gen 1), as well as the DC input socket and reset button.


A scheme of the NAS by Asustor depicts all points of interest.


A look at the NAS with its trays removed.


There are no anti-vibration pads, which may increase HDD noise. The installation of 2.5" and 3.5" disks is unfortunately not toolless, like those I used. The trays also don't feature locks, but there is a simple mechanism to secure them in place, and it only takes a flat-headed screwdriver to do so. Since this is not a business-centric NAS, I don't mind the absence of actual locks.


The trays with SSDs installed.

A Look Inside

Taking this NAS apart completely is not hard, you just need to take some photos or, even better, shoot a video to remember which screw goes where. Please note that installing a SO-DIMM memory stick or NVMe drives means removing the lid of the chassis, which only takes a Phillips screwdriver for the screws on the rear.


A view at the chassis. I didn't bother removing the front PCB and board that holds the LCD screen.


This is the board with the front USB 3.0 port, LED indicators, and power and copy buttons.


The LCD board uses a Weltrend controller.


The mainboard is small, with the CPU heatsink covering a significant portion of it.


A 4 GB SO-DIMM memory stick clocked at 2400 MHz occupies the RAM slot that is not easily accessible.


The empty RAM slot is on the back of the board.


The Intel Celeron J4125 (Gemini Lake) quad-core CPU is considerably faster than its Apollo Lake predecessor. With a TDP of only 10 W, it doesn't need active cooling.


The IC that handles system monitoring and fan control is an ITE IT8625E.


The mainboard's power phases which handle the CPU and RAM slots.


A pair of Realtek RTL8125B 2.5 Gbit controllers handle both Ethernet ports. On top of these is an Asmedia ASM2806 PCIe bridge controller.


An ASMedia ASM1464 handles the mainboard's USB 3.0 ports.


Two Macronix serial flash memory modules.


The board's eMMC is a Samsung KLM8G1GETF with a capacity of 8 GB.


The mainboard's battery that keeps the BIOS settings intact.


There is no free PCIe slot on the mainboard because one is occupied by the SATA expansion card, while the other is used by the board that hosts both optional NVMe drives.


There is an ASMedia ASM1061 controller on the SATA expansion card. Since this card only takes power from the PCIe slot, some polymer caps are used to deal with transient loads. Their capacity is low, but HDDs are not as demanding as other parts (e.g., CPUs or GPUs).


Y.S Tech makes the cooling fan, and its model number is FD121225HB. It uses a double-ball bearing, so it will easily cope with high operating temperatures.