Asustor FLASHSTOR 6 and 12 Pro – ASUSTOR’s first all-M.2 SSD NAS
The speed at which compact server development moves can be pretty groundbreaking, as hardware that even a 2-3 years ago though impossible/unthinkable, can suddenly become comparatively pedestrian. That said, one area of server storage that has still yet to genuinely see consumer or even relatively prosumer integration is desktop flash storage. Whether it is because the potential performance benefits are way beyond the average punter’s requirements, that SSD storage still commands a high price tag or that the maximum storage potential of SSD NAND is still dwarfed by even domestic HDDs, However, 2023 is starting to see these barriers get broken down one by one and into this arena comes a new Asustor NAS that really does break the mold on what a desktop NAS can be or is possible to be! The Asustor Flashstor series comprises a 6 Bay and 12 Bay compact desktop NAS that supports up to 6/12x m.2 Gen3* NVMe SSDs, respectively. Now, an ‘ALL-SSD’ desktop NAS server is not new, however, a dedicated pre-built turn-key M.2 NVMe SSD-Only system really, really is (with only a couple of other examples that spring to mind before this). With a new chassis design built around a very different kind of internal storage media than usual, an internal hardware architecture that is a noticeable degree more affordable than many other flash server systems and a few key differences between the Flashstor 6 and Flashstor 12 Pro beyond just the drive bays, let’s take a closer look at a new kind of NAS solution!
*Yes, you can use Gen4 SSDs, but you will be downgraded to Gen3)
Asustor FLASHSTOR 6 and 12 Pro Hardware Specifications
First up, let’s discuss the Flashstor 6 and Flashstor 12 Pro hardware specifications, as there is definitely a mixed back of things here that will please sum and potentially annoy others! The general architecture of CPU, Memory and lanes afforded to those M.2 NVMe slots are largely the same (though I am a little surprised the 12 Bay Pro arrives with 4GB of memory, the same as the 6-Bay system). There are certainly those that are going to be a little underwhelmed by the appearance of an Intel Celeron here, as opposed to a Xeon or Ryzen – as flash systems need a decent degree of horsepower to push those drives inside to their maximum throughput potential. However, Asustor is clearly aiming this system at a lower tier of flash user, rather than a full-guns-blazing enterprise flash data center!
| Model |  |
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|---|---|---|
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| Model | FS6706T | FS6712X |
| PRICE | $499 – CHECK Amazon | $860 – CHECK Amazon |
| CPU | Intel Celeron N5105 Quad-Core 2.0GHz (burst up 2.90 GHz) Processor | Intel Celeron N5105 Quad-Core 2.0GHz (burst up 2.90 GHz) Processor |
| HARDWARE ENCRYPTION ENGINE |  |
|
| HARDWARE ACCELERATION ENGINE | H.264 (AVC),H.265(HEVC), MPEG-4 Part 2, MPEG-2, VC-1 | H.264 (AVC),H.265(HEVC), MPEG-4 Part 2, MPEG-2, VC-1 |
| MEMORY | 4GB SO-DIMM DDR4 (4GB x1, Expandable. Max 16GB) | 4GB SO-DIMM DDR4 (4GB x1, Expandable. Max 16GB) |
| M.2 DRIVE SLOTS | 6 x NVMe/SATA | 12 x NVMe/SATA |
| HDD | N/A | N/A |
| MAXIMUM DRIVE BAYS WITH EXPANSION UNIT | 14 | 20 |
| SUPPORTS SINGLE VOLUME LARGER THAN 16TB | |
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Asustor FLASHSTOR 6 and 12 Pro Ports and Connectivity
| PORTS AND CONNECTIONS |  |
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|---|---|---|
| EXPANSION | 2x USB 3.2 Gen 2, 2 x USB 2.0 | 2x USB 3.2 Gen 2, 2 x USB 2.0 |
| NETWORK | 2x 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet (2.5G/1G/100M) | 1 x 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10G/5G/2.5G/1G/100M/10M) |
| PCIE EXPANSION SLOTS | – | – |
| LCD PANEL | – | – |
| SIZE | 48.3 (H) x 308.26 (W) x 193 (D) mm | 48.3 (H) x 308.26 (W) x 193 (D) mm |
| WEIGHT | 1.35kg / 2.98 lb | 1.37 kg / 3 lb |
| INPUT POWER VOLTAGE | External Power Adaptor: 65W x1 100V to 240V AC |
External Power Adaptor: 90W x1 100V to 240V AC |
| POWER CONSUMPTION | 18.2 W (Operation); 0.83 W (Sleep Mode) |
26 W (Operation); |
| VOLUME TYPE | Single disk, JBOD, RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, RAID 6, RAID 10 | Single disk, JBOD, RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, RAID 6, RAID 10 |
| HDMI OUTPUT | 1x HDMI 2.0b, 1x S/PDIF | 1x HDMI 2.0b, 1x S/PDIF |
| INFRARED RECEIVER | – | – |
| AUDIO OUTPUT | S/PDIF x1 | S/PDIF x1 |
| TRAY LOCK | |
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| MYARCHIVE DISK BAYS | 5 | 11 |
| SERVICE LED INDICATOR | – | – |
| REDUNDANT POWER SUPPLY | – | – |
Now there are DEFINITELY going to be two very different kinds of people that are reading the ports and connections above for the Flashstor 6 and Flashstor 12 Pro. Those that weigh up the price vs return of what is on offer across these systems are going to be quite happy. We have a choice of 2x 2.5GbE or 10GbE (scale/version dependant), with support of USB adapters to increase network connectivity that is further emboldened by things like SMB Multichannel and Port Trunking to open up these network speeds. Although clearly the performance potential of the M.2 NVMes are going to be greater internally, you are still going to have somewhere between 5Gbe and 10GbE (so 500-1,000MB/s or so) to play with externally. However, given that each of those M.2 NVMes has the potential for 1,000MB/s EACH in a 3×1 slot, that is quite a heft reduction to accept for 6-12x M.2NVMes in terms of external transfer speeds. Though the Asustor Flashstor 6 and Flashstor 12 Pro are very much ‘entry level’ flash systems, there is no avoiding that the brand has clearly had to introduce a level of compromise to the hardware in order to remain in this price bracket of $499 and $860 (at time of writing on Amazon.com). It’s worth also remembering too that the Flashstor series is not just hardware, but also includes the Asustor ADM NAS software. Let’s discuss what these two NAS’ support in ADM.
Asustor Flashstor 6 and Flashstor 12 Pro NAS – ADM Software
The Asustor Flashstor NAS arrives with the latest version of ADM included. Additionally, this software receives frequent updates to ensure that the software runs the very best it can on this system, as well as keeping up to date with security patches and application versions. The NAS software is accessible via a web browser and displayed very much like a normal computer operating system (desktop, user accounts, customizable themes, file management, running multiple tasks in windows that can be switched in the native tabs), but there are also a range of desktop client tools for accessing the NAS on your local machine natively, as well as a whole bunch of mobile applications that allow tailored access from your phone/tablet in more task-specific means (eg a photo app for viewing pictures and creating phone backup routines, a video app for enjoying your movies and boxsets, surveillance app to access your cameras, etc). There is also a large range of support of 3rd party applications too in the ADM platform. Asustor is not as big a company as the likes of Synology and QNAP, whole put ALOT more money into their software development, but Asustor try to counter this by (when they do not have an in-house app) making native versions of 3rd party tools in their platform (example, they do not have a 1st party Virtual Machine app, but DO include huge support for VirtualBox). The platform is not quite as fully featured as DSM and QTS, but it is still a very smooth and accessible software platform. The app center has a few more 3rd party applications and slightly crowbarred software (eg the Amazon Media and Streaming service plugins) that is not updated up the original uploaders anywhere near enough (leading to running issues on these tools), but the 1st party apps run very well. The big takeaway on the Asustor software and it’s services is that the standard class of expected features of a modern NAS in 2022/2023 are here and run exactly as you would want, it is just some of the additional ones that other platforms have doubled down on (such as AI-related services in Photography and Surveillance for example) that are a little lacking. That said, the brand has definitely ramped up a number of the key security protocols and settings in the default setup.
| SOFTWARE & FEATURES | ||
|---|---|---|
| FS6706T | FS6712X | |
| MAX. RESOLUTION | 2160P 4K | 2160P 4K |
| File Sharing | ||
| MAXIMUM NUMBER OF USERS | 4096 | 4096 |
| MAXIMUM NUMBER OF GROUPS | 512 | 512 |
| MAXIMUM NUMBER OF SHARED FOLDERS | 512 | 512 |
| MAXIMUM NUMBER OF CONCURRENT CONNECTIONS | 512 | 512 |
| iSCSI | ||
| MAXIMUM TARGETS | 256 | 256 |
| MAXIMUM LUNS | 256 | 256 |
| Virtualization Support | ||
| VMWARE READY | NFS, iSCSI | NFS, iSCSI |
| CITRIX READY | |
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| HYPER-V READY | |
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| Eco-Friendly Design | ||
| AUTO-STANDBY FOR BOTH INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL DISKS | |
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| SYSTEM AUTOMATICALLY ENTERS SLEEP MODE (SCHEDULE S3) | |
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| WAKE-ON-LAN (WOL) | |
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| WAKE-ON-WAN(WOW) | – | |
| ASUSTOR PORTAL |
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|---|---|---|
| PHOTO GALLERY 3 | |
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| FTP EXPLORER | |
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| HIDRIVE BACKUP | |
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| GOOGLE DRIVE | |
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| DROPBOX | |
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| MAIL SERVER | |
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| DOWNLOAD CENTER | |
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| PLEX MEDIA SERVER | |
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| VPN SERVER | |
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| MAX. NO. OF VPN SERVER CONNECTIONS | 20 | 20 |
| Surveillance Center | ||
| MAX. NO. OF SUPPORTED CAMERAS (WITH ADD-ON LICENSES) | 44 | 44 |
| SoundsGood | ||
| WEB BROWSER PLAYBACK | |
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| LOCAL PLAYBACK |
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| PLAYBACK VIA OTHER DEVICES |
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| PLAYBACK VIA OTHER DEVICES |
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Asustor FLASHSTOR 6 and 12 Pro – Price and Release Date
It would appear that the Asustor Flashstor series are available NOW and are listed online at the usual websites. Pricing, especially for the 6x M.2 NVMe version seems remarkably reasonable ($499 on Amazon.com at the time of writing), which given the scope of hardware here versus the 4-Bay Asustor Lockerstor Gen 4 at $609 (4x SATA + 4x NVMe Bays), is remarkably good value for a flash focused desktop NAS system. As long as you keep in mind that this is still an Intel Celeron-powered system, then you should be very happy with what you are getting here. Plus, the performance of ADM on the Lockerstor with this same architecture (CPU+Memory) has already been proven to work very well indeed. If you take FLASH servers very seriously, you are probably not gonna love this, but for those looking for an affordable home NAS SSD optimized solution in desktop form. There is alot to love here! I look forward to reviewing the Flashstor 6 and Flashstor 12 Pro later in 2023.
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| FS6706T | FS6712X |
| $499 – CHECK Amazon | $860 – CHECK Amazon |
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