Asustor Lockerstor 4 Gen 3 NAS Review (AS6804T)

Asustor Lockerstor 4 Gen 3 NAS Hardware Review – Worth Your Data?

UPDATE – The Lockerstor Gen 3 NAS Series is NOW AVAILABLE in a 4 Bay ($1299) and 6 Bay ($1499) configuration, with an 8-Bay and 10-Bay system coming later in 2024.

Of all the brands that I talk about in the world of turnkey NAS, very few have had the powerful renaissance in the eyes of the public than Asustor. It may sound harsh, but around a decade ago, this brand was seen as something of a weak imitation of higher-tier players such as Synology and QNAP. However, there has been a significant turnaround on this in the last five years, largely down to significant changes in company culture, attitudes towards base-level hardware, and a huge redesign of the platform software. Probably the biggest turning point for this was when the company released the Flashstor system back in 2023, leading to largely universal praise and a significant boost in their market share. Fast forward to now, and another hugely anticipated system is rolling out—the Lockerstor Gen 3 Series. The Lockerstor 4 Gen 3 system is arguably one of the most powerful and capable 4-bay NAS solutions I have ever seen, with near-unbeatable internal and external bandwidth. But that $1,299 price tag! However, does the Lockerstor 4 Gen 3 manage to justify its lofty pricing? With previous generation 4-bay Lockerstor series landing around the $550 mark, can this third generation of this product series truly justify the price? And what do you get for your money? Ultimately, does it deserve your data?

Asustor AS6804T Lockerstor 4 Gen 3 NAS Review – Quick Conclusion

I have been in and around the network-attached storage industry in one shape or form for almost two decades, and I can comfortably say that the Lockerstor Gen 3 provides an unparalleled level of hardware in a turnkey NAS solution compared with anything I have seen to date. A hugely flexible variety of network connectivity at high bandwidth, significant storage capabilities flexing across multiple storage types, low power consumption and noise for its capabilities, and intelligently designed cooling systems for such a compact solution all add up to a fantastically impressive NAS device. The system software still falls short of the high benchmark set by Synology DSM and QNAP QTS but still nails down the fundamentals very well and integrates numerous software features from either of those brands into a single solution. Equally, the price tag is definitely pushing this system outside of the hobbyist and enthusiast tiers and much more into a business-class solution than previous generations of this product family. That said, I can’t fault the amount of passion that has gone into the development of this system and the “leave no bandwidth left on the table” attitude that the brand has clearly pursued here. Is this the perfect 4-bay NAS solution? Probably not, as it still favors hardware over software overall, but it’s damn close and might well be the best thing that Asustor has ever produced!

SOFTWARE - 7/10

HARDWARE - 10/10

PERFORMANCE - 10/10

PRICE - 7/10

VALUE - 7/10

8.2

PROS

👍🏻High-Performance CPU: Equipped with the AMD Ryzen V3000 Embedded processor, delivering efficient, server-grade performance for demanding tasks.
👍🏻ECC DDR5 Memory: Includes 16GB of ECC DDR5 memory (expandable to 64GB), ensuring data integrity and reliability.
👍🏻Comprehensive Connectivity: Dual 10GbE and dual 5GbE ports, along with two USB4 ports, provide a combined bandwidth of up to 30 Gbps for versatile network setups.
👍🏻Advanced Data Protection: Offers RAID 5 and RAID 6 options for HDDs and NVMe drives, with hot-swappable capabilities and Btrfs support for snapshots.
👍🏻USB4/Thunderbolt 4 Over IP: Supports direct connection to Mac and Windows systems via USB4 for fast data transfers and point-to-point editing.
👍🏻Robust Build Quality: Sturdy metal chassis with minimal noise, even during heavy operations, and excellent heat dissipation with a copper heat pipe.
👍🏻ADM 5 Software: Reliable, secure OS with essential features like snapshots, remote access, and simplified setup; supports third-party OS installations.
👍🏻Efficient Power Consumption: Peaks at around 50W under heavy load, efficient for the system’s performance class.
👍🏻Front LCD Display: The configurable LCD panel allows direct monitoring and setup, a handy feature for easy system management.
👍🏻Excellent for Multi-User Environments: Multi-channel network support and high bandwidth make it ideal for collaborative, multi-client setups.

CONS

👎🏻High Price Point: At around $1,299, it’s a premium option, potentially limiting appeal for home users and hobbyists.
👎🏻No Integrated Graphics: Lacks GPU support, limiting multimedia transcoding and high-end streaming capabilities.
👎🏻Software Limitations: ADM 5 is solid but doesn’t match the multimedia and AI features found in competitors like Synology and QNAP.
👎🏻M.2 NVMe Slots Limited to PCIe x1: Each NVMe slot is limited to x1 speed, slightly capping potential performance for SSDs.

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Asustor AS6804T Lockerstor 4 Gen 3 NAS Review – Packaging

Now, it is worth highlighting that I did review the first generation of the Lockerstor 4 back in Summer 2020, and the Gen 2 in 2022 – so if you have read that review, you are going to see alot of the same thing in terms of the presentation of the device with the Lockerstor 4 Gen 3 from Asustor. Credit to them, one area that in practically every single Asustor review I have ever done that the company always excels on, it is the retail packaging. I have been in the field of technology for quite a long time, as well as growing up as a 90s kid who would admire boxes from afar in my local tech retail outlet. Given the increase on the majority of tech purchases being made online, the necessity for eye-catching retail packaging is pretty low and therefore I am always pleasantly surprised when NAS devices like the Lockerstor 4 Gen 3 come along and put that extra bit of effort into to the point of sale design. Arriving in an attractive black and white box, it features numerous images of the Lockerstor 4 Gen 3 itself in near 1 to 1 scale, along with lots of highlighted information on the software and hardware advantages of this device. In short, I’m a sucker for a good bit of branding.

Upon opening the Lockerstor 4 Gen 3 retail box I’m pleased to confirm that the device is well packaged and partitioned for protection from movement and shock damage in transit, something that is wildly underestimated particularly in the field of data storage hardware. I know I tend to labour this point on YouTube, but silent tech damage is a real thing! I will always give a few extra points to any brand that puts their hand in their pocket and will pay for suitable protection of the unit in transit, as this is a shockingly overlooked area of this kind of technology on the basis that it is sold unpopulated.

The full AS6804T Lockerstor 4 Gen 3 retail kit contains several items that allow you to deploy the device easily for the very first time. Everything you’re going to need is included here, apart from storage media, as the Lockerstor 4 Gen 3 is sold unpopulated. Asustor has always been in the practice of providing solutions without hard drives, so that end users can choose what media and to what extent they wish to populate their NAS on day one. This is, of course, a matter of taste and preference to the end-user, but generally, I always recommend unpopulated solutions, as it will allow you to plan your budget and spending requirements far more fitting to your requirements. The full list of accessories included with the device are:

• AS6804T NAS Unit
• 4x CAT 6 LAN Cables
• External PSU (90W) and Mains Power Cable
• Setup Guide and Warranty Details (3 Years)
• Screws for 2.5″ and 3.5″ media and keys

Most of these are fairly standard items, but there are a few elements of this accessory kit that I want to touch on. First up, the Lockerstor 4 Gen 3 arrives with an external power brick, which I know is an area of contention for some buyers who consider this just another thing to accidentally forget to pack when deploying a NAS in multiple locations. I have always been very much counter to this point of view, thinking that an external PSU makes a lot more sense in terms of ease of replacement in the event of failure and it also allows the NAS to not have to contend with additional heat generated from the PSU in this typically 24 X7 environment. 

The Lockerstor Gen 3 NAS demonstrates impressive power efficiency for its performance class, particularly during idle states and moderate workloads. In testing, the NAS consumed approximately 30 to 32 watts when idle, which is a reasonable range for a four-bay system with an embedded AMD Ryzen V3000 processor. This power consumption level is slightly higher than budget NAS systems, but considering the advanced processing power and capabilities of the Lockerstor Gen 3, the results are still commendable. For users seeking to run a high-performance NAS around the clock, this relatively low idle power usage contributes to overall cost efficiency without sacrificing system readiness or responsiveness.

Under more demanding workloads, the Lockerstor Gen 3 remains energy efficient, though power draw predictably increases to accommodate the system’s performance needs. During testing at 30-50% utilization, including RAID scrubbing and multiple applications active, power consumption ranged from around 38 to 50 watts, which reflects the efficient yet powerful AMD Ryzen architecture at work. Even with sustained data access and utilization of multiple M.2 NVMe slots, the NAS managed to maintain these moderate power levels. For power users who require continuous operation, the system’s ability to handle tasks with consistent energy efficiency across various states is a valuable asset.

Cooling and thermal management also play a role in the power profile of the Lockerstor Gen 3. The NAS employs a 90-watt external power supply and integrates heat dissipation features like a copper fin pipeline connected to the CPU, a rear 120mm fan, and ventilation along both the trays and side panels. These design choices help regulate power use by reducing the need for aggressive fan speeds or additional cooling hardware. The result is a well-balanced system that minimizes energy consumption without overheating, supporting continuous, long-term usage for workloads requiring extensive data access, like virtual machines, file-sharing networks, and media servers.

Asustor AS6804T Lockerstor 4 Gen 3 NAS Review – Design

The AS6804T NAS arrives in very unique and slightly old skool design. When many brands have dropped LCD panels in favour of simpler LEDs and metal screwed bays in favour of plastic click and load trays – Asustor has clearly stuck to their guns. Design-wise, the Lockerstor 4 Gen 3 AS6804T is IDENTICAL to the Lockerstor Gen 1 and Gen 2 at a glance, with most of the changes being made internally (with the only visible differences on the chassis at a glance being the added ventilation for the M.2 mentioned earlier). This 4-bay solution features a fantastically rugged casing, that is almost exclusively metal in both external casing and right the way down to the individual drive bays. Typically this is an area where most brands will make economies, for reasons of mass production or for reasons of noise reduction. However, I am well aware that there is a large contingent of NAS buyers who prefer metal NAS systems for added heat dissipation and build quality desirability. For those buyers, the Lockerstor 4 Gen 3 is a dream come true, indeed!

This 4-bay features a controllable LCD front-mounted panel that provides real-time information about the NAS when powered on. This information may appear a tad rudimentary, but there is no avoiding that it is useful if you need to know information such as the IP of individual network ports, state of internal temperature and details on notification warnings audibly triggered from the physical system at the touch of a button. Sure, you can access this information by logging in via the client applications or browser-based GUI, but this can take longer than a simple click of a button on the physical NAS and is especially relevant when the alert buzzer is triggered for reasons of storage degradation where the time frame is important.

HOWEVER, a often overlooked fact of the Lockstor 4 NAS is that you can actually set the whole thing up with just the LCD panel – no desktop or model App needed! You can navigate initialization and single disk redundancy RAID configuration right from the first time power on via the LCD panel. Now, obviously, long-term access is going to be done with desktop/mobile client tools, however, for installers and/or IT Admins looking to quickly deploy these units, this level of fast setup is going to be remarkably handy. Equally, in the event of a system issue/warning (RAID degradation, high internal temperatures, disk health recognized in SMART tests, etc), the LCD panel allows you much MUCH faster means to identify the issue and address the buzzer/alarm than logging in via a client, going through authentication and more. This is especially handy if the issue is network connectivity related. Unsurprisingly, the Lockerstor 4 Gen 3 features numerous areas of LED notification. these are considerably less useful and detailed than the LCD panel but still provide minimalist information about system access and activity.

Another physical feature of the Lockerstor 4 Gen 3 that I’m pleased to confirm is still present in this 2024 NAS drive is a front-mounted USB port and copy button. Though in the case of the Gen 3 system, they have upgraded this to USB 3.2 Gen 3 (10Gb/s), so twice the locally connected bandwidth of its predecessor. More and more brands are removing this feature in favour of a stand-alone USB port that can trigger backups automatically when a given external drive is connected. The Lockerstor 4 Gen 3 has both a physical button that can manually instigate multiple types of NAS to USB backup, as well as an automated trigger system too – better to have both than either, as if you are going to the trouble of connecting a drive physically to this NAS the extra steps in assurance to simply click a button and the first-hand witness the backup begin is just an extra layer of peace and self-assured security that for me is vital, to have confidence in your backup strategy. Plus, the featured support of the USB 3.2 Gen 3 protocol means that you can take better advantage of external RAID storage drives and external NVMe SSD backup enclosures with a 1,000MB/s bandwidth to saturate!

Carrying on with the theme of rugged design, the drive trays featured on the Lockerstor 4 Gen 3 are particularly good quality. Each tray has a dedicated switch-based locking mechanism, plenty of ventilation and is even spring-loaded, something we are seeing less and less these days. Each tray supports a 3.5-inch or 2.5-inch SATA media drive, as well as allowing you to deploy this device with a single drive if you choose. However, as these are metal trays, that is going to increase ambient noise when it comes to larger scale HDDs of 10TB and above (predominantly all 7200RPM, 7+ Platter and helium sealed – in other words, industrial and prone to noisy operation to start with).

Of course, this device is designed with the utilisation of a RAID configuration ideally in mind and as this device supports both the very latest 22TB and 24TB drives, as well as numerous RAID configurations in JBOD, RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID5, RAID 6 and RAID 10. This means by current storage drive standards, this device can support up to 104TB of storage, and can even be expanded with an official Asustor expansion device over USB.

The abundance of metal design on the Lockerstor 4 Gen 3 nice will certainly assist heat dissipation, but there is no avoiding that it will also play its part in increasing general sound levels negatively. Alongside this, the Lockerstor 4 Gen 3 features less typically visible ventilation than what you see on most 4-bay solutions. Alongside the rear-mounted active cooling fan, the only other passive cooling to assist airflow is via a minimal ventilation slit on the side and what ventilation is available on each drive tray. Once again, this system requires a little less ventilation than more plastic-based NAS casing and is therefore excusable to a degree. Next, we discuss the ports and connections available on the Lockerstor 4 Gen 3.

Asustor AS6804T Lockerstor 4 Gen 3 NAS Review – Ports and Connections

Ports and connectivity on the Lockerstor Gen 3 are pretty damn substantial, and alongside being a significant scale-up from the Gen 2 series, also kick pretty hard on the door of a number of power-user devices that other NAS brands have charged more for. There is a tremendous amount of bandwidth afforded to that Ryzen processor that this system is running on, and fair play to Asustor—they’ve really doubled down on eking as much bandwidth as possible out of it in terms of external connectivity.

First, let’s get the network connectivity nailed down. This system arrives with two 10GbE copper network ports, so immediately, this opens the door to a potential 20Gbps network connectivity. Whether you’re going to utilize this device point-to-point with a connected client, funnel it into a managed switch, or take advantage of modern efficient chunking methods like SMB multichannel, straight away, this system already has a decent amount of network connectivity out the gate.

However, as mentioned earlier, Asustor has clearly decided that they want to make the most of all the afforded bandwidth here. Alongside the 10GbE connectivity, they have managed to feature 5GbE connections as well, leaving none of the available bandwidth on the table. Respect. This means that this system has a combined potential network connectivity of 30Gbps to be leveraged into a single network or separated across multiple devices. Arguably, 5GbE copper connections are pretty rare, and some might argue that these ports are not really going to be used that much.

However, I personally see that as something of a glass-half-empty point of view. The reality is that this means connected clients and connected switches that feature 10GbE with auto-negotiation are still going to be able to at least take advantage of half of that available bandwidth via these ports. Additionally, thanks to improved controllers being rolled out by the likes of Realtek and Aquantia, there are several affordable USB-to-5GbE adapters in the market that you can purchase for as little as $30, which means that even if you don’t have a 5GbE port on your client device, there are plenty of ways to go ahead and add it at a small additional cost. Ultimately, I’m really impressed by the external connectivity provided here. However, it doesn’t even stop there!

The Lockerstor connectivity, though it can be utilized for external storage or supported peripherals, is really of more benefit via direct connection over USB4 and Thunderbolt—Thunderbolt 4! That’s right, alongside the system affording 10GbE and 5GbE connectivity, you can also directly connect your Mac or Windows system over USB4/Thunderbolt 4. Point-to-point, this is going to be a phenomenally attractive option for video editors who want to be able to take advantage of a larger external storage device that doesn’t have the limitations of a traditional direct-attached storage system, which only allows for one connected user.

Each of these USB4 ports provides up to 20Gbps connectivity, and although the real-world performance that you will enjoy is going to be heavily dependent on both the active network traffic and the storage media you choose to install inside, this is already another huge cherry on an already overstuffed cake in terms of connectivity for multiple clients! Case in point: You could fill this device with four traditional spinning hard drives in the main storage bays, then populate the internal M.2 Gen 4 expansion card with four SSDs in their own RAID group, as a storage pool. From there, you would be able to connect two 10GbE users, two 5GbE users, and two USB4 users all at once—with each user having some pretty substantial performance numbers at their disposal! Again, this is heavily dependent on what storage media you put inside, but it is really hard to fault the storage and performance potential that this system affords to the end user in terms of connectivity.

However, it’s what’s on the inside that counts, right? Let’s open this system up and take a good look at the internal hardware.

Asustor AS6804T Lockerstor 4 Gen 3 NAS Review – Internal Hardware

Unlike previous generations of the Lockerstor series, the Gen 3 system arrives with an AMD Embedded Ryzen processor. Built on AMD’s Zen 3+ architecture (codenamed “Rembrandt”) and manufactured using TSMC’s advanced 6 nm process, this processor is designed for demanding, always-on environments. With a base clock of 2.3 GHz and a turbo boost clock reaching up to 3.8 GHz, it provides both the speed and flexibility needed for data-intensive tasks, from large-scale file management to handling virtual machines and multi-user connections. Operating within a configurable TDP range of 10 to 25 watts, this CPU maintains energy efficiency while delivering high performance, further enhancing the suitability of the Lockerstor Gen 3 for 24/7 use.

Supporting DDR5 ECC memory at 4800 MT/s in a dual-channel configuration, the Ryzen V3000 ensures data integrity by detecting and correcting errors in real time, an essential feature for data reliability in business environments. With 20 PCIe Gen 4 lanes, the processor can handle high-bandwidth SSDs and multiple network connections without bottlenecks, ensuring smooth and rapid data access even under heavy loads. The processor also has an 8 MB shared L3 cache and a 512 KB L2 cache per core, along with 64 KB of L1 cache per core, which collectively enhance the CPU’s ability to manage complex, simultaneous tasks efficiently, minimizing latency for improved user experience across applications.

Although the V3000 lacks integrated graphics—unlike some of its Intel-based NAS competitors—this design choice emphasizes its focus on raw data performance, file processing, and efficient multitasking over multimedia transcoding. This architecture makes it a highly capable CPU for NAS users who prioritize stability and processing power over media-centric applications. Additionally, AMD’s 10-year support plan for the V3000 series provides peace of mind for businesses, ensuring firmware updates and CPU patches will remain available for the long term. The high thermal limit (tJMax) of 105°C, coupled with efficient cooling in the Lockerstor Gen 3, ensures stable operation even under heavy, sustained workloads, making the V3000 an exceptional choice for high-performance NAS deployments.

All that said, it is worth keeping in mind that this CPU does not feature any integrated graphics (hence the lack of an HDMI output on the rear of the chassis), which, although not a deal-breaker for everyone, is going to impact this system’s use for higher-end conversions and remote streaming via a Plex media server. There is definitely enough horsepower here to handle playback of 1080p, 4K, and even some 8K media for sure, but if you are playing this media back on client devices that are going to need conversions or transcoding for reasons of network bandwidth remotely or simple legacy architecture, then this system is going to work overly hard on file conversions and, in some cases, will not even be able to get the job done.

This processor is far more designed towards heavy, sustained, and efficient file processing, larger-scale databases, making the most of SSDs, non-graphical virtual machine and container deployment, and file distribution to thousands of clients at once. The CPU’s clock speed is particularly impressive in burst, and although its TDP is arguably more demanding than the 10 to 15-watt TDP of a Celeron or recent Alder Lake N series from Intel, this is most certainly a power-user system, and if you need that extra bit of oomph in the tank, this thing’s got it in spades.

Another interesting bit of upscaling on this system over previous generations is in the memory that it arrives with. The system arrives with 16GB of DDR5 memory that can be scaled up to an impressive 64GB across two SODIMM slots. However, this memory is also ECC (Error Correcting Code), which, alongside the native DDR5 on-die ECC, will ensure that write operations to the system are integrity-checked at two points for their accuracy before committing the write to the system.

This is a tremendous boon to a system that already supports substantial load, and ensures that while you’re enjoying all of that heavy multi-connection bandwidth and Gen 4 SSD support, the system won’t drop the ball in terms of write consistency and leave a silent dead bit in the background to trip you up years later.

Lockerstor Gen 3 NAS is equipped with four M.2 NVMe slots, supporting PCIe Gen 4 drives that provide faster, more responsive storage options for cache or primary storage configurations. This setup is ideal for users seeking to leverage the speed of NVMe SSDs for large data transfers, database applications, or virtual machines, as these slots can significantly reduce latency and increase data access speeds.

Although each M.2 slot operates at PCIe Gen 4 x1 speed rather than the full x4 bandwidth, the result is a reliable balance of performance and thermal efficiency, especially crucial given the NAS’s compact design. This choice ensures that even when all four slots are populated, the NAS maintains a steady throughput without overheating or overloading the system’s PCIe lanes. When I dipped into the machine using Putty over SSH, I was able to hit 1.3-1.4GB/s on each of the Gen 4×1 SSD slots. Interestingly, the temps on the SSDs that I tested DID NOT have heatsink’s attached (in this case, a Kingston KC3000 1TB Gen 4 SSD) only hit 49-50 degrees after 5 minutes of sustained write tests (following 3 mins of sustained read).

Cooling is essential for high-performance NAS configurations like the Lockerstor Gen 3, particularly with Gen 4 SSDs known to generate additional heat during sustained workloads. Asustor has enhanced the NAS’s internal design with additional ventilation and a copper fin heat pipe that efficiently directs heat from the CPU and M.2 slots toward the rear fan. This advanced cooling helps maintain optimal operating temperatures, reducing the risk of throttling even during heavy usage.

In testing, the M.2 SSDs reached only around 49-50°C during continuous data transfers and quickly cooled down to 37°C within a minute and a half when idle, demonstrating the system’s impressive thermal regulation.

The M.2 slots offer remarkable flexibility for users who want to optimize their storage layout. They can be configured for cache acceleration, improving read and write speeds for traditional HDD storage, or set up as primary storage in a RAID array to maximize the NAS’s overall performance. This flexibility makes the Lockerstor Gen 3 NAS especially appealing for businesses or creative professionals who need fast, reliable storage for multitasking or high-bandwidth applications. Additionally, these M.2 slots allow users to take advantage of both NVMe SSD speed and the system’s high bandwidth capacity, making the Lockerstor Gen 3 an efficient and versatile NAS solution for a wide range of demanding data tasks.

Clearly, the big increases provided by that V3000 AMD processor inside, combined with those four M.2 NVMe slots, have necessitated further development over the existing Lockerstor chassis back when it was being utilized by the considerably more modest Intel Celeron generations before it. Small implementations are clear, such as each M.2 NVMe slot being limited to x1 speed. But newer integrations by the brand are also noticeable, such as an additional finned copper pipe for heat dissipation that has been implemented into the main CPU heatsink. In the Gen 1 and Gen 2 Intel Celeron-built devices, heat dissipation, though necessary, did not need to be so aggressive. However, the V3000 Embedded Ryzen in the Gen 3 is a very different story, and fitting all of this hardware into such a compact chassis no doubt necessitates improved heat dissipation. When active, airflow is going to be reduced by all of those components. I don’t doubt that the copper pipe is assisting with this, but I’m more impressed by the fact that Asustor went ahead and added this and had to adapt the existing Lockerstor design when many would have assumed that the brand would have just gone ahead and cloned the exact same design implementation of the Gen 1 and Gen 2, saving a lot of the R&D budget. Respect.

Asustor AS6804T Lockerstor 4 Gen 3 NAS Review – 10GbE and TB4/USB4 Tests

For testing, I used a high-performance machine—the Minisforum MS-01, which is a compact powerhouse equipped with an Intel i9 13th Gen CPU, 32GB DDR5 memory, dual 10GbE ports, and a USB-C Thunderbolt 4 port, all running on Windows 10 Pro. This setup provided the perfect testbed to push the Lockerstor Gen 3 NAS to its limits, particularly in testing multiple high-speed connections concurrently. The MS-01’s CPU and memory configuration ensured it could handle large data transfers over multiple network connections without bottlenecking, giving a clear view of the NAS’s true capabilities, especially with simultaneous 10GbE and Thunderbolt 4 testing.

The Lockerstor Gen 3 delivered strong performance over its four-bay HDD RAID 5 setup using a single 10GbE connection. Using 4TB Seagate IronWolf drives in RAID 5, the NAS managed sustained read and write speeds averaging between 500 and 600 MB/s, which is impressive for a mechanical hard drive array. Running AJA system tests with these drives over the 10GbE network connection, the Lockerstor Gen 3 showcased stable, consistent performance with no visible drops or latency issues during transfer, demonstrating the robust bandwidth of its 10GbE ports and efficient RAID management for handling large file workloads.

Switching to an NVMe RAID 0 setup, I populated the NAS’s M.2 Gen 4 slots with NVMe SSDs and connected the setup over dual 10GbE ports with SMB Multichannel enabled. This RAID 0 configuration unleashed significant performance gains, achieving impressive speeds of around 2 to 2.5 GB/s. With CrystalDiskMark, I observed full network saturation with this setup, and the read/write rates consistently held near the theoretical maximum bandwidth for dual 10GbE connections. AJA tests reaffirmed this, maintaining strong performance metrics with little to no latency over these NVMe drives, a perfect setup for users needing rapid access to data or working on large-scale data-intensive projects.

To explore the performance over USB4, I connected one of the NAS’s USB4 ports to the Minisforum MS-01 through Thunderbolt 4 over IP. Running the NVMe RAID 0 setup over this single USB4 connection, I achieved speeds between 1.4 and 1.6 GB/s in AJA disk tests, while CrystalDiskMark demonstrated stable read and write throughput, effectively capitalizing on USB4’s bandwidth capabilities. This connection is an attractive option for those needing high-speed direct access to the NAS without relying solely on traditional Ethernet, especially for workflows like video editing where the faster Thunderbolt 4 protocol can bypass the limits of a single 10GbE link.

The true test came with combined connections, utilizing both 10GbE ports alongside the USB4 Thunderbolt link simultaneously on the NVMe RAID 0 setup. By leveraging all available high-speed connections, I observed a combined performance rate of between 3.1 and 3.5 GB/s, with different instances of CrystalDiskMark capturing the aggregate throughput. This combined bandwidth illustrates the Lockerstor Gen 3’s potential to support multiple high-speed data streams simultaneously, ideal for multi-user environments where multiple clients need high-speed access to data at the same time.

Asustor AS6804T Lockerstor 4 Gen 3 NAS Review – Software

The Asustor AS6804T NAS arrives with the latest version of ADM 5 included. Additionally, this software receives frequent updates to ensure that the software runs the very best it can on the Lockerstor, 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 2024/2025 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 definitetl ramped up a number of the key security protocols and settings in the default setup.

LooksGood Media App – Built-in three main video library categories; movies, TV shows, home movies and smart video sorting management

• • The efficient global search function allows for searches by keywords followed by the execution of more detailed searches for the purpose of finding categories of movies, TV shows, home movies and parameters such as actors, director, year, genre, writer and title
  • Attractive poster wall and thumbnail display
  • Automatic production of video poster thumbnails
  • Centralized management and ability to configure the order of favourites and playlist history
  • The system administrator is able to configure video library and editing permissions according to user preferences
  • Can configure access permissions to share with
  • Multimedia conversion feature
  • Self-defined smart folder for video conversions
  • Supports digital TV recordings via digital
  • Easy streaming with Chromecast and DLNA
  • Supports playback of videos in Apple TV via AiVideos tvOS version

Plex – Hardware Transcoding (with a Plex Pass) is likely and with 1080p handled very well indeed, as well as some Plex 4K transcoding in H.265 (upto 60-80Mb bitrate) and the majority of H.264 Media upto 100Mb bitrate

Virtual Machines – A graphical embedded CPU like the one here will run Windows 10 and Android VMs very well. With the added support for Ubuntu and Hackintosh with VirtualBox. Then there is the option to scale up that memory to allow smoother VMs

Storage Management – BTRFS Support, as well as EXT4 for the traditionalist, Multiple Snapshot storage and browsing for recovery, a large number of ISCSI and LUN target creation, fast-acting SSD caching use. Remember that those M.2 NVMe SSD Bays can be used as both raw Pools and Caching

Network Management – Support of LAG, Load Balancing and virtual switches, as well as maintaining top transmission over 2.5/5/10Gbe for editing or gaming over the network. As well as Jumbo Frame control, DDNS automation, Wake on LAN support and internet/external NAS access with EZ Connect

Backups – Supporting a wide range of multi-tiered backup options that can be carried out simultaneously thanks to the powerful CPU in the Lockerstor and Nimbustor NAS systems, such as network RSync, USB Backups, NAS-2-NAS migration, Cloud Backups with Google Drive, Dropbox and Backblaze and numerous RAID levels internally for redundancy.

Content Management – Numerous Content Management Systems (CMS) and Customer Relationship Managers (CRMs) available in 1st and 3rd party forms, with simultaneous operations supported by this NAS

User Account Control – Supporting over 4,000 accounts, each with its own bespoke privileges and access levels, as well as grouping methods to automate the process easily

Security – AES 256bit hardware encryption on data in/out of the device, as well as over backup methods, with the Intel Celeron CPU in the AS6804T maintaining high R/W speeds throughout, as well as Windows ACL permission and configuration, auto blacklisting and multiple VPN provider support

Antivirus (ClamAV) – Scheduled Scans, Automatic Virus Definition Updates, Quarantine Infected Files

Download Center – Supports BT(Torrent & Magnet Link), HTTP and FTP Downloads, Torrent Search, Bandwidth Control, RSS Subscription and Automatic Downloading (Broadcatching), ASUSTOR Download Assistant for Windows & Mac

DropBox, OneDrive and Google Drive Sync – Each ADM Account is Able to Individually Log into one cloud Account, supporting Sync, Directly Upload Files to cloud from the NAS, or from cloud to NAS

Mail Server – Each ADM Account can Become an Independent Email Account, Provides SMTP, IMAP and POP3 Mail Protocols, Spam Filter and Black List Settings, Antivirus Scanning for Emails, Exclusive Email Backup Mechanism, Auto-Forwarding and Auto-Response Protocols

Photo Gallary – “Album” and “Browse” Viewing Modes, Manage Photo Album Access Rights: Public Access, Restricted to Certain Accounts, Album Password, Multi-level Folder Structure Support, Supports Tagging of Photos, One-click Sharing to Social Media (Facebook, Google+, Twitter, Plurk, email), Intuitive Drag and Drop Management, Slideshow Viewing Mode, Supports a Wide Range of Image Formats: JPG/JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP, TIFF, RAW and Supports Video Playback

Surveillance Center – Up to 64 channels in 720p on single live view display, On-screen camera controls including camera PTZ, manual recordings, take snapshots, configure camera settings and open Maps, Up to 4 channels of synchronous and non-synchronous playback with audio, Intelligent video analytics including motion detection and foreign object detection, Supported Browsers: Windows Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge, Firefox, Mac Safari, Mac Firefox ESR, Event notification supports SMS, E-mail, and mobile push notification, AiSecure mobile app for iOS and Android with Push notification, Maximum IP Cam (4 Free Licenses; Additional Licenses to be Purchased)

Takeasy – Download from YouTube, Vimeo, Twitch and More, Selectable Video Type and Quality, Automatic Downloads with YouTube or Twitch Subscriptions, Preview Downloads in Progress and Online Playback

SoundsGood Audio App – Import Personal/Public Music Collection, Personal/Public Music Collection Permission Control, Playlist Editor, ID3 Tag Editor, Local Speaker Support: HDMI, USB, Audio Jack, Supported Audio Formats for Browser: MP3, WAV, Ogg, Supported Audio Formats for Transcoding Through Browser: AIFF, Flac, Supported Audio Formats for Local Speaker: MP3, WAV, Ogg, AIFF, Flac

Backup Tools – Rsync (Remote Sync) Backup, Cloud Backup, FTP Backup, External Backup, One-Touch Backup, EZ Sync, Btrfs Snapshots

These are just the tip of the iceberg and I will be going into more ADM 3.4 and AS6804T applications in the Software Review.

Here is how the Asustor ADM platform compares with the Synology DSM platform:

Asustor AS6804T Lockerstor 4 Gen 3 NAS Review – Conclusion

The Asustor Lockerstor Gen 3 is a significant leap forward, showcasing enhanced hardware and connectivity tailored to high-performance storage needs. Built with an AMD Ryzen V3000 Embedded processor, this NAS balances power and efficiency for various data-intensive tasks. Its ECC DDR5 memory ensures data integrity, making it reliable for professional users handling large data volumes. Equipped with dual 10GbE and dual 5GbE ports alongside USB4, the Lockerstor Gen 3 achieves up to 30 Gbps in total network connectivity and offers PCIe Gen 4 M.2 NVMe support, maximizing throughput across multiple high-speed connections. Real-world testing confirmed its capability to reach transfer speeds over 3 GB/s with combined network and USB4 connections. Performance tests on standard HDDs in RAID 5 mode over 10GbE averaged 500–600 MB/s, while NVMe drives in RAID 0 fully utilized dual 10GbE with around 2.5 GB/s speeds. When directly connected over USB4/Thunderbolt 4 for IP networking, it maintained stable speeds of 1.4–1.6 GB/s per USB4 link, a valuable setup for users in need of direct high-speed connections like video editors. With enhanced heat dissipation—thanks to a copper-finned heat pipe and airflow redesign—this NAS efficiently manages thermal output even with these high-performance components, ensuring a durable, high-speed performance setup in a compact form.

The Lockerstor Gen 3’s software, ADM 5, covers essential data management and security, though it lacks the advanced multimedia and AI features seen in competitors. Its lack of integrated graphics means transcoding support may be limited, but ADM 5 still enables smooth, secure file management, automatic backups, snapshots, and remote access. Asustor has improved default security settings, and ADM’s flexibility also allows for third-party OS installation, making it compatible with solutions like TrueNAS and Unraid for custom storage configurations. With network management features like Wake-on-LAN and Wake-on-WAN, and support for SMB Multichannel, the NAS provides robust options for deployments needing remote access and high-performance file sharing. In terms of build quality, the Lockerstor Gen 3 combines a sturdy metal frame with low noise levels, even under heavy loads, and maintains efficient power consumption, peaking at 50 watts during active workloads—a notable feat given its power and compact size. The built-in LCD panel for direct monitoring and configuration adds convenience, and the unit’s comprehensive array of connections means it is equipped to handle multi-user, high-bandwidth environments. Overall, with a focus on performance, network flexibility, and reliable design, the Lockerstor Gen 3 is a standout choice for professionals who require scalable, high-speed storage without compromising on build quality or power efficiency.

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