Computing on Demand PC News & Reviews
The ASUSTOR AS-204TE is not a power house NAS; and it isn’t designed to be. With a price tag of right around $430.00 USD, this NAS is meant to be an affordable Home/SOHO NAS that delivers features you would expect to find in a NAS that costs hundreds more. Although, it may not have the beefiest processor or loaded with tons of RAM, it does have everything you need, and more.
When comparing the benchmarks to other 4-bay NAS we have reviewed, the AS-204TE isn’t the fastest. Don’t let number in the review criteria fool you… That is a number we use when comparing this NAS to all 4-bay we have reviewed, including the TS-470 which sells for right around $1,053.99 USD. This NAS is still capable of serving up your files quickly in a small network.
The ASUSTOR OS (ADM) is strong with features and is smoother than Sade. Operating this NAS is easy and with the ASUSTOR Portal it can replace your HTPC or cable box as well as serve up files at home or on the road.
Although we didn’t cover XBMC in any detail in this review, the application is as fluid running here as on my 8-Core HTPC. It also uses far less electricity… 42W in testing at full load. We had no issues with playback and menu transitions were effortless. Upgrade your experience with the optional remote or with XBMC Constellation and you end up with a powerful multimedia appliance that makes a big impact with a small footprint.
The AS-204TE is packed with all the features you look for in a small, inexpensive, package, making it hard to pass up. If you are a home user looking for a good NAS at a great price, the AS-204TE may be the one for you. Bottom line, if you are looking for a NAS on a budget… don’t look at anything else.
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