Asustor Lockerstor 2 Gen2+ AS6702T v2 Review: Fast 5GbE NAS With Four M.2 Slots, High Price
TechRadar reviews Asustor Lockerstor 2 Gen2+ AS6702T v2, a two-bay NAS with dual 5GbE and four M.2 slots. It is fast and flexible, but the Celeron N5105, drive trays and high price draw criticism.
Asustor is the storage arm of Asus, and the Lockerstor range is pitched at prosumer and small-business use. According to TechRadar, the AS6702T v2 is available now through online retailers including Amazon and Newegg. Asustor's suggested US price is $569.99, but TechRadar reports street pricing at $516.99 in the US. In the UK, Amazon.co.uk lists it at £504, which TechRadar calculates as about $673, while Amazon in Europe lists it at €616.06, or about $693. The review notes that this is a lot for a two-bay NAS with 4GB of RAM and no drives.
The biggest change from the 2022 model is networking, where two 2.5GbE ports have become two 5GbE ports. The rest of the hardware carries over, including the Intel Celeron N5105, a four-core, four-thread CPU running at 2.0GHz with a 2.9GHz burst. The device has Intel UHD Graphics with 24 execution units, 4GB of DDR4 SODIMM memory in two slots that can be expanded to 16GB, and 8GB of eMMC for the ADM operating system, version 5.1. TechRadar says the x86 processor also allows it to run Docker containers and virtual machines, which ARM-powered rivals cannot match.
For storage, the AS6702T v2 offers two hot-swappable SATA bays for 3.5-inch or 2.5-inch drives and four M.2 2280 NVMe slots. Each M.2 slot runs at PCIe 3.0 x1, which TechRadar lists among the drawbacks. The NAS supports Single, JBOD, RAID 0 and RAID 1 on SATA drives, and RAID 0, 1, 5, 6 and 10 on M.2 volumes. Maximum capacity is listed as two 18TB SATA drives, or 36TB. Ports include two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A at 10Gbps, one USB 2.0 Type-A and one HDMI 2.0b. Networking is handled by two RJ45 5GbE ports that also support 2.5GbE, 1GbE and 100Mbps.
The unit uses a 65W external adapter. Asustor figures cited by TechRadar put power consumption at 21W operating and 13.5W in disk hibernation, with noise at 17.7dB when drives are idle. The chassis measures 163.5mm high, 108mm wide and 230mm deep, weighs 2kg and carries a three-year warranty. TechRadar praises the solid metal build and hot-swappable bays, but says drives need screws and upgrades require opening the case.
The review places the AS6702T v2 against the Ugreen NASync DXP2800 and DXP2800 GT. TechRadar cites the DXP2800 at $349.99/£349.99 and the DXP2800 GT at $399.99/£459.99, with later mention of UK promotional pricing at £365.99. Both Ugreen models use newer processors, and the GT adds a 10GbE port, according to the review. Synology's DS225+ is another rival, priced at $310.24 on Amazon.com, with a slower Celeron J4125, 2GB of RAM and no M.2 slots, though TechRadar says its DSM software remains the benchmark against which Asustor's ADM is judged.
TechRadar's verdict is that the AS6702T v2 is a very capable two-bay NAS for fast networks and NVMe pools, but much harder to defend as a pure value proposition. It gives the device a value score of 3.5 out of 5 and says that at these prices it seems overpriced by at least $100 or more. The review concludes that it deserves a place among the best NAS devices for specific needs, but not as a bargain.
Editor's Summary
Asustor's Lockerstor 2 Gen2+ AS6702T v2 upgrades a two-bay NAS to dual 5GbE and four M.2 NVMe slots, but keeps a Celeron N5105 and 4GB of RAM. TechRadar calls it fast and flexible for multigigabit and NVMe users, while criticising drive trays, PCIe 3.0 x1 M.2 slots and pricing above newer rivals. The review gives value a 3.5/5 and says it is overpriced by at least $100.