ASUSTOR Nimbustor 2 Gen2 AS5402T review: This 2.5GbE NAS is a great Plex server
ASUSTOR is looking to reinvent its NAS portfolio with the Nimbustor 2 Gen2 AS5402T, and the 2-bay NAS gets it right. It uses Intel’s proven hardware platform, has four M.2 slots – more than any other NAS in this segment – and comes with 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet connectivity. The biggest problem with ASUSTOR servers in […]
ASUSTOR is looking to reinvent its NAS portfolio with the Nimbustor 2 Gen2 AS5402T, and the 2-bay NAS gets it right. It uses Intel’s proven hardware platform, has four M.2 slots – more than any other NAS in this segment – and comes with 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet connectivity.
The biggest problem with ASUSTOR servers in the past was the software, and the brand was the target of a ransomware attack two years ago. So it overhauled the software, beefed up its security measures, and rolled out a ton of useful new features.
ASUSTOR is betting on value to entice potential customers to choose the AS5402T over other products in this segment, and it is the best hardware package of any 2-bay NAS in the sub-$500 category. I’ve used the AS5402T for a little over three months and here’s why I think it has a lot of potential.
ASUSTOR AS5402T: Price and specifications
ASUSTOR unveiled the AS5402T alongside the 4-bay AS5404T in May 2023, and the NAS is now available worldwide. AS5402T sells for $369 on Amazon in the United States, and it is available at all major retailers. In the UK, the NAS costs £374 ($473). ASUSTOR offers a three-year warranty as standard with the NAS. Calling a Nimbustor 2 Gen2 product AS5402T gets boring very quickly, so I’ll just call it AS5402T for the rest of the review.
| Category | ASUSTOR AS5402T |
|---|---|
| Internal drive bays | Two (24 TB per bay), 3.5-inch HDD, 2.5-inch HDD/SSD |
| Network interface | 2 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet ports |
| USB Ports | 2 USB 3.2 Gen2 ports, 10 Gbps |
| eSATA ports | Line 3 – Cell 1 |
| PCIe | Line 4 – Cell 1 |
| HDMI | Yes, HDMI 2.0b port |
| CPU | Intel Celeron J5105 quad-core 64-bit @ 2.0 GHz |
| Plex transcoding | Yes |
| RAM | 4 GB DDR4 non-ECC, expandable to 16 GB |
| M.2 slots | Four, M.2 2280 standard |
| Cooling | 1 70mm fan |
| Dimensions | 170x114x230mm |
| Weight | 1.71 kg, 3.77 pounds |
ASUSTOR AS5402T: Design
NAS manufacturers generally don’t change the designs of their products, and this is also the case with the AS5402T. It has the same design language as ASUSTOR’s previous offerings, and its unassuming design means it easily blends into the background. You don’t get any vents on the sides, but there is a 70mm fan at the back that does a good job of ensuring the drives don’t get too hot.
That said, ASUSTOR has gone for a geometric pattern that looks quite nice and gives the NAS a bit of character. The NAS has two drive bays and they slide out easily. A shroud covers the drive bays and attaches magnetically to the case. While the rest of the AS5402T has a plastic design with a matte texture that doesn’t easily absorb dust, the shroud is made of glossy plastic and is a dust magnet.
There are status lights for hard drives, network ports, and USB ports, and you get a USB-A port on the left. Installing 3.5-inch hard drives is tool-free, but you’ll need to use screws if you’re mounting 2.5-inch SSDs or hard drives. One of the best features of the AS5402T is that it has four M.2 2280 slots. The downside is that accessing these slots is not easy; you’ll need to remove the screws on the back of the case, remove the hard drive bays, and then slide the front cover back.
This allows you to access the guts of the chassis, with the M.2 slots located at the top. Installing the SSDs is pretty straightforward once you get to the slots, but a sliding panel would have made things considerably easier. There are vents above the M.2 slots that provide some passive cooling, but I would have liked to see thermal pads installed under each slot. And given that a screwdriver is required to access the M.2 slots, ASUSTOR should have included one in the box, like TerraMaster.
Aside from this drawback, I haven’t noticed any design issues. ASUSTOR has done a good job keeping the design consistent with previous generations, and the fan on the back manages temperatures well without getting too noisy.
ASUSTOR AS5402T: Ports
ASUSTOR is known for offering good value for money with its NAS servers, and the AS5402T is no different. The NAS has two 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet ports on the back and two USB-A ports. What I particularly like is the inclusion of an HDMI 2.0 port; this allows the NAS to be connected to a TV.
The three USB-A ports now use the USB 3.2 Gen 2 standard and benefit from the full 10Gbps bandwidth, so if you want to connect external drives to the NAS, you’ll benefit from fast transfers. The big differentiator is the NAS’s four M.2 slots, so if you’re looking to mix traditional hard drives with fast SSD storage, you can do so with the AS5402T.
Interestingly, the AS5402T reuses the same M.2 backplane as the more expensive AS6707T, and the HDD backplane is the same as the AS5302T. This does not affect the usability of the NAS, and many other brands use the same hardware in their products. But given the way ASUSTOR lists its model number on all parts, it’s simple to see which servers they were designed for.
ASUSTOR AS5402T: Software
ASUSTOR was the target of a ransomware attack two years ago and following the incident, the brand overhauled its security measures. The ASUSTOR Data Master (ADM) web interface suggests ways to strengthen NAS security after you log in, and it’s received a visual refresh: it now has a distinct gaming aesthetic, and the bold styling looks great.
The interface still doesn’t look as polished as what you get with DSM, but ASUSTOR has done a good job adding plenty of features. Icon management is a bit intuitive and settings could have been better organized, but overall you get a ton of useful utilities, including Home Assistant, Tailscale, Plex, AdGuard, and more.
ASUSTOR also offers a suite of mobile apps that let you back up photos and videos, and while they do a decent job, they need an overhaul.
ASUSTOR AS5402T: performance
ASUSTOR continues to offer Intel hardware on its NAS boxes, and the AS5402T is powered by the quad-core Celeron N5105, offering considerable gains over the N4xxx series. It is very fast in daily use and is an exceptional choice if you want to set up a powerful Plex server.
The AS5402T does a great job with hardware transcoding in general, and if you want to use the functionality in Plex, it’s one of the best home NAS servers available. It’s better than the DiskStation DS224+ – my current 2-bay pick – when it comes to Plex streaming, and it holds up particularly well to high bitrate content.
The AS5402T has 4GB of DDR4 RAM out of the box, and another SO-DIMM slot is available that allows you to add up to an 8GB module. ASUSTOR does not hinder the NAS in any way, so the best NAS hard drives will run smoothly on the AS5402T, including WD’s IronWolf Pro and Red Pro series. You can even insert the new 24TB IronWolf Pro Drives in the NAS, but seeing as they cost $549 at the moment, you’d be better off buy IronWolf 8TB hard drives.
I tested the AS5402T with two 6TB IronWolf drives, and it was quite easy to saturate the hard drives’ transfer rate when moving data from a Windows machine’s SSD. The fact that you get 2.5GbE connectivity makes things a lot easier and you don’t have to worry about network ports being a limitation in this area.
ASUSTOR AS5402T: The competition
If you like the look of the AS5402T but want something with more drive bays, you should consider the Nimbustor 4 Gen2 AS5404T. It has the same Celeron N5105 hardware, the same number of ports on the back, and identical memory and M.2 slots. The only difference is that you have the option to insert four 3.5-inch drives, and other than that, it’s the same as the AS5402T.
The DiskStation DS224+ is more affordable, but you don’t get the same level of hardware. You don’t get any M.2 slots, you’re limited to Gigabit Ethernet, and there’s no hardware transcoding. The software features are why the DS224+ is a big deal, but it’s no match for the AS5402T in terms of hardware.
ASUSTOR AS5402T: Should you buy it?
You should buy it if:
- You want a powerful Plex home server
- You need lots of M.2 slots
- You want quality hardware and multi-Gigabit connectivity
You should not buy it if:
- You need advanced software
Overall, the AS5402T is one of the best home NAS servers you can get in this segment. The NAS has terrific hardware across the board, and it’s clear that ASUSTOR is positioning it as a creator-focused model. The combination of M.2 slots and dual 2.5GbE connectivity makes it a great choice if you want to use SSD storage in addition to mechanical drives.
Although ASUSTOR’s software still needs some work, the brand has made many positive strides in this area over the past 12 months. If you want to set up a powerful Plex server and want the best hardware, the AS5402T is an easy recommendation.
