Page 8 - Conclusion
As I have mentioned in the beginning of this review, I would not call the ASUSTOR AS3202T the AMG of NAS boxes unless they shove a Core i7 into something of this size. But hey -- the AS3202T was never intended to be the AMG of the NAS world in the first place. How do we know? Well, because it was not priced like an AMG. If I were to draw some comparisons with cars, think of it like the Volkswagen Golf R: It packs a little more punch under the hood than your average system, has all the features you need, and does not consume a monsoon of fuel. The company's excellent ADM operating system continues to be the highlight of the ownership experience, being one of the best in the industry both in features and execution. On the hardware side of things, the ASUSTOR AS3202T is equipped with a more powerful quad core Intel Celeron N3160 CPU compared to the AS3102T's dual core Intel Celeron N3050. Combined with its HDMI 1.4b interface, you can expect better 4K video performance in addition to faster RAID throughput and file encryption speed. I am also quite impressed by the fact it uses slightly less electricity than the AS3102T despite having a more powerful CPU, probably due to a more efficient power supply. As it was with its dual core sibling, the AS3202T remains at the top for standard network throughput. The company's elegant diamond plate finished cover design can be found on the AS3202T as well. Of course, with all NAS systems built using this chassis, you are going to miss out on front hot swap bays, and since it is based off the same AS3104T motherboard, the RAM is not user expandable either. Neither is a big deal for me personally, but for $300 at press time, the shortcomings of a budget system that can be overlooked is no longer as excusable. The AS3202T is $40 more than the AS3102T, which was already $60 more than the AS1002T -- commanding a whopping 66% premium over the base model. Like the Volkswagen Golf R, it is a good product, but it throws value out of the equation, and instead replaces it with performance for more dollars compared to an entry level Golf, or even a GTI. Is a NAS with budget roots decked out with a quad core CPU for $300 justified? The money is in your wallet; I would say, vote with it accordingly.
ASUSTOR provided this product to APH Networks for the purpose of evaluation.
APH Review Focus Summary:
8/10 means Definitely a very good product with drawbacks that are not likely going to matter to the end user.
7/10 means Great product with many advantages and certain insignificant drawbacks; but should be considered before purchasing.
-- Final APH Numeric Rating is 7.7/10
Please note that the APH Numeric Rating system is based off our proprietary guidelines in the Review Focus, and should not be compared to other sites.
Impressively, the ASUSTOR AS3202T features twice as many CPU cores as the AS3102T and uses less power at the same time. But is it worth the extra $40?
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Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. A Closer Look - Hardware (External)
3. A Closer Look - Hardware (Internal)
4. Configuration and User Interface, Part I
5. Configuration and User Interface, Part II
6. Configuration and User Interface, Part III
7. Performance and Power Consumption
8. Conclusion
