Ive tried swapping drive slots etc but that 3rd drive just seems different. The only physical difference is the first two drives were manufactured date of 2022 but the 3rd (and replacement 4th drive) are manufactured dated 2023 so presumably newer firmware. In our testing, we just two Crucial P3 NVMe drives, although we’d contest it doesn’t matter what drives are used since the limitations on performance are defined by the network connections and not the speed of the M.2 drives. A Network Attached Storage (NAS) device is a dedicated file storage system that connects to your home or office network, allowing you to store and access your data from multiple devices.

With twelve slots available other options are available, like the double parity model of RAID 6 or the mirrored RAID 5 layout of RAID 10. In the coming year, the size of flash modules will increase, and the cost of drives will decrease, making filling the FS6712X less costly and the potential scale of the NAS storage greater. The Asustor FS6712X Flashstor 12 Pro NAS offers a range of ports and connections, both typical and unique to NAS devices. At the rear of the unit, you’ll find the standard power and USB ports that are commonly found on NAS units. However, the FS6712X goes beyond the ordinary by providing additional ports typically associated with desktop computers. These include an HDMI port and an S/PDIF port, catering to users who seek media distribution and high-quality digital audio output.I highly recommend just installing TrueNas Scale on this machine and running it to it's full potential. I didn't use much of the original interface, and according to tech support it's supported to do. The only down side is you're running TrueNas Scale off the USB bootable drive so YMMV. What’s evident is that the proper performance of the NVMe is trapped inside the NAS for the most part and can’t be expressed over the network or even a fraction of it.

Another key feature of the Quad-Core 2.0GHz Processor is its ability to handle multitasking. This processor has four cores, which means that it can execute multiple tasks simultaneously. This feature makes it possible for users to have several applications running on the device at the same time, without any significant performance dip.

NAS devices are ideal for users looking for a centralized and secure storage solution for their digital files, such as videos, photos, and documents. This is still arguably a niche for audio output, but there are certainly users who will be thrilled about this. The HDMI output is utilized with Asustor’s portal application, a complete parallel graphical user interface to access the NAS. It provides a full HDMI user interface that can be controlled via infrared remote control, network remote control, or just a simple USB keyboard and mouse. There are hundreds of available applications and services that can run via this HDMI output, allowing you to run a vast number of local multimedia and business services directly from the device. These range from first-party tools for surveillance and streaming 4K media, to third-party applications for connecting streaming subscription services and virtual machines. Additionally, this system also features an HDMI dedicated parallel GUI, called Asustor portal. This separate user interface and means to interact with the data on your NAS in a far more graphical level is something currently only QNAP provides. The visual out used in conjunction with the two additional USB 3.2/2.0 ports opens up numerous KVM (or keyboard video mouse) applications, such as a stand-alone surveillance system, a stand-alone desktop computer used in conjunction with the virtual machine software, direct output of your movies and box sets from your collection, a retro arcade machine with support for controllers and numerous other first and third-party software options. It's a little expensive for that purpose, but it could do it. There's nothing preventing you from running Windows on this machine. Or replacing ADM—ASUSTOR's own Busybox Linux-derivative OS—with something a bit more storage-focused, like TrueNAS! Something to keep in mind is that there is also an 8GB eMMC device for the OS boot onboard. This is about what we would expect as we can see the three ASMedia ASM2806 devices each with four drives attached. One of the main benefits of DDR4 memory is its higher bandwidth and improved transfer speeds compared to DDR3 memory, which enhances the overall system performance. The DDR4 memory also consumes less power than its predecessor, which results in lower energy consumption and improved power management for the ASUSTOR Flashstor 6 FS6706T device. 6 x M.2 NVMe slots