This wild new NAS hides workstation power with Ryzen AI 9, 96GB RAM, OCuLink, and MinisCloud OS preinstalled
- Minisforum N5 PRO RYZEN AI 9 The processor supplies the workloads far beyond a typical NAS
- ECC DDR5 memory ensures the stability of the system during extensive and demanding operations
- Five SATA bays and three NVME locations support solid hybrid storage
The ministerum N5 PRO enters the market as a network storage (NAS), but has more typical specifications of compact workstation systems.
At its heart is the Ryzen AI 9 HX Pro 370 processor with 12 cores, 24 threads and an on -board NPU capable of 50 above.
Combined with the management of up to 96 GB of ECC DDR5 memory, the device is close to work class performance while being packaged in a compact factor that recalls a mini PC.
Storage flexibility in compact construction
The N5 PRO provides five SATA bays alongside three NVME or U.2 locations, supporting up to 144 TB of mixed storage.
Unlike some devices based on shared ports, each SATA connection is direct, which improves consistency during transfers.
The extension paths include a PCIe Gen 4 × 16 and Oculink location, allowing the addition of GPU or external drive cages.
This combination is rarely found in the best NAS devices, which suggests that Minisforum targets users or professionals from Homelab.
Connectivity is just as ambitious, with double ethernet ports offering 10gbe and 5gbe speeds.
The tests have shown that these interfaces are reaching a lasting speed near their nominal capacities, which makes the system suitable for multi-user or virtualization environments.
Two USB4 ports and an HDMI 2.1 output add additional options, allowing direct broadband links to office computers or portable ssd.
The system is shipped with a minimum operating system, preloaded on a small SSD. The platform is based on ZFS and includes snapshots, compression, raid management, docker support and photos indexing led by AI.
This is functional, but its unfinished interface and its missing corporate features limit its attraction compared to mature solutions such as Trunas or Unded.
The N5 PRO has been available since July and has experienced several adjustments since its initial version.
MinisForum originally offered a 64 GB storage option, but this has now been replaced by 128 GB disks as a reference.
The Barebone unit is currently listed at $ 1,019, slightly dropped by $ 1,039, however, a preconfigured variant with 48 GB of DDR5 memory is at the price of $ 1,308, reflecting a minimum reduction of $ 3.
The high -end variant of 96 GB increased in cost, going from $ 1,583 to $ 1,597 for no declared reason.
Via minisforum
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