Minisforum Launches New N5 Pro AI NAS Barebone with Ryzen AI 9 HX Pro 370 Processor
Minisforum has introduced the N5 Pro AI NAS barebone, a new network-attached storage solution designed to meet the demands of users seeking a combination of powerful processing and flexible storage options. This latest NAS barebone unit includes features aimed at both home and enterprise users who require a scalable, high-performance device.
The N5 Pro AI supports five 3.5-inch drive bays equipped with SATA 6 Gbps backplanes, enabling users to install a substantial amount of traditional hard drive storage. In addition to these bays, the NAS also has room for three M.2-2280 NVMe SSDs. These SSD slots offer faster storage access and improved overall system responsiveness, particularly important for applications involving heavy data transfer or virtualization.
For system expansion, the N5 Pro AI is equipped with a PCI-Express 4.0 x16 slot, operating electrically at x8 speeds. This slot allows users to install additional components such as graphics cards, data processing units (DPUs), or enterprise-grade network interface cards (NICs), providing added flexibility for specific workloads or network configurations.
Network connectivity on the N5 Pro AI includes a 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10 GbE) port, designed for high-speed data transfers in demanding network environments. There is also a secondary 5 GbE interface that can be used to connect to less demanding network segments or for redundancy.
Powering the N5 Pro AI is the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX Pro 370 processor, which boasts 12 CPU cores and 24 threads. The processor integrates a robust graphics unit with 16 compute units alongside a neural processing unit (NPU) capable of delivering up to 50 TOPS (trillions of operations per second), making it suitable for AI workloads and data-intensive tasks.
Memory support includes two DDR5 SO-DIMM slots. While the barebone version ships without installed RAM, it comes preloaded with a basic 128 GB NVMe SSD running MinisCloud OS. Customers have the option to upgrade memory to either 48 GB or 96 GB of ECC DDR5 RAM depending on their performance needs.
Minisforum also offers a more affordable alternative called the N5 AI NAS (non-Pro). This variant is powered by an AMD Ryzen 7 255 processor and includes 16 GB of DDR5 memory. This model suits users who want solid NAS performance at a lower price point.
Additional features of the N5 Pro AI include support for OCUlink connectivity, USB4 with transfer speeds up to 40 Gbps, and a one-click Docker installation process that simplifies deploying containerized applications.
The N5 Pro AI NAS barebone starts at USD $1,019, while the base N5 AI model begins at $645. With its mix of storage capacity, high-speed networking, and processing power, the Minisforum N5 Pro AI aims to serve professionals and enthusiasts requiring a versatile and efficient NAS solution.
