- Ryzen 7 255 is a downclocked, China-exclusive chip with out the standard 16 TOPS AI NPU
- Minisforum N5 helps as much as 96 GB of DDR5 RAM however lacks ECC reminiscence assist
- The N5 presents twin USB4 ports and 10GbE networking for versatile connectivity
Minisforum has launched the N5, a compact network-attached storage (NAS) machine now obtainable globally.
Launched alongside the extra highly effective N5 Professional, this new mannequin is powered by the AMD Ryzen 7 255, a processor so obscure that it doesn’t even seem on AMD’s official international web site.
As a substitute, it’s listed solely on AMD’s Chinese language web site because the Ryzen 7 H 255, a chip with eight Zen 4 cores and a base clock of three.8GHz, boosting as much as 4.9GHz.
Downclocked chip with lacking AI options
Falling underneath the Ryzen 200 and Hawk Level sequence, the processor has a default TDP of 45W, configurable between 35W and 54W.
Nonetheless, the Ryzen 7 255 raises some questions on positioning and efficiency.
Minisforum additionally makes use of this processor within the AI X1, however it appears to be a rebadged Ryzen 7 8745HS, basically a lower-wattage variant of the Ryzen 7 8745H, a chip provided completely in China.
It seems that the Ryzen 7 255 misses out on the 16 TOPS NPU that a lot of the Ryzen 7 250 sequence chips use, which suggests the chip is anticipated to lag in AI-centric duties.
The CPU and GPU are additionally barely downclocked, which may result in modest however noticeable efficiency reductions.
Regardless of these caveats, the Minisforum N5 presents a lovely array of options that will attraction to customers in search of a hybrid between a NAS machine and a mini PC.
Like its Professional variant, the N5 helps as much as 96GB of DDR5 reminiscence by twin SO-DIMM slots.
Nonetheless, it doesn’t provide ECC RAM assist, a key distinction for these prioritizing information integrity.
The machine can run a number of working programs, together with Linux, MinisCloud OS, and Home windows 11 Professional.
For connectivity, it consists of two USB4 ports, 5Gbps and 10Gbps Ethernet ports, an OCuLink interface, and a PCIe x16 slot operating at PCIe 4.0 x4 speeds.
These options make it viable not solely as a NAS machine but in addition as a possible mini workstation, particularly when paired with the most effective NAS drives for storage enlargement.
Pricing begins at $553 for a base configuration that features 64GB of storage however no RAM, although a model with 16GB of RAM is accessible for an additional $48.
