Affordable Minisforum N5 Air NAS with OCuLink and 144TB Support

Key Takeaways

1. High Storage Capacity: The Minisforum N5 Air offers a total storage capacity of 144 TB with five HDD bays and three M.2 slots, surpassing competitors like the Synology DiskStation DS1525+.

2. Powerful Performance: It features an AMD Ryzen 7 255 APU with a Radeon 780M integrated GPU, allowing for GPU-accelerated tasks and external GPU support through an OCuLink port.

3. Expandable Options: The device includes a PCIe x16 slot for SSD cache and network interface cards, and supports various RAID modes for enhanced storage management.

4. User-Friendly Design: The design allows users to easily slide the motherboard out for straightforward upgrades of SSDs and RAM, simplifying maintenance.

5. Competitive Pricing: The barebone version starts at $499, while the model with 16 GB of RAM is priced at $679, offering a cost-effective NAS solution.

The Minisforum N5 Air quietly made its entrance in January 2026, and now the company has officially unveiled its NAS. This is a cost-effective network-attached storage solution that features five HDD bays and three M.2 slots for PCIe 4.0 SSDs.

Impressive Storage Capacity

With the combination of HDD bays and M.2 slots, the total storage capacity reaches 144 TB, making it a superior choice compared to other 5-bay NAS options like the Synology DiskStation DS1525+ (found on Amazon). Additionally, the Minisforum N5 Air is equipped with more robust hardware than many of its rivals.

Powerful Performance

It is driven by the AMD Ryzen 7 255, which is a Hawk Point APU with a Radeon 780M integrated GPU. This built-in graphics processor is sufficient for certain GPU-accelerated tasks, but users can enhance their NAS experience by connecting an external GPU via the OCuLink port on the N5 Air.

Another important expansion option is the PCIe x16 slot, which can be utilized for SSD cache arrays and network interface cards (NICs). The device supports various RAID modes, and Minisforum claims that the cooling system helps maintain optimal performance of the installed drives even during high usage.

User-Friendly Design

In terms of design, the Minisforum N5 Air resembles the Beelink ME Pro, allowing users to easily slide the motherboard out of the case. This feature is said to facilitate simple upgrades of SSDs and RAM while also making maintenance more convenient.

The NAS supports up to 96 GB of DDR5 RAM, features a comprehensive connectivity setup including a USB4 port, runs on MinisCloud OS, and supports Docker. The initial launch price for the barebone version of the N5 Air AI NAS is set at $499, while the model with 16 GB of RAM is priced at $679.

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