For about £150 you can get the Trigkey G4 mini - I have 2 of them. Matches the n100 CPU and comes with an NVMe with the option to install a SSD (not NVMe). For me the Trigkey G4 mini is better value but each to their own, as everyone’s use case and needs are different. Thanks for the review.😊
Hello! I do video editing and have been looking for a solid solution to host my files. I want to be able to edit off of this device with the footage that I receive from my client: 4k videos up to 200,000kbps bit rate for raw footage, and 9,000kbps for proxies I only edit using proxies but when it comes to rendering it'll of course render using the raw footage. I also want to be able to have this connected to the internet via ethernet (so I don't have to have my pc on). I want this because the only other thing I want to do with this is be able to have a FTP server so my client can upload projects directly to this. Would this be a good option for me if I utilize the USB 3.2? I currently use the T7 Touch by samsung with USB 3.2 and it's been totally fine for what I'm doing. I like the idea of being able to connect to this device like it was an external storage solution while also it being a NAS so my client can dump the files directly to it. I don't need it for anything else other than these things. Appreciate your video nontheless!
The n100 may not have the bandwidth for full speed NVME but if it is as fast as an SSD or even just HDD speeds with a small form factor and low power, it might be worth it in a few years when there are affordable NVME options. Great video as always!
its a shame these are so expensive, because this is exactly what I'm looking for in a NAS. Always-on hard drives just don't work in a small apartment, but no one has quite nailed the compact all-flash box.
@@DBTechYT if they could get it into the $2-300 range, i wouldn't mind getting 2 or 3 to make up for the small number of drives, and the whole pile would still be smaller than a 2-bay hdd NAS (and much quieter). an i3 is probably all they'd need to get enough pcie lanes to run the drives and maybe a 2.5 or 10g nic. I wouldn't want to pay for much more performance and electricity. I get why they don't make an N100 with 52 PCI lanes, but that would honestly be ideal for me
Not a bad little unit. Looks like a NUC. The only thing that gets me with these things is the cost. At $400+, you're not getting a lot. The N100 is a cheap $40-$50 CPU with a mere 9 lanes and can only support a single memory stick at a max of 16 GB. If this was in the $200-$250 range, it would be a good bargain.
Yep. I agree with that. I think the price is basically an "early adopter" tax. the tech is on the way, but the prices just aren't there for it to be practical yet.
If you make me literally laugh out loud within the first minute you get a thumbs up from both my gmail accounts. “Hey, pal. You just blow in from stupid town?” wins the internet prize of the day!
I had asked around recently about devices to graduate from an rpi 4b to, and so many people treat the N100 like some miracle chip that's going to meet all of your needs now and forever. I'm sure it's a solid chip for low end usage but no I don't think this ($40-50?) chip is going to handle ANYTHING I throw at it. On that note: To anybody who happens to read this, still open to input :P
@@RapsCalorie it's a great chip for a low-powered server running lightweight apps like password managers and ad blockers, but... other than that... not much else in my opinion
@@RapsCalorie I'd say get on pcparts picker and build something usi g a few year old parts. you could build something decent for what those mini pc's cost
If Aiffro is monitoring the comments I would offer that this machine has far too high of a price. There are other similar mini PC’s for $199. I’m not sure what value I would be getting with the Aiffro that I couldn’t get elsewhere. Also, if you really want this to be a good NAS solution perhaps consider adding an external chassis for a few 2.5” drives. The K100 could rest on top and connect with a USB-C cable and this would make a decent way to have several drive types. But for sure you must change the price to be competitive OR point out what advantage the K100 has over the competition that makes it worth the extra money.
So frustrating that there isn't a better platform for this kind of device that actually has enough IO to make something really good. I get that for some people 2.5GbE and (relatively) slow NVME transfer speed is ok to have a quiet and low power device but I'd be better off slapping an Asus hyper m.2 card into my Epyc server and passing that through to a Truenas VM (or whatever OS choice). Not enough PCIE lanes and no 10GbE make all these N100 based all flash devices a non starter to me. That said the review was good though given the limitations of the hardware and thanks for being up front about getting the unit with drives.
I don't know why always almost everybody is missing the point with an SSD-NAS. Of course, it's not the best choice for high capacity. It's all about having silent and always fast access to a network storage without having the need to spin-up any hdd which always needs needs some seconds. It's simply a different use-case compared to a classic HDD-NAS.
I didn't miss the point. the issue is that the CPU in this doesn't have the speed or PCIe lanes for it to really make sense. Even with it supporting gen 3 drives, it's just not a practical device for a lot of people for the current price.
I would think that one of the key use cases would be as a travel NAS. It’s a relatively compact unit and presumably lightweight- so ideal for travel. You could use it as a little server with some services such as Plex and store movies to consume on your travels. Paired with a travel router such as a GL-iNet would be great. Also if you were taking lots of video and photos you could back it up to this device or alternatively you you could use something like Syncthing to send it back home. The mini pc with a large 2.5 inch ssd would be cheaper though
Not too bad a disclaimer. Personally I think a disclaimer I'd needed, should virtually be the 1st thing in a video, I also think it should be the same each time, I really like how Lon from Lon dot TV does his. I don't mind the odd paid gig, just make it plain. I don't want any video that has been veted 1st. Especially after what Lon (I think) showed what he has has sent him. A bit off topic, but at this time, after the Pixel thing, creators just need to be super plain. I believe here in the UK we're going to be looking at this kind of thing going forward. A nice review, I can see quite a few uses for it.
@@DBTechYT Fair enough, but I watch a lot of UA-cam not just tech, and as I said, sponsorship and not telling viewers is getting worse. If I think that's happening I unsubscribe, as it means you just can't trust the review. You only have to look what happened when Ugreen sent a unit to virtually every creator who did homelabbing, I saw a lot of negatives, especially if it was announced that they were sent the unit, or worse, they either put it in the description or tagged it onto the end. I do get a bit uptight about it and if people don't point it out, not every creator thinks it's a problem 😶
For the price it’s just not worth it…. What I think most people want in a NAS would be 4 NVME and 10Gbps Ethernet and a processor to run it. This looks to me more like a repurposed mini pc
Agreed, it wouldn't be cheap but I'd love to see one of these OEM's take a chance with a platform that can actually support a bunch of NVME that doesn't cost as much as the options from Synology and Qnap.
For about £150 you can get the Trigkey G4 mini - I have 2 of them. Matches the n100 CPU and comes with an NVMe with the option to install a SSD (not NVMe). For me the Trigkey G4 mini is better value but each to their own, as everyone’s use case and needs are different. Thanks for the review.😊
Hello! I do video editing and have been looking for a solid solution to host my files. I want to be able to edit off of this device with the footage that I receive from my client:
4k videos up to 200,000kbps bit rate for raw footage, and 9,000kbps for proxies
I only edit using proxies but when it comes to rendering it'll of course render using the raw footage.
I also want to be able to have this connected to the internet via ethernet (so I don't have to have my pc on). I want this because the only other thing I want to do with this is be able to have a FTP server so my client can upload projects directly to this.
Would this be a good option for me if I utilize the USB 3.2? I currently use the T7 Touch by samsung with USB 3.2 and it's been totally fine for what I'm doing. I like the idea of being able to connect to this device like it was an external storage solution while also it being a NAS so my client can dump the files directly to it. I don't need it for anything else other than these things.
Appreciate your video nontheless!
The n100 may not have the bandwidth for full speed NVME but if it is as fast as an SSD or even just HDD speeds with a small form factor and low power, it might be worth it in a few years when there are affordable NVME options. Great video as always!
its a shame these are so expensive, because this is exactly what I'm looking for in a NAS. Always-on hard drives just don't work in a small apartment, but no one has quite nailed the compact all-flash box.
I'd like to have seen this with a lower price or a stronger processor
@@DBTechYT if they could get it into the $2-300 range, i wouldn't mind getting 2 or 3 to make up for the small number of drives, and the whole pile would still be smaller than a 2-bay hdd NAS (and much quieter). an i3 is probably all they'd need to get enough pcie lanes to run the drives and maybe a 2.5 or 10g nic. I wouldn't want to pay for much more performance and electricity. I get why they don't make an N100 with 52 PCI lanes, but that would honestly be ideal for me
I 100% agree with everything you said there :)
Not a bad little unit. Looks like a NUC. The only thing that gets me with these things is the cost. At $400+, you're not getting a lot. The N100 is a cheap $40-$50 CPU with a mere 9 lanes and can only support a single memory stick at a max of 16 GB. If this was in the $200-$250 range, it would be a good bargain.
Yep. I agree with that. I think the price is basically an "early adopter" tax. the tech is on the way, but the prices just aren't there for it to be practical yet.
If you make me literally laugh out loud within the first minute you get a thumbs up from both my gmail accounts. “Hey, pal. You just blow in from stupid town?” wins the internet prize of the day!
I always try to call out my own nonsense when I make a mistake. Thanks for the support :)
I don't know about others but I have to say I'm a bit tired of the under powered N100 devices
I agree. I've got some new hardware coming in the next few weeks that is definitely not underpowered N100 hardware :)
I had asked around recently about devices to graduate from an rpi 4b to, and so many people treat the N100 like some miracle chip that's going to meet all of your needs now and forever. I'm sure it's a solid chip for low end usage but no I don't think this ($40-50?) chip is going to handle ANYTHING I throw at it.
On that note: To anybody who happens to read this, still open to input :P
@@RapsCalorie it's a great chip for a low-powered server running lightweight apps like password managers and ad blockers, but... other than that... not much else in my opinion
@@RapsCalorie I'd say get on pcparts picker and build something usi g a few year old parts. you could build something decent for what those mini pc's cost
If Aiffro is monitoring the comments I would offer that this machine has far too high of a price. There are other similar mini PC’s for $199. I’m not sure what value I would be getting with the Aiffro that I couldn’t get elsewhere.
Also, if you really want this to be a good NAS solution perhaps consider adding an external chassis for a few 2.5” drives. The K100 could rest on top and connect with a USB-C cable and this would make a decent way to have several drive types.
But for sure you must change the price to be competitive OR point out what advantage the K100 has over the competition that makes it worth the extra money.
So frustrating that there isn't a better platform for this kind of device that actually has enough IO to make something really good. I get that for some people 2.5GbE and (relatively) slow NVME transfer speed is ok to have a quiet and low power device but I'd be better off slapping an Asus hyper m.2 card into my Epyc server and passing that through to a Truenas VM (or whatever OS choice). Not enough PCIE lanes and no 10GbE make all these N100 based all flash devices a non starter to me. That said the review was good though given the limitations of the hardware and thanks for being up front about getting the unit with drives.
Cool hardware!
Looks neat and small, More and more of these are coming out, its nice, because sometimes we just want s amsll footprint storage box.
yeah. just wish the storage for it was a lower dollar-to-gigabyte ratio :)
@@DBTechYT I fuly agree, i need to buy 4 x 2tb nvme and its like 200$ each drive CDN :(
yeah. the price of nvme drives is still a bit above my pay-grade
I don't know why always almost everybody is missing the point with an SSD-NAS. Of course, it's not the best choice for high capacity. It's all about having silent and always fast access to a network storage without having the need to spin-up any hdd which always needs needs some seconds. It's simply a different use-case compared to a classic HDD-NAS.
I didn't miss the point. the issue is that the CPU in this doesn't have the speed or PCIe lanes for it to really make sense. Even with it supporting gen 3 drives, it's just not a practical device for a lot of people for the current price.
I would think that one of the key use cases would be as a travel NAS. It’s a relatively compact unit and presumably lightweight- so ideal for travel. You could use it as a little server with some services such as Plex and store movies to consume on your travels. Paired with a travel router such as a GL-iNet would be great.
Also if you were taking lots of video and photos you could back it up to this device or alternatively you you could use something like Syncthing to send it back home.
The mini pc with a large 2.5 inch ssd would be cheaper though
How hard can it be to proofread your packaging before printing? Turenas? It's not even a translation error cause it's a brand name!
this happens way more than you might realize.
Not too bad a disclaimer. Personally I think a disclaimer I'd needed, should virtually be the 1st thing in a video, I also think it should be the same each time, I really like how Lon from Lon dot TV does his. I don't mind the odd paid gig, just make it plain.
I don't want any video that has been veted 1st. Especially after what Lon (I think) showed what he has has sent him.
A bit off topic, but at this time, after the Pixel thing, creators just need to be super plain. I believe here in the UK we're going to be looking at this kind of thing going forward.
A nice review, I can see quite a few uses for it.
honestly never had my disclaimers reviewed lol. thanks for your input on it
@@DBTechYT Fair enough, but I watch a lot of UA-cam not just tech, and as I said, sponsorship and not telling viewers is getting worse. If I think that's happening I unsubscribe, as it means you just can't trust the review. You only have to look what happened when Ugreen sent a unit to virtually every creator who did homelabbing, I saw a lot of negatives, especially if it was announced that they were sent the unit, or worse, they either put it in the description or tagged it onto the end.
I do get a bit uptight about it and if people don't point it out, not every creator thinks it's a problem 😶
I always mention sponsorships at/near the beginning of the video. It's important to me to be transparent to my audience about these kinds of things.
For the price it’s just not worth it…. What I think most people want in a NAS would be 4 NVME and 10Gbps Ethernet and a processor to run it.
This looks to me more like a repurposed mini pc
It basically is. The processor just doesn't have the power/lanes needed for this many nvme drives
Agreed, it wouldn't be cheap but I'd love to see one of these OEM's take a chance with a platform that can actually support a bunch of NVME that doesn't cost as much as the options from Synology and Qnap.