The HP Proliant Microserver N54L came out over a decade ago and was a compact, affordable server designed for small businesses and home users, featuring a 2.2GHz AMD Turion II processor, support for up to 8GB of RAM, and multiple drive bays for flexible storage options. While the Aoostar WTR Pro from Chinese mini PC maker Aoostar isn’t quite the same, it reminds me of a modern take on that classic.
Aimed at the home server and NAS PC market, the WTR Pro comes in two versions: one powered by Intel's N100 processor and one with an as-yet-unspecified AMD Ryzen 7000 CPU (it was initially expected to be a Ryzen 7 5800U, but that appears to have changed).
The Intel model, available now, supports up to 32GB of DDR RAM and comes with four 3.5-inch SATA bays and one M.2 2280 NVMe slot for up to 2TB of storage. Mini machinesAMD's version will offer six 3.5-inch SATA bays and six NVMe PCIe M.2 2280 slots, but few details beyond that are available at this time.
Large cooling fan
As you can see in the image above, connectivity options for the N100 include two 2.5G Ethernet ports, USB-C (with Power Delivery), an HDMI port, a DisplayPort, two USB 3.0 ports, two USB 2.0 Type-A ports, a microSD card slot, and a headphone jack. It’s capable of driving three 4K displays at 60Hz and supports Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2.
The device is compact, measuring 22.8cm x 15cm x 18.5cm, and has a slider over the power button to prevent accidental shutdowns. The rear cooling system, powered by a large 12cm fan, ensures the 3.5-inch bays stay cool without excessive noise. Below, there is access to the storage slots and upgradeable RAM.
Aoostar's mini PCs tend to be pretty affordable, and while there's no word on pricing for the AMD version, the N100 model is available to order now and will set you back from $289. The price goes up to $429 if you want it with 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD pre-installed.
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