- Ryzen 7 255 is an exclusive chip in China without the usual 16 tops ai npu
- Minisforum N5 supports up to 96 GB of RAM DDR5 but lack of ECC memory support
- The N5 offers double USB4 ports and 10gbe networks for versatile connectivity
Minisforum has introduced the N5, a compact network storage device (NAS) now available worldwide.
Released alongside the more powerful N5 PRO, this new model is powered by AMD Ryzen 7 255, a processor so obscure that it does not even appear on the official AMD website.
Instead, it is listed only on the Chinese site of AMD under the name of Ryzen 7:255 a.m., a chip with eight Zen 4 cores and a basic clock of 3.8 GHz, increasing up to 4.9 GHz.
Block chip
Performing under the Ryzen 200 series and Hawk Point, the processor has a default TDP of 45W, configurable between 35W and 54W.
However, the Ryzen 7 255 raises some questions about positioning and performance.
Ministerum also uses this processor in AI X1, but it seems that it is a Ryzen 7,8745h Rebadged, essentially a lower wings variant of the Ryzen 7,8745h, a chip offered exclusively in China.
It seems that the Ryzen 7 255 is missing on the 16 NPU tops that most of the Ryzen 7 250 chips use, which means that the chip should be late in the AI tasks.
The processor and the GPU are also slightly blocked, which could lead to modest but notable performance reductions.
Despite these warnings, Ministerum N5 offers an attractive range of features that can appeal to users looking for a hybrid between a NAS device and a mini PC.
Like its pro variant, the N5 supports up to 96 GB of DDR5 memory via two SO-DIMM locations.
However, it does not offer ECC RAM Support, a key distinction for those who favor data integrity.
The device can execute several operating systems, including Linux, Miniscloud OS and Windows 11 Pro.
For connectivity, it includes two USB4, 5 Gbit / s ports and Ethernet 10 GB ports
These features make it viable not only as a NAS device, but also as a potential mini-position, especially when associated with the best NAS training for storage expansion.
The price starts at $ 553 for a basic configuration which includes 64 GB of storage but no RAM, although a version with 16 GB of RAM is available for additional $ 48.
