Mini ITX NAS Motherboard Intel CPU 6xSATA 4x2.5GbE 2xM.2

[@htwingnut]

Updates: (1) PLEX TRANSCODING WORKS! (2) 32GB RAM Works (1) Updated Video Here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eYDHeaerr6x6lbssi=bTHCHbtA1cc4V1MP For those interested in the transcoding with Plex. I was using Windows version of Plex. Apparently Plex for Windows doesn't yet support HDR to SDR tone mapping with QSV: support.plex.tv/articles/hdr-to-sdr-tone-mapping/ I just ran it with Ubuntu and transcoding four 4k/24 videos to 1080p/24 without issue. I am making a short follow up video that I will post soon. (2) 1x 32GB DDR5 in N100 motherboard worked. 2x16GB DDR4 in N5105 worked. However, after installing the RAM the system sat there for nearly two minutes with a blank screen before it finally did a hard restart (shut down for a second then restarted), and then RAM was detected and working fine. With subsequent reboots, it started fine without delay, unless you swap RAM again.

[@victorsimeonov]

@htwingnut It's perfectly normal behavior. That's memory training to auto-optimize clockspeed and timings and to perform enough tests to validate basic stability of the memory at those settings. The memory controller in the CPU/SoC takes some time to do trial and error and fallback while doing the search for "optimal" values. As long as the RAM is not changed/taken out, and gets identified to be the same modules (by SPD ...), on next boots, the memory controller of the CPU and the BIOS/UEFI firmware remember the already tested good values and use the directly, bypassing doing the whole memory training dance. Enterprise servers generally do the same things on (hard reboot/power on), though they usually tend to do more diligent checks for better reliability, plus don't skip some re-checks/re-training stages (well, at least by default, sometimes it is possible to configure skipping more of that stuff to speed up booting), which is part if why they often (used to) take multiple minutes to complete there infamously slow boot sequences - the rest being various other initializations and self-tests.

[@victorsimeonov]

And, naturally, having bigger memory modules, with bigger-capacity DRAM chips and/or more ranks and/or two sides of the DIMM populated vs only one and/or more memory slots populated (instead of just one) leads to a lengthier memory training procedure, because having more (and more complex) memory chips makes the electrical environment noisier and more sensitive to electrical loading/voltage drops/current limitations/cross-interference effects, so it takes the memory controller and the BIOS/UEFI/firmware more trial to experimentally determine (train) which sets of values lead to a good (enough) balance between stability, latency, and throughput.

[@htwingnut]

@@victorsimeonov I understand, but usually there's some status indicator showing signs of life, not just a no signal blank screen with the CPU fan running full tilt. That's typically an indicator that something "isn't right".

[@HighFlyD]

I read that you need non-ECC RAM for both n100 and n305, so you should take that in mind when buying :)

[@htwingnut]

@@HighFlyD Valid point. Except that's pretty much a given with any Intel non-server CPU's (like Xeon).

[@voodoovinny7125]

Now THIS is a review video that really tells you about a product instead of just repeating the manufactures key selling points. I am definitely greatful for the details on these as I was eye balling them for a few months now.

[@koloblicin4599]

HOW?? I have been obsessively scouring every nook and cranny of YT for DIY NAS content, but only today the algorithm spat out your channel 😤 (subbed, obviously..)

[@sergeys.5418]

This is some high-quality content, lots of effort! Kudos!

[@htwingnut]

Thanks!

[@skinnwalk3r586]

Finally someone have done a speed test on the orico m.2 to sata card, now i can finally choose it for my raid 5 setup

[@NoTySir]

Dude. This video provides such easy to understand data points and relevant info for my use case. Easiest subscribe of my life, thank you for the upload.

[@remainsmemories626]

6:06 beautiful engineering, actually, the fact that it actually fits either 6 drives and x16 pcie

[@mpxz999]

What an amazing video! You covered all the bases! Awesome work! Thank you!

[@symol30872]

Incredible review! Really like the depth you go into for these rather than the more surface level tests other channels tend to do.

[@htwingnut]

Thank you for watching and offering the compliment. It is much appreciated!

[@raymondbaring8470]

SUBS! U deserve it, I'm so glad u not only tested the on-board SATA port but also tested an M.2-to-SATA splitter adapter functionality with this board (I had the same idea for a NAS system), which not many people do review on it. Thank u so much!

[@htwingnut]

Thanks for the comment and glad I could help. Hope it works out for you!

[@joseph3164]

Great video! I like the way you presented your test results, very clear and easy to follow. Thanks!

[@pksrbx292]

Finally the algorithm worked, thanks for the video it was very helpfull and ultra informative... I saw one of that boards and know with your feedback I know what to expect. Keep up the good work👍👏

[@htwingnut]

Thanks for the kind words. I appreciate you taking the time to watch.

[@pablomartin8804]

Thanks thanks thanks thanks. Best video i've seen about these nas moabs. Thanks!!!

[@deathchopvhs]

I have the N100 6WTDP board too!!!! You sir read my mind in making this video, legend!

[@JoSe-cs7ip]

I was asking AI to have this info, no luck, until I found out of your channel. Thank you for this video!

[@MarcRitzMD]

How can a single-man operation provide THAT extensive testing?! Damn impressive!

[@gustersongusterson4120]

Great comparison of these two cpus on basically the same board. Informative and in depth. Thanks!

[@Zel0978]

Phenomenal video sir, I'm currently looking to build a NAS server that will be primarily file storage and Plex hosting. My requirements are 2u (maybe 3u at a push), rackmount, 4/8 bay with hotswap capability, and QSV capability (so Intel). None of the major players in the NAS sector can offer something that will fit my needs without sacrificing a key element or costing a fortune so I found your video incredibly insightful on a number of fronts. Subbed! Peace to you and yours! (If you have any suggestions for a great backplane - let me know!!)

[@GalaxyTheReal]

That probably one of the most in-depth reviews on this platform. Great work!

[@CruelPandas]

As i was curious about these boards, thank you so much for the work you put in.

[@stevemato9122]

Kudos! and Very illuminating. Also, looking forward to you getting your hands on the CWWK i3-N305 6x SATA NAS board and doing this same thing with it, eventually, I imagine, and hope. :)

[@htwingnut]

If I can get some funding together for it, then sure.

[@Sarzah]

I was thinking the same thing, with the n305 available now, I would love to see how it compares, in performance and power consumption.

[@Baman-uh2ud]

Thanks for the clarification about the collision between sata and pci @6:00

[@Bercik87]

Hats off. Excellent review buddy. I loved performance onboard vs nvme SATA comparision. Also temp drop after repaste shocked me.

[@Andrey.Elagin]

Simply, thanks for this video. It helped to understand strong and weak points of these motherboards. Conclusion from this video, it might be "better" to build up NAS using two NVME.2 to SATA adapters than to use on board SATA, and to use onboard SATA for main OS "slow" drives.

[@nick-leffler]

I bought a n5095 board with 12 SATA ports and a single NVMe and am very happy with it.

[@htwingnut]

Hey, I just came across that recently too. Looks nice if you are ok with 1GbE and single M.2. Great option really for a basic NAS setup.

[@marklewus5468]

This must’ve been a ton of effort to produce. Thanks!

[@tinkerscustom9568]

Thanks for making this video! Been trying to find info on this exact n100 board for a nas.

[@mrh3h]

Thank you for the thorough review, very comprehensive and helpful.

[@Ruslan-UA]

so huge amount of work and knowledge were put into this video. Thanks.

[@danieltwodevs]

Thank you for the work making the Video! Great Job!

[@hank38822]

The slow performance of the JMB585 on the N100 board is because it's running at PCIE 2 speeds for some reason. This is the (shortened) version of lscpi -vv on a BKHD 1264 board: 05:00.0 SATA controller: JMicron Technology Corp. JMB58x AHCI SATA controller (prog-if 01 [AHCI 1.0]) Subsystem: JMicron Technology Corp. JMB58x AHCI SATA controller Capabilities: [c0] Express (v2) Legacy Endpoint, MSI 00 ... LnkCap: Port #0, Speed 5GT/s, Width x1, ASPM not supported ClockPM- Surprise- LLActRep- BwNot- ASPMOptComp+ LnkSta: Speed 5GT/s, Width x1 TrErr- Train- SlotClk- DLActive- BWMgmt- ABWMgmt- ... LnkCap2: Supported Link Speeds: 2.5-5GT/s, Crosslink- Retimer- 2Retimers- DRS- LnkCtl2: Target Link Speed: 8GT/s, EnterCompliance- SpeedDis- Transmit Margin: Normal Operating Range, EnterModifiedCompliance- ComplianceSOS- Compliance Preset/De-emphasis: -6dB de-emphasis, 0dB preshoot (apologies if this was already posted, didn't see it)

[@htwingnut]

Thanks. One thing that I'm confused about though, is that single port speeds are only 400 MB/sec not 500. Yet the N5105 is not restricted. I really question the design decision for that. Especially for a NAS board.

[@davidw.2467]

Great find

[@HelloHelloXD]

Great video. Thanks for the extensive speed tests

[@Fallen608]

Damn this is pretty useful. Exactly the kind of gear I need.

[@MinorKing245]

Awsome video! Thank you for doing this! Very informative.

[@EvilDaveCanada]

Nice boards to use as a combo Firewall, PiHole and cloud server. Just connect to your internal LAN using one NIC and your ISP connection on a different one. Now all I need is an adapter so I can mount the motherboard in an old ATX case.

[@ДмитрийКарпич]

I am building home NAS (lab) with J6413 version of the same mb. It's worked well for around 6 months, I have only one issue - internal USB port not always worked for Unraid flash card, so I used external one. Except this mb well-built and I happy to use it as home lab.

[@PunsRDum]

this is very informative. thanks for the hardware breakdown.

[@JonathanSwiftUK]

Amazingly detailed and thorough video, thank you, just the sort of board I'm looking for.

[@CelentanoLuca]

wow, what a great review!

[@TheEminentGeek]

...Sensational video, great detail!

[@htwingnut]

Thanks for your kind words. I appreciate it!

[@marcusspahn]

great video! detailed tests! I love it! THX!

[@setantatx247]

it's funny that most of aliexpress offers seams to claim that those would support upto 32Gb of RAM, even Intel spec clearly says that it wouldn't. Fairpaly mate very good review! 100%

[@gianniskamakas3578]

But they actually do

[@M4XD4B0ZZ]

Instantly subscribed

[@winandd8649]

Nice comparison!! 👍 What about C-states? Did you test if the boards can enter a deeper c-state using "powertop --auto-tune" under Linux? I read somewhere that some JMicron SATA chips can prevent the system from entering a low power state, in that case ASMedia would be a preffered option (while disabling the JMicron SATA ports if that's possible) The 20W consumption tells me that the system was not going deeper than C-2. I would not be surprised if 9W is possible when going to C-8

[@berettaguy923]

you illustrated the reason why addon drive controllers are always preferred. The PCIe expansion slot becomes near as important as the NICs you have on the board.

[@antoniom.andersen6704]

About the slow speed on 5 of the SATA ports. The JMB585 is a 5-port SATA III controller running at PCIe 3.0x2 which provides less than 2GB/sec of bandwidth. Five SATA III ports can take up 5*600MB/sec worth of bandwidth which is ~ 3GB/sec. PCIe 3.0x2 does not provide enough bandwidth for 5 SATA III ports to be used simultaneously at maximum speed. I've shied away from JMicron because they've had problems with their chips since the early 2000's Regardles it's a great little board and a very good review.

[@htwingnut]

Except both motherboards contain the JMB585 chip, but it performs poorly on the N100 but perfectly fine on the N5105. Also, the JMB585 chip runs PCIE 3.0 x1 only, so 1GB/sec each way. I was expecting this as far as a RAID was concerned. But each slot individually wouldn't reach near the 600 MB/sec limit on the N100 but did fine on the N5105.

[@antoniom.andersen6704]

@@htwingnut Their product brief states 3.0x2 so if it's only x1 it's even worse. Anyway, I still stand by my statement: Nice little board 🙂

[@htwingnut]

​@@antoniom.andersen6704 If you don't mind me asking, what product brief are you referring to. I only see the product manual at the product page: www.bkipc.com/en/product/1264-NAS-MB.html I'd be happy to take a look. Also if you look at my video at 15:53 you can see the single disk performance is only about 420MB/sec on N100 vs 550MB/ec on the N5105. Additionally, at 16:40 in RAID 0, the N5105 hits 1000 MB/sec where as the N100 hits only about 500MB/sec. So N100 definitely gimped, and also nowhere near PCIe 3.0 x2. You can also see the JMB585 on the N5105 performed better than the Orico M.2 add-in card with the ASMedia 1166 chip. In a subsequent video I also have a board with N5105 with ASMedia 1166 chip onboard and it underperformed the JMB585 by a little bit.

[@deathchopvhs]

If you guys want me to reach out to the manufacturer in Mandarin, I can try to get my wife to translate for us as to why the ports are limited and also why the power state is a bit more than expected.

[@IlhanNegis]

nicely done review and comparison

[@boopfer387]

excellent video!

[@shadowarez1337]

I went full custom Ncase M3 Asus ROG Z790-i 12900KS 96GB DDR 5 6000mhz. 2x4TB Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus Nvme for caching one Intel DC 3610 1.6TB SATA SSD for VM storage 10x24TB Seagate Exos Drives 2 are backups since Ncase N3 holds 8xHDDS.

[@velbond007]

Thanks mate. After watching your video, I came to conclusion to buy this board and ordeed with BKHD. Very clear, power consumption, speed, mainly movies watching in different outlets all are good. Just a one question, did you check the 10Gb PCIE connecting and working? If you make another video with adding that 10Gb and the speed , movies all that will be great

[@Skynet_11]

awesome content! Thanks.

[@pawerzodkiewicz5374]

32GB RAM in n100 works for some people even though it is not supported on the website, maybe there must be one stick. Good job !

[@v0ldy54]

Very well done video! I've seen a few videos about those NAS motherboards with N100 and in pretty much all of them I noticed that the power consumption is fairly high considering the CPUs TDP, thats kinda disappointing. I meanz I'm building a NAS/homelab server with leftover computers parts and the Micro ATX board with an Intel i3-4170, 12Gb (2x8+4) RAM and a SATA SSD is around 11W on idle, and my PSU is a 240 Liteon rated 80+ Bronze, I'd expect a "proper" board with a modern CPU to be much more efficient but apparently that's not the case. Is it the 2.5Gb interface perhaps? Have you tried to see if there's any difference using powertop?

[@dktol56]

My CWWK (black) N5105 board uses about 13.5W power when idle while running Debian 12, as measured by a Kill-A-Watt meter. This is with 32GB of RAM, a 1TB NVME SSD, and 1 active 2.5GbE port. Also, I enabled C-states in the BIOS - otherwise the idle power was several watts higher. Not sure why HTWingNut's idle power for both boards was around 20W.

[@v0ldy54]

@@dktol56 mmm I think that's fairly high for that processor, since then I got my hands on an i5 6500 and with and SSD sometimes power consumption dropped below 10W. Are you using powertop on Debian? If so, have you ran the command "powertop --auto" to see if it improves?

[@Marcasecas]

Excellent review👌🏻

[@djh5057]

Thanks Norm!

[@carloss6707]

Best review ever

[@lainol_4066]

The video we need. Thanks!

[@zack.123.]

Such a good video. Hmmm the SAS expansion looks interesting. Wonder how a SAS disk would perform. I'm looking to build a NAS but I fear the N100 may not cut it.

[@rieztra]

hey man, great video 👏👏👏

[@hernanrojas8393]

Greetings from the south of the world

[@espressomatic]

Just waiting on the same N100 board to put into my old ReadyNAS Pro case which has been gutted and waiting. Had to hack the backplane for new SATA headers. + new PS and new fans. It'll be strictly a backup target.

[@jimsvideos7201]

Good on you for your rigor.

[@markshaz8691]

Really good review. There’s an i9 board like this I’m thinking of getting.

[@catsspat]

Frankly, the Intel Atom C2000-series LPC bug left horrible taste in my mouth, and I've zero intention of trying another Intel. Currently, perfectly happy with X470D4U + LSI SAS9211-8I set up I'm using. It's kind of old now, but perfectly reliable for all this time, which is the point.

[@b0ne91]

If power consumption isn't much of a concern (like in the US) you can buy a $20-30 HBA like an LSI 9211-8i and get more HDDs than either of these cases can hold - plus the ability to run SAS drives (cheap refurbs). So the X99 mini ITX board comes out on top then. In Europe, you're probably better off with the N100 board if you can find it here.

[@htwingnut]

Valid points. Except I live in USA and power isn't cheap, LOL (after all taxes and fees ~ $0.18-$0.20/kwh). Probably not as much as many European countries though. A 100W device will run about $150/year.

[@b0ne91]

@@htwingnut A lot of European countries pay $0.35 to $0.45/kWh. The US (most parts) are fairly cheap in comparison. I've seen some cities go down as low as $0.12

[@frankwong9486]

I think you can add a pcie x1 to quad pcie x1 extension board using by pi module or miners , which allow you to connect some nvme drive with adapter Yes very bandwidth limited but still ok for 2.5G network and nvme have lower access time / good for cache or docker

[@dktol56]

I bought (essentially) the same N5105 motherboard from CWWK, although it has a black PCB and yours is green. The layout looks the same. Mine definitely supports 32GB of RAM (2 x 16GB DDR4 3200 from Timetec). I think I did have to upgrade to the latest BIOS to get it to POST. I also tried 64GB but that didn't work. You can find lots of information and links from the servethehome forum.

[@grav1ty-encoder]

My green n5105 booted and ran memtest86 succesfully twice with 64gb. Running 64gb on truenas scale

[@casperghst42]

Sadly the N100, N200 and N305 does not support vPro AMT which will force you to get something like a PiKVM which will add 150-300$ to the price. And there is a discussion on STH about the stability of these boards.

[@keithmiller9665]

N100 and above does provide AV1 hardware video decoding though. Given AV1 is taking off now I would not consider anything below the N100 CPU for AV1 hardware decoding support.

[@casperghst42]

@@keithmiller9665 I did not say that the CPU isn't capable, but these boards have a limitation: you cannot remote control them.

[@tehehe5929]

​@@casperghst42hardly a limitation for most people. Ssh or cockpit is plenty enough.

[@reinekewf7987]

right away i would prefer a dual channel system so both options are from the table. i would use my nas for other things too because most of the time those systems sitting there and doing nothing. i had a self build nas with a j5040 in it but now i have running a ryzen7 5700g in that system. this thing is mostly packed around 30%. it is doing more as only being a nas. its doing home automation stuff, running some game servers, being a nas and backup system and some other things. i do have a dell r630 i can technicaly use for those things but this thing is way to powerfull and uses a lot more power on idle as the ryzen 7 5700g at full load also it has a 1.8gb per drive limit and only 8 2.5inch drive bays si 14tb is the limit. i use this thing for my analytic stuff where i need that 8 ram channels with 768gb and the compute power from those 44 cores. i have done this stuff in the past on my ryzen7 5700g system but 50h of waiting was not woth it also in that time the system cant do anything other and everything took ages to do something. i looked online and find a retailer for server stuff and find a r630 with one xeon e5 2699v4 for 600€ it had only one in it but bought a second used e5 2699v4 for 200€ and much as ram from the same type i got my hands on also used and some used sas drives and i was good to go. in the end i spend 1200€ on this thing in total and now i can do the same run in 3h and using only a third of the total power consumption of the ryzen7. but using this thing as a home server with nas functionality is no option because of the 220W idle power draw if i config it do dynamic power mode and use automatic core count system it can go low as 75W but in this the system lag is high because of both options. for example i run ubuntu server on it and let it sitt in idle the system shows only 1 to 2 cores per cpu are active also there clock speed is down to 800mhz at this stage the system uses only 60w. the main power usage comes from the 24 ram modules and the ipmi / idrac system and the H330 raid controller the idac alone uses 25w. also each ram modul uses around 0.8w to 1W and the H330 uses also around 20w also the mainbord and the psu uses some power lower that this is not possible. my ryzen7 system uses on idle 20w with all stuff deactivated i dont use. on that 30% load the system uses 35W this is ok for me. it was not the cheapest option using a ryzen7 but the best performance to power ratio with a reasonable price. in the end i payed nearly the same as for the r630. but this system is slower in all possible ways and had less functionality and safety and comfort features.

[@tamos2006]

For plain homegrade NAS these MBs are great, I wouldn’t stretch them beyond that due to the lack of ram and cpu performance.

[@htwingnut]

Agreed. these are best for budget builds .There are plenty of other better options out there if you're willing to fork over a few hundred for the motherboard.

[@yeetusj8152]

I really wish I saw this video before purchasing the N100 board. I have the same one and have noticed that I’m not getting the performance out of my drives that I should be. Boggles the mind a little that despite being a generation older the N5095 is faster for data

[@htwingnut]

Yeah, not sure what's going on with those SATA ports. It's the same JMB585 chip on both.

[@Hummtaro]

Wow! Thank you very much for this video! Such an in-depth testing is very rare. Others are just like "I installed unraid, connected drives and it works, great board" The only thing i'm missing is some information about the noise. In some review i did read that the cpu fan is horribly loud and not controlled by temperature at all. Is this true for both boards?

[@htwingnut]

That was one thing I did not notice at all, really was fan noise. Although a repaste of the N100 dropped temps by about 20C, the N5105 by over 10C, so that may help too. Also there is a fan curve setting in the BIOS, but I did not mention that much. I'm about ready to post a follow up video and I tacked that info onto it at the last minute now that you asked it. Thanks for asking!

[@peace2941]

@@htwingnut thank you for the videos, does the N5105 support PWM and also where does the fans could be plugged ? I saw a three pin port on the board, but three pins does not support PWM right ?

This was intense

[@Andy-fd5fg]

Good content.... nice showcase of a couple of motherboards rather than just "i built a nas". But please get a tri-pod for you camera.... shaky hand cam footage is nauseating.

[@htwingnut]

Thanks for the feedback, I'll take that into consideration for future videos. This was just my phone. I normally use fixtured web cams, but a fixtured camera isn't as versatile for close up shots, and quality isn't nearly as good (I've had focus issues with my cameras). I'm working on other options, but time, space, and funds are limited right now. I do testing, filming, and work from a confined workbench space at the moment.

[@umerkha]

Great video mate! Did you end up putting this any case after all or running as is?

[@htwingnut]

No, I did not. Although I have an N305 version I'm testing right now and it may end up becoming my Windows based server

[@langerspeck7811]

I wish i had seen that video before i buy the n100 card. So much quality content in this video! I didnt know that the pci slot was open... I just order today a m2 sata adapter.. i could just reuse my pci sata card 😅 What is your consumption with 6 HDD? I run at 50w in idle, i was expecting little less to be honest.

[@tolpacourt]

n100 card or motherboard?

[@langerspeck7811]

@@tolpacourt motherboard

[@craigprocter1232]

great articlle - I've subscribed now. Have you by any chance tested any Intel N5095 mini ITX motherboards recently, I searched but doesn't look like you have. I'm interested as I saw an N5095 motherboard with 12 SATA ports on board and am curious how it compares to the other recent Intel N series CPUs/systems.

[@fedefede843]

Thanks!

[@JeronimoStilton14]

Apparently that JM sata driver kind of sucks because it inhibits higher c-states. I believe there was a purple board floating around (CWWK maybe?) that switches it for a different one that does not have that limitation.

[@htwingnut]

I got that CWWK purple board, and a Topton board that both use the Asmedia ASM1166 but it suffers the same issue. I can't get any of these Chinese brands to idle below 20W. I was reviewing the Purple board, but unfortunately it's faulty. The PCIe slot doesn't work nor does the onboard USB 3 header. So it's in process of RMA, so who knows when I'll get a replacement.

[@newstandardaccount]

26:52 - I had to pause the video and look at the frames because you scrolled by the playback info pretty quickly, but I noted that in your 4k=>1080p transcode test you weren't using the iGPU in the N100 to handle the transcode. If you're using hardware transcoding, then Plex will show "(hw)" after the transcoding information. For sure this CPU isn't powerful enough to handle 4K software transcodes, but the iGPU should be powerful enough to handle a 4k transcode - probably a few of them.

[@htwingnut]

Yes, thanks for noticing. Check out the description as I did a follow up video regarding this.

[@newstandardaccount]

@@htwingnut oh nice, you also have a pinned comment I missed - glad you caught it

[@anthonymarkus6341]

The reason why there are 4 gigabit ethernet slot there is because Mikrotik, specifically wireless ISPs are using this kind of board for advanced routing and traffic control using Mikrotik.

[@philiprobar]

Use Driver Booster or similar is the easiest way to get and install missing drivers when using Windows.

[@dktol56]

Snappy Driver Installer Origin is entirely free and regularly updated. Works for me.

[@thousandkgmc]

Good job

[@edwarddesposito4476]

Is the sata bandwidth tests bad on the n100 because single channel memory? Would seem to be when the nvme sata controller did so much better. Seems like to get around the limitation would be small video card for decoding, use dual nvme controllers for the drives, and put the OS on the sata port with direct CPU access.

[@tropmonky]

Odd, this CPU should be able to transcode at least 1 4K to 1080P stream if not a couple, with ease. You need to make sure the USE HARDWARE ACCELERATION WHEN AVAILABLE is checked in the Plex settings for it to make use of the intel Quicksync, which is can.

[@htwingnut]

See pinned comment and update here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eYDHeaerr6x6lbssi=bTHCHbtA1cc4V1MP

[@TayschrennSedai]

I'd be curious if you used cache or not in your benchmarks. If you force ignoring cache it might help your results.

[@fabriglas]

Subbed , i dont know wither to diy or buy oem , buy it has to be ssd or nvme! The noise from hdd drives me mad

[@YooWhatsPoppin]

Does these 2 Boards support ECC Memory ?

[@SirReptitious]

Wouldn't it make a lot more sense to just buy an old pc in a mid or full tower to use as a nas? You would have a much more powerful cpu, and many pcie slots for adding sata ports and ethernet ports and a 16 lane gfx card. Depending on the case and how many drives you wanted, you might have to buy 5.25 to 3.5 converters or mod the case a bit with a dremel. Yes those weak celerys use very little power, but the i3s,i5s,i7s, and old AMD cpus like Phenom IIs and FXs can be adjusted to enter low power states when not needed via BIOS and software like cool & quiet or QuickCPU that does core parking. My main system is still my ancient 12 yr old FX-8350 w/32GB ram. Runs 24/7 and still does everything I need to. My previous system is my backup system, a Phenom IIx4 w/8GB ram. I still want to build a nice new Ryzen system of course, and when I finally do I will probably make the Phenom II into a media server nas. The case is a Thermaltake H21 which is an old school black steel and plastic case with no glass. It has 3 5.25, 3 3.5, 3 2.5 bays. I have a DVD recorder in one of the 5.25" bays but it's not really needed for my nas so I could use that for a hdd bracket that converts 5.25 to 3.5.

[@htwingnut]

Absolutely. Surely using an old PC is a great way to make use of old computer components. But many users want a compact solution, which requires a Mini ITX motherboard. Also, older systems can frequently use a lot more power and have have antiquated technology and/or limited IO.

[@SirReptitious]

@@htwingnut Yeah I don't get why so many people get a hard on over PCs getting smaller and smaller. The latest ones that are the footprint of a cd jewel case that use an external power brick seem to be getting popular for no reason. Unless you live in a 150sqft Tokyo apt and have to use your TV as your monitor there's no need to have such a limited PC. I have never had a ITX system and never will. Full ATX FTW! ;-) As for older systems using more power, I addressed that already. Using both the BIOS settings as well as software like cool & quiet on AMD and QuickCPU that allows you to have control over the cpu including parking cores that are not needed will drop power use a lot. Hard drives can be set to spin down when not in use. As for being antiquated and having limited I/O, that's what all the pcie slots are for. Any normal ATX and most mATX mobos have enough slots to add ethernet ports and sata ports. Hell, you can even add nvme ssds to old systems like mine via pcie slots, although you can't use them as boot drives. But you only need one small ssd in a nas for the OS unless you are made of money and want to build a nas using only ssds.

[@ChrisJackson-js8rd]

burn in test. never forget the burn in test. in particular with this level of hw. if its gonna fail, you want that to happen while it can still be returned and before it can corrupt all ur data ...plus its the fun part lol

[@dorinbodea3614]

Good job! A link to that SAS M.2 adapter? Thanks!

[@htwingnut]

This is the one I bought, but search "m.2 6 port sata" on Amazon, eBay, AliExpress. Just make sure it has the Asmedia ASM1166 chipset. www.amazon.com/dp/B09N34NKT1

[@bluesquadron593]

Hi, at 26:23 Plex transcoding it seemed you only have software transcoding working. Both chips should have Quicksync and could transcode multiple streams with very little CPU overhead.

[@htwingnut]

Quicksync is enabled. It seems HEVC/H.265 is the issue. For whatever reason HEVC doesn't make use of QSV. Follow up video incoming. Perhaps there is a driver or some other way to enforce it. H.264 videos seem to transcode fine with QSV.

[@htwingnut]

I was using Windows version of Plex. Apparently Plex for Windows doesn't yet support HDR to SDR tone mapping with QSV: support.plex.tv/articles/hdr-to-sdr-tone-mapping/ I just ran it with Ubuntu and transcoding four 4k/24 videos to 1080p/24 without issue.

[@bluesquadron593]

@@htwingnut great!

[@miecz8316]

these boards take alot of power in idle, i got n100 based mini pc, and in idle its just 4 wats

[@htwingnut]

Yeah, that's the worse part about these boards. If they can get the idle watts under control it would be a great buy.

[@fortedexe8273]

Does power draw graph include 12 hdd. If you have a chance, pls review J6412, it seem to be a better option than N5105

[@anth0ny__]

Thanks for the video! About the N100 motherboard: Do you know if the PCIe slot can accept a PCIe to NVMe adapter as a booting device? I've ordered the mb and I am going to exclusively use NVMe for data (using 2x NVMe slots). Thank you :)

[@htwingnut]

I will give it a try. I don't see why it shouldn't work. I'll get back to you in a few days when I get a chance to try. Don't be afraid to reply to this comment if you don't hear from me. I can be forgetful at times, LOL.

[@anth0ny__]

@@htwingnut Thanks for your time!

[@htwingnut]

It works fine. Didn't have to touch the BIOS or anything: kzbin.info/www/bejne/b6bOeZSAj5l-qM0si=gfOIdfcBJOzHKAtK

[@anth0ny__]

@@htwingnut thanks! :D

[@anth0ny__]

May I ask you which PSU are you using? I’m having issues using a 80W picoPSU (powers on for 2 seconds then reboots). I have the same behavior with a 450W PSU, however it works with a 260W PSU, I really don’t know what could be the issue since both picoPSU and 450W PSU work well with another MB 😅

[@zkc7718]

i love this mobo but they are quitte expensive as for a single part of 4th hand piece of mb. what branded machines were they fited to?

[@htwingnut]

The benefit of the motherboard is the number of M.2 ports, 2.5GbE, and onboard SATA ports. Typical Mini ITX boards don't have all these options on them. It's intended to be used as a NAS controlling a large number of hard drives.

[@zkc7718]

@@htwingnut ... what is a good idea as an replacement for my current fan less industrial pc with 3HDDs hooked on USB3. Do you know what is the power consumption on idle and 1 HDD on spin down for this board?

[@htwingnut]

@@zkc7718 Unfortunately idle power consumption is not good. It runs about 20W idle with only M.2 SSD, RAM, and ethernet cable installed. I'm looking into ways to improve that. There are ways with a modified BIOS, but I'm not comfortable with that as a solution currently.

[@zkc7718]

@@htwingnut maybe bios modification (flash new custom) is not necessary. Are you able to disable LAN ports not needed and/or second m.2 if not in use?

[@JasonBrossa]

For less money can't you just get a normal motherboard unless you need something as small as possible. What about a Plex server with GPU transcode?

[@htwingnut]

There are many compact cases out there that support 4, 5, 6 (or more) hard drives and only support Mini ITX motherboards. Mini ITX only has one PCIe slot, and most only have a single 1GbE port, one M.2 slot, and two SATA ports. These boards are attractive because they have 2.5GbE ports, six onboard SATA ports, and two M.2 slots, freeing up your PCIe slot for additional expansion and the extra M.2 slot for other expansion options. This can handle Plex transcoding with the built in Intel GPU.

[@baskoers8740]

Create video, have a nas running myself on the n5105 board and can confirm that 32gb of ram also works, although is says it's not supported. Also, not sure if I missed it but did you manage to use the integrated GPU for the decoding in plex?

[@htwingnut]

When I installed 32GB of RAM, at least in the N5105 version, the system never booted. Just sat there with a black screen. I didn't have a 32GB DDR5 stick to test. I may do that soon, however. I did a follow up video, link in description, that shows Plex tests. 4K HDR transcoding does not work with Windows, but it does with Linux, as I found out. My initial tests were done with Windows which is why it was using the CPU.

[@baskoers8740]

@@htwingnut Interesting, have mine up and running with two sticks of 16gb in truenas scale and works like charm.. Thanks for the hint on the follow-up video, will watch that during the coming easter weekend!

[@htwingnut]

@@baskoers8740 I got a 32GB stick of DDR5 to try in the N100 and also retried 2x16GB in the N5105. It sat there with a black screen for over two minutes, then it finally beeped and it did a hard restart (powered off for a second then back on again). Then it booted just fine and 32GB was detected. This was the same for both motherboards. I guess it had to go through some self-diagnostic or something, but you'd think it would at least show something on screen. Now with subsequent boots it boots up like normal. I removed the 32GB, put in 16GB and it did the same delayed startup. Weird.

[@baskoers8740]

@@htwingnut Nice! TBH not sure if mine did the same think but it could, directly started with 32gb in it.. and first boot can tike a while on new machines anyway, so maybe a similar experience tbh.

[@williebrort]

17:00 the N100 board doesn't have a heatsink on the SATA chip.

[@htwingnut]

Good point. However at 9:30 This was addressed. original N100 board did not have heatsink. I asked for replacement and they sent me a new board with heatsink.

[@jesmasco]

Always wanted to know if this boards will work fine with proxmox, to virtualize firewall and NAS. I was about to get one last year to try it out. Ended up using an Asrock ITX with a PCIE quad port network card and a SATA port multiplier on the M.2 slot.

[@htwingnut]

I have a few more things to try for this board (or similar ones). WIll add proxmox.