The HP Proliant Microserver N54L was released over a decade ago and was a compact and 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 disk bays for flexible storage options. While not the same, the Aoostar WTR Pro, from Chinese mini-PC maker Aoostar, does remind me of a modern take on that classic.
The WTR Pro is aimed at the NAS PC and home server market and comes in two versions: one with an Intel N100 processor and one with an as-yet unspecified AMD Ryzen 7000 CPU (it was originally 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. According to Mini MachinesThe AMD build will feature six 3.5-inch SATA slots and six NVMe PCIe M.2 2280 slots, but few details are known yet.
Large cooling fan
As you can see in the image above, connectivity options for the N100 model include dual 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 can drive three 4K displays at 60Hz and supports Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2.
The device is compact at 22.8cm x 15cm x 18.5cm and there is a slide switch above the power button to prevent accidental shutdown. A cooling system at the back, driven by a large 12cm fan, keeps the 3.5-inch bays cool without excessive noise. Underneath is access to the expandable RAM and storage slots.
Aoostar’s mini PCs are generally quite affordable and while there is no information on the price of the AMD version, the N100 model available to order now and will cost you from $289The cost jumps to $429 if you want it with 32GB of RAM and a pre-installed 1TB SSD.