The obscure little PC that wanted to be a big NAS: the super-compact Maiyunda M1 doesn’t cost that much, offers up to 40TB of SSD storage, runs Windows and has 4 Gigabit Ethernet ports
At first glance, the Maiyunda M1 doesn’t look that special. It is a mini PC with a large power button on the front, in addition to a TF card slot, a USB 3.0 port and two USB 2.0 ports. On the back there are HDMI 2.0 and DP ports that allow the device to drive two screens simultaneously (4K/60Hz). There are also four 2.5GbE RJ45 ports plus two additional USB 2.0 slots.
Measuring just 165 x 147.5 x 59mm, excluding the 52mm leg pads, the M1 looks like any mini PC with its all-aluminium chassis, and even the manufacturer describes it as “modest”.
But the Maiyunda M1 has something that sets it apart from the competition: four quick-release NVMe SSD slots on the front (behind a dashboard), so you can add additional drives without having to open the case. The M1 can also include an internal 2280 NVMe SSD, bringing the total amount of available storage to 40 TB.
Choice of processors
At the heart of the M1 is an Intel N100 or Core i3-N305 Alder Lake-N processor and the device comes with 16 GB of LPDDR5 RAM, expandable up to 32 GB.
The manufacturer claims that the M1 can handle temperatures from 0°C to +70°C and can withstand humidity levels of 5%-85%.
Although it runs Windows, its creators say it supports a variety of other systems, including Linux, Proxmox VE, ESXI, Ubuntu, Debian, CentOS, Unraid, and OMV (OpenMediaVault).
The M1 is unfortunately only available in China at the moment, where it retails for a very reasonable 1380 CNY (about $190). Taobao. There is no information yet about the price differences between the different configuration options.
