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The AOOSTAR WTR PRO is a small desktop computer designed to be used as a NAS (network attached storage device) thanks to support for up to four 3.5 inch hard drives.
Last month AOOSTAR launched a version of the WTR Pro with an Intel N100 processor based on Intel Alder Lake-N architecture. Now the company has introduced a new model with a faster processor and a few other upgrades.
The new model packs an AMD Ryzen 7 5825U processor which is an older chip than the Intel N100, but a higher-performance processor nonetheless. That’s because the Intel N100 is a low-cost, low-power chip that features four 12th-gen Intel Core “efficiency” CPU cores, while the Ryzen 7 5825U was released a few years ago as an 8-core, 16-thread chip designed for mid-range and premium laptops.
While the new processor should bring a nice boost in CPU and graphics performance, it’s not the only thing that’s different in the new version of the WTR Pro.
The model with an Intel N100 processor has a single SODIMM slot for up to 32GB of total DDR4-3200 memory and a single M.2 slot for an optional PCIe NVMe SSD. The AMD Ryzen 7 5285U model has two SODIMM slots and two M.2 connectors, allowing you to equip the computer with up to 64GB of dual-channel memory and up to 8TB of solid state storage.
| WTR Pro R7 5825U | WTR Pro N100 | |
| Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 5825U 8 cores / 16 threads 2 GHz – 4.5 GHz Radeon RX Vega 8 iGPU (2 GHz) 15W TDP |
Intel N100 4 cores / 4 threads Up to 3.5 GHz Intel UHD iGPU (750 MHz, 24 eu) 6W TDP |
| RAM | 2 x DDR4-3200 SODIMM slots Up to 64GB total (dual channel) |
1 x DDR4-3200 SODIMM slot Up to 32GB total (single-channel) |
| M.2 | 2 x M.2 2280 PCIe NVMe |
1 x M.2 2280 PCIe NVMe |
| SATA | 4 x 3.5″ SATA drive bays | |
| Networking | 2 x 2.5 GbE LAN (Intel I226-V) WiFi & BT (unspecified) |
2 x 2.5 GbE Ethernet WiFi 6 BT 5.2 |
| Ports | 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C 2 x USB 3.0 Type-A 2 x USB 2.0 Type-A 1 x HDMI 1 x DisplayPort 2 x 2.5 GbE Ethernet 1 x 3.5mm audio 1 x microSD card reader |
|
| Power | 120W (19V/6.32A) | |
| Dimensions | 228 x 185 x 150mm 9″ x 7.3″ x 5.9″ |
|
| Starting price | 2,199 CNY (China) | $289 (US) 1,399 CNY (China) |
Keep in mind that AOOSTAR’s hardware looks pretty competitive when compared with the latest off-the-shelf NAS systems. But AOOSTAR doesn’t make its own NAS software.
While companies like Synology, QNAP, Asustor, and Terramaster pre-load their NAS systems with custom GNU/Linux distributions, if you buy the WTR Pro you’ll probably want to be tech savvy enough to consider installing and configuring an OS like TrueNAS, OpenMediaVault, or Proxmox.
One other thing to keep in mind? At time of publication, the AMD-powered version of the WTR Pro doesn’t appear to be available for purchase outside of China yet. If you are in China, you can pick up a barebones model for 2,199 CNY (about $300).
Odds are that this model will cost a little more if and when it goes on sale in other markets – prices for the Intel N100 model currently start at about $289 for customers in the US, but the same system sells for 1,399 CNY (about $190) in China.
via ITHome