CHH ID: hawie
Introduction This is a project that took three months to complete. The Linkyun MAP1602 + Yangtze Memory 232L is a high-quality domestic product that is energy-efficient (less than 0.1 watts in standby, peak power of 3.98 watts), cost-effective (999/4TB, 499/2TB), and space-saving (M.2 2280), which has opened up the demand for building an all-flash NAS using M.2 NVMe. Thus, the idea of DIYing a mini NAS was born. The ideal goal for this mini NAS is to have low power consumption (operating 24/7 at home), be as versatile as possible (fewer devices to reduce overall power consumption), and not have too weak performance, with easy deployment and maintenance. After three months of arduous efforts, the following was achieved:
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Volume: 1.3 liters with 5 M.2 NVMe slots for all-flash NAS;
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ROS L6 + OP soft routing, compatible with 4 ports of 2.5Gbps switch;
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Stable operation 24/7, with full performance approximately 77.6% (single-core) and 46.6% (multi-core) of an i9-9900;
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Overall power consumption (including 5 NVMe drives), about 13 watts (standby, PCDN power consumption detailed below).
Next, let’s get to the main topic.
Starting Point and Selection Since low power consumption is a priority for building this NAS, the CPU was selected from the energy-saving series architecture.
The J1900, J3455, J4125, N5105, N100, etc., are all classics that have been developed over generations. Among them, the J4125 is undoubtedly the classic most favored for low-power NAS due to its maturity, reputation, and widespread application.
However, it only supports 6 lanes of PCIe 2.0, which can no longer meet the bandwidth requirements of NVMe.
Its latest successor, the popular N100, can it replace the J4125 and achieve a new balance of power consumption and performance?
From the specifications, the N100 belongs to the Intel Alder Lake-N processor series, which is based on the energy-efficient Gracemont architecture, using Intel 7 process, with 4 cores and 4 threads, turbo boost up to 3.4GHz, integrated graphics with 24EU, and TDP of only 6W.
It supports PCIe Gen 3, with a maximum number of PCI Express lanes being 9.
In contrast, the J4125 belongs to the Gemini Lake Refresh series, with a 14nm process, operating at 2.0-2.7GHz, integrated graphics with 12EU, and a TDP of 10W.
It supports PCIe Gen 2, with a maximum number of PCI Express lanes being 6.
From known performance, the N100 has nearly doubled its performance while reducing power consumption by 40%.
It can be seen that the specifications and performance of the N100 have significantly improved compared to the previous classic J4125, basically meeting the set goals, making it worth a try, so it was chosen!
After confirming the CPU, further investigation was conducted on the market for pure NAS motherboards equipped with N100, mini-hosts, and key indicators such as M.2 NVMe support, searching for a product that closely matched the ideal target, with specifications of N100, 2xM.2 NVMe, 4×2.5Gbps (i226-V), 12V3A.
According to the manufacturer’s PPT, a 4×1 expansion board will be launched later, which will convert one of the M.2 NVMe’s PCIe 3.0×4 lanes into 4 M.2 NVMe, with each M.2 NVMe occupying 1 PCIe 3.0×1 lane;
And a three-in-one SATA expansion board will be launched, which will convert another M.2 NVMe’s PCIe 3.0×1 lane into 1 SATA (NGFF/SATA/mSATA).
Calculating this, it can support up to 4 M.2 NVMe and 1 M.2 NGFF SATA, totaling 5 M.2 SSDs.
Now, several uncertain factors have emerged:
1. With 5 M.2 SSDs, each occupying one PCIe 3.0×1 lane, will the CPU or PCIe create a bottleneck? Can the overall performance achieve a throughput of 4×2.5Gbps, which is 10Gbps, with a total of 20Gbps network throughput?
2. Can 5*M.2 NVMe be configured?
If the three-in-one SATA expansion board is not used, can the M.2 NVMe that uses the PCIe 3.0×1 lane be retained and together with the 4×1 conversion board form 5 M.2 NVMe?
3. Will the i226-V still have disconnection issues?
These questions have not received clear answers, generally stating that this is uncertain or may not be supported.
So, conservatively estimating, it should at least achieve 1 M.2 SATA + 4 M.2 NVMe.
This is consistent with Synology’s official system, which requires at least one SATA for booting, which is also good.
For other configurations, considering performance, I chose a memory that supports 2x32bit dual-channel with a minimum capacity of 16GB;
For M.2 NVMe drives, I selected the one with clearly marked standby power consumption and maximum peak power consumption, which has the lowest power consumption.
For the TF card, considering the need to use it on USB2.0, I chose the one with the highest performance currently available.
For the USB drive, I selected the most compact and heat-resistant model.
After doing this homework, it’s time to actually purchase and verify those questions.
The actual action began on the eve of 618, on May 31, when I successively purchased a mini host, a 16GB DDR5 SODIMM memory stick, a 64GB TF card, and 5 2TB M.2 NVMe SSDs, officially starting the assembly of the mini all-flash NAS.
UnboxingPackaging, group photo
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