AOOSTAR launches cheaper WTR MAX NAS with Intel Alder Lake-U CPU
AOOSTAR has added a cheaper Intel-based version of its WTR MAX NAS system. The new model uses an Intel Core i5-1235U processor and is listed at $559 for the barebone configuration, without memory, storage or operating system.
The system keeps the same storage-focused design as the Ryzen version. It supports six 3.5-inch SATA hard drives and five M.2 2280 NVMe SSDs. AOOSTAR lists three PCIe 3.0 x2 slots and two PCIe 3.0 x1 slots for the Intel model, so SSD bandwidth is lower than on the AMD version.
The Core i5-1235U is an Alder Lake-U processor with 2 Performance cores and 8 Efficient cores. It supports up to 96GB of DDR5-4800 memory through two SO-DIMM slots. Unlike the Ryzen 7 PRO 8845HS version, the Intel model does not support ECC memory, according to Liliputing.
Same NAS design, cheaper CPU option
The rest of the platform still includes two 10GbE ports based on Intel 82599 controllers and two 2.5GbE ports based on Intel I226-V. AOOSTAR also lists USB4, OCuLink, HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 1.4, microSD and several USB 3.2 ports. The system has a 280W power supply and a cooling setup with a vapor chamber CPU heatsink plus three hard drive fans.
| AOOSTAR NAS | ||
|---|---|---|
| WTR Max (AMD) | WTR Max (Intel) | |
| Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8845HS 8 x Zen 4 cores / 16 threads 3.8 GHz – 5.1 GHz CPU Radeon 780M GPU 12 x RDNA 3 GPU cores Up to 2.7 GHz NPU Up to 16 TOPS TDP 35-54W | Intel Core i5-1235U 2 x Performance Cores + 8 Efficiency cores / 12 threads Up to 4.4 GHz Intel Iris Xe GPU 80 Execution Units Up to 1.2 GHz NPU N/A TDP 15 – 55W |
| RAM | 2 x SODIMM slots Up to 128GB DDR5-5600 ECC supported | 2 x SODIMM slots Up to 96GB DDR5-4800 Non-ECC only |
| PCIe (M.2 2280) | 3 x PCIe 4.0 x2 2 x PCIe 4.0 x1 | 3 x PCIe 3.0 x2 2 x PCIe 3.0 x1 |
| HDD | 6 x 3.5″ SATA 3 bays | |
| Ports | 2 x 10 Gigabit LAN (Intel 82599) 2 x 2.5 GbE LAN (Intel i226V) 1 x OCuLink 1 x USB4 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 1 x HDMI 2.1 1 x DisplayPort 1.4 1 x 3.5mm audio combo 1 x microSD card reader 1 x DC power input | |
| Price (May 25) | $659 | $559 |
For context, we have used the original WTR MAX for some time and the hardware has been quite good overall. The original fans were too loud, so they were replaced. The system is now running Proxmox, which means the front screen no longer works as intended and only shows the AOOSTAR logo (not really an issue since I never look at it anyway). Apart from that, there have been no issues, so hopefully the Intel version keeps the same baseline quality.
AOOSTAR says the barebone Intel model is already in stock at its US warehouse. The German warehouse is expected to receive stock on May 30, while the EU pre-order option lists shipping from June 1. The cheaper Intel model is $100 below the current Ryzen 7 PRO 8845HS version, which is listed at $659 by Liliputing.
Source: Liliputing
