Minisforum has put one of AMD's most capable mobile chips inside a network-attached storage box, and the result is a machine built as much for running local AI models as for hoarding files. The N5 Max pairs the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 "Strix Halo" processor, a 16-core, 32-thread part with a discrete-class Radeon 8060S GPU, with 64GB of soldered LPDDR5x-8000 memory. That unified memory pool is the interesting part for anyone eyeing on-device inference: the Radeon 8060S (gfx1151) can address system RAM as graphics memory, letting it load quantized models well beyond what a consumer discrete GPU can hold.
That last point is where the N5 Max diverges from a typical home server. On Linux, the chip runs through AMD's ROCm compute stack, with ROCm 7.2 having landed in early 2026 bringing a refreshed amdgpu kernel module and broader gfx1151 compatibility. Kernel support matters here: reports indicate builds older than 6.18.4 carry a bug that destabilizes Strix Halo, so a current distro is essential. With the GTT allocator configured, the platform can run models that don't fit on any single consumer GPU, and community projects like the amd-strix-halo-toolboxes ship pre-built containers for llama.cpp and vLLM workloads. A NAS that doubles as a self-hosted LLM host is a genuinely new niche.
The storage hardware is serious too. The 199 x 202.4 x 252.3 mm (7.8 x 8.0 x 9.9 inches) aluminum chassis holds five bays for 3.5-inch or 2.5-inch SATA drives plus five M.2 2280 slots, for up to 200TB across 10 devices, with RAID 0, 1, 5, and 6 supported. One caveat for the NVMe pool: only a single M.2 slot runs at PCIe 4.0 x4, while the rest top out at PCIe 4.0 x1. Connectivity includes dual 10 Gigabit LAN (RTL8127), two USB4v2 Type-C ports at 80 Gbps, a third USB4 Type-C at 40 Gbps, two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, and HDMI 2.1. A 250W integrated power supply and a five-fan, five-heat-pipe cooling system keep it fed, and the motherboard sits on a slide-out tray beneath the drive bays for access. Memory is soldered and not upgradable.
The N5 Max ships with Minisforum's own MinisCloud OS, which has drawn poor reviews, but as an x86 system it will boot Windows, Linux, or NAS-focused distributions including TrueNAS, OpenMediaVault, and Unraid. That flexibility is the practical draw for the open-source crowd, who can skip the bundled software entirely.
The N5 Max is available now at $2,600 (€2,400), or $2,450 (€2,250) with the coupon codes N5MAX100 and AINAS on orders placed by 2025-06-15, and includes a 128GB SSD with the OS preinstalled. Shipping is expected in late June 2026. Minisforum has also confirmed a 128GB-RAM configuration, though pricing and timing for that model remain unannounced.
