The obscure little PC that wanted to be a big NAS — super compact Maiyunda M1 doesn't cost that much, offers up to 40TB SSD storage, runs Windows and has 4 Gigabit Ethernet ports
Maiyunda M1is a mini PC with four SSD slots hidden on the front and can hold up to 40TB of storage.
At first glance, the Maiyunda M1 doesn’t look all that special. It’s a mini PC with a large on/off button on the front, alongside a TF card slot, a USB 3.0 port, and two USB 2.0 ports. On the rear, there are HDMI 2.0 and DP ports to 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.
With dimensions of just 165 x 147.5 x 59mm, not including the 52mm leg pads, the M1 with its all-aluminum shell looks like any mini PC, and even its manufacturer describes it as “unassuming”.
But the Maiyunda M1 has something that sets it apart from the competition - four quick release NVMe SSD slots on the front (behind a fascia) so you can add additional drives without having to open the enclosure. The M1 can also hold an internal 2280 NVMe SSD, bringing the total amount of available storage to 40TB.
Choice of processors
At the heart of the M1 is either an Intel N100 or Core i3-N305 Alder Lake-N processor and the device comes with 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM upgradeable to 32GB.
The manufacturer claims the M1 can handle temperatures of 0°C to +70°C and withstand humidity levels of 5%-85%.
Although it runs Windows, the creators say it supports a variety of other systems, including Linux, Proxmox VE, ESXI, Ubuntu, Debian, CentOS, Unraid, and OMV (OpenMediaVault).
The M1 is currently only available in China sadly, where it retails for a very reasonable 1380 CNY (about $190) on Taobao. There's no information yet on the price differences between the various configuration options.
