GMKtecG3 Plus Mini PC, Intel Twin Lake N150(Upgraded N100) 8GB RAM 256GB M.2 2280 SSD, Mini Desktop Computer Dual HDMI/WiFi6/BT5.2

The recent failure of my current NAS left me looking for something to take its place on our home network. Having owned several NAS systems I knew what features were important to me. Being just a normal home user and not a video creator I did not need something that could hold lots of TB but rather something to store routine files over the LAN, use as a Media server and allow for some Docker containers/Home Lab capabilities.The things I liked about the GMKtec G9 include:1) NVME storage up to 32 TB if Samsung/Lexar/Kingston drives are used and 16TB for all others. Combined with dual 2.5G LAN ports provide fast transfer speed for our family use.2) Dual booting to Ubuntu (on internal eMMC) or Windows 11 on one of the four NVME drives provides unbelievable flexibility to configure a Home NAS system how you want it. I installed and tested it with the following NAS software options.a. Window 11 NAS setup with three pooled drives and Docker Desktop installed.b. Unraid v7.0.0c. TrueNAS Scale v24.10.2d. Open Media Vault v7.7.0e. Xpenology -DSM was faster than on my old Synology DS1512+f. CasaOSg. Proxmox v8.3In all cases the eMMC was the install location, if possible, NVME drives configured as needed, Docker installed. With several containers running each option was tested. In all cases the GMKtec G9 performed the tasks without issues. Of note was that 4K video playback using Plex was better than my last NAS.3) All ports were tested and worked as advertised and achieved correct speeds. I tested each one even the 3x4K display functionality. The N150 CPU never lacked resources when subjected to more loads than would be normal in our family. That included several instances of Plex videos streaming, web page browsing and file operations simultaneously.4) The GMKtec G9 is a small form factor and comes with extremely low power consumption which is desirable when used as a family NAS that runs 24x7x365. I tracked the power usage for several days and it tracked between 11.6 watts at idle to 30.4 watts with maximum loading.My opinion on improvements for the GMKtec G9 would be:1) Temperature mitigation of NVME drives. Although at no time did the drive temperatures reach maximum under constant heavy loads they ran higher than I would like for a 24x7 NAS. I found that tweaking the BIOS Smart Fan setting would achieve a 10C lower temperature. This changed the sound level measured two feet away from not being heard to mildly being heard. For those that like numbers on my sound meter that was a change from about 45 dB to 50dB. I decided to retrofit a 12V DC 80mm Muffin fan to blow on the NVME compartment. When running the 12V fan at 6V it could not be heard and the NVME drives stay below 50C when running Crystal Disk Mark testing and below 40C for most other tasks. Also, at no time did the outside case get too hot to touch. The highest temperature area was on the side with the air vent discharge, it reached about 50C while most of the remainder of the case was at 35C.2) The space in the NVME storage area could be slightly larger. I was not able to fit the NVME heatsink bottoms into the area as there was not enough space between each NVME. I was able to fit the top pieces, but it was tight and may be an issue for other heatsink designs.3) The documentation could be improved with some additional information including recovery instruction on the dual operating systems and the website location for downloading the GMKtec G9 images and drivers. Also, for those that wish to know the Ubuntu password is 12345.In summary I am impressed with the GMKtec G9 as a home NAS replacement for my Synology. I can configure it the way that best suits my needs and be assured that it is up to the task of being a NAS and Home Server at the same time. I will be designing and printing a small bottom compartment to attach to the GMKtec G9 that will hold the 12V muffin fan and provide a stable open air flow platform that is both functional and good looking. I plan to run the GMKtec G9 24x7 as a Proxmox Hypervisor using several LVM containers and Virtual machines including TrueNAS, Home Assistant, Tailscale, PiHole, Plex/Jellyfin and any other software I might wish to experiment with.

I got the 1TB included NVMe version, which came with Windows 11 Pro as well as the internal 64G soldered storage and 12GB of DDR5 Ram installed. Since it’s an initial NAS contender, much of the instructions and even the OS(s) included are desktop PC , rather than NAS focused. That being said, it has 4 NVMe bays (you can reuse the Windows one) or populate 3 and Raid5 them with either replacing the Ubuntu on the wired storage or booting off one of the 3 USB. A number of folks evaluated this with OpenMediaVault and of the various options, I think that’s a good choice. Likely what I’ll try out. It booted up Ubuntu with no hitch, no real distraction from the fans, and I was able to install Docker (not from Snap), following the GetDocker instructions. The NVMe are 2 channel each, one of the four is marked as SATA capable, but I haven’t experimented with that yet. It’s going to meet my NAS DIY and homelab needs for a decent price. One piece of advice is to use one sided NVMe and low profile Heat Sinks since the Bay cover is plastic with dual fans to keep the SSDs cool, but my use case is not likely to burn them up. Compared to other products out there, this is a good value, given that it lasts and I make off device backups. Pictures in the Amazon listing seem good enough, so just my impressions in works.

I got this to use as a stand-in for PC's in my business which go down. However, they work so well (and tested so well) that I decided to replace my big PC's with this unit.PROSFAST - Like, I can't believe it fast. There are some small delays in big big activities, but the benchmarks are amazing.PROSSize, obviously. These things are small, take no space and won't break a sweat if you're hauling them up six flights of stairs. Size doesn't hurt the speed or cooling abilities. Unit never got warm testing in my office under load.CONSI wish it was USB powered is probably the biggest one. Most of our laptops are now USB-C powered, and I would love it if this followed suit. I am not fond of proprietary power units you must special order if they go out. I'd much rather be able to port a USB-C cable over to the unit.OVERALLGreat machine, I wouldn't try to game off of it, but it has handled excel files, everything browser, watches movies just fine - looks to really be a well put together unit. I will report back after the Missouri summer gets here.

Awesome computer for the price! I moved to a mini-PC a few years ago, and I will NEVER have a big, bulky PC again! I purchased this computer because my last mini-pc's GPU fan started having problems and making noise after a power outage and the cost of replacing the fan was about the same as purchasing this mini-pc - the choice seemed obvious. Set-up went very quickly and without any issues, Windows registered itself then did all updates, and the computer was ready to go! Small, silent and fast. Great for day-to-day computing tasks. Very highly recommend getting this computer!!!!