AOOSTAR N1 Pro Mini PC Intel N150: Compact Power

This device is tiny & very portable. As a Desktop, it's very snappy with both Windows 11 and Linux - the latter being even snappier. The SSD inside can be upgraded - the RAM is stuck at 12GB. Idles at 9w & peaks at 19w under load. Lots of USB, dual 2.5G LAN, 3 options for Monitor connectivity along with WiFi & Bluetooth. Great for a headless home linux server or WFH desktop.

No issus with internal ssd installed.
The big "+" for me - work fine with sing USB-C - Power and display from/to dock-station. And power come via PoE-to-USB-C splitter for RJ45 network cable - no additional power outlet needed in my case

I’ve been running with the Aoostar N1 pro for a bit and have been mightily impressed by the performance of this little machine.

Starting with the form factor, the N1 pro is packed with I/O ports in a tiny footprint. It measures at approximately 3.5” x 3.5” x 2.75”. There are two intake vents on the sides and an exhaust port out the back (near the 2 x 2.5gbps ethernet ports). The ethernet ports are managed via an Intel I226-V ethernet controller. There is a headphone jack, a DC input jack, 3x USB-A ports, a display port, HDMI port, and a USB-C port. The USB-C port is capable of both powering the device and outputting a signal to a display. This is an especially nice feature given it leads to a very clean setup. I have mine plugged into a USB-C docking station so the only cord connected to the device is the USB-C cable.

The N1 pro is equipped with a Realtek RTL8821CE M.2 wifi card and an ASint AS606 512GB SATA SSD (for 512GB variant). I ran a CrystalDiskMark test on the SSD and got average results. I’ve never heard of ASint so I can’t vouch for its reliability, but it seems speedy enough. The boot time is rather quick, it does not hang at the bios. It is easy to access the M.2 2242 SSD (4 screws) if you wanted to swap it out for an NVME drive.

The Realtek RTL8821CE M.2 wifi card is standard equipment for a device in this price range. It’s a single channel wifi card, so network throughput isn’t going to be optimal. Download speeds were okay. I swapped in an Intel AC 9260 I had lying around and saw my network speeds increase. The disassembly/installation was very easy and took me roughly 10 minutes.

The quad core N150 chip is a powerhouse. I ran Cinebench R23, CPU-z, and 3Dmark benchmarks on it. It has roughly the same single core performance as an intel i7-2600K and handedly beats an intel E8500. The 3Dmark scores are about what you’d expect, this is not a gaming machine.

Running the benchmarks gave me an opportunity to stress test the thermals. I didn’t see CPU temperatures exceed 60°C. The fan was barely audible. The unit was warm to the touch, but not exceedingly so. The thermal solution seems well designed for this unit.

The included windows 11 pro operating system setup without issue. It showed as activated on the windows setting screen. I wiped it and re-installed Windows 11 without issue. Finding drivers for the components was easy given the standard hardware used.

Overall, I've been very impressed with this machine. This is my first Aoostar miniPC and I would definitely purchase another. The build quality is top notch and the included features are a great value.

I've been looking for a device to use for a OPNsense router this is perfect and at the right price.

The Aoostar N1 PRO is really well equipped for home office work and as a small home server or entertainment PC for the TV, and there are enough connection options.
The USB-C connection is also praiseworthy, as it offers many possibilities thanks to its full functionality.
If you need more speed for WIFI and Bluetooth, you will definitely have to upgrade here, the same applies to the SSD. Both can be replaced relatively easily.
Personally, I would have liked a slightly newer standard for WIFI. Most users will probably be happy with the options available, however.
The price is really good for what is offered.