Minisforum Expand Their NAS Range with 2 New Flash NAS – The S5 and S7 SSD Systems

Minisforum has revealed 2 new all-flash NAS systems, the Minisforum S5 and Minisforum S7, as part of a joint event with Intel in Xiamen, China. The announcement, covered in the official Minisforum press release and by VideoCardz, places both devices under the company’s “Agent NAS” branding, with a focus on SSD-only storage, local AI services, and compact edge computing rather than conventional HDD-based NAS design. The S5 is presented as the smaller and quieter model for environments where noise output is a priority, while the S7 is positioned as a larger all-flash system derived from Minisforum’s workstation platform, intended for users with higher storage density and network connectivity requirements.

Minisforum S5 NAS Hardware

The Minisforum S5 is the smaller of the 2 new all-flash NAS systems and is built around a compact, fanless design. Its storage configuration is based on 5 M.2 2280 PCIe 4.0 x1 SSD slots, with no support for conventional 3.5-inch or 2.5-inch hard drives. This places the S5 closer to a silent flash storage appliance than a traditional desktop NAS, with the design clearly prioritising low noise, reduced mechanical vibration, and a smaller physical footprint.

The system uses an Intel Core Series 3 platform, identified in wider reporting as Wildcat Lake, alongside up to 16GB of LPDDR5X-7200 memory. The RAM appears to be soldered rather than user-upgradeable, which fits with the compact and fanless design. Connectivity is stronger than many small NAS systems, with 10GbE, 2.5GbE, USB4, HDMI, USB-A, and Wi-Fi 7 all listed. The use of PCIe 4.0 x1 per SSD slot means the device is not designed to deliver full-speed PCIe 4.0 x4 performance from each individual NVMe drive, but instead uses multiple SSDs for an all-flash pool in a low-noise enclosure.

Minisforum S7 NAS Hardware

The Minisforum S7 is the larger of the 2 systems and is based on the Minisforum MS-03 workstation platform. Unlike the S5, which is focused on passive cooling and compact silent operation, the S7 is aimed at higher-capacity all-flash storage and more advanced networking. It supports up to 7 NVMe SSDs, making it the more suitable model for users who need a denser flash-based storage pool in a small workstation-style chassis.

The S7 also has a more network-heavy configuration than the S5, with dual 10G SFP+ ports, 10GbE RJ45, 2.5GbE RJ45, and 2x USB4 40Gbps ports. Minisforum has also listed an LED status display for checking system and storage activity directly from the device. Full details on PCIe lane allocation for the 7 SSD slots have not yet been confirmed, so it is not currently clear whether all slots operate at the same speed or whether any of them receive more bandwidth than others.

Minisforum S5 NAS Price and Release Date

Minisforum has not confirmed pricing or a release date for the S5 NAS at the time of the announcement. The official material presents the system as part of the company’s new Agent NAS lineup, but does not include retail availability, regional rollout details, or launch pricing. Given the use of 5x NVMe SSD slots, 10GbE, USB4, Wi-Fi 7, soldered LPDDR5X memory, and a fanless chassis, the final price will be important in determining how it compares with both conventional HDD-based NAS systems and other compact all-flash NAS devices.

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