The newly unveiled GMK G9 is not here to set any records in terms of raw performance. However, it does pack a different trick up its sleeve - impressive storage capabilities, allowing for its use as an affordable NAS. GMK has not revealed any price or availability details as of now, although Liliputing did manage to dig up a retailer listing which reveals that the G1 mini PC will start at an affordable $289 for the base variant with 12 GB of memory and no SSD storage, whereas the same unit with 512 GB of storage will command an extra $30.

The GMK G9 is powered by Intel's N150 processor - a slightly higher-clocked version of the N100, which packs a total of four cores and four threads, a boost clock of 3.6 GHz, and a modest 6-watt TDP. As mentioned previously, the G1 is by no means a performance system, and packs just enough computing grunt to function as a lightweight daily driver or a NAS. The system can be equipped with up to 12 GB of LPDDR5-4800 memory and 64 GB of eMMC storage. To justify its NAS credentials, the G1 packs a whopping four M.2 2280 slots, allowing for a maximum of 32 TB of SSD storage. The port selection is plenty decent as well, including a USB-C port, triple USB-A ports, dual HDMI ports, a 3.5 mm audio jack, and of course, dual 2.5G RJ-45 LAN ports. For the price and the features offered, the G1 sure does like a commendable choice for a nifty little home server.

Minisforum, a leader in innovative compact computing solutions, is thrilled to announce its participation in CES 2025, the world's premier technology showcase. Minisforum will unveil two game-changing products: the AI X1 Mini PC and the N5 Pro NAS as part of its commitment to pushing technological boundaries.

Minisforum AI X1 Mini PC: Where AI Meets Compact Computing
The Minisforum AI X1 Mini PC sets a new benchmark in miniaturized computing, leveraging the latest AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 processor, the NO.1 Low Power Efficiency Chip. Designed for seamless AI integration, it utilizes cutting-edge features such as:

• Copilot AI Compatibility: Elevating productivity and optimizing workflows with intelligent AI integration.
• 60+ FPS 3 A Gaming: Powered by the AMD Radeon 890M, delivering smooth, high-quality visuals.
• Versatile Extension Support: Featuring Dual USB4 and Oculink for enhanced connectivity and expansion.

At CES this year, UGREEN was showing off two new NAS models, the NASync iDX6011 and the iDX6011 Pro, with the i in the model name seemingly denoting that both models are using Intel Core Ultra processors. The basic design builds on last years NASync models and the UGOS Pro operating system, but with several added features that may or may not appeal to the target audience. The common feature set between the two models is six 3.5-inch drive bays and a pair of M.2 slots that can be used for either storage or as a cache for the mechanical drives. Both models are expected to ship with 32 GB of RAM as standard and can be expanded to 64 GB and both of them also supports a PCIe 4.0 x8 expansion card slot, although at this point it's not clear what that slot can be used for. As with the already launched NASync models, the two new SKUs will come with the OS installed on a 128 GB SSD.

Where things get interesting is on the connectivity side of things, as both models sports dual 10 Gbps Ethernet ports, what is said to be an 8K capable HDMI port, a pair of USB 3.2 (10 Gbps) ports, two USB 2.0 ports and an SD 4.0 card slot. However, the NASync iDX6011 comes with a pair of Thunderbolt 4 ports around the front, although it's not clear if it can be used as a DAS using these ports, or if they simply act as virtual network ports. The iDX6011 Pro on the other hand, sports two USB Type-C ports around the front—as well as a small status LCD display—in favour of an OCuLink port around the back. The OCuLink port is capable of up to 64 Gbps of bandwidth, compared to 40 Gbps for the Thunderbolt 4 ports. It's currently not know what the OCuLink port can be used for, but it's more or less an external PCIe interface. It's also unknown what type of AI or LLM features the two new NASync devices will support, but it's clear they'll rely on the capabilities of the Intel processors they're built around. No pricing was announced at CES and the NASync iDX6011 is expected to launch sometime in the second quarter this year, with the NASync iDX6011 Pro launching in the third quarter. We should also note that the NASync iDX6011 Pro wasn't on display at CES, hence the renders below.

UGREEN introduced new products at CES 2024 including a high-wattage charger, and a Thunderbolt 5 dock. The company revealed its Nexode 500 W desktop charger, which can power six devices (about five average laptops) simultaneously. Its highest-capacity port delivers 240 W through USB Power Delivery 3.1, enough to charge demanding devices including e-bikes. The charger uses GaN technology to achieve its power output while maintaining a desktop-friendly size.

UnifyDrive's participation at CES 2025 marked a pivotal moment in the evolution of portable data storage, as the company unveiled the UP6, the world's first AI-equipped portable tablet NAS. Met with overwhelming acclaim, attendees praised the UP6 as a leap forward in portable data storage, combining intuitive file organization, performance, and Artificial Intelligence to meet the demands of creators, businesses, and modern consumers.

Powered by Intel Core Ultra Processor and integrated with a Large Language Model (LLM), the UP6 has reshaped how users interact with their data. The device's ability to enable natural language searches, retrieve local data, and restore and enhance images resonated strongly with attendees. Many praised its potential to revolutionize productivity workflows, with one industry analyst describing it as "a fundamental change in smart storage solutions."

UGREEN, a leading innovator in consumer electronics, is due to showcase its latest innovations at CES 2025 under the theme of "Activate the Possibility of AI." The highlight of the event will be the unveiling of the highly anticipated NASync iDX6011 and NASync iDX6011 Pro devices, which are from the cutting-edge AI NAS lineup of the NASync series. Alongside these groundbreaking products, the Nexode 500 W 6-Port GaN Desktop Fast Charger and the Revodok Max 2131 Thunderbolt 5 Docking Station will also take center stage.

The NASync series AI NAS models are set to redefine expectations with integrated large language models (LLMs) for advanced natural language processing and AI-driven interactive capabilities. Powered by cutting-edge Intel Core Ultra Processors, the iDX6011 and iDX6011 Pro deliver unmatched performance, enabling seamless functionality and exceptional AI applications. These models build on the success of earlier NASync series products, such as the NASync DXP models, which garnered widespread attention and raised over $6.6 million during a Kickstarter campaign in March 2024.

Synology at the 2025 International CES showcased updates to its popular consumer network storage products, beginning with one for its popular BeeStorage line of flash-based personal cloud devices. The new BeeStation Plus comes with 8 TB of flash-based storage—double that of the original BeeStation from 2023—and updated system hardware that includes an Intel Celeron J4125 processor with 4 GB of DDR4 memory, USB 3.2 Gen 2 type-A and type-C ports; and an updated software frontend, including the BeeProtect software that makes snapshots and other forms of backups of your machine. The device continues to lack Wi-Fi, and relies on wired Ethernet to connect to the network.

Next up, the company showed off a couple of its entry-level desktop NAS solutions under the DiskStation brand, the DS224+ (2-bay), and the DS423+ (4-bay). Both feature SATA 6 Gbps drive bays, and you can expand storage using any USB mass-storage device that plugs into its 5 Gbps USB 3.2 port. The DS224+ comes with two 1 GbE interfaces. Under the hood are a Celeron J4125 processor backed by 6 GB of DDR4 memory. The DS423+ can hold up to 72 TB of storage, and besides the four SATA 6 Gbps bays, has two M.2-2280 slots with Gen 3 wiring. The NAS can access any of its drives at up to 226 MB/s reads, with up to 224 MB/s writes. Networking interfaces include a pair of 1 GbE. Lastly, the company showcased a series of "direct-to-cloud" WLAN and PoE surveillance cameras under the C2 Camera series.

QSAN Technology Inc., a leading provider of innovative storage solutions, is thrilled to announce the latest update to its enterprise NAS product line with enterprise unified storage manager - QSM 4, designed to set new standards for performance and management. The XN8100R and XN5100R series (single controller models) now deliver significantly enhanced capabilities for today's data-intensive business environments.

Enhanced Performance for Greater Efficiency with Enterprise NAS
QSAN's XCubeNAS models with the newly developed QFS (QSAN File System) demonstrate up to 10x faster data access than QSM 3 models. The high-core models of the XN8100R series work with SD4 NVMe SSD to further optimize latency and IOPS, delivering exceptional responsiveness and high-speed data access.

Following the enthusiastic market response and positive reviews of the revolutionary Flashstor series NAS, ASUSTOR Inc. has released all-new all-M.2 SSD NAS, the Flashstor Gen2 series, which includes both the Flashstor 6 Gen2 and Flashstor 12 Pro Gen2. The Flashstor Gen2 series brings radical hardware upgrades to meet the demands of enthusiasts and professionals. The Flashstor Gen2 series brand new hardware to achieve ultimate performance. The new Flashstor Gen2 series is powered by AMD's 6 nm Quad-Core Ryzen Embedded V3C14 which clocks up to 3.8 GHz. This new CPU delivers efficient, yet high performance, which along with high-speed I/O connectivity enables you to make the most out of your ASUSTOR NAS.

The Flashstor Gen2 series come with 10-Gigabit Ethernet, dual USB4 ports in an ASUSTOR first. USB4 is so fast, that it helps to fully unleash the high speeds offered by the M.2 SSDs. The USB4 ports are also compatible with Thunderbolt devices, as well as direct attach technology, extended possibilities that surpass the imagination of professionals and creators.

QNAP Systems, Inc. today reaffirmed its commitment to product reliability and customer satisfaction by announcing long-term support (LTS) for its QTS 5.2 and QuTS hero h5.2 operating systems. This initiative is part of QNAP's rigorous software product version lifecycle management policy, which is designed to help users effectively manage their IT infrastructure with predictability and ease.

"As technology evolves, so does the need for a stable and reliable IT environment," said Tim Lin, Product Manager of QNAP. "By providing long-term support for QNAP NAS operating systems, we ensure that our users can continue to depend on QNAP products for their critical data storage needs without concern for frequent major upgrades or compatibility issues."

Other World Computing (OWC), a trusted leader in delivering high-performance, secure, and sustainable technology solutions that enhance and extend the life of Macs and PCs, today announced it is making it easier than ever for Mac users to maximize their devices' performance with the OWC 10G Ethernet Adapter, delivering lightning-fast 10G Ethernet connectivity to any Mac with Thunderbolt (USB-C), including the latest M4 series. The plug-and-play adapter offers a high-performance, reliable solution for Mac models without built-in 10G Ethernet - allowing users to connect at 10G speeds and leverage faster local networks and network-attached storage (NAS).

To complement this upgrade, Other World Computing offers its OWC Thunderbolt Pro Dock, which transforms any workspace with versatile port expansion and 10G Ethernet capabilities. The Thunderbolt Pro Dock - with the ability to power a Mac laptop and add essential ports through a single Thunderbolt cable - is the ideal accessory for users needing high-speed network connectivity and streamlined connectivity for multiple devices.

QNAP Systems, Inc., a leading computing and storage solutions innovator, today unveiled the compact 1U rackmount 4-bay NAS TS-433eU, which offers small to midsize businesses and organizations an affordable edge storage and backup solution. With a sleek 1U design and a depth only of 11.51 inches (292.3 mm), the TS-433eU easily fits into space-constrained environments. "The TS-433eU offers more than just reliable backup and restore capabilities. Its NPU-empowered processor, 2.5GbE connectivity, and USB storage expansion work together seamlessly in AI-powered photo management, Docker container applications, and surveillance system deployment, meeting diverse business needs" said Jerry Deng, Product Manager at QNAP.

The TS-433eU features four 3.5-inch SATA 6 Gb/s drive bays, fulfilling business demands in storage, file sharing, synchronization, and data protection for boosted daily work productivity. It also supports efficient backup from various sources, including PCs, servers, Google Workspace, and Microsoft 365. Users can also enable remote backup to another NAS or the immutable myQNAPcloud Storage. Snapshots offers comprehensive data protection and recovery, safeguarding against ransomware threats. Additionally, users can run Docker containers on the TS-433eU to deploy various microservices, or create a video surveillance system to safeguard working environments.

Seagate Technology Holdings plc (NASDAQ: STX) (the "Company" or "Seagate"), a leading innovator of mass-capacity data storage, today reported financial results for its fiscal first quarter ended September 27, 2024. "Seagate is off to an outstanding start to the fiscal year, highlighted by gross margin expanding to the highest level in more than a decade," said Dave Mosley, Seagate's chief executive officer.

"We executed on our plans to aggressively ramp our 28-terabyte nearline drives and broaden the number of cloud customers entering qualification on HAMR-based Mozaic products. We are excited by the strong product momentum which positions us well to address customer demand while delivering profitable growth. Our confidence in Seagate's future opportunities is reflected in the decision to raise the quarterly dividend as announced today," Mosley concluded.

More than just storage, Western Digital HDDs are key enablers for businesses looking to optimize their infrastructure, lower TCO and future-proof their data strategies. Constantly innovating to meet the needs of our data-driven world, Western Digital (NASDAQ: WDC) today announced that it is now shipping the world's highest capacity UltraSMR HDD with up to 32 TB leveraging the time-tested, reliable energy-assisted PMR (ePMR) recording technology for hyperscalers, CSPs and enterprises. For those who want a drop-in ready HDD for today's data-intensive workloads, the company is also now shipping the world's highest-capacity ePMR CMR HDD with up to 26 TB for enterprise and channel customers. With the world's first commercially available 11-disk design and field-proven technology, these new drives reinforce Western Digital's commitment to delivering HDD technology that raises the bar on capacity, reliability and innovation.

The AI Data Cycle has emerged as a growth driver for the storage industry. As AI systems become more sophisticated, they process and generate vast amounts of data that must be stored efficiently. HDDs play a crucial role in this ecosystem, handling both the input side, where data is gathered, ingested and stored, and the output side, where AI content is generated and preserved. This dual role positions HDDs as a linchpin in the AI Data Cycle, ensuring that data is available when needed and stored with the lowest TCO.

It's finally here! ASUSTOR NAS devices with AMD Ryzen CPUs have finally launched! With four to ten drive bays; the Lockerstor Gen3 series arrives with both flexibility and performance. The Lockerstor Gen3 series is designed for extreme performance while maintaining extreme efficiency. In a first for ASUSTOR, the Lockerstor Gen3 features a Quad-Core AMD Ryzen Embedded SoC that boosts to 3.8 GHz. Take advantage of four to ten drive bays, and four M.2 slots for NVMe SSDs that use PCIe 4.0, dual 10GbE, dual 5GbE, and dual USB4. 16 GB of ECC DDR5-4800 memory that's expandable to 64 GB. This combination of powerful hardware is not only faster, but sets the new performance standard.

The AMD Ryzen V3C14 SoC is built on a 6 nm process for maximum performance and efficiency. At a 25 W maximum TDP, it achieves energy savings even when crunching high-performance tasks. All Lockerstor Gen3 devices are equipped with dual 10GbE and dual 5GbE network ports, with single-port 10 GbE read/write speeds reaching up to 1176 MB/s and 1018 MB/s, while SMB multi-channel performance using RAID 5 can reach up to 2005 MB/s and 1090 MB/s respectively.

QNAP Systems, Inc., a leading computing, networking, and storage solution innovator, today announced that it has added support for QuTS hero, QNAP's ZFS-based NAS operating system, to the popular TS-253E and TS-453E NAS models. The TS-x53E series is powered by an Intel Celeron J6412 quad-core processor (burst up to 2.6 GHz), which will be available and supported by QNAP for an extended period (up to 2029).

The 2-bay TS-253E is currently the QNAP NAS model with the fewest drive bays that support QuTS hero. Now small-sized organizations can also benefit from ZFS technologies to optimize applications that require utmost reliability, such as data integrity with features like Self-healing and WORM (Write Once, Read Many Times), snapshots (up to 65,536 versions), and inline data deduplication for maximizing storage efficiency. Businesses also can deploy a zero RPO disaster recovery plan by leveraging real-time SnapSync that achieves real-time data synchronization between two NAS.

Western Digital made a significant change to the way it sells its products, which sees the SanDisk brand return to prominence. The company spun out SanDisk.com as a separate website, with product information, support, and in select regions, online retail, of all its NAND flash-based products, including SSDs, memory cards, USB flash drives, etc. Meanwhile, its main website, WesternDigital.com, now only lists out non-flash products, such as hard disk drives (HDDs), NAS, and other enterprise hardware such as rackmount DAS or NAS.

The decision splits WD's portfolio vertically, regardless of market. SanDisk now includes both client- and enterprise flash-based products, while Western Digital covers both enterprise, SMB, and client HDDs, including HDDs with gamer centric WD_Black branding. Meanwhile, the SanDisk website includes all of Western Digital's flash-based products, including SSDs and portable SSDs that retain the Western Digital brand. So, the easiest way to understand this split would be: if it has disks that spin, find them on WesternDigital.com, and if it's solid-state, find it on SanDisk.com.

UnifyDrive, a leading global brand in network-attached storage (NAS), has announced their latest portable storage device, the UnifyDrive UT2. This groundbreaking personal NAS combines the power and versatility of traditional NAS with the convenience of portability, offering unmatched data management and backup capabilities.

The UnifyDrive UT2 is designed for creatives, professionals, travelers and photography enthusiasts who need high-performance, portable data storage. With its pocket-sized form, the UT2 integrates the functionality of a NAS, backup system, media server, Blu-ray player, and portable storage device into one compact unit. This versatility allows users to manage, access, and protect their data effortlessly, whether at the office, at home, or on the move.

QNAP Systems, Inc., a leading provider of computing, networking, and storage solutions, today announced the launch of Airgap+, an advanced air-gapped backup feature integrated into Hybrid Backup Sync (HBS). This innovative solution offers businesses enhanced data security, rapid recovery, and robust ransomware protection. As cyber threats continue to escalate in their sophistication and impact, air-gap backups have become essential for safeguarding corporate data. Air-gap backup represents the "1" component in the 3-2-1-1-0 backup plan, where one backup copy is stored offline and disconnected from the network. Airgap+ addresses this need by creating a logical air-gap between NAS systems, providing an extra layer of backup security and enhanced integrity. Airgap+ works with QNAP's QHora router series (supported models listed below). QHora permits connections between the source NAS and the backup destination NAS only during the backup process, and blocks connections at other times.

TerraMaster, a leading brand in home and enterprise storage solutions, has recently announced the launch of 9 new NAS models, all equipped with its latest TOS 6 operating system. This lineup includes two 8-bay all-flash NAS models specifically designed for high-performance needs. All new products were officially launched on September 19, 2024, on the TerraMaster official website and various global e-commerce platforms.

Comprehensive Range
The new TerraMaster product series covers a wide spectrum of users, from individual consumers and SMBs to high-end devices for business and enterprise sectors, fully addressing different needs.

Toshiba today introduced the updated N300 series 3.5-inch internal SATA hard drives targeting NAS applications. These drives come with new product branding the company introduced with its recent S300 series HDDs for surveillance/NVR applications. The drives come in capacities of 2 TB, 4 TB, 6 TB, 8 TB, 10 TB, 12 TB, 14 TB, 16 TB, 18 TB, 20 TB, and 22 TB, with the higher capacity models—12 TB and above—being helium-filled, to reduce power/noise characteristics. All models in the series come with CMR (conventional magnetic recording), which ensures predictable write and rewrite performance. The drives come with 7,200 RPM spindle-speed, and depending on the capacity variant, between 64 MB to 512 MB of write cache. The drives come with SATA 6 Gbps host interface, and offer sequential transfer speeds of up to 281 MB/s reads, with up to 268 MB/s writes, with an MTBF rated between 1-1.2 million hours.

QNAP Systems, Inc. today officially announced the release of the QTS 5.2 NAS operating system. A standout feature of this release is the debut of Security Center, which actively monitors file activities and thwarts ransomware threats. Additionally, system security receives a boost with the inclusion of support for TCG-Ruby self-encrypting drives (SED). Extensive optimizations have been implemented to streamline operations, configuration, and management processes, significantly elevating the overall user experience.

"We greatly appreciate the invaluable feedback provided by our dedicated QTS 5.2 beta testers, which has been instrumental in putting the finishing touches on this official release," said Tim Lin, Product Manager of QNAP, adding "QNAP remains committed to ensuring our data storage and management solutions stay current, offering dependable NAS storage solutions that meet the heightened expectations of today's users."

Surveillance Center is no longer limited to Windows! If you run a computer that supports a modern web browser, Surveillance Center 3 Beta will run! Simply upgrade your ASUSTOR NAS to ADM 4.3.0 or above, then download and install Surveillance Center 3.0 Beta from App Central. Set up network cameras for surveillance, view multichannel live streams as well as play back recordings on browsers like Firefox Edge, Chrome, and Safari, ensuring a seamless and secure surveillance experience.

In addition, ASUSTOR NAS devices provide comprehensive data protection for users. When using web browsers like Firefox or Chrome, your connection between your PC and Surveillance Center 3.0 Beta can be encrypted with HTTPS. For maximum security, use TLS 1.3 to ensure privacy and enhanced communication security while creating a smart home environment.

QNAP Systems, Inc., a leading computing, networking, and storage solution innovator, today launched new entry-level business NAS models including 4-bay TS-432X and 6-bay TS-632X, tailored for personal studio and SMBs to optimize workflows and collaboration. Featuring a quad-core processor, high-speed 2.5GbE/10GbE ports, and PCIe expansion capabilities, both new models excel in performance and versatility to streamline multi-device file backups, data security, and file management while also simplifying data storage, search, and sharing tasks.

Andy Chuang, Product Manager of QNAP, stated "With the rising popularity of 10GbE applications, the TS-432X and TS-632X offer ideal solutions for small to medium-sized businesses seeking smaller-capacity 10GbE NAS options. Users can benefit from a versatile storage solution featuring multiple LAN ports and PCIe expandability, all within a modest budget."

Amid a field of over 20,000 submissions from 60 countries, the QNAP Thunderbolt 4 NAS TBS-h574TX and TVS-h874T won the Red Dot Award: Product Design 2024. The TBS-h574TX Thunderbolt 4 all-flash NASbook is designed for film sets, small studios, small-scale video production teams and SOHO users. Powered by an Intel Core i9 16-core / i7 12-core processor, the TVS-h874T Thunderbolt 4 NAS is a great sidekick for your creative talents. The professional jurors of the Red Dot Jury highly recognized the TBS-h574TX and the TVS-h874T with distinction, signifying high quality design.

The TBS-h574TX packs high-speed I/O and Intel Core performance required by video production, allowing creators using Mac or Windows to enjoy the smoothest experience ever in real-time video editing, large file transfer, video transcoding, and backup. The TBS-h574TX, acting as the bridge between pre-production and post-production, takes video projects and team collaboration to the next level. The TBS-h574TX runs the ZFS-based QuTS hero operating system that ensures data integrity. You can also switch to the QTS operating system based on your needs.