Topton N100 10GbE NAS Motherboard Review (MW-N100-NAS)

Last updated on 14 Nov 2024 📧 Subscribe
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1 Topton MW-N100-NAS ITX DiY NAS Board Review
1.1 Topton MW-N100-NAS ITX DiY NAS Review – Quick Conclusion
1.2 Topton MW-N100-NAS ITX DiY NAS Review – Hardware Design
1.3 Topton MW-N100-NAS Motherboard Review – Conclusion
2 Need Advice on Data Storage from an Expert?

Topton MW-N100-NAS ITX DiY NAS Board Review

The Topton MW-N100-NAS motherboard is a budget-friendly ITX solution aimed at users seeking a compact and low-power network-attached storage (NAS) setup. Priced at around $139 for the motherboard and CPU alone, or $183.88 with an 8GB DDR5 SODIMM and a 128GB SSD, this board is built around the Intel Alder Lake-N N100 CPU. This processor, part of Intel’s low-power N-series lineup, features a 4-core, 4-thread architecture with a 3.4 GHz turbo frequency, 6W TDP, and integrated Intel UHD Graphics.

While the CPU is not designed for high-performance processing tasks, it is suitable for general NAS functions such as file storage, backup, and moderate media streaming. Its low power requirements and passive cooling capability make it an energy-efficient choice for users who prioritize minimal power consumption in a home NAS environment, as well as a compact form factor that allows for versatile placement options.

UPDATE – There is a new N305 i3 8 Core version of this motherboard now available HERE for $284.77 (Inlcudes 8GB DDR5 RAM and 128GB OS SSD)

Where to Buy the 10GbE N100 NAS MoBo?
  • Aliexpress $138.96 (N100 10GbE, No Memory or SSD) – HERE
  • Aliexpress $181.99 (N100 10GbE, 16GB Memory) – HERE
  • Check Amazon HERE

Topton MW-N100-NAS ITX DiY NAS Review – Quick Conclusion

The Topton MW-N100-NAS motherboard is an affordable ITX option for basic NAS setups, featuring a low-power Intel N100 CPU, dual 2.5GbE ports, and a rare built-in 10GbE port for faster data transfer. With six SATA ports and two M.2 slots, it offers versatile storage options, although the M.2 slots are limited to PCIe Gen 3 x1, restricting maximum speeds. While the lack of a PCIe slot and ECC support may limit its appeal for advanced users, the MW-N100-NAS performs reliably for general NAS tasks like file storage, backups, and moderate streaming. It’s best suited for budget-conscious users who need a compact and low-power NAS with decent networking options, though not for those requiring extensive expandability or high-speed processing.

BUILD QUALITY - 8/10
HARDWARE - 8/10
PERFORMANCE - 7/10
PRICE - 10/10
VALUE - 9/10


8.4
PROS
👍🏻Affordable price for an ITX motherboard with 10GbE networking capabilities.
👍🏻Built-in 10GbE port (Marvell AQC113C) and dual 2.5GbE ports (Intel i226-V) for versatile networking options.
👍🏻Low power consumption (6W TDP for CPU), suitable for continuous 24/7 operation.
👍🏻Six SATA 3.0 ports and two M.2 NVMe slots, providing flexible storage configuration options.
👍🏻Compact form factor, making it ideal for small NAS builds and limited-space installations.
👍🏻Supports up to 32GB of DDR5 memory, which is adequate for general NAS use.
👍🏻Low heat output with stable thermal performance, reducing the need for extensive cooling.
👍🏻User-friendly BIOS with customization options for PCI and USB settings.
CONS
👎🏻No PCIe slot, limiting expansion options for additional hardware like GPUs or other high-speed components.
👎🏻Lacks ECC memory support, which is often preferred in NAS setups for data integrity.
👎🏻M.2 slots are limited to PCIe Gen 3 x1 lanes, restricting maximum speed for high-performance applications.
👎🏻Requires a 300W power supply despite low power demands, adding potential extra cost and size requirements.



Topton MW-N100-NAS ITX DiY NAS Review – Hardware Design

One of the most notable aspects of the MW-N100-NAS is its networking features, which include a 10GbE port, powered by the Marvell AQC113C chipset, alongside two 2.5GbE ports using Intel’s i226-V chipset. This array of network options offers considerable flexibility for users who may need fast data transfer rates across multiple networked devices or even redundancy configurations.

The 10GbE port is rare for a budget NAS board in the ITX form factor, adding significant appeal to this motherboard. However, the board’s lack of a PCIe slot is a potential drawback for users who may wish to add high-speed components, such as dedicated graphics or additional networking cards.

For NAS applications, this limitation may affect performance expansion, as it restricts the motherboard’s capacity for future upgrades. For users needing extra customization, the lack of PCIe could be a significant constraint, especially for those interested in expanding their setup beyond standard NAS functions.

In terms of storage options, the MW-N100-NAS offers an array of SATA and NVMe configurations. It includes six SATA 3.0 ports and two M.2 slots for NVMe storage, which should be sufficient for users with diverse storage requirements. However, the M.2 slots are limited to PCIe Gen 3 x1 lanes, resulting in a maximum throughput of roughly 1,000 MB/s per slot.

This bandwidth limitation is adequate for general NAS storage tasks, such as storing and accessing personal files or streaming media files over a network, but may be restrictive for more demanding applications that require sustained high-speed data access.

Below is a table summarizing the board’s hardware specifications, offering a clear view of its components and supported configurations:

Component Specification
CPU Intel Alder Lake-N N100
Cores/Threads 4 / 4
Max Turbo Frequency 3.4 GHz
Cache 6 MB Intel Smart Cache
TDP 6 W
LAN Ports 2 x i226 2.5G, 1 x 10G Marvell AQC113C
Memory Slot 1 SO-DIMM DDR5 (up to 32 GB)
SATA Ports 6 x SATA 3.0
M.2 Slots 2 x PCIe Gen 3 x1 NVMe
USB Ports 1 x USB 3.0, 1 x USB Type-C, 2 x USB 2.0
Display Ports 1 x HDMI, 1 x DisplayPort

One feature some users may miss is ECC (Error-Correcting Code) memory support, often desired in NAS environments for data integrity. Instead, the board provides a single SO-DIMM slot that supports up to 32GB of non-ECC DDR5 memory. While this capacity is adequate for most home NAS applications, it may be limiting for advanced setups involving heavier workloads or virtualization, where additional memory or ECC support could enhance performance and data reliability.

The BIOS offers various options for customization, allowing users to adjust settings such as PCI and USB controls, which is beneficial for users looking to optimize the motherboard’s performance based on specific NAS use cases or stability requirements. The lack of ECC support, however, may limit its appeal for users who prioritize maximum data integrity, especially in a NAS configuration where consistent data transfer and storage reliability are critical.

Power efficiency is another key feature of the MW-N100-NAS. During testing, idle power consumption was recorded at around 28.2W with drives connected, and the motherboard’s power draw under load conditions reached a peak of 55W.

These low power consumption figures are advantageous for a NAS system expected to run continuously, reducing electricity costs and lowering heat output, which is essential in confined spaces. This efficiency is further supported by the Intel Alder Lake-N N100 CPU’s low 6W TDP, which enables it to operate reliably without requiring intensive cooling.

However, the board’s power requirements specify a 300W power supply, which may seem excessive for a board designed for modest performance. This is likely to ensure stable power delivery, particularly with the 10GbE network port under load.

Additionally, the board is shipped without a CMOS battery, so users will need to source one separately to maintain BIOS settings over time. These requirements add minor extra costs and may necessitate careful planning, especially for users unfamiliar with NAS builds.

Performance testing showed that the MW-N100-NAS delivered reliable but moderate results. When transferring files through the 10GbE connection, speeds peaked at around 750 MB/s, with average speeds of about 305–320 MB/s. These results, while not close to full 10GbE bandwidth, are within expectations for a budget NAS motherboard equipped with a low-power CPU and are suitable for typical NAS uses, such as file sharing and moderate streaming.

For internal data transfers, such as moving files between SSDs, read speeds reached approximately 795 MB/s, while write speeds topped out around 688 MB/s. Though these speeds are acceptable for standard NAS usage, they do fall short of full-speed potential, likely due to the board’s limited PCIe lane allocation and modest CPU capabilities.

Thermal performance was stable during testing, with temperatures peaking at around 49°C after prolonged operation under load. The MW-N100-NAS uses a low-profile fan that provides adequate cooling without generating excessive noise.

However, for users who intend to utilize all six SATA ports or both M.2 slots with continuous, high-demand workloads, additional cooling solutions may be worth considering. The board’s efficient thermal management makes it suitable for users seeking a system that can run continuously without extensive cooling modifications, although configurations involving numerous high-speed drives may benefit from enhanced cooling.

Overall, the Topton MW-N100-NAS is a solid choice for those seeking a straightforward NAS setup without extensive customization needs. Its key strengths are its networking capabilities, including the rare addition of a 10GbE port alongside dual 2.5GbE ports, providing flexible network options for data sharing, backup, and streaming tasks.

However, limitations such as the absence of a PCIe slot, limited M.2 slot speeds, and lack of ECC memory support may deter users seeking a more advanced NAS configuration or those with specific performance or data integrity requirements. These factors indicate that this board is best suited for users who primarily need reliable file storage and moderate transfer speeds rather than high-end processing or customization.

Topton MW-N100-NAS Motherboard Review – Conclusion

The MW-N100-NAS motherboard from Topton is a practical option for NAS users who prioritize cost-effectiveness, compact form factor, and low power usage over advanced performance features. This board is positioned well for users who need a simple, dedicated NAS with solid networking options, allowing for versatile configurations that don’t require high-powered components or extensive customizability. The inclusion of 10GbE is a significant advantage, providing a notable boost in transfer speeds over standard Ethernet, which is beneficial for small offices or households with moderate data-sharing needs. However, potential buyers should consider its limitations in terms of expandability and memory capabilities, as these may impact its long-term viability for more advanced NAS applications. For those focused on basic file storage and network sharing, the MW-N100-NAS is an appealing choice with a balanced mix of essential features and cost-efficiency. Nevertheless, for users anticipating heavier workloads, or those looking to future-proof their NAS setup, it may be worth exploring more advanced options that offer better expandability, ECC support, or higher sustained performance capabilities.

 

PROS CONs
  • Affordable price for an ITX motherboard with 10GbE networking capabilities.
  • Built-in 10GbE port (Marvell AQC113C) and dual 2.5GbE ports (Intel i226-V) for versatile networking options.
  • Low power consumption (6W TDP for CPU), suitable for continuous 24/7 operation.
  • Six SATA 3.0 ports and two M.2 NVMe slots, providing flexible storage configuration options.
  • Compact form factor, making it ideal for small NAS builds and limited-space installations.
  • Supports up to 32GB of DDR5 memory, which is adequate for general NAS use.
  • Low heat output with stable thermal performance, reducing the need for extensive cooling.
  • User-friendly BIOS with customization options for PCI and USB settings.
  • No PCIe slot, limiting expansion options for additional hardware like GPUs or other high-speed components.
  • Lacks ECC memory support, which is often preferred in NAS setups for data integrity.
  • M.2 slots are limited to PCIe Gen 3 x1 lanes, restricting maximum speed for high-performance applications.
  • Requires a 300W power supply despite low power demands, adding potential extra cost and size requirements.
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      85 thoughts on “Topton N100 10GbE NAS Motherboard Review (MW-N100-NAS)”

      2. “insanely battered box” – shows a box with a tiny crease on it. Ehm, you haven’t been ordering stuff for very long based on that, or have been ‘insanely’ lucky. Boxes looking like someone has driven over them with a whole row of tanks are the usual fare. It WOULD be highly unusual to get a box that is intact, which has never happened to me in more than 15yrs of buying stuff from China. Well, with the exception of double boxed items where the original ‘retail’ box has been taken off and folded neatly into a brown thick cardboard box along the contents. Then it just arrived a bit weirdly folded but without rips or big creases. That way I could take the stuff out, unfold the ‘retail box’ then stuff the contents back into it, tape it shut, then pretend it arrived like that.
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      4. So, I got this board as well. I have failed setting the case fan through the OS (Ubuntu). Has anyone attempted this? sensors-detect won’t show it, whether it’s on manual or automatic mode… neither CPU nor Board fan can be found. Can’t find the manufacturer’s site either to look for a new BIOS. Any ideas anyone?
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      10. Your site promotes both NAS motherboards for DIY projects and retail NAS. I would like you to build a NAS sourcing from the parts you review. Your conviction is part of the process of reviewing and building to completion. I am not interested in the retail NAS because it removes flexibility from my DIY builds and is not about saving money for me, and I look forward to your future projects.
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      12. Hello, the board arrived today. I connected the power supply, and the board started up immediately (power supply fan starts, CPU fan starts). The same behavior whether with or without (Crucial) RAM…

        I’m not getting any video output from the board. Does anyone have any idea? I can’t find the CMOS, and if it’s the two pins next to the 4-pin CPU power connector, nothing changes in the behavior whether I short them with or without power.

        Sorry for my poor English; I had it translated by AI.
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      13. first of, thank you for your videos! I’ve been dreaming of getting, or hopefully build me a NAS, and because of your YouTube I get closer and closer to actually do it! I’m in the process of a house renovation and also make a technical room with a rack to finally get a decent network and a place for all my home automation gear. What I want now is a diy rack mounted NAS. Do you have any suggestions for a rack case (not full depth) for a DIY NAS base on a motherboard like this one?
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      15. ASRock sells a Mini-ITX (EC266D21-2T/AQC) for Xeon processors with two 10GBe LAN ports, 2x OCuLink to control up to 8 SATA drives, a PCIe 4.0×4 M.2 slot for the OS and a PCIe 5.0×16 – but it is about $400
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      17. Well say thanks Intell for supporting only 1 channel of DDR5/LPDDR5 with max 4800 MT/s and no ECC on the N100 also there’s only so much you can do with 9 PCIe Gen 3 Lanes… and
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      19. They probably got overexcited with thr 10g 😉 so what they did inadvertently was to bottleneck the fast ssds in favour of the slower hdd+10g.

        BUT: it is flat, no need for a pcie card. It has 4x nvme. It has sata. This is a insanely nice ceph osd or moosefs board.
        Put in 1/2 of the cheaper m.2 optanes for journal, 2/4/6 disks laid put flat for storage and use the 2.5g’s as client facing and this will likely be able to keep high sustained speed for a good price. And you can just put 8 of them in a little homemade rack, and you’ll have a decent cluster that can actually do stuff instead of being a stack of underpowered arm or a fail-design of 3 oversized nodes.
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      24. Question for the crowd… any recommended small cases for a board like this and 4x 2.5” drives? Doesn’t have to have removable drive slots. Current candidate is the Silverstone CS01.
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      25. This is unreasonable of me to ask, but I’m interested in how well this board works in OpenBSD. If you’re bored, could you try installing OpenBSD with a hard disk attached, and then send a dmesg, pcidump -v and sysctl hw output, and the contents of /var/db/acpi?
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      26. I’m running this board fully loaded with a 200W pico power supply, and no problems. I’m guessing the 300W PSU requirement is a swag not based on any power consumption calc.
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      27. how come this N100 board has been reviewed but not the i5-12450H NAS motherboard?
        The 12450H board has 2x M.2 NVMe slots, 1x SFF-8643 SATA socket which gives 4x SATA ports, 1x SFF-8643 PCle 3.0×4 socket that can be converted out to 4x M.2 NVMe/PCle3.0x1 via an adapter board, 4x Intel 226-V 2.5G Rj45 ethernet ports and 2x SO-DIMM DDR5 RAM slots. The 12450H has 20 (!) pcie lanes!
        If there’s one board that can do it all, it’s this one.
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      29. Actually, its not that bad to leave a cmos battery out. Of course its cheaper, but you never know how long a board will be stored, and many weird pc issues are caused by a weak but not empty cmos battery. I spend days in search of errors until i replaced cmos battery.
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      30. Boy, the n100 already will be at the peak of its performance handling the network interfaces. What do you want to cramp in? Get another CPU for that.

        The nic probably eats up all pcie slots of the CPU anyway
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      32. The ‘old’ NAS motherboard you show in the video isn’t ‘BY’ Topton. Topton are a reseller, nothing more. The board was manufactured by BKHD, and it’s official model number is: BKHD-1338-NAS-17. Just for clarification for anyone else interested in these NAS DIY boards (I own two of them).
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      34. So, just to confirm: 10GBe, internal USB, and PCIe Slots are “ChEeKy” while quad core CPUS are “RoCkInG” and “RoCkInG oUt”?
        Cheeky in British English means indulgent or disrespectful. In Australian English, it means dangerous. In… no common usage does it mean… a port on a motherboard.
        Rocking means to… perform music or to be weirdly proud of running something obsolete in the current year. Quad cores aren’t obsolete for this task.
        It’d be a lot easier to take you seriously if you used actual, adult words.

        The fact they wasted a lane on giving the 10GBe PCIE 3.0 (1GBps) a x2 connection when it’s… you know… it’s 10Gb… and can’t even hit the 10GBe target.
        They don’t ship with batteries as most countries either reclassified or always classified lithium cells as shipping hazards, which greatly increases the cost to ship.
        (There is not a single case of a CR2032 lithium cell catching fire that produced in loss.)
        You don’t actually need a 300-watt supply. They just don’t want you connecting it to a trash one and filing a claim that it can’t power the product. Also, hard drives use quite a bit of current when spinning up. You’d want a decent supply if you have 6 drives constantly spinning up… which is the clear intention of this NAS board.
        Actual NAS PSUs are specifically designed to support the high current load of hard drives starting with a much lower overall wattage.
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      38. Synology should just buy the IP for that board, shove it in a plastic housing with a backplane….and sit back and profit. The fact they didnt do that 3 years ago is criminal lol
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      39. I doubt an N100 based motherboard with PCIe slot will be saturating the bus with a PCIe 10Gbe card installed either. As for complaining about the motherboard not coming with a $1 coin battery…. dude. smh.
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      41. My X10SDV-4C-TLN2F has x16, 6 sata, ecc, ipmi, nvme an 10G, even 10 years on, its the ultimate nas board!! Im now running its 8C big brother now (asrock with D1541) which is also a beast. Good luck finding them though, no ones willing to let them go!!
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      42. I think the problem with these Atom processors is the PCIE lanes. Sure they could have fit a 4x PCIe on this board, but that N100/N305 atom processor only has 9 lanes of 3.0. I bet they’re using a 2.0 controller for the 10G so thats probably taking 4 lanes right there, the sata controller is probably using at least 1 lane, and then the M.2 are probably only given 1 lane, but if they’ve been given 2 lanes, there are quite literally none left for a PCIe slot.
        Now, maybe they’re using a 10G NIC that uses the 3.0 standard and can get by with 2X, maybe the M.2 are given 1x, this would in theory leave 4 PCIe lanes for a card somewhere else. But those newer 3.0 10G controllers cost money, which is why i am assuming this board is less than $170
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      44. Got that board two weeks ago, for the 10 GbE. So far, so good! It is idling around 21W which is higher than I expected.
        Like other N100 systems, it works with 32 GB RAM despite officially supporting 16 GB according to Intel.
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      52. Looking at these boards, i wish they would just go with 1 10GBE instead of 4 2.5GBE network interfaces. If you really need that many, 10G to 4x 2.5G unmanaged switches are reasonably priced.
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      53. I got one of these last month – it’s a great little board. They were going for as little as £103 for the bare board.

        Mine did come with a CMOS battery installed.

        The 10G NIC didn’t work with TrueNAS though – not an issue for me in this case, but it would’ve been nice. I can’t see why TrueNAS support won’t arrive at some point though – the AQC107 chipset works just fine, so the AQC113C should too, right?

        Also, bear in mind the N305 CPU is still limited to 9 PCIE lanes, like the N100. All you’re gaining is core count.
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      55. You could probably use one of the NVMe slots for PCIe expansion. I’m guessing the lack of an actual slot is due to the low number of PCI lanes on the N100. ( just seen you comment on another post, look forward to the video 😀 )
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      56. N100 with 10Gbe for SATA NAS? Its too disbalance IMHO. To saturate 10Gbe you need raid of SATA SSD, not HDD. Raid will something like RaidZ1 or even RaidZ2, so when you will active use array like that power of n100 can be insofficient.

        P.S. About ecc, with ddr5 we have electrically and mechanichally different slots, so its obvious just by looking at the board
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      58. It is the PCI-E lanes which is needed for the 10gbe, something has to give. It is not worth going for a single 10gbe port at a lost of 3 nic and 1 pci-e slot. Most likely we need a new cpu / mobo.
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      60. I was so up when I saw this. I’ve got 4 sas 32g total and hoped and then the crash n burn. Bought those sucker’s by accident for 200. After trying to find a solution thinking ebay and just minimize my loss. Arrrggg
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      61. N100 only has 9 PCIe, forcing you to get something else. I’d like to see a Motherboard with 2x PCIe x8 (elec) / x16 (Physical) with a CPU to support, so you can put a 10/25/40 B in one & HBA in other
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      63. Whilst, to date, these types of reviews do have a caveat or two, I am impressed how they (slowly but surely) are progressing in this arena.
        I truly am. (read: from their choices of CPU I was never that impressed but then I’m a hardware-guy)
        Granted, the choice of CPU and chipsets do put up a fair bit of limitations, but I expect in a year or two we will have far better results (read: lesser caveats) with the way it is going. So it seems.
        Does give good hopes for those who want to plan their DYI, just hang in there a wee bit longer.
        Still, performance-wise (and features, if I want to nit-pick on it) these still won’t really compete with the mainstream vendors.
        But still, I am impressed.
        (same with the mini-pc’s from nowadays, really starting to be powerful and affordable..)
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      64. I would have expected better power results. It seems for such few features and a system optimized for low power, X86 really has not much of a point anymore.
        Intel Xeon D from 2016 is still much better, has enough PCIe lanes for an m.2 drive and an x16 slot and doesn’t even draw much more power. The 10Gbe comes from a BMC on those ITX boards.
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      66. Why waste space with 6 SATA ports when you could save space with one Oculink port which breaks out into 8 SATA ports? But yes, I’d want a full x16 slot and at least two x4 NVME slots.
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      67. think this would be a better router/firewall than a NAS. Would be interested to see if somebody has or will put OPN or PfSense on this thing and see how much it can handle with IPS enabled.
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      68. 11:40
        I think you’re out of the loop regarding JMS585 as a SATA controller, its not fine at all.
        It prevents intel cpu C-States when this chip is on your motherboard, yea similar to disabling C-States in bios but its permanent and you can’t do anything about it. This is extremely bad for a NAS that’s supposed to run 24/7, you’re wasting energy when doing nothing (idle)

        CWWK made a “FAN” version where they listened to all the complaints, example, getting rid of unnecessary 2.5g ports using pcie lanes, swapping JMS585 with ASM1166, pcie slot, BUT no 10g lol. You can’t miss it, its the only PURPLE motherboard anywhere.
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      69. I wonder if TrueNAS behaves favourably on a microSD card or a eMMC to microSD adapter? This would enable to use the M.2 slots for ZFS caches and the 6 sata ports for a decent storage array.
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      72. 10GbE on an ITX mobo is useless and basically a scam for home users and even small offices, let’s be honest.
        Maybe in a few years it will become relevant, but by the time that happens, your cheap chinese board will either die or be replaced anyway.
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      73. 6:32 I think this is because they assume you are going to get the cheap PSUs that have fake rating (real rating is half of what is stated, which is the peak power rating). spin up of 6 drives will overwhelm a cheap PSU with fake rating.
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      74. Great review, thx! I would like to know how much power it draws after some power tuning (powertop autotune). And do you know which SATA controller chip it has? ASM1166 would be a dream^^, but I guess it has JMB something or so.
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      78. So close to perfect for a low power NAS. Shame N100 doesn’t have enough PCIE lanes for a x4 or x8 PCIE slot. Maybe one day we get a Xeon D motherboard from one of these vendors and my dreams will come true. I understand this would be perfect for a lot of people though and am happy to see a board like this even if it doesn’t suit my needs.
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      79. These things would probably be better if they’d decide whether these are NAS boards or router boards. NAS doesn’t need 3-4 NICs. 2 sure, but 4 2.5gbe doesn’t make sense on a NAS. Combining two of the 2.5gbe into one 10gbe NIC is at least a step in the right direction.
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