What Makes the 6-Bay N100 i3-N305 NAS Motherboard Unique for Home Servers?

The 6-Bay N100 i3-N305 NAS Motherboard (110G 2i226-V) combines enterprise-grade storage capacity with mini-ITX efficiency, featuring 6x SATA3.0 ports, dual M.2 NVMe slots, and triple 2.5G LAN ports. Its Intel N100/i3-N305 processors optimize power efficiency for 24/7 NAS operations, while DDR5 support ensures future-proof performance. Ideal for home labs and small businesses needing compact, high-speed data management.

Best Mini PCs 2024 – Geekom A7

What Hardware Features Define This NAS Motherboard?

The motherboard’s 6x SATA3.0 ports support 72TB+ storage (12TB/drive), while dual M.2 NVMe slots enable SSD caching for 3,500MB/s read speeds. Three 2.5G LAN ports with failover support ensure uninterrupted data transfers. The Intel N100 (6W TDP) or i3-N305 (15W TDP) CPUs balance performance and energy efficiency, and DDR5-4800 RAM compatibility reduces latency for virtualization tasks.

Feature	Specification
SATA Ports	6x SATA3.0 (6Gbps)
M.2 Slots	2x PCIe 3.0 x4
Network	3x 2.5Gbe RJ45

How Does the 2i226-V Controller Enhance Storage Reliability?

The onboard LSI 2i226-V RAID controller supports hardware-accelerated RAID 0/1/5/10, reducing CPU load during parity calculations. This ensures 99.9% uptime for ZFS configurations and enables AES-256 bit encryption for secure data storage. The controller’s IT mode compatibility allows Unraid/TrueNAS flexibility, while dedicated cache pins improve write speeds by 40% in multi-user environments.

Advanced users can leverage the controller’s JBOD mode for software-defined storage solutions, combining multiple drives into single storage pools without hardware RAID limitations. The 2i226-V’s dual-core processor handles encryption at wire speed, maintaining full 2.5G network throughput even with encrypted datasets. For surveillance applications, the controller supports staggered spin-up features to prevent power surges when booting multiple drives simultaneously.

Intel Core i5-8250U for Gaming

Why Choose Triple 2.5G LAN Ports for a NAS?

Triple 2.5G LAN ports enable link aggregation (802.3ad) for 7.5Gbps theoretical throughput, eliminating bottlenecks during 4K video editing or VM backups. The RJ45 ports support WoL (Wake-on-LAN) and PXE boot for remote management, while VLAN tagging isolates NAS traffic from IoT devices. Realtek RTL8125BG controllers reduce CPU utilization by 15% compared to software-based solutions.

Can This Motherboard Function as a Firewall or Router?

Yes, the dual Intel i226-V LAN controllers support pfSense/OPNsense firewall setups with 2Mbps NAT throughput. The Mini ITX form factor fits 1U rack chassis, and TPM 2.0 headers enable secure boot for VPN tunneling. Dual-stack IPv4/IPv6 routing is achievable via OpenWrt, with AES-NI acceleration for WireGuard/OpenVPN at 950Mbps speeds.

How to Optimize Cooling in a Mini ITX NAS Build?

Use a 40mm PWM fan on the motherboard’s 4-pin header to cool the LSI controller, maintaining temps below 65°C. For CPU cooling, Noctua NH-L9i-17xx low-profile coolers reduce noise to 22.4dB. Position M.2 SSDs with graphene thermal pads to prevent throttling, and ensure 120mm case fans maintain positive airflow across SATA drives.

What OS Options Maximize This Board’s Capabilities?

TrueNAS Scale leverages ZFS and Kubernetes for scalable storage, while Unraid offers Docker/VMs with low RAM overhead. Proxmox VE 8.1 supports PCIe passthrough for GPU acceleration, and OpenMediaVault simplifies SMB/NFS sharing. For firewall use, pfSense Plus 23.09 provides IDS/IPS via Suricata, and ESXi 8.0 U2 supports virtualized NAS instances.

When using Windows Server 2022, the motherboard’s NIC teaming capabilities allow creating 7.5Gbps network bonds through native LBFO (Load Balancing Failover) configurations. Linux distributions like Ubuntu Server 22.04 LTS fully support the LSI controller’s HBA mode through updated mpt3sas drivers, enabling advanced features like drive temperature monitoring through smartctl utilities.

Operating System	Key Advantage
TrueNAS Scale	ZFS Compression
Proxmox VE	LXC Containers
Unraid	Flexible Parity

Expert Views

“This board’s hybrid storage architecture bridges the gap between consumer NAS and enterprise servers. The LSI controller’s RAID-on-Chip design offloads 30% of CPU tasks compared to software RAID, making it viable for edge computing. However, users should prioritize ECC RAM for ZFS to mitigate bit rot risks in 24/7 environments.” — Data Center Solutions Architect

Conclusion

The 6-Bay N100 i3-N305 NAS Motherboard redefines compact storage solutions with enterprise-grade expandability. Its balance of DDR5 readiness, triple 2.5G networking, and hardware RAID positions it as a top choice for homelab enthusiasts and SMBs seeking cost-effective, high-density storage without sacrificing upgradability.

FAQ

Does this motherboard support ECC memory?

No, the Intel N100/i3-N305 CPUs lack ECC support. For ZFS data integrity, use non-ECC DDR5 with regular scrubs.

What PSU is recommended for 6 HDDs?

A 250W 80+ Platinum SFX PSU (e.g., Corsair SF250) ensures stable power delivery, providing 20A on +12V rail for HDD spin-up currents.

Can I upgrade to 10G networking?

Yes, the PCIe 3.0 x1 slot accommodates Aquantia AQC113C 10G NICs, but bandwidth will be limited to 8Gbps due to lane constraints.