Minisforum N5 Pro: compatible drives
By Devin Chua · Data checked by Owen Nakamura · Updated The Minisforum N5 Pro takes 5 3.5-inch and 2.5-inch SATA drives, each up to 30 TB by Minisforum’s rating, plus 3 M.2 NVMe slots (2 of them also U.2). Minisforum publishes no compatibility list and no brand lock, so compatibility comes down to the drive itself. Any CMR NAS drive works; SMR drives are the one type to keep out of its RAID arrays.
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What fits the N5 Pro, by drive type
From Minisforum’s published specifications (checked 30 September 2026). Prices for the drives that fit are on the best drives for the N5 Pro page.
| Drive type | Works? | Limit or caveat |
|---|---|---|
| 3.5-inch CMR NAS hard drive (IronWolf, WD Red Plus or Pro, Toshiba N300) | Yes | Up to 30 TB per bay by Minisforum's rating |
| 3.5-inch enterprise CMR drive (IronWolf Pro, Exos, Ultrastar) | Yes | Louder than NAS lines; fine where noise does not matter |
| 2.5-inch SATA SSD | Yes | The bays are specified for 2.5-inch SATA drives too |
| SMR hard drive (many desktop and some older WD Red) | Avoid | Works alone, but stalls a RAID rebuild |
| Drive larger than the per-bay rating | Unconfirmed | Minisforum rates bays to 30 TB; larger drives are untested by Minisforum |
| M.2 slot: M.2 2230/2280/22110 NVMe | Yes | Up to 8 TB, PCIe 4.0 ×1 |
| U.2/M.2 slot A: U.2 or M.2 2280/22110 NVMe | Yes | Up to 15 TB, PCIe 4.0 ×1 |
| U.2/M.2 slot B: U.2 or M.2 2280/22110 NVMe | Yes | Up to 15 TB, PCIe 4.0 ×2 |
Bays, per-bay limit and the compatibility list
The N5 Pro has 5 bays for 3.5-inch and 2.5-inch SATA drives, and Minisforum rates each bay for drives up to 30 TB (150 TB across the whole box, by Minisforum's count). Minisforum publishes no drive compatibility list for the N5 Pro and names no drive-brand lock (checked 30 September 2026), so there is no list to follow: choose drives on recording method and workload rating.
The Minisforum drive policy on the N5 Pro
unrestrictedNo published list and no lock. Minisforum links no drive compatibility list from the N5 Pro page (checked 30 September 2026) and states no brand restriction; any CMR NAS drive up to its stated 30 TB per bay is the safe choice.
The N5 Pro at a glance
| Bays | 5 × 3.5-inch and 2.5-inch SATA |
|---|---|
| Maximum raw capacity | 150 TB 5 × 30 TB drives, per Minisforum; the M.2/U.2 slots add up to 38 TB more (8 TB + 2 × 15 TB) |
| Processor | AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 370 (12 cores, 24 threads) |
| Memory | 16 GB, DDR5 SO-DIMM 5600, ECC supported (2 slots) 96 GB per Minisforum's product page and configurator (one Canadian comparison table says 128 GB). Sold as 16 GB, 48 GB or 96 GB; only the 96 GB configuration (2 × 48 GB) is known to be dual channel. |
| M.2 NVMe | 3 slots 1 × M.2 (PCIe 4.0 ×1, up to 8 TB) plus 2 × U.2 or M.2 (PCIe 4.0 ×1 and ×2, up to 15 TB each). Minisforum does not say which slot the 128 GB OS drive occupies. |
| Network | 1 × 10GbE and 1 × 5GbE |
| Operating system | MinisCloud OS |
| RAID types | RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, RAID 6 |
Keep calculating
To see how much capacity is left after parity, the N5 Pro capacity calculator is preset to its 5 bays and RAID types. For the N5 Pro, the wider basics of choosing a drive are in the buying guides, and CMR versus SMR explains why SMR drives do not belong in a RAID array. Wondering what the N5 Pro can actually do: Plex, Immich, Docker, local AI? See what the N5 Pro can run.
Frequently asked questions
Can I put third-party drives in the N5 Pro?
Yes. Minisforum publishes no drive compatibility list and no brand lock for the N5 Pro, so any CMR NAS drive up to its rated size works.
What is the largest drive the N5 Pro takes?
Minisforum rates each of the N5 Pro's 5 bays for drives up to 30 TB, 150 TB in all. Larger drives may work, but Minisforum has not said so.
Do 2.5-inch SSDs work in the N5 Pro's bays?
Yes. Minisforum specifies the N5 Pro's bays for 2.5-inch SATA drives as well as 3.5-inch, so a SATA SSD fits. For AI models, though, the M.2 NVMe slots are the faster place.
Does the N5 Pro take U.2 drives?
Yes. 2 of its 3 SSD slots take a U.2 drive (up to 15 TB) as well as M.2 NVMe, which suits a large model library or a write-heavy pool.
Can I use SMR drives in the N5 Pro?
Not in a RAID array. An SMR drive works on its own, but in the N5 Pro's RAID it can stall a rebuild for days. Check the model number against the maker's CMR/SMR list before buying.
Devin Chua works out which drives, RAM and NVMe cache fit which NAS model at nasdrives.ca, and what the RAID choice means for usable capacity, checked against what is in stock on Amazon.ca.
Data checked by Owen Nakamura, Technical editor (data checking)