Network Attached Storage isn't just a convenience for serious data aficionados. NAS has become a necessity. If you've been lusting after the Aoostar WTR Pro but always wished it had a bit more grunt, you're in for luck. Aoostar has just announced the WTR Max. It looks to be a significant upgrade pretty much across the board.
Bigger, Faster, More Powerful WTR Max
Think of it as the stronger, bigger sibling of the WTR Pro. Pro was a capable 4-bay system. Max jumps up to a whopping 7 bays. This means a lot more potential for storage. But that's not all. Under the hood, WTR Max now has that not-so-slight bump in performance coming from Intel N150 to AMD Ryzen.
You will get a choice of processors starting with the AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS. This is already pretty darn good and includes Radeon 780M integrated graphics. For even more, there's a configuration with the Ryzen 9 8945HS. This isn't even about the storage anymore - this is about building something very powerful for everything from media servers to virtualization and beyond.
GPU Power? Maybe. Storage Galore? Definitely
Here's where it gets interesting. Aoostar says that the WTR Max could even use a Radeon 7600 XT graphics card. It's not quite sure whether that means putting it inside or talking about external GPU support. Details are still coming out. Anyway, it is crystal clear when it comes to storage. This NAS is meant to house a lot.
We're talking support for up to six 3.5-inch HDDs and, get this, up to six M.2 NVMe SSDs as well. Now "six" SSDs come up with 7 bays' discussion, which is slightly inquisitive. Maybe one bay could be dedicated to the SSDs or some other functionality. We'll have to get more information before we know for sure. Aside from storage, one can install up to 32GB of DDR5 dual-channel memory. And when it comes to networking, say goodbye to being bottlenecked. The WTR Max would offer four high-speed network ports.
Built-in Display and Ports Front and Center
One of the coolest things about the front of the WTR Max is that huge built-in display. Now you don't have to guess about drive status and system temps. Key information is right there at a glance. The panel, front, also has the USB-A port, a multi-tasking USB4 port, and an SD card slot for easy access.
Around the back are even more goodies, such as HDMI and DisplayPort for video-out, more USB ports, and, yes, these impressive network connections. Two 10 Gigabit SFP+ optical ports and two 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet ports, among several others. This NAS is already prepared to have some really high network traffic.
Pricing and Availability: The Waiting Game
Those are the two biggest questions for now. They aren't going to be answered just yet by Aoostar. Instead, the comment they did make was that similar Ryzen 8845HS-based boards would be floating around at around $500. That's a nice hint that the WTR Max is probably going to be in the NO budget category. But considering the power it offers along with its other features, it could be a very attractive option for serious NAS enthusiasts.
We will keep an eye on those details, though, about the price and when you will be able to get your hands on the Aoostar WTR Max. This is one NAS that definitely deserves to be on your radar if you're looking for a powerful, feature-packed NAS with plenty of storage potential.
Source: Aoostar Weibo CN.
