Minisforum N5 vs Minisforum N5 Pro
Updated
Which should you buy?
Buy the N5 Pro: it adds a 12-core Ryzen AI processor, a 50 TOPS NPU, Radeon 890M graphics and ECC memory support in the same chassis, and it is the model sold in the UK. The N5 was sold out and not listed in Minisforum's UK store when we checked.
What is the difference between the N5 and the N5 Pro?
The N5 and N5 Pro share almost everything outside the processor: a five-bay chassis with three M.2 slots, 10GbE plus 5GbE, two USB4 ports, an OCuLink port, a PCIe x16 slot wired at x4, an external 280W supply and a 96GB memory ceiling.
The N5 Pro uses the Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 370, with 12 cores, Radeon 890M graphics and a 50 TOPS NPU, and supports ECC memory. Minisforum documents running language models on its NPU and GPU.
The N5 uses the Ryzen 7 255, with eight cores, Radeon 780M graphics and no NPU, and non-ECC memory. For language models the gap is smaller than the spec sheet suggests: most open-source runtimes ignore NAS NPUs, and with the same 96GB ceiling both hold the same model sizes (Estimated). The Pro answers faster thanks to more cores and stronger graphics.
The practical issue is availability. The N5 was sold out on Minisforum's own stores when we checked, and the UK store now offers the N5 Air instead. If you are comparing new prices, set the N5 Pro barebone price against the cost of finding an N5 elsewhere, and remember that both need memory bought separately.
Choose the Minisforum N5 if
You find one at a good price, second hand or from a retailer with stock, and want the five-bay Minisforum platform with 96GB headroom for less. You will run models on the CPU and graphics and do not need ECC.
Choose the Minisforum N5 Pro if
You want the stronger processor, the NPU for vendor AI features and ECC memory, from a model that is actually on sale in the UK with Minisforum's support behind it. For anyone buying new, this is the version to choose, and the gap in price is small next to the cost of 96GB of memory.
How do the specifications compare?
Every figure comes from the system's own record, with sources on each system page. The better figure in each row is marked.
$919.00
Amazon US · Verified
Ships from the US; delivery and import charges shown at checkout
Price
Compute
Memory
Storage
Connectivity
Software
AI
Other
Which can run bigger local models?
Both top out at 96GB of memory, so on paper they hold the same model sizes: 70B class models at 4-bit with room left for longer context (Estimated). The difference is speed, which depends on the processor, graphics and memory bandwidth rather than capacity.
For GPU acceleration, the Minisforum N5 offers oculink (external gpu), while the Minisforum N5 Pro offers oculink (external gpu). A discrete card with its own memory is the biggest single speed upgrade for local models, so this matters more than CPU cores for anyone planning to run 14B models or larger.
The Minisforum N5 Pro has a 50 TOPS NPU. NAS NPUs help vendor features such as photo recognition and search, but most open-source LLM runtimes do not use them yet.
What do they cost in the UK right now?
Live Amazon UK prices, each with the time it was last verified. Where a system has no verified Amazon UK offer, its Amazon US price is shown in dollars and marked.
| System | Price | Stock | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|
 | $919.00 Amazon US · Verified Ships from the US; delivery and import charges shown at checkout | In stock | View Deal |
 | £1,040.41 Amazon UK · Verified | In stock | View Deal |
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com, as applicable, at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
N5 vs N5 Pro questions
Which is better for local LLMs, the N5 or the N5 Pro?
The Minisforum N5 Pro scores higher on the AINAS Local LLM profile (79 against 67), which weights memory and GPU options most heavily.
Which has faster networking?
The Minisforum N5 has 10GbE as its fastest port and the Minisforum N5 Pro has 10GbE.
Which has more storage?
The Minisforum N5 has 5 drive bays and 3 M.2 slots; the Minisforum N5 Pro has 5 bays and 3 M.2 slots.
How long is the warranty on each?
2 years on the Minisforum N5 and 2 years on the Minisforum N5 Pro, according to the manufacturers.
Want to add a third system? Open this comparison in the compare tool.