LincStation N2 and S1 hit Kickstarter for $309 and up (6-bay NAS devices with Alder Lake-N)

The LincStation N2 and LincStation S1 are both network-attached storage devices with support for high-speed wired network connections and up to six storage devices.

But while the LincStation S1 that I wrote about in February supports up to four hard drives and two SSDs, the the LincStation N1 is a smaller system that inverts that setup: it has four M.2 slots for solid state drives and room for two small (2.5 inch) hard drives or SSDs. LincPlus has launched a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign for both systems, with Super Early Bird prices starting at $309 for the LincStation N2 or $429 for the LincStation S1.

The S1 is a larger device that measures 195 x 156 x 231mm (7.68″ x 6.14″ x 9.09″) and weighs 2.9 kg (6.39 pounds), while the smaller N2 is a 210 x 152 x 40mm (8.27″ x 5.98″ x 1.57″) computer that weighs 800 grams (1.76 pounds).

While the biggest difference between the two computers may be that the S1 has room for four 3.5 inch drives, that's not the only difference. The larger model also has a SODIMM slot for user-replaceable DDR5 memory, while the N2 has LPDDR5 onboard memory that can not be replaced. The S1 has a 1.77 inch touchscreen display integrated with the case. It has more ports. and the two computers have different processors.

The S1 also has two 2.5 GbE Ethernet ports while the N2 has a single 10 Gigabit Ethernet port.

Here's a run-down of some key features for both models:

LincStation S1 LincStation N2 Processor Intel N97 (Alder Lake-N)4-cores / 4-threadsUp to 3.6 GHzIntel UHD graphics (24EU, up to 1.2 GHz)12W TDP Intel N100(Alder Lake-N)4-cores / 4-threadsUp to 3.4 GHzIntel UHD graphics (24EU, up to 750 MHz)6W TDP OS Unraid RAM 8GBDDR5 16GBLPDDR5 Storage 1 128GB eMMC Storage 2 4-bay SATA 3.0Supports 3.5 inch or 2.5 inch drives 2-bay SATA 3.0Supports 2.5 inch drives (max 9.5mm thickness) Storage 3 2 x M.2 2280PCIe NVMe 4 x M.2 2280PCIe NVMe Ports 2 x 2.5 GbE Ethernet2 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C (10 Gbps)2 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A (10 Gbps)2 x USB 2.0 Type-A (480 Mbps)1 x HDMI 2.01 x DC power input (19V/6.3A) 1 x 10 GbE Ethernet1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C (10 Gbps)1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A (10 Gbps)2 x USB 2.0 Type-A (480 Mbps)1 x HDMI 2.01 x DC power input (12V/5A) Case Plastic housing with aluminum alloy case Plastic upper cover and metal shell Display 1.77 inch touchscreen color display N/A Dimensions 195 x 156 x 231mm7.68″ x 6.14″ x 9.09″ 210 x 152 x 40mm8.27″ x 5.98″ x 1.57″ Weight 2.9 kg6.39 pounds 800 grams1.76 pounds Price $429(Super Early Bird)$619 (Retail) $309 (Super Early Bird)$439 (Retail)

Both models also have LED light strips and status indicator lights that let you tell with a glance whether power, network, and drives are active.

And both ship with Unraid pre-installed, along with a Starter License that's good for perpetual use (but which only includes "free OS updates for one year," so you'll need to keep paying if you want feature and security updates).

Compared with the previous-generation LincStation N1, the new N2 model has a redesigned body, a newer, faster processor, and a much faster network port.

Meanwhile the new LincStation S1 offers more versatility. It has more ports (although if the network ports are slower), supports up to 48GB of single-channel memory, and can be configured with far more storage thanks to its 3.5 inch drive bays. LincStation says while the N2 supports up to 48GB of storage (if you use six 8GB drives), the S1 supports up to 112TB (with four 24TB hard drives and two 8TB SSD).

LincStation N2 LincStation N2 LincStation S1

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