Building My New Home Network: Why I Chose the Beelink N150 6-Bay NAS Mini PC

This is the full breakdown of every Mini PC I considered for my home rack.
The goal: an always-on machine for routing, storage, Docker, Home Assistant, Syncthing, and a Minecraft server for my kids and me (mostly me).

Below is a quick comparison table to preview all five contenders.

Comparison Table

	Aoostar N1 Pro N150	Beelink ME Mini N150	Gmktec G9 N150	Beelink ME Mini N95	Generic N100
Image
CPU	Intel N150	Intel N150	Intel N150	Intel N95	Intel N100
RAM	12GB DDR5	12GB DDR5	12GB DDR5	12GB DDR5	None
Internal Storage	1× M.2 NVMe	6× M.2 NVMe	4× M.2 NVMe	6× M.2 NVMe	5× M.2 NVMe
LAN Ports	2× 2.5GbE	2× 2.5GbE	2× 2.5GbE	2× 2.5GbE	4× 2.5GbE
Included SSD	512GB	2TB	512GB	1TB	None
Price	$165	$280	$230	$237	$220
Link	https://a.co/d/f5DZfaY	https://a.co/d/38gtPpa	https://a.co/d/hO3vfGU	https://a.co/d/4p9MgqI	https://a.co/d/2RLpDBq

What I Needed

• Fast enough to run OPNsense/pfSense, Docker, Home Assistant, Syncthing, and a Minecraft server for my kids and me (mostly me)
• Low power (always on)
• Future-proof
• Expandable internal storage
• Dual 2.5GbE or better

1. Beelink ME Mini N150 — 6 NVMe slots — 12GB DDR5 — Dual 2.5GbE

Link: https://a.co/d/38gtPpa

+ CPU: Intel N150 — Plenty for routing, Docker, Home Assistant, NAS, and Minecraft
+ RAM: 12GB DDR5 — Fast efficient DDR5, 12GB should be plenty
++ Storage: 6x M.2 NVMe slots — Unmatched expandability at this size
+ Networking: 2x 2.5GbE — Router-ready
+ Included SSD: 2TB NVMe — Adds real value and reduces total cost
++ Size/Cleanliness: Internal power supply, very clean internals, awesome looking

+ Price: $279.20 — Strong value considering the storage and expandability

Brando Score: 8/10
My final pick. Overall the best value for the price.

2. Aoostar N1 Pro N150 — 12GB DDR5 — Dual 2.5GbE — 1× NVMe

Link: https://a.co/d/f5DZfaY

+ CPU: Intel N150 — Great for lightweight homelab tasks
+ RAM: 12GB DDR5 — Fast efficient DDR5, 12GB should be plenty
- Storage: Single NVMe slot — Severely limits long-term expansion
+ Networking: 2x 2.5GbE — Router-ready
- Included SSD: 512GB — Fair, but not useful for our project
+ Size/Cleanliness: Super compact

++ Price: $165 — One of the best deals in this category

Brando Score: 6/10
Great value if storage expandability doesn’t matter.

3. GMKtec G9 N150 — 12GB DDR5 — Dual 2.5GbE — 4x NVMe

Link: https://a.co/d/hO3vfGU

+ CPU: Intel N150 — Solid for most homelab workloads
+ RAM: 12GB DDR5 — Fast efficient DDR5, 12GB should be plenty
- Storage: 4× NVMe — Good, but not as expandable as the Beelink
+ Networking: 2x 2.5GbE — Router-ready
+ Included SSD: 512GB NVMe — Decent starter drive
+ Size/Cleanliness: Not the prettiest, but it’s fine

· Price: $229.99 — Okay, but less storage than competitors and less expandability.

Brando Score: 7/10
Great alternative to the Beelink ME Mini N150 if you don’t want the included 2TB NVMe or 6x NVMe slots.

4. Beelink ME Mini N95 — 12GB DDR5 — Dual 2.5GbE — 1TB NVMe

Link: https://a.co/d/4p9MgqI

- CPU: Intel N95 — Good enough, but limits future expansion
+ RAM: 12GB DDR5 — Fast efficient DDR5, 12GB should be plenty
++ Storage: 6x M.2 NVMe slots — Unmatched expandability at this size
+ Networking: 2x 2.5GbE — Ideal for router + LAN setup
+ Included SSD: 2TB NVMe — Adds real value and reduces total cost
++ Size/Cleanliness: Internal power supply, very clean internals, awesome looking

- Price: $236.55 — For a little more you can get a better CPU and an additional 1TB of storage

Brando Score: 6/10 The best option if you don’t want the extra power or storage from the Beelink ME Mini N150 2TB.

5. Generic N100 — 5× NVMe — 4× 2.5GbE — Barebones

Link: https://a.co/d/2RLpDBq

· CPU: Intel N100 — Usable, not fast
- RAM: None — Adds significant cost, but allows for future upgrades
++ Storage: 5x NVMe slots — Excellent expandability
++ Networking: 4x 2.5GbE — Great for VLAN/router experiments
-- Included SSD: None — More cost on top
+ Size/Cleanliness: All aluminum enclosure is cool, but not the prettiest

- Price: $220 — Becomes overpriced once RAM + NVMe are added

Brando Score: 5/10
Perfect for router labs, but not ideal for an all-in-one homelab when you factor the total price.

What I Chose

The Beelink ME Mini N150 6-Bay NAS Mini PC
https://a.co/d/38gtPpa

It hit every requirement:

• Six NVMe slots
• Internal power supply
• Dual 2.5GbE
• Clean internals
• Low power draw
• Enough CPU for Docker, Home Assistant, OPNsense, Minecraft, and more
• Included 2TB NVMe
• Zero external storage clutter
• Price is the sweet spot for everything included

Runner-Up

Aoostar N1 Pro N150
https://a.co/d/f5DZfaY
Best deal per dollar, but not enough expandable storage for this build.

The One I Wanted But Didn’t Need

Generic N100 5×NVMe / 4×LAN
https://a.co/d/2RLpDBq
Incredibly flexible, but too expensive once you add RAM and an NVMe.

Final Thoughts

If you only need 1–2 NVMe drives, cheaper models make sense.
But if you want a clean, expandable, long-term, always-on homelab brain with no external storage nonsense, the Beelink ME Mini N150 is the clear winner.