ZimaCube

2024 · nas

Specifications

Cpu: Intel Processor N100 (standard, quad-core Alder Lake-N up to 3.4 GHz) or Intel Core i5-1235U (Pro, 10-core/12-thread Alder Lake-U up to 4.4 GHz); Kickstarter November 2023, shipped 2024
Gpu: Intel UHD Graphics (N100) or Iris Xe 80 EU (i5-1235U)
Ram: max: 16 GB (standard) or 64 GB (Pro), per IceWhale's official maximums · base: 8 GB DDR4-3200 SO-DIMM, 1 slot (standard) or 16 GB DDR5-4800 SO-DIMM as 2x 8 GB (Pro)
Ports: 6x SATA drive bays (3.5"/2.5") · 2x 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet (both models) · 1x 10 Gigabit Ethernet (Pro only) · 2x Thunderbolt 4 USB-C (Pro only) · Standard: 4x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, 4x USB 2.0 Type-A, 1x USB-C 3.0 · Pro: 4x USB 3.0 Type-A (2 front, 2 rear), 1x USB-C front · 1x DisplayPort 1.4 · 1x HDMI 2.0 · 2x PCIe 3.0 slots (standard); 1x PCIe 4.0 x4 plus 1x PCIe 3.0 x2 (Pro) · internal 220 W power supply (100-240V AC)
Display: DisplayPort 1.4 and HDMI 2.0 outputs
Storage: base: 256 GB NVMe system SSD plus 6 empty drive bays for 3.5" or 2.5" SATA drives (up to 164 TB claimed) · options: 7th bay SSD tray with 4x M.2 NVMe slots (about 800 MB/s per slot on standard, about 3,200 MB/s on Pro) · More storage via the PCIe expansion slots
Os Support: latest: ZimaOS; standard x86-64 machine, also runs TrueNAS, Proxmox, Debian, Ubuntu and Windows · shipped: ZimaOS, preinstalled on the 256 GB system SSD
Release Price: Kickstarter (November 2023): standard $499 early bird then $599, Pro $899 early bird then $999; announced retail $699 and $1,199, later store pricing about $649 and $1,099

Variants

Revisions

ZimaCube (N100)Intel N100, 8 GB DDR4-3200 (1 SO-DIMM slot, max 16 GB), 2x 2.5GbE, 2x PCIe 3.0 slots, 7th-bay NVMe at reduced speed, no Thunderbolt.

ZimaCube Pro (i5-1235U)Core i5-1235U, 16 GB DDR5-4800 (2 SO-DIMM slots, max 64 GB), adds 10GbE, 2x Thunderbolt 4, PCIe 4.0 x4 slot and full-speed 7th-bay NVMe.

Upgrade paths

storage

6x SATA bays (up to 164 TB claimed) plus 4x M.2 NVMe in the 7th bay; system SSD is a replaceable 256 GB NVMe stick · The 6+1 bay layout is the headline feature: bulk SATA below, an NVMe SSD tray (with ESP32-driven RGB) up top.

drive cost only; bays and the 7th-bay tray are tool-free or simple screwdriver jobs

EASY

RAM

16 GB DDR4 SO-DIMM (standard) or 64 GB DDR5 SO-DIMM over 2 slots (Pro) · SO-DIMM slots sit behind the side panel and are reachable without pulling other components.

~$30-150 depending on capacity

EASY

ports

PCIe expansion: 2x PCIe 3.0 slots on standard, PCIe 4.0 x4 plus PCIe 3.0 x2 on Pro, for NICs, HBAs or compact GPUs and AI accelerators · Slot power and clearance suit low-profile cards; electrical lanes are narrower than the physical slots.

varies by card

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