Radxa Board Compatibility with Custom NAS Devices

#1

My name is Shahid, and I am currently working on building and selling custom NAS (Network Attached Storage) devices targeted toward home users and small office owners in the Indian market. I’m exploring suitable SBC solutions and am considering Radxa boards for this project.

Here’s a quick overview of the intended usage:

1. For Home Users :

  • Storage Configuration : 1x 128GB SSD (OS) + 2TB to 4TB HDD (for data)
  • Software Stack : TrueNAS, Nextcloud, and similar open-source NAS solutions
  • Key Requirements : Silent operation, 24/7 uptime, reliable performance, and good thermal management

2. For Small Office Users :

  • Storage Configuration : 128GB SSD (OS) + 2TB + 2TB / 4TB / 8TB HDDs (based on need)
  • Software Stack : Same as above, with higher storage and stability requirements
  • Additional Needs : Consistent performance under small network loads, good internet connectivity options (Gigabit Ethernet / Wi-Fi)

My Queries:

  1. Do Radxa boards (like Rock 4 SE, Rock 5B, or any others you recommend) support such continuous NAS operations reliably?
  2. Are there any known limitations regarding SATA or USB drive support (especially for multiple HDDs)?
  3. Thermal management – do you recommend any specific heatsinks or fans to prevent overheating during 24/7 use?
  4. What are the internet connectivity options (Gigabit Ethernet, dual LAN, Wi-Fi)?
  5. Based on your suggestions, I plan to design compatible NAS enclosures for both home and office segments.

Please advise on the best-suited board(s) for my use case, along with pricing and availability for bulk orders in India.

#2

Most stuff from radxa is ARM-based, not supported by TrueNAS, only OMV. Nextcloud working with no issues.

Rock 4SE is quite old, 5B is way better in terms of i/o, power and thermals, also You get much faster networking. There is also 5T for industrial grade stuff.
Vendor images are specific and bit older, but they should be stable. There are also other choices if something new is needed.

Yes, avoid USB for data in NAS (any), it’s not considered reliable for long run.
For SATA, there are some choices, depending on i/o that You have. 5B+ can handle 2x m.2 ASM1166 cards, each with 6x sata ports.

RK3588 can work perfectly with big passive heatsink.

Everything has at least 1Gbit ethernet, RK3588 has 2.5G, on some models two of them. 5T is good here with two m.2 ports as well as two 2.5G ethernets. Also You can plug 10G ethernet card in few configurations.

Browse and contact Arace or Allnet, they ship globally,
Probably You don’t need to put system on ssd,
check out Rock 5T, check out OMV, add ASM1166 and 10G ethernet card and You will have great and solid base.

With 3.5 inch drives You will already have big build size, then rock 5ITX/ITX+ may be good choice.

#3

Dear Dominik,
First up all, i really like to thank for your quick reply.

You really have given me most of the informtion , which really helps me to understand about Radxa,

As i have purchased brand new Radxa X4, 4GB, 32 eMMC etc, but the problem is, i am not getting “Radxa M.2 M Key to SATA Breakout Board” as i have purchased my mistake Radxa M.2 E Key to SATA Breakout Board, actually i am not able to insert it, so did google, but its not available in my home country (India), actually i am planning to design Basic NAS device using Radxa X4, with 2 or 3 SSD, for just home users with RAID, but i am not good in Radxa, so do you have any idea, what option is best to insert upto 3 SSD or HDD using any addon / cards,

appreciate your solutions

#4

As in docs radxa breakout board works with rockchip ROCK 5x series, not with intel X4.
For X4 You are limited by only one pcie 3x4 in small format and usb. Probably You need one of pcie extenders and m.2 card for sata.
Bifurcation is also possible.

#5

Dear Dominik,
Thanks again for your quick reply,
if possible, can you share me the photos, so i can place order in india, my only concern is, if i use any converter, how many disks i can use, because for NAS RAID, i need it min 2 or 3 SSD or HDD,
please suggest me

#6

Probably something like this:


image
image.jpg933×739 77.7 KB

But don’t have either x4 or this converter, it should do the trick - plug into 2230 m.2 and put m.2 on flex, there should be more versions with different flex length - choose the one that will fit Your setup.
X4 have intel cpu on bottom so It would not flip nvme to bottom.

For sata - any card with asm1166, likt radxa one: https://radxa.com/products/accessories/m2-to-hexa-sata-adapter/