I already own a QN11 from AliExpress, which is fantastic as a media server with its N100 chipset. What really stands out is the large, nearly silent fan—perfect for quiet operation.
You might wonder why I wouldn’t just buy another QN11. Well, I recently came across a new model from Trigkey. It features an internal power supply, a larger and equally quiet fan, dual NICs, a 500GB SSD (with the option for an additional M.2 drive), and 16GB of RAM—all for just $229. That’s an absolute steal!
This setup isn’t for everyone, but if you’re after silent performance, this gets you 99% of the way there.
Worth noting the additional M.2 slot is PCIE x1, as opposed to the x4 of the main slot.
Update. Digging a little deeper it’s actually a M.2 SATA slot.
Update 2. Ignore above update. The x4 slot is SATA compatible.