TechRadar review praises Beelink ME Pro Creator Edition NAS ahead of Kickstarter launch

According to TechRadar, the review covers the four-bay Creator NAS, which is available in two SKUs and uses the Intel Core i5-13500H mobile processor. Beelink also lists five lower-priced Home NAS options using Intel J5005, N95, N150 and Core 304 processors, plus two higher-end models with AMD Ryzen AI 350 and AI 470 class processors. The four-bay enclosure is a compact all-metal unibody measuring 165 x 121 x 185mm and weighing 2.4kg without drives. Beelink says it is 50 percent smaller in volume than a conventional design, and TechRadar said it is much smaller than comparable Synology or QNAP products.

TechRadar reported that an internal blower on the motherboard module pulls cool air in and pushes it out, while the milled aluminium construction helps radiate heat. Silicone mounts sit either side of each drive and between the case and the motherboard tray to reduce vibration and noise. The review unit has 12 cores, 16 threads and a 45W TDP, along with 32GB of DDR4, a 500GB system SSD and four M.2 slots. TechRadar said the specification suits creative professionals who need large amounts of fast storage for video editing or photo collections.

The review said earlier Beelink NAS products used FygoOS, and the same operating system is included here. TechRadar described FygoOS as flexible and well-featured, making the ME Pro feel like a platform rather than an appliance, and said it delivers many higher-end features that some NAS products lack. The review also listed the lack of tool-less drive trays and an NPU among drawbacks, alongside the Kickstarter launch and the single 10GbE port.

TechRadar reported that the ME Pro range is listed as coming soon on Kickstarter, with a Super Early Bird discount of 30 percent. Prices are in US dollars and drives are not included. The 13500H four-bay model costs $819 at Super Early Bird and $1,169 at list price. Other four-bay models range from $369 to $1,379 at Super Early Bird and from $529 to $1,969 at list price. A $10 VIP deposit before launch unlocks a free four-bay upgrade, and buyers who back the two-bay tier machine will receive the four-bay model at the same price, TechRadar reported.

TechRadar said the pricing makes the $819 Creator NAS seem like exceptional value, though it warned that a Kickstarter pledge is not a purchase and delivery dates can slip. The review said that if the campaign goes well and the hardware reaches retail channels, the product might be included in its best NAS devices list.