ODROID H4+ vs CWWK / Topton N5105 4× 2.5GbE Firewall
| Field | ODROID H4+ | CWWK / Topton N5105 4× 2.5GbE Firewall |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Intel N97 (Alder Lake-N) | Intel Pentium Silver N5105 (Jasper Lake) |
| Cores | 4C / 4T | 4C / 4T |
| Form factor | SBC / mini board | Fanless 4-port router board |
| Measured idle power | ~8.3–8.4 W idle (fan off, in enclosure) wall-measured · Wall meter · source · 2024-05-26 | ~6.4–6.7 W idle (with a quality PSU) wall-measured · Wall meter · source · 2022-11-27 |
| ECC memory | In-band ECC (IBECC) supported on Alder Lake-N, configurable in BIOS source · 2024-05-26 | No cited source — left blank. |
| NIC chipset | 2× Intel I226-V 2.5GbE source · 2024-05-26 | 4× Intel i225-V 2.5GbE source · 2022-11-27 |
| RAM ceiling | 32 GB DDR5-5600 SODIMM (single slot, tested) source · 2024-05-26 | Not stated. |
| IOMMU / passthrough | No sourced passthrough report yet. | No sourced passthrough report yet. |
| AMD reset bug | — | — |
| Price band | $140–220 | $150–250 |
| Proxmox fit (editorial) | excellent — N97 with dual Intel I226-V NICs and IBECC support idling around 8 W is a strong, virtualization-friendly Proxmox NAS/router board. | good — Sub-7 W fanless 4×2.5GbE board is an excellent low-power firewall/OPNsense host; the i225-V NICs carry the known i225 caution and the N5105 limits it to light virtualization. |
| Where to buy | Amazon Newegg eBay | Amazon Newegg eBay |
Frequently asked questions
Does the ODROID H4+ or the CWWK / Topton N5105 4× 2.5GbE Firewall use less idle power?
The ODROID H4+ idles at ~8.3–8.4 W idle (fan off, in enclosure) (wall-measured); the CWWK / Topton N5105 4× 2.5GbE Firewall idles at ~6.4–6.7 W idle (with a quality PSU) (wall-measured). On the cited lower-bound figures, the CWWK / Topton N5105 4× 2.5GbE Firewall draws less. Idle varies with OS, 120 V vs 240 V mains and power tuning, so treat these as the third-party measured numbers, not a guarantee for your exact unit.
ODROID H4+ vs CWWK / Topton N5105 4× 2.5GbE Firewall: which has the better NIC for Proxmox?
ODROID H4+ NIC: 2× Intel I226-V 2.5GbE (rated solid). CWWK / Topton N5105 4× 2.5GbE Firewall NIC: 4× Intel i225-V 2.5GbE (rated caution). Intel i226 is the chipset to want; i225 has a documented dropout history and Realtek RTL8125 works on Linux/Proxmox but not VMware ESXi. Confirm the silicon on the unit you receive with lspci -nn.
Which is the better homelab / Proxmox box, the ODROID H4+ or the CWWK / Topton N5105 4× 2.5GbE Firewall?
ODROID H4+: N97 with dual Intel I226-V NICs and IBECC support idling around 8 W is a strong, virtualization-friendly Proxmox NAS/router board. CWWK / Topton N5105 4× 2.5GbE Firewall: Sub-7 W fanless 4×2.5GbE board is an excellent low-power firewall/OPNsense host; the i225-V NICs carry the known i225 caution and the N5105 limits it to light virtualization. These are our editorial verdicts derived from the cited fields above — not a spec.
Cited public information, not purchasing advice. Idle draw depends on OS, mains voltage (120 V vs 240 V) and power tuning (powertop); onboard NIC silicon can differ between production batches of the same model — confirm with
lspci -nn before relying on a NIC or passthrough claim. Full per-model detail and every source on the model pages.