Best mini PC for a firewall
Fast Intel NICs and low idle power. Ranked by NIC count.
A firewall box wants fast, well-supported NICs and low idle power - it runs 24/7 and does little heavy lifting between traffic. Two or more Intel 2.5GbE ports (i225/i226) is the sweet spot; the CPU only matters once you are pushing multi-gigabit VPN.
The ranking favours boxes with more Intel NICs and lower idle draw. The one hard rule: avoid Realtek NICs on BSD - OPNsense and pfSense are far happier on Intel.
What to look for
- Intel NICs, 2+
- i225/i226 2.5GbE is ideal. More ports means WAN + LAN + an optional DMZ or second WAN without a switch.
- Avoid Realtek on BSD
- Realtek NICs are a known headache on pfSense/OPNsense. Intel is the safe default.
- Low idle watts
- A router idles almost all the time. Fewer watts is the spec that pays you back.
- AES-NI for VPN
- Any modern Intel chip has it; it is what keeps WireGuard/IPsec fast without a big CPU.
The picks right now
| # | Pick | Fit | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Topton N5105 4-LAN
Top pick 4 NICs, ~8W idle - Intel Celeron N5105.
|
4x Intel I225-V |
~$189 Check price on Amazon |
| 2 |
CWWK NAS Board
4 NICs, ~12W idle - Intel Processor N100.
|
4x Intel I226-V |
~$210 Check price on Amazon |
| 3 |
CWWK N305 4-LAN
4 NICs, ~9W idle - Intel Core i3-N305.
|
4x Intel I226-V |
~$279 Check price on Amazon |
Ranked from curated specs, same logic as the interactive recommender and the calculator. Approximate - verify against your exact setup. Prices move; check the retailer.