Intel N100 vs N97 vs N305: Which Mini PC CPU is Best for Your Homelab?

The market for low-power mini PCs has exploded, driven by Intel's Alder Lake-N architecture. These chips offer incredible efficiency, but the naming scheme can be confusing. Should you stick with the popular N100, upgrade to the N97, or go all out with the Core i3-N305?

This guide compares these three processors to help you decide.

The Specs at a Glance

1. Intel N100: The Efficiency King

The N100 is the successor to the popular Celeron N5105. It's the baseline for modern low-power servers.

• Pros: Extremely low power (6W TDP), very cheap, widely available, fanless options common.
• Cons: Limited multitasking, slower graphics.
• Verdict: Perfect for a basic NAS, Home Assistant, Pi-hole, and a simple Plex server (1-2 streams). If you want a "set it and forget it" server that sips power, this is it.

2. Intel N97: The Hidden Gem for Media

The N97 is often overlooked but is actually better than the N100 for one specific task: Graphics.

• Pros: Significantly faster iGPU (1200 MHz vs 750 MHz).
• Cons: Higher TDP (12W) means it runs hotter, harder to find fanless.
• Verdict: The best choice for a dedicated Media Server (Plex/Jellyfin). The higher GPU clock speed translates to better transcoding performance. If you plan to stream 4K content or share your library with friends, the N97 is worth the slight premium.

3. Core i3-N305: The Powerhouse

The N305 doubles the core count of the N100. It's effectively two N100s glued together.

• Pros: 8 Cores provide real multitasking capability. 32 EU graphics.
• Cons: More expensive, higher power consumption (15W+), requires active cooling (fans).
• Verdict: Ideal for Proxmox and Virtualization. If you want to run Windows VMs, a game server (Minecraft), and a dozen Docker containers simultaneously, the N100 will choke, but the N305 will breeze through it.

Summary: Which One Should You Buy?

• Buy the N100 if: You prioritize low power, silence, and price. You are building a router, NAS, or Home Assistant controller.
• Buy the N97 if: You are building a dedicated media server and want the best transcoding performance per dollar.
• Buy the N305 if: You are building a "Homelab in a Box". You want to run Proxmox with multiple VMs and need the extra CPU cores to keep everything smooth.