No preinstalled NAS OS; FriendlyElec images: OpenMediaVault…
Containers (Docker)
Yes
Virtual machines
Yes
Memory upgrade
LPDDR4X 2133 MHz (soldered on compute module) · up to 16.0 GB per the maker · non-ECC
Notes
Rockchip RK3588 (4x Cortex-A76 2.4 GHz + 4x Cortex-A55 1.8 GHz). RK3588 runs 1-4B quantized models on CPU (a reviewer saw about 14 tokens/s on the 16 GB unit) and small converted models on the 6 TOPS NPU, but RAM tops out at 16 GB and Ollama has no GPU/NPU acceleration here.
It can, with limits: expect small models only, at modest speed.
Models run on its CPU cores, and this configuration leaves about 2.0 GB for them after the NAS system and its storage services. The grades below assume the NAS isn’t busy with backups or media work at the same time.
More memory is the upgrade that matters most: see the configurations.
Best LLMs for the FriendlyElec CM3588 NAS Kit 4.0 GB
Quality
Model
Quant
Memory
Speed
Runs
C53Fair quality (C) · 53 of 100: how capable the model is at Q4_K_M, whatever it runs on. Match score 73/100 (quality, fit, speed and memory use) sets the ranking.
D39Basic quality (D) · 39 of 100: how capable the model is at Q4_K_M, whatever it runs on. Match score 72/100 (quality, fit, speed and memory use) sets the ranking.
D39Basic quality (D) · 39 of 100: how capable the model is at Q4_K_M, whatever it runs on. Match score 70/100 (quality, fit, speed and memory use) sets the ranking.
C42Fair quality (C) · 42 of 100: how capable the model is at Q3_K_M, whatever it runs on. Match score 69/100 (quality, fit, speed and memory use) sets the ranking.
D34Basic quality (D) · 34 of 100: how capable the model is at Q4_K_M, whatever it runs on. Match score 69/100 (quality, fit, speed and memory use) sets the ranking.
D33Basic quality (D) · 33 of 100: how capable the model is at Q3_K_M, whatever it runs on. Match score 68/100 (quality, fit, speed and memory use) sets the ranking.
D26Basic quality (D) · 26 of 100: how capable the model is at Q3_K_M, whatever it runs on. Match score 67/100 (quality, fit, speed and memory use) sets the ranking.
D24Basic quality (D) · 24 of 100: how capable the model is at Q4_K_M, whatever it runs on. Match score 66/100 (quality, fit, speed and memory use) sets the ranking.
D33Basic quality (D) · 33 of 100: how capable the model is at Q3_K_M, whatever it runs on. Match score 65/100 (quality, fit, speed and memory use) sets the ranking.
D33Basic quality (D) · 33 of 100: how capable the model is at Q3_K_M, whatever it runs on. Match score 64/100 (quality, fit, speed and memory use) sets the ranking.
Best Image models for the FriendlyElec CM3588 NAS Kit 4.0 GB
Quality
Model
Quant
Memory
Speed
Runs
D39Basic quality (D) · 39 of 100: how capable the model is at FP8, whatever it runs on. Match score 52/100 (quality, fit, speed and memory use) sets the ranking.
D28Basic quality (D) · 28 of 100: how capable the model is at FP16, whatever it runs on. Match score 49/100 (quality, fit, speed and memory use) sets the ranking.
C42Fair quality (C) · 42 of 100: how capable the model is at FP16, whatever it runs on. Match score 48/100 (quality, fit, speed and memory use) sets the ranking.
C40Fair quality (C) · 40 of 100: how capable the model is at FP16, whatever it runs on. Match score 47/100 (quality, fit, speed and memory use) sets the ranking.
D30Basic quality (D) · 30 of 100: how capable the model is at FP16, whatever it runs on. Match score 46/100 (quality, fit, speed and memory use) sets the ranking.
D35Basic quality (D) · 35 of 100: how capable the model is at FP16, whatever it runs on. Match score 45/100 (quality, fit, speed and memory use) sets the ranking.
Best Video models for the FriendlyElec CM3588 NAS Kit 4.0 GB
None of the video models in our catalog fit in this much memory.
Best Decision models for the FriendlyElec CM3588 NAS Kit 4.0 GB
Quality
Model
Quant
Memory
Speed
Runs
A+86Excellent quality (A+) · 86 of 100: how capable the model is at Q8_0, whatever it runs on. Match score 81/100 (quality, fit, speed and memory use) sets the ranking.
A84Great quality (A) · 84 of 100: how capable the model is at Q8_0, whatever it runs on. Match score 80/100 (quality, fit, speed and memory use) sets the ranking.
A80Great quality (A) · 80 of 100: how capable the model is at Q8_0, whatever it runs on. Match score 79/100 (quality, fit, speed and memory use) sets the ranking.
A80Great quality (A) · 80 of 100: how capable the model is at Q8_0, whatever it runs on. Match score 78/100 (quality, fit, speed and memory use) sets the ranking.
A80Great quality (A) · 80 of 100: how capable the model is at Q8_0, whatever it runs on. Match score 78/100 (quality, fit, speed and memory use) sets the ranking.
A76Great quality (A) · 76 of 100: how capable the model is at Q8_0, whatever it runs on. Match score 77/100 (quality, fit, speed and memory use) sets the ranking.
B68Good quality (B) · 68 of 100: how capable the model is at Q8_0, whatever it runs on. Match score 77/100 (quality, fit, speed and memory use) sets the ranking.
A74Great quality (A) · 74 of 100: how capable the model is at Q8_0, whatever it runs on. Match score 77/100 (quality, fit, speed and memory use) sets the ranking.
Estimates come from published hardware specs and our open formulas, not from running the model on your machine. Real speed varies with runtime, drivers and settings. Numbers marked “Measured” come from a linked benchmark.
