By Efosa Udinmwen

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A cautionary tale: hundreds of backers may have lost a total of more than $170,000 backing an 8-SSD subwoofer-like NAS mini PC project on a crowdfunding site

Efosa Udinmwen

21 September 2025

The mini PC that promised everything – but gave nothing

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(Image credit: MiniMachines)

Over 300 supporters contributed funds, receiving nothing in return
Falco Prime A2’s $799 price tag conflicted with the cost of premium parts
Promising eight SSD slots challenged processor lane limitations significantly

The Falco Prime A2 appeared on a crowdfunding platform in 2024 with bold promises of serving multiple roles at once.

It was described as a cube-shaped mini PC with specifications which suggested both raw computing power and extensive storage capacity.
However almost a year later, the project appears to have collapsed, leaving more than 300 supporters out of pocket, with reports now estimating losses at over $170,000.

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A mini PC too good to be true?
At launch, the Falco Prime A2 was presented as a 20-centimeter cube that resembled a subwoofer.

Inside, it was supposed to carry an AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX processor with 16 cores and 32 threads, supported by up to 64GB of DDR5 memory.
Graphics would be provided by either an RTX 4060M or RTX 4070M, depending on the version chosen.
Storage featured prominently, with support for multiple NVMe slots, including a front-facing module offering space for eight SSDs configured in RAID 0, 1, or 10.

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These specifications suggested a hybrid system functioning as both a NAS and a gaming-capable PC, something rarely seen in mainstream designs.
The crowdfunding campaign listed the entry-level model at $799 with 32GB of RAM and 1TB of SSD storage, rising to $999 for the higher-end unit.
On paper, the figures looked competitive, although the component costs and engineering demands made the pricing difficult to believe.

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In fact, observers pointed out inconsistencies between the system’s promises and the capabilities of its processor.
The Ryzen 7940HX supports a limited number of PCIe lanes, yet the design required far more to run discrete graphics, SSD arrays, and multiple network ports – meaning that without reducing performance, the setup appeared technically implausible.
Concerns were also raised about the tiny development team behind the project, which reportedly consisted of only a handful of engineers and marketers.
Some of the backers of this project were unaware of these red flags, while others simply ignored them.
Now, with no official updates for months, the campaign has effectively gone silent, leaving backers without product or refunds.
The last update, back in April 2025, said the company would spend two weeks completing the final assembly, installing the SSD, RAM, and Windows, before shipping would begin.
However, it has been over 20 weeks since the last update, and everything has gone silent.
This outcome highlights once again the risks of investing in ambitious crowdfunding projects that promise features out of proportion with resources.
Unlike traditional retail purchases, backing a campaign is not a guarantee of receiving a finished product.
While the idea of an all-in-one NAS mini PC with extensive SSD storage was intriguing, the reality for many supporters has turned into a financial loss.
Via MiniMachines (originally in French)
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Efosa Udinmwen

Freelance Journalist

Efosa has been writing about technology for over 7 years, initially driven by curiosity but now fueled by a strong passion for the field. He holds both a Master’s and a PhD in sciences, which provided him with a solid foundation in analytical thinking. Efosa developed a keen interest in technology policy, specifically exploring the intersection of privacy, security, and politics. His research delves into how technological advancements influence regulatory frameworks and societal norms, particularly concerning data protection and cybersecurity. Upon joining TechRadar Pro, in addition to privacy and technology policy, he is also focused on B2B security products. Efosa can be contacted at this email: udinmwenefosa@gmail.com

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Would you buy a mechanical keyboard with a Mini PC inside for $500 from Kickstarter? I’d love to, but they need to change the CPU

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