Affordable mini PC: Kamrui Essenx E1 introduced with quad-core Intel CPU and gigabit ethernet
The ever-expanding world of mini PCs has something to offer for almost any audience. Those on a budget are no exception, thanks to the plethora of decently equipped systems available for purchase from the digital shelves of e-commerce platforms. The Kamrui Essenx E1 is one such offering, that is now powered by Intel's Twin Lake processors.
Of course, the Intel N150 powering the Essenx E1 is far from a powerhouse. However, for most daily tasks and casual usage, the quad-core, quad-thread N150 is perfectly sufficient for the vast majority of lightweight tasks thrown its way. The Essenx E1 can be equipped with up to 16 GB of single-channel DDR4 memory, and up to 2 TB of solid-state storage. Fortunately, both the memory and storage are user-accessible, which is undoubtedly a necessary feature for future-proofing the system.
At just 3.9 x 3.9 x 1.5 inches, the Essenx E1 is commendably compact. The mini PC packs a healthy array of ports as well, including HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort 1.4, dual USB 3.2 Gen 2, gigabit ethernet, and dual USB 2.0. Unsurprisingly, the Essenx E1 lacks the luxury of discrete graphics, which is to be expected considering its diminutive size. The integrated Iris Xe iGPU with 24 EUs should be enough to pull through most non-intensive workloads, although the system will most likely suffer with heavier workloads.
Considering the target audience for the Essenx E1 mini PC, the product appears to leave hardly any room for complaint in terms of specifications. The pricing reflects the modest internals of the mini PC, with starting price of just $189 on Amazon for the variant with 8 GB of memory and 256 GB of solid-state storage, as of this writing. The highest-end variant, on the other hand, commands a $319 price tag for twice the memory and a terabyte of storage.
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