TOPC launches AMD-powered mini PC with OCuLink-beating MCIO port

TOPC has launched a new AMD-powered mini PC in China, and the biggest selling point of the system is that it comes with an MCIO interface for connecting an eGPU with it. GPD has introduced something similar, the Box, but that features the PCIe 5.0 x8 version of the interface and has yet to launch.

Regardless, this MCIO interface stands as a better alternative to the OCuLink port that most mini PCs and handhelds come with. To fill you in, most manufacturers rely on the PCIe 4.0 x4 OCuLink interface, which promises 64Gbps bandwidth.

The MCIO PCIe 4.0 x8 interface on this TOPC mini PC, on the other hand, promises 128Gbps bandwidth. This should lead to a lower performance drop compared to a native setup when paired with an appropriate eGPU.

As for the mini itself, the TOPC TA255 features the AMD Ryzen 7 H 255, a refreshed processor from the Hawk Point lineup. It has the Radeon 780M iGPU, which is still capable of smoothly running many games at the 1080p resolution with the visual settings turned down (Geekom A7 Max curr. $638.99 on Amazon).

This processor is paired with up to 24GB of LPDDR5 RAM, and there are two M.2 slots for SSDs. However, as TOPC notes, the choice of processor is limiting the MCIO port, as it doesn't have support for PCIe 5.0. There's a hint of the brand introducing an upgraded model with a CPU that can take full advantage of MCIO 5.0.

That said, in addition to the MCIO port, the mini PC features the following ports:

• 3x 5Gbps USB Type-A
• 1x USB4
• 2x 2.5G Ethernet
• 1x HDMI 2.1
• 1x DisplayPort 2.1
• 1x USB 2.0 Type-A
• 1x 3.5mm audio

There are WiFi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 for wireless connectivity. In China, TOPC is offering this AMD mini PC with 16GB of RAM for CNY 2,699, around $395. The one with 24GB of RAM costs CNY 2,999, around $438. These configurations don't come with any storage, and it's unclear whether the company will launch the TA255 in the global market.