Mini PC

Chrome OS devices can be the path of least resistance to productivity on a budget or within space constraints. However, those potential advantages are not a lot of good to those who still need Windows apps such as those of MS Office for work. CTL may have solved this problem with a new SKU of its Chromebox CBx2 with Parallels Desktop.

The upcoming mini PCs will support up to a Ryzen 9 5900X desktop-grade CPU coupled to a discrete GPU. MinisForum mentions that the power consumption can range between 120 W and 1000 W, so it also offers support for ATX SFX power supplies. For increased efficiency, the processors are cooled with liquid metal and the included power adapter features gallium nitride technology.

The Hystou F9 has brought back Intel Kaby Lake-G processors. The mini-PC is available in numerous configurations and can drive four external monitors across using DisplayPort and HDMI.

MINISFORUM is now accepting pre-orders for the CR50 mini PC, a piece of hardware that brings together the octa-core AMD 4700S processor and the AMD Radeon RX550 graphics accelerator. The discounted prices start at US$679 (16 GB RAM, no storage) and go up to US$759 (16 GB RAM, 512 GB SSD).

Kingdel has brought another mini-PC to market. This time, the company has integrated AMD Ryzen 5000 APUs with 15 W and 45 W SKUs available. The Kingdel K15 starts at US$476 and features numerous ports.

The Ripjaws S5 series is G.SKILL's newest RAM for "high-performance" rigs, and goes up to DDR5-6000 in terms of speed. The OEM asserts that their next-gen memory is made of internal circuits (ICs) "hand-screened" for stability and consistency. It has been launched as kits with dual 16GB modules.

Gigabyte envisions a future where gaming PCs combine fast 5G connectivity with modular design. The Aorus Project Cielo features a main PC module with integrated 5G antenna, and users can add a battery module for increased mobility plus a Bluetooth speaker module for entertainment purposes.

MINISFORUM has started accepting pre-orders for the EliteMini HM90, a mini-PC based on AMD Renoir APUs. Available with Ryzen 5 4600H or Ryzen 9 4900H, the EliteMini HM90 has socketed RAM, storage and plenty of ports for connecting all manner of external devices and peripherals.

The Cypress lineup is Simply NUC's first with 4x4-inch motherboards supporting the Ryzen Embedded V2000 processors with Vega 7 iGPU. Processor options include the Ryzen V2516 / V2546 / V2748 APUs and users can configure these models with up to 64 GB of DDR4-3200 RAM and up to 10 TB SSD storage. By default, there is support for quad-4K video outputs through 2x HDMI 2.1 and 2x USB-C 3.2 DP 1.4 ports.

XDO Tech's Pantera Pico PC may be one of the best-known mini-PCs of recent days, thanks to its highly successful Kickstarter campaign. This crowdfunding drive has now closed, having raised "over 4800%" of its original its availability has shifted to InDemand on Indiegogo, starting at ~US$160 on this platform.

SanMax appears to be the first RAM producer to ready DDR5 modules for laptops and mini PCs. Unfortunately, these feature the default DDR5-4800 specs with CL 40 latencies, which is what most out-of-the-box laptop configurations will feature, so not exactly upgrade material. However, these modules can be used to build mini PC rigs.

OWC has announced a new kind of USB dock, rated to split 1 Thunderbolt feed between 2 monitors of (technically) up to 8K in resolution. It does so via the newer DisplayPort 1.4 standard, and is also rated to support HDR with compatible displays. OWC asserts that this new accessory can thus boost productivity, gaming or learning for a variety of users.

The delivery robot with a Raspberry Pi at its heart may not entirely replace delivery drivers in the foreseeable future, but it certainly is an intriguing alternative to the more dangerous package delivery via drones.

The schematics posted a few days ago teased the modular port design, and the new renders now reveal that the Pocket 3 is actually a 2-in-1 laptop that includes a stylus. GPD's tweets are also suggesting that the Pocket 3 will come with Intel and AMD processor options.

The base version of the Mac Mini with the M1 chip is available for a maximum of 800 Euros (~$938), making it considerably cheaper than comparable iMacs or MacBooks. Nevertheless, performance is on par with the MacBook Pro.

The T-series returns with models that appear to have the same core count as their S-series K counterparts, but the TDP is limited to 35 W, so the core clocks are slightly lower and the overclocking capabilities are gone.

The upcoming project would allow the Raspberry Pi to become a mobile laboratory device that can analyze and determine certain measurements of liquids like the quality and adulteration of olive oil.

The Vissles keyboard will apply similar optical switches and even spacing as the keys on an Apple Magic keyboard. It also happens to have per-key RGB lighting and a thickness profile of just 7.9 mm at its thinnest point.

A Thursday at GeForce NOW means it's time for the streaming platform to reveal the latest additions to its library. However, despite the potentially welcome new arrivals involved this week, they may be overshadowed by another announcement that Ubisoft's most hotly-awaited upcoming releases will also become available on NVIDIA's service right from their launch.

The Chuwi RZBOX measures just 19.15 x 19.15 x 6.09 mm, and yet it contains an AMD Ryzen 9 4900H, a 45 W APU. The RZBOX will start at about US$500 and will be available with 16 GB of RAM with 512 GB of storage.

MINISFORUM has started selling the EliteMini X500, just days after it teased the mini-PC. The EliteMini X500 has a Ryzen 7 5700G, a powerful desktop APU that is a rarity for mini-PCs. The EliteMini X500 starts at US$859 with 16 GB of RAM and 512 GB of storage.

XDO Tech has managed to generate quite a lot of enthusiasm for its Pantera Pico, a mini-PC into which the OEM has managed to cram 4 USB type A ports, active cooling and an HDMI port for a 4K/UHD output. Now, this hype has been converted into the ability to smash the original goal of its Kickstarter campaign nearly 5 times over by now.

The M1 Mac mini has been pitted against the Ryzen 9 5900HX-powered EliteMini HX90 in a clash of processor titans. While the Apple M1 couldn’t completely overpower the AMD Zen 3 part in every single benchmark, it was clearly dominant overall. The M1’s 8-core iGPU also stood up well against the AMD Radeon Graphics 8 iGPU.

Prime Computer has launched another mini-PC, the PrimeMini Connect. The device is fanless, has an AMD Ryzen Embedded processor and can be configured with multiple parts.

MINISFORUM may have just started selling a Ryzen 9 5900HX-powered mini-PC, but it has already moved onto something even more powerful. The EliteMini X500 features a Ryzen 7 5700G, which is part of AMD's latest G-Series Desktop Processors. The Ryzen 7 5700G is a 65 W APU with 8 CPU and GPU cores.

Morefine has brought its AMD Ryzen 5000-based mini-PC to Indiegogo, where it is available in a choice of four APUs. The Morefine S500+ starts at US$499 with RAM and storage, or US$669 as a barebones kit.

ZOTAC has upgraded some of its ZBOX C series mini-PCs to Intel's latest laptop processors. The ZBOX C nano will be available with up to a Core i7-1165G7, a 28 W processor cooled by a fanless chassis. Core i3 and Core i5 alternatives will also be on offer.

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has provided more clues about the next-generation Mac mini. Apparently, the M1X-equipped mini-PC has not been delayed, after all.

The MeLE Quieter2D is a particularly compact and fanless mini-PC. The machine is now available in a new variant with an Intel Celeron N4020 processor with 4 GB of RAM and up to 128 GB of storage.

With DDR5 memory set to go mainstream over the next couple months, TeamGroup announced the launch of the world’s first RGB-lit DDR5 memory module, running at up to 5600 MHz.

The Tiger Canyon Porcoolpine is an Intel NUC 11 Pro, albeit a fanless version. The mini-PC is available in multiple configurations starting at US$679. The Tiger Canyon Porcoolpine can be configured with various Intel Tiger Lake processors, up to 64 GB of RAM and 16 TB of storage.

The expected Apple M1X Mac Mini has apparently been delayed. There were rumors that the revitalized compact desktop PC would be launched alongside the M1X MacBook Pro 14 and MacBook Pro 16 at an event in October. However, a leaker has now asserted that there will likely be a much longer wait for the M1X Mac Mini.

The T.Book MN48H is a new mini-PC with plenty going for it. Not only does it have replaceable RAM and storage, it includes a 45 W APU with 8 Renoir cores. The Ryzen 7 4800H includes a powerful GPU as integrated options go, too.

While Apple has overhauled the iMac and MacBook Pro series in the last decade, the same cannot be said for the Mac mini. Leaked schematics suggest that this could be about to change with the next model, which is also said to feature an Apple M1X SoC.

Despite featuring the Alder Lake CPUs, the NUC 12 Enthusiast models do not support DDR5 RAM and are limited to DDR4-3200. Nevertheless, the upcoming NUCs come with powerful specs like Intel's own DG2 dGPUs with 8 / 12 / 16 GB GDDR6 VRAM, two Thunderbolt 4 connectors, Wi-Fi 6E module, SDXC and UHS-II SD card reader, plus a redesigned chassis.

The T.Book MN45 combines an AMD Ryzen 5 4500U APU with DDR4 RAM and M.2 2280 NVMe SSD. The mini-PC may fit in your hand, but it has upgradable RAM, storage and plenty of ports.

The high-end nature of the new Minisforum EliteMini HX90 mini PC is reflected not only by the inclusion of the Ryzen 9 5900HX APU, but also by the carbon fiber chassis and the premium liquid metal cooling system. Minisforum is offering an early bird $100 discount on all variants.

Initially supposed to launch with i7-1165G7 and i7-1185G7 processor options, the GPD Win Max 2021 handheld gaming laptop is now up for pre-order only with a surprising i7-1195G7 upgrade that is offered for the same price as the AMD Ryzen 7 4800U variant. Preordering now can further lower the price to only $999.

The Intel NUC 11 Extreme may have an 8-litre chassis, but it can house up to an Intel Core i9-11900KB processor and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 GPU. The fastest NUC yet can finally be pre-ordered too, and in multiple configurations.

The SEi 8279U is a new mini-PC from Beelink. The built-in Intel Core i5-8279U should help the machine pack a punch, despite its compact dimensions. The mini-PC is available with up to 16 GB of RAM and a 512 GB SSD, but it starts at just US$479 with less RAM and storage.

Minisforum and Morfine are preparing crowdfunding campaigns for the first mini PC "workstations" powered by AMD's top-of-the-line Ryzen 9 5900HX laptop APU. These will not offer enough room for a dGPU, but the integrated Vega 8 GPU is still a decent solution. The Indiegogo campaigns are expected to start in a few weeks.

The mini server based on the Raspberry Pi 4 board includes a UPS module with two 2500 mAh batteries that can last up to 1.5 hours and a mini OLED screen that displays UPS, IP, CPU, RAM and storage info. It also features a 3D printed case with transparent side panels and even a CPU heatsink with side-mounted fan.

Lenovo has introduced the ThinkStation P350 Tiny, the smallest workstation in the world. The 1.3 kg machine has a 1 litre chassis that is 3.7 cm thick. Lenovo has still managed to include an Intel Core i9 Rocket Lake processor and a dedicated NVIDIA GPU.

ASRock has introduced several new motherboards based on Intel's Elkhart Lake architecture. The company will also release two mini-PCs with the same processors, but there are more options in development, too.

AMD has introduced a new desktop kit based on its Zen 2 architecture. The kit is particularly exciting because of its AMD 4700S, a processor from the Sony PlayStation 5.

Compared to the previous AMD-based mini PC barebones, the new DesktopMini Max from ASRock is considerably larger and allows users to install liquid coolers and larger dGPUs. The included AM4 motherboard supports AMD Ryzen 5000 all the way down to Ryzen 2000 processors that can be coupled with up to 128 GB of DDR4-3200 RAM.