Mini PC

The M1X Mac mini will apparently be joining the M1X MacBook Pro 14 and MacBook Pro 16 for release later this year according to a recent post by an “Apple analyst”. While the 2021 MacBook Pro laptops and M1X Mac mini will offer more CPU cores and more GPU cores for users, it will be a longer wait for those who want Apple Silicon in an iMac Pro.

This new NUC goes into beast mode with an 8-liter enclosure that can fit full-size GPUs plus a PSU. It also supports 45 W Intel Tiger Lake-H CPUs including the HK overclockable models, but apparently only supports air coolers, so it might get some TGP restrictions. Nevertheless, it also comes with a NUC 11 Extreme Compute Unit that includes features such as PCIe 4.0, Optane Memory, 2x Thunderbolt 4.0 connectors and even a 10 Gb NIC.

Apple updated the Mac mini to its inaugural in-house SoC last year, but it is not done with the compact PC. According to a new leak, Apple has finally overhauled the Mac mini's design, which features plenty of ports, a flatter chassis and a new M1X or M2 SoC.

The successor of the Ryzen 5 4500U-powered MINISFORUM HM50 is now available as the HM80. Inside it, there is a more potent Ryzen 7 4800U processor, alongside 16/256 GB or 32/512 GB of memory/storage. The prices of these two configurations, after the US$100 early-bird discount, are US$759 and US$829.

CTL, a company that normally caters to the needs of modern offices or schools in its devices, has announced a pair of monitors touted to match up to this reputation. The 24-inch FHD IP2381 has a VA IPS panel, whereas the IP2781 is an ADS QHD 27-inch display. They both have the same new minimalist stand and bezels, however.

Available in a single 12 GB/512 GB memory/SSD storage configuration, the Intel Core i5-1135G7-driven MINISFORUM TL50 mini PC that features Thunderbolt 4 connectivity can be acquired for a price of US$699. The first 50 orders will get a generous discount of US$100 and shipments will begin in July.

The Chinese mini PC maker is breaking away from its usual square-shaped builds with modest specs and is presenting its first all-AMD gaming-oriented system featuring an open air case packing a Ryzen 5 5600X processor coupled with 32 GB of DDR4-3200 RAM and 1 TB M.2 SSD storage, plus a Radeon RX 6700 XT GPU.

Bleujour has updated the Kubb, its compact and stylish mini-PC. The square device is now available with Intel's latest Tiger Lake processors that feature Iris Xe Graphics and Thunderbolt 4 ports.

ASUS has finally revealed the PN41, its latest mini-PC. The Intel Jasper Lake-based machine will be available with multiple processors, including the Celeron N5105 and the Pentium Silver N6005.

Gigabyte has introduced its first mini-PCs based on Intel's Jasper Lake architecture. The 0.68-litre machine can be equipped with up to a 10 W CPU, has multiple ports and an M.2 2280 SSD, among other features.

Intel had recently outlined plans to establish new plants in Europe, possibly in a bid to address the prevailing chipset-supply crisis. However, a new report suggest that the OEM expects something in return for the potential economic boost for the regions in question: namely, that European governments contribute up to €8 billion (US$9.7 billion) to the project in question.

The TL50 mini PC is now available for pre-order on the Makuake crowdfunding platform from Japan at around $650, and it integrates an Intel Core i5-1135G7 CPU with Iris Xe integrated graphics, 12 GB LPDDR4-3200 soldered RAM and 512 GB NVMe SSD. It also features a Thunderbolt 4 connector and supports 4x PCIe 4.0 lanes for the NVMe drives.

Intel has announced its first financial report for 2021, which is for the first quarter of this year (1Q2021) that has just ended in March. It shows that the chip giant's net income is US$3.4 billion - 41% less compared to that of 1Q2020. Its earnings are also down by 1% year-on-year (YoY), even though its computing business is up by 8%.

Unlike the usual fanless mini PCs that are restricted to ULV processors, the Atlast! Sigao Model B includes a desktop-grade Intel Core i9-10900T CPU coupled with up to 64 GB of DDR4-2666 RAM and NVMe storage solutions like Samsung's 970 EVO SSDs, which are notorious for high temperatures in full load. These components can get quite hot without proper ventilation, but the Atlast! passive cooling solution still manages to keep internal temperatures at around 46 degrees C, even without a venting system.

The GKmini is another mini-PC from Beelink, and one that is smaller than many of its other machines. The inclusion of a Celeron J4125 is underwhelming though, as is the reliance on SATA drives.

The same 12-liter chassis from previous Corsair One mini ITX models can now be equipped with up to an AMD Ryzen 9 5900X or Intel Core i9-11900K, plus a desktop-grade RTX 3080 GPU. The systems also include 32 GB of DDR4-3200 RAM, 1 TB NVMe + 2 TB HDD storage combo and quad video outputs. The Intel models come with a Thunderbolt 3 port.

The Easter Sale campaign ran by MINISFORUM includes tempting deals on the brand's most popular devices, including the HM50 (US$100 for the first 100 units sold), UM270 and UM820/850 (US$50 off), as well as a mere US$20 off for the UM250 and X35G. Most of the discounts will be available until the end of the month.

The PN51 models come with the same chassis from last year's PN50 models and only support the Zen 2 Lucienne Ryzen 5000U processors. Despite using the same Zen 2 cores as the Ryzen 4000U models, the Lucienne processors come with upgraded memory controllers and can be coupled with up to 32 GB of DDR4-3200 RAM plus up to 2 TB of storage. There also is support for up to 4x 4K monitors.

Some intrepid Chinese modders have managed to upgrade the storage and memory capacity of an M1 Mac Mini by desoldering the existing hardware and replacing it with identical, higher-capacity variants.

BLEU JOUR has introduced the Wave, its latest mini-PC. The compact machine uses Intel NUC Compute Elements, which should make it simple to upgrade.

MINISFORUM's first mini PC of the month has a Ryzen 5 4500U inside, can be pre-ordered with 16/256 GB or 16/512 GB of memory/storage, and shipments should begin at the end of the month. The prices start at US$699 for the first configuration and go up to US$739 for the second one.

MINISFORUM's latest creation comes with a Ryzen 5 3450U that features Radeon Vega 8 graphics, at least 8/256 GB of memory/storage, and shipments should begin at the end of next month. The prices start at US$539 for the aforementioned configuration and can go up to US$599 for the 16/512 GB variant.

A UserBenchmark listing of an upcoming HP EliteDesk 805 G8 has surfaced. The listing indicates the mini PC running an AMD processor but only the OPN code is shown. It is likely that this OPN code refers to the AMD Ryzen 7 Pro 5750G APU. The benchmark does not reveal any dGPU, which was offered optionally with the EliteDesk 805 G6 (GTX 1660 Ti).

A Chiphell forum member has stumbled upon Intel's upcoming NUC 11 Extreme online. Users can choose between Intel Core i5-11400H, Core i7-11800H and Core i9-11980HK CPUs. Other specs include support for 3,200MHz DDR4 RAM, two Thunderbolt 4.0 ports, six USB Type-A ports, and more.

Performance and release date speculation concerning a potential M1X Mac Mini from Apple has been put forward by the YouTube channel Max Tech. It seems a Mac Mini with 12-core Apple Silicon could outscore a US$14,999 Mac Pro (2019) with a 12-core Intel Xeon chip in multi-core testing and also offer incredible graphics-processing performance.

The latest mini PC by MINISFORUM features a Ryzen 7 PRO 2700U processor, Radeon Vega 10 graphics, and shipments should begin at the end of the month. In addition to this quad-core processor, the first two hardware configurations announced feature 16/256 GB (US$499) and 16/512 GB (US$539) of DDR4 memory/SSD storage.

The Beelink SEI8 and Beelink GTI both feature the Core i5-8259U, a 28 W processor from Intel's Coffee Lake family. Both machines feature extensive I/O, PCIe NVMe SSDs and have 8 GB of RAM. The two mini-PCs are orderable now from Amazon, and Beelink is offering some hefty discounts for pre-orderers.

The successor to last year's GMK NucBox is here and it is orderable for US$489.99. The GMK NucBox2 is not as small as its predecessor, but it features a more powerful Intel 8th Gen Core processor with an Iris Plus Graphics 655 integrated GPU. The machine can output to two 4K monitors simultaneously and has Wi-Fi 6 connectivity.

Russian PhD student Ildar Rakhmatulin devised a terrifying mosquito-killing solution that pairs a Raspberry Pi, a 1W laser, and an AI neural network capable of identifying and eliminating mosquitos.

The new ThinkEdge mini PCs from Lenovo come with fanless cases that can still accommodate powerful Tiger Lake CPUs with vPro technology and Thunderbolt 4 connectivity. Designed for embedded applications like ATMs for smart retail and medical devices, the ThinkEdge SE30 models can be equipped with Core i3-1115GRE or i5-1145GRE vPro CPUs, up to 16 GB of DDR4 RAM and 1 TB SSD NVMe storage. There also is the SE50 model that comes with a bigger case and supports up to an i7 CPU, 32 GB of RAM and 2 TB storage, plus more ports.

A new Akasa case transforms the ASUS PN50 mini-PC into a passively cooled system. The Turing A50 retails for £125.00, or €130.00 in Europe.

According to a new report, ASUS plans to release a new series of mini-PCs based on Intel's Jasper Lake platform. ASUS is yet to officially unveil the PN41 series, but a retailer has listed the PN41 on its website, much like the PN51 that also leaked recently.

The TOPTON MU01 fits in one hand, and yet it includes quad-core Intel processors, replaceable RAM, storage and plenty of I/O. The machine starts at under US$270 as a barebones PC and can be configured with up to a Core i7-10510U.

Asus launched the PN50 mini PC with Ryzen 4000 processors in 2020. Now, a device described as the bare-bones version of its successor, the PN51, has appeared on the website ProShop. According to this listing, its chassis has not changed in 2021, and thus still boasts a configurable port that can add anything from a DisplayPort to a second RJ-45 to the device.

The passively-cooled Asus TUF RTX 3080 GPU was tested in Furmark along with a Ryzen 5 5600X and the results were a bit sketchy. While the CPU was running at 40 degrees Celsius during the Furmark test, the GPU peaked at 87 degrees Celsius and it did not even level out. Total power draw appears to hover around 410 W, most likely in idle.

NVIDIA GeForce RTX desktop graphics cards of any nature are difficult to source currently. However, ZOTAC is now running a sale on the MAGNUS EN72070S and MAGNUS EN72070V, which have the RTX 2070 and RTX 2070 SUPER, respectively. The mini-PCs have an Intel Core i7-9750H too.

According to a photo posted to Reddit, Intel has released a heretofore-unheard of new version of a Comet Lake processor in Malaysia. This "i3-10105F" would on the face of it be a refresh of the i3-10100F, which is in turn a renewed i3-9100F. Then again, there are no official database entries to verify this new alleged leak at present.

The Chatreey AN1 is a comparatively affordable and compact mini-PC based on recent AMD Ryzen APUs. The mini-PC supports both M.2, SATA drives and has plenty of I/O.

Commell has added two high-performance single-board computers (SBCs) to its range, both based on an Intel Core i7-1185G7E. The company has designed the SBCs for those who want to build small embedded systems for professional use.

The CuBox-M measures just 50 x 50 x 50 mm and comes in two variants. The NXP i.MX 8M-based machine supports Android, Linux and can be used for machine learning or natural language processing, among other things. The CuBox-M starts at US$99.

The TOPTON VG is a compact mini-PC that features a comparatively powerful graphics card and a choice of four desktop-class Intel processors. The VG has a remote control too, along with socketed RAM and storage.

The performance difference between the two slowest and fastest Core i7-1165G7 PCs has now ballooned to over 100 percent. Tiger Lake can be awfully impressive as long as you know where to look.

With a starting price of US$639/US$699 for the 16 GB RAM and 512 GB variants, the new Intel Core i5-8259U/i5-U10210U-driven mini PC by MINISFORUM is scheduled to start shipping in April. The first 100 orders get a US$50 discount. There are also versions with a 256 GB SSD that go for US$40 less.

The latest Helix and Karbon fanless mini PC models from OnLogic are designed for the IoT and industrial markets. Equipped with the more powerful Celeron and Pentium processors, the Helix series comes in a more compact case, but it also offers fewer expansion options. The Karbon models, on the other hand, offer a more robust connectivity and expansion package, yet they only feature the slower Atom CPUs.

A new mini-PC from TOPTON should offer plenty of performance, despite its compact dimensions. The R1 can be configured with either a Ryzen 5 4600H or a Ryzen 7 4800H, making it more powerful than many other mini-PCs. The TOPTON R1 has SO-DIMM RAM, three video outputs and an M.2 2280 slot for an NVMe SSD.

Stealth has unveiled its latest robust machine, which is also waterproof. The WPC-905 mini-PC runs silently too and comes in four processor configurations. The Stealth WPC-905 starts at US$3,195, which is extraordinarily expensive by mini-PC standards.

Intel is riding the "work from home" wave by literally turning the retail box for its latest NUC into the shape of a house. The NUC 11 mini PC introduces PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD support and Qi wireless charging for the first time in the series.

The new VivoMini VC66-C2 series will initially be launched in Japan on February 5. The top-of-the-line model with Intel Core i7-10700 will feature a 4K BluRay play exclusively for the Japanese market. Asus will also offer i5-10400 and i3-10100 variants.