Mini PC

After revealing a stellar Zen 3 lineup, AMD is now looking to strengthen its position in the low-TDP embedded market with the new Ryzen Embedded V2000 processors featuring up to 8 Zen 2 cores and improved Vega IGPUs. Team Red prepared two 10 W models to take on Intel's ULV Comet Lake processors, plus two more 35 W models that appear to beat the i7-9750H models.

The EGLOBAL S200 is a new mini-PC that is available with up to an Intel Core i9-10880H processor. The machine can be configured with up to 32 GB of RAM and a 1 TB SSD, too.

Recently, reports of a fire breaking out at MSI's plant in Bao'an, Shenzhen arose on social media and on news sites. Now, the OEM has officially stated that these reports were true, although the incident in question was immediately met with appropriate action. No harm to workers at the factory was reported.

AYA has finally begun shipping the NEO, its compact and handheld games console. The AYA NEO Founder comes with a translucent shell, an AMD Ryzen 5 4500U APU and a 47 Whr battery. AYA is only shipping the NEO Founder in China for the time being, though.

GPD is working on a new handheld games console, the Win 3. Based on a 5.5-inch display and an Intel Core i7-1165G7 processor, the Win 3 features a 96 EU Iris Xe Graphics G7 GPU, 16 GB of RAM and Thunderbolt 4.

The MINISFORUM GK41 features an Intel Celeron J4125 chipset, 8 GB of RAM and up to 256 GB of storage. The 128 GB model is now down to US$229.99 online, while all SKUs come with a bounty of connectivity, including dual 4K video outputs and four USB 3.0 Type-A ports.

Chuwi has unleashed a Pro version of the LarkBox, the LarkBox Pro. The LarkBox Pro retails for US$219 and comes with an Intel Celeron J4125 processor, a 200/300 MHz upgrade on the Celeron J4115 in the original LarkBox.

Shuttle has launched a new mini-PC, the XH410G. The XH410G supports with a choice of Comet Lake-S processors, and has a PCIe card slot that could house a dedicated GPU, like the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650. The Shuttle XH410G starts at €283 as a barebones machine.

The Chuwi CoreBox Pro offers an Intel Ice Lake processor, 12 GB of RAM, an NVMe drive and loads of ports. One of these is a Thunderbolt 3 port, opening the two-litre machine up to being used with an eGPU. The Chuwi CoreBox Pro is available to order now for US$439.

Xiaomi has unveiled a mini-PC, and it is a dead ringer for the Chuwi LarkBox and GMK NucBox. Xiaomi has based its machine, called the Ningmei Cube, on an Intel Celeron J4125 processor and up to 8 GB of RAM. The Xiaomi Ningmei Cube starts at CNY (~US$150).

Purism has updated its Librem Mini, now called the Librem Mini V2. The second version of the popular mini-PC comes with a Comet Lake-U Core i7 processor, up to 64 GB of RAM and has an M.2 slot for fast NVMe drives.

The upcoming EliteMini Box X400 mini PCs will support Ryzen 2000 / 3000 / 4000 APUs up to a Ryzen 7 Pro 4750G processor. Even though the chassis is the same as the Intel version that comes with a GTX 1050 Ti GPU, the AMD models do not support discrete GPUs. Pre-sales will start this November.

Raspberry Pi Foundation has announced the launch of the Pi 400 — a complete PC within a keyboard aimed at getting users up and running without much hassle. The Raspberry Pi 400 is much similar to the Pi 4 in terms of specs but comes with a slightly faster CPU. The Pi 400 is available as a standalone keyboard-PC for US$70 or as a PC desktop kit with all accessories for US$100.

The Station M1 and P1 are affordable and compact mini-PCs that can double as media centres. Both come with Rockchip SoCs, up to 4 GB of RAM and bags of connectivity.

Razer has already held its first virtual launch event in 2020. Now, it will hold a second to be livestreamed in November of the same year. It apparently consists of a series of "exclusive" product debuts, unboxings and giveaways via the OEM's official YouTube channel.

The MINISFORUM DeskMini DMAF5 is now shipping, following a successful crowdfunding campaign. The DeskMini DMAF5 starts at US$399 and comes with an AMD Ryzen 5 3550H APU. The machine can be equipped with up to 32 GB of RAM and a 512 GB SSD.

The OneGX1 handheld gaming PC that surfaced earlier this year with an Intel Core i5-10210Y processor under the hood will soon get a more powerful sibling that has exactly the same looks. Dubbed OneGX Pro, it features the Intel Core i7-1160G7 processor and is much faster than its predecessor.

SiFive's HiFive Unmatched mini-ITX platform is designed for DiY developers. It comes with a 5-core RISC-V processor complemented by 8 GB of onboard DDR4 RAM. Users can add an NVMe SSD, a wireless card and a dGPU or any other PCIe Gen 3 X8 expansion card. The platform is compatible with many popular Linux distributions and will soon be up for pre-orders at US$665.

With OmniROM, owners of the Raspberry Pi 4 can now install the latest Android 11 on their small computer. Only a few features like screencast or the ability to open a hotspot are missing.

The PrimeMini 5 is a new and powerful mini-PC, considering its size. The compact machine runs silently too and features a good selection of I/O. The PrimeMini 5 ships worldwide from Switzerland.

The Kingdel NC610 may be small, but it packs a punch. With an LGA 1151 socket and up to a pre-configured Core i7-9700F, the NC610 also features a replaceable GeForce GTX 1650 GPU and a host of connectivity. The Kingdel NC610 is also available with either a Core i3-9100F or a Core i5-9400F.

The CXI4 is Acer's new Chromebox with up-to-date connectivity, featuring Wi-Fi 6, USB 3.2 Gen 2 and type C ports. Therefore, it may prove an option for the processing needed in retail or learning spaces. It also has the dimensions and VESA mount necessary to hide it behind nearly any screen paired with it in these environments.

TOPTON's latest Mini-PC features a choice of 45 W processors up to the Core i9-10885H, despite its compact size. The machine supports dual-channel RAM and up to three storage drives too, along with a plethora of ports. It is available either as a barebones kit or with RAM and storage.

The MINISFORUM X35G is a Mini-PC with an Ice Lake processor, 16 GB of RAM and a Thunderbolt 3 port, among other ports. The compact PC is available to back on Indiegogo from US$350 and will begin shipping next month.

An Aliexpress seller recently listed what appears to be a rare, unreleased AMD APU from the Excavator era. The 8-core A9-9820 leverage R7 350 graphics and bear striking similarities to the Xbox One's performance profile.

ASRock has announced three new Intel NUCs based on the chipmaker's Tiger Lake-U architecture. The NUC 1100 BOX series will be available with up to the Core i7-1165G7, although all SKUs will offer the same connectivity and plethora of ports.

Last year, AMD started its anti-NUC initiative, as many of its embedded and laptop-grade APUs can now easily be included in mini PCs. This initiative could soon culminate with gaming mini PCs that are based on AMD's Project Quantum presented 5 years ago at E3.

An eagle-eyed Redditor has spotted that Intel just introduced the Core i3-10100F with minimal fanfare. This direct successor to the i3-9100F still has no integrated graphics - although it does have hyper-threading, which is a first for its nascent series. It also has the same recommended price range as its preceding generation.

Razer wowed the tech world when it showed the Tomahawk PC case off at CES 2020. It is made of all-tempered-glass panels and SPCC steel reinforcements, and also boasts inbuilt cable management. The OEM has finally launched the mini-ITX variant of this case, alongside new accessories that include a new gaming chair, audio equipment and Sneki Snek in plushie form.

The Simply NUC Aspen is a new series of Mini-PCs based on AMD Ryzen 4000 Renoir APUs. The Aspen can be configured with up to 64 GB of dual-channel RAM and a 2 TB PCIe NVMe SSD.

CTL has announced the Chromebox CBx2, which as the OEM asserts, is versatile enough to take on the demands of a retail display as it is those of a remote worker. It has a range of up-to-date connectivity options; plus, with 2 variants with CPU choices between 1 Intel Celeron and 1 Core i7 processor, it may indeed be configurable to a range of use-cases.

The GMK NucBox has arrived on third-party retailer Banggood, following its successful Indiegogo campaign. The NucBox will begin shipping from the retailer before October 21 and starts at US$219.99. GMK still sells the NucBox for less, albeit only on Indiegogo.

Equipped with a quad-core / quad-thread Atom x6425RE low-power CPU, the SPC-6000 mini PC is specifically designed for IoT / AIoT applications that require advanced features like Time-Coordinated Computing and Time-Sensitive Networking. The system also supports up to 32 GB of DDR4-3200 RAM, plus an NVMe SSD and a SATA III SSD/HDD for storage.

The new BRIX PRO mini PCs are powered by either the i3-1115G4, i5-1135G7, or i7-1165G7 Tiger Lake-U CPUs. Users may add up to 64 GB of DDR4-3200 RAM, while the systems offer support for a PCIe Gen 4 x4 NVMe SSD, another PCIe Gen 3 x4 NVMe SSD and a SATA III SSD or HDD. There is a Thunderbolt 4 connector and the integrated Xe-LP GPUs can output through the included 4x HDMI 2.0b ports.

As promised, the world's smallest mini PC with a discrete graphics solution — the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti with 4 GB GDDR5 — is now available for purchase. With a price tag that reads US$869, the most potent configuration features Intel's Core i7-9700F processor, 16 GB of DDR4 memory, and a 512 GB SSD (with room for adding a 2.5-inch drive).

Last week, we heard about its arrival. Now, we have some official test results and technical details that make the upcoming MINISFORUM X35G even more tempting, such as a maximum TDP of 25 W that allows the 15 W Intel Core i3-1005G1 processor to perform up to 60% better than usual, but without overclocking.

The upcoming Tiger Canyon NUCs come in tall and slim variants with i3, i5, and i7 CPU options, and highlights include support for up to 64 GB of DDR4-3200 RAM, PCIe 4 NVMe SSDs, dual Thunderbolt 4 connectors and one HDMI 2.1 video out.

The DeskMini X35G is a Mini PC with an Intel Ice Lake processor, a stylish design and a host of connectivity. MINISFORUM has not scrimped on storage either, as it has included two drive bays and a microSD card slot. The 15 W Mini PC even has a Thunderbolt 3 port.

ASUS has unveiled a new Mini PC, the PN62S. The PN62S builds on the PN62 and offers Intel 10th Gen processors, a host of connectivity and up to 64 GB of DDR4 RAM.

Next week, the smallest desktop PC with NVIDIA GeForce 1050 Ti graphics will hit the market. The MINISFORUM H31G will launch with the Intel Core i5 9500F (US$659) and Intel Core i7 9700F (US$799) processors inside, both setups also featuring 16 GB of memory, a 256 GB SSD, and the aforementioned video card.

Lenovo US has announced a major sales event running for this weekend only, with up to 70% off some PCs of various types. Among these are the 7th- and 8th-gen ThinkPad X1 Carbon ultrabooks, which are down to under US$1000 in some cases. The Ryzen 7 Pro 3700U-powered T495s also features here at an excellent price.

The new HP EliteDesk 805 G6 compact PCs can be equipped with up to a Ryzen 7 Pro 4750G APU, which in turn can be coupled with up to 64 GB of DDR4-3200 RAM and up to 3 storage solutions, plus an optional GTX 1660 Ti dGPU. Additionally, the port selection is quite generous with 7x USB ports and up to 7 video outs.

In the event that Nvidia compromises most processor-related ARM IPs, SiFive's RISC-V scalable CPUs could see increased adoption even from mobile and smartphone OEMs. SiFive is already prepared to meet the increased demand with its updated AI-focused RISC-V microarchitecture that enables different classes of performance, efficiency and features for server-grade, HPC and even desktop PC systems.

ASRock has launched a trio of Ryzen 4000 Mini-PCs. Called the 4X4 BOX-4000, the series utilises Renoir APUs up to the Ryzen 7 4800U within a chassis that weighs 1 kg. The 4X4 BOX-4000 has a host of ports and connectivity, too.

Users of the A300 mini PC barebones discovered that the ASRock A300-STM motherboard is compatible with the latest X300 BIOS, so the more affordable enclosures can now be equipped with up to a Ryzen 7 Pro 4750G, as well. However, the X300-STM motherboard offers unique overclocking features that can boost the CPU and iGPU performance.

Jasper Lake is thought to be Gemini Lake's impending successor for low-end notebooks and mini PCs launching in early 2021. A website that focuses on the latter has listed what it claims as the product names for these possibly Tremont-based CPUs. Should they prove genuine, it seems the new mobile and desktop categories get one Pentium and two Celerons each.

Tipster @patrickschur_ revealed details for a number of upcoming AMD Ryzen Embedded V2000 SoCs, ranging from 10W parts like the Ryzen Embedded V2718 to 54W parts like the Ryzen Embedded V2748.

The Beelink GT-R is a well-built and aesthetically pleasing mini desktop PC. Its AMD Ryzen 5 3550H w/ Radeon RX Vega 8 Graphics offers enough horsepower for smooth streaming and some light gaming.

Zotac has unveiled its latest mini desktop, the ZBOX QCM7T3000. The machine incorporates an Intel Core i7-10750H processor, an NVIDIA Quadro RTX 3000 and can be equipped with up to 64 GB of dual-channel DDR4-2933 RAM. The machine has multiple ports too, including four display outputs and Gigabit Ethernet.