Upgradeable ASRock DeskMate X600 mini PC brings better eGPU solution than OCuLink

The ASRock DeskMate X600 is available for preorder in China, with the barebone variant currently costing CNY 1398 (around $193). This mini PC can be equipped with desktop-class AMD processors, and the top-specced model with Ryzen 7 8700G, 16 GB of DDR5 RAM, 1 TB storage, and WiFi 6E costs CNY 4598 (about $634).

Thanks to the larger-than-average mini PC size of the DeskMate X600, you get more upgradability options. After all, it has a desktop ITX motherboard. You can, for example, change the processor, add more RAM on the four DDR5 slots, and expand the storage through the two M.2 slots and one SATA connector. Among the two M.2 slots, one is a PCIe Gen 5x4, while the other is a PCIe Gen4x4.

However, the most interesting part of the ASRock DeskMate X600 is that it has a dedicated slot on the top that allows you to install a PCIe 4.0x16 extension cable. With that, the mini PC offers more bandwidth than OCuLink and USB4. This will eventually mean much better gaming performance with a desktop-class external graphics card (ASUS Dual RTX 4070 curr. $548.80 on Amazon).

Other than that, there are a good number of connectivity ports on both the front and back of the ASRock DeskMate X600. The front has two USB 2.0, two USB 3.2, and one Type-C. As for the back, it has two USB 3.2, two USB 2.0, two DisplayPort 1.4, one HDMI 2.1, and one 2.5G Ethernet.

When it comes to cooling, the mini PC sports a low-profile CPU heat sink that's paired with a 7010 fan on the bottom. There's no word on global availability and pricing, but ASRock does have the DeskMini X600 with similar specs for the international market. It doesn't have the eGPU slot on the top, though.