Wee Beastie SFF PC with MXM RTX 4070 GPU introduced as a more affordable alternative to AMD Strix Halo mini PCs

This year marked the advent of powerhouse mini PCs designed for AI model training, such as the AMD Strix Halo platform with the Ryzen AI Max+ 395 APU at its core, as well as the Nvidia DGX Spark platform with the N1 processor combining ARM cores with an RTX 5000 GPU. Availability for these mini PCs is still limited due to higher production costs reflecting in the final price that exceeds $2,000. In an effort to offer more affordable and easier to produce AI training mini PC alternatives, a group of Chinese engineers recently launched a Kickstarter campaign for a 4.75 liter SFF PC dubbed Wee Beastie that combines the power of an Intel processor with the versatility of a desktop-grade Nvidia RTX 4070 GPU in MXM form-factor, starting at only $699.

Besides the obviously lower price, the main advantages of the Wee Beastie over the Strix Halo mini PCs is the MXM RTX 4070 card with 12 GB VRAM that is more potent especially in gaming scenarios, with a 466 TOPS AI processing speed. Additionally, the 4.75 L case offers a better cooling solution with three intake fans in the lower half, six exhaust fans at top plus a shroud with three fans placed on top of the GPU and CPU.

There are some disadvantages as well. The case is clearly bigger, even though not by too much, as it measures 217 mm in height, 200 mm in width and 110 mm in depth. Weight is 3.8 kg. While the RTX 4070 GPU may prove faster in games, its VRAM is limited to 12 GB, unlike the AMD Strix Halo iGPU, which can access 96 GB of the total 128 GB system RAM. In this case, large LLM model training is not actually possible on the Wee Beastie, despite support for up to 128 GB DDR5-5600 RAM.

The Kickstarter campaign already reached the funding goals and the Chinese team is now offering two models thanks to their stretch goals being met. Wee Beastie Core is the $699 model that integrates an RTX 4070 MXM GPU and an older Intel Core i7-13700H processor, while the Wee Beastie PRO gets a newer Intel Core Ultra 7 255H processor. Both models come with a 400 W power supply, RGB lighting on fans, 32 GB RAM and 1 TB SSD by default and support up to 16 TB storage and 128 GB RAM. The Chinese team is essentially testing the demand for now, as the Core models will be limited to 200 units and the PRO ones will be limited to 300.

Port selection is solid for a mini PC this size. The left side features 4x USB-A 10 Gbps connectors, 3x HDMI 2.0 + 3x DP 1.4a video outs and a 5 GbE jack. On the right, we find a USB4 connector, audio jack and a TF + microSD card reader. Wireless connectivity is offered via an Intel BE200 card with Wi-Fi 7 + BT 5.4 speeds.

According to the roadmap posted on the Kickstarter page, the Chinese team is set to begin production this December, with a testing and QA period scheduled for January, plus an additional production phase in February. The first units will begin shipping in March next year.