Mini-PC
The introduction of the Intel NUC in the early 2010s kickstarted the ultra-compact form-factor (UCFF) trend for desktop systems. Processors with TDPs ranging from 6 - 15W formed the backbone of this segment in the initial years. The emergence of configurable TDPs for notebook processors has prompted some vendors to introduce UCFF systems with regular 45W TDP processors (albeit, in cTDP-down mode). GEEKOM, the private label brand of Shenzhen Jiteng Network Technology Co., has emerged as a popular UCFF system vendor in the last couple of years. After starting off with systems based on older processors, the company has moved on to introducing units carrying the latest and greatest from both AMD and Intel. The company has also been innovating on the form-factor side with...
ASUS NUC14RVHv7 and ASRock Industrial NUC BOX-155H Review: Meteor Lake Brings Accelerated AI to UCFF PCs
Intel's Meteor Lake series of processors has had a drawn-out launch since its details were officially presented in September 2023. The series marks Intel's foray into the consumer market...
14 by Ganesh T S on 5/23/2024
Supermicro E102-13R-H Review: A Raptor Lake-P 3.5-inch SBC System for Embedded Applications
Single-board computers in the 3.5-inch form-factor have become extremely popular for embedded applications involving a mix of high performance requirements as well as extended peripherals support. Typical use-case scenarios...
1 by Ganesh T S on 5/14/2024
ASUS Unveils NUC 14 Pro and Pro Plus Meteor Lake Mini-PCs
As part of its 2024 CES announcements, ASUS officially unveiled a number of NUCs based on Intel's Meteor Lake platform. The company had earlier released the NUC 13 Rugged...
8 by Ganesh T S on 1/10/2024
ASRock Industrial 4X4 BOX-7840U mini-PC Review: AMD Phoenix in an UCFF Avatar
AMD's Phoenix line of low-power processors for the notebook market has been lapped up by various second and third-tier mini-PC vendors in the Asian market. The platform's value proposition...
15 by Ganesh T S on 12/28/2023
ASRock Industrial 4X4 BOX 8040 and NUC(S) Ultra 100 BOX Series Bring Accelerated AI to Mini-PCs
ASRock Industrial maintains a lineup of ultra-compact form-factor machines in the NUC BOX (Intel-based) and 4X4 BOX (AMD-based) series. These systems have gained significant market acceptance (evidenced by the...
10 by Ganesh T S on 12/23/2023
GEEKOM A5 mini-PC Review: Affordable Cezanne Zen 3 at 35W
Ultra-compact form-factor (UCFF) desktops have gained significant market share over the last decade. Processors with TDPs ranging from 6 - 15W formed the backbone of this segment in the...
35 by Ganesh T S on 12/8/2023
Zotac's Zbox Pico PI430AJ Uses Frore's AirJet Solid-State Active Cooling
Zotac has introduced the industry's first compact PC featuring Frore's AirJet solid-state cooling system. Zotac's ultra-compact Zbox Pico PI430AJ is powered by Intel's Core i3 processor is designed primarily...
18 by Anton Shilov on 10/20/2023
GEEKOM Mini IT13 Review: Core i9-13900H in a 4x4 Package
The performance of ultra-compact form-factor (UCFF) desktops has improved significantly over the years, thanks to advancements in semiconductor fabrication and processor architecture. Thermal solutions suitable for these 4in. x...
9 by Ganesh T S on 10/16/2023
ASRock Industrial NUC BOX-N97 and GMKtec NucBox G2 Review: Contrasting Compact ADL-N Options
Intel has been maintaining a low-power / low-cost x86 microarchitecture since the introduction of the Silverthorne Atom processors in 2008. Its latest iteration, Gracemont, made its debut in the...
20 by Ganesh T S on 10/6/2023
Asus Formally Completes Acquisition of Intel's NUC Business
ASUS has formally acquired Intel's Next Unit of Computing (NUC) products based on Intel's 10th to 13th Generation Core processors. Asus is set to continue building and supporting Intel's...
9 by Anton Shilov on 10/2/2023
Khadas Mind Premium Review: Raptor Lake-P in a Modular Portable Workstation
Khadas is a well-known vendor in the ARM-based single-board computer (SBC) circles. Recently, the company made its first foray into the small form-factor x86 PC space with a rather...
20 by Ganesh T S on 9/14/2023
Minisforum Unveils Mini-ITX Motherboard with MXM Slot for… SSDs
Minisforum continues to diversify its business beyond compact PCs and this week it introduced a rather unusual Mini-ITX motherboard with an MXM slot. Typically used for graphics cards, Minisforum's...
15 by Anton Shilov on 9/8/2023
ASRock Reveals 4x4 Box 7040 Series: SFF PCs with AMD Phoenix and USB4
ASRock Industrial has introduced a new lineup of NUC-like systems based on AMD's Ryzen 7040-series 'Phoenix' processors for laptops and compact desktops. The new 4x4 Box 7040 series compact...
9 by Anton Shilov on 9/5/2023
GEEKOM Mini IT13 Packs Core i9 into 4x4 NUC Chassis: 14-Cores NUC
While Intel's classic 4x4 NUCs have been pretty powerful systems capable of handling demanding workloads, the company never cared to install its top-of-the-range CPUs into its compact PCs. GEEKOM...
21 by Anton Shilov on 8/25/2023
Beelink GTR7 mini-PC Review: A Complete AMD Phoenix Package at 65W
The increasing popularity of small form-factor (SFF) PCs has allowed a number of second and third tier vendors to market their wares. While the trend was kickstarted by the...
56 by Ganesh T S on 8/24/2023
Zotac Taps Desktop and Laptop GeForce RTX 4070s For New SFF Zbox PCs
Zotac this week introduced two new compact desktops, both packing versions of NVIDIA's higher-end GeForce RTX 4070-series graphics processors. The Zbox Magnus One is an upgradable, desktop-style SFF machine...
17 by Anton Shilov on 8/18/2023
GEEKOM AS 6 (ASUS PN53) Review: Ryzen 9 6900HX Packs Punches in a Petite Package
The market demand for small form-factor (SFF) PCs was kickstarted by the Intel NUC in the early 2010s. Since then, many vendors have come out with their own take...
15 by Ganesh T S on 7/31/2023
ASUS Signs Agreement to Continue Development and Support of Intel's NUC Business
ASUS and Intel late on Tuesday announced that they had agreed to a term sheet involving Intel's NUC business, ensuring the continued support of existing NUC hardware as well...
6 by Ganesh T S & Anton Shilov on 7/19/2023
ASRock Industrial NUC BOX-1360P/D5 Review: Raptor Lake-P on the Leading Edge
ASRock Industrial has been a key player in the ultra-compact form-factor PC space over the last few years. They have managed to release 4"x4" systems based on the latest...
21 by Ganesh T S on 7/18/2023
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