Systems

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...

Zotac’s Zbox Edge MI351 Packs Alder Lake-N and Offers Upgradeability

Introduced back at CES 2023, Intel’s Alder Lake-N platform is the company's newest and latest budget platform for entry-level PCs. With the hardware now shipping, Zotac is among the...

16 by Anton Shilov on 4/14/2023

ASRock Industrial 4X4 BOX-7735U UCFF PC Review: Zen 3+, RDNA2, and USB4 in a Potent Platform

ASRock Industrial is one of the few vendors with a lineup of ultra-compact form-factor (UCFF) computing systems based on the latest Intel and AMD platforms. Their lineup of NUC...

36 by Ganesh T S on 4/6/2023

MinisForum Launches NAB6 mini-PC With Dual 2.5G Ethernet Ports

MinisForum is a well-known manufacturer from Shenzhen, China, specializing in compact systems. The company recently added the NAB6 to its diverse portfolio of mini-PCs powered by Intel processors. The...

5 by Zhiye Liu on 3/27/2023

Intel NUC 13 Pro Arena Canyon Review: Raptor Lake Brings Incremental Gains

Ultra-compact form-factor PCs have emerged as bright spots in the PC market over the last decade after Intel introduced the NUC. The company celebrated the 10-year anniversary of its...

48 by Ganesh T S on 3/27/2023

Lenovo Launches LOQ Tower 17IRB8: An Affordable Pre-Built With Intel 13th Gen

While many components used to build a new system have and are coming down in price (except graphics), it's an excellent time to build that new gaming PC. Going...

11 by Gavin Bonshor on 3/24/2023

LG's 2023 Gram Style Series Laptops Are Now Available, Starting At $1,499

The latest Gram Style series laptops, which LG announced at CES, are available as of today at the company's website or select authorized retailers. The LG Gram Style series...

12 by Zhiye Liu on 3/20/2023

Supermicro SYS-E302-12E Fanless Industrial PC Review: Elkhart Lake for IoT Applications

Passively-cooled systems find application in a wide variety of industrial use-cases including automation, IoT gateways, medical systems, surveillance, and digital signage. In addition to avoiding moving parts, systems meant...

17 by Ganesh T S on 3/10/2023

ASRock Industrial's 4X4 BOX 7000/D5 Series Brings Zen 3+ and USB4 40Gbps to UCFF Systems

ASRock Industrial's lineup of ultra-compact form-factor machines in the NUC BOX (Intel-based) and 4X4 BOX (AMD-based) series has gained popularity over the last couple of years. Being the first...

40 by Ganesh T S on 2/10/2023

ASRock Industrial NUCS BOX-1360P/D4 Review: Raptor Lake-P Impresses, plus Surprise ECC

Low-power processors have traditionally been geared towards notebooks and other portable platforms. However, the continued popularity of ultra-compact form-factor desktop systems has resulted in UCFF PCs also serving as...

31 by Ganesh T S on 1/29/2023

Intel NUC 12 Pro Wall Street Canyon Kits Review: Alder Lake in UCFF Avatar

Intel introduced the ultra-compact form-factor in 2012 to reinvigorate the PC market. The incredible success of the product line has now resulted in the brand name propagating to other...

26 by Ganesh T S on 1/26/2023

ASRock DeskMeet B660 Review: An Affordable NUC Extreme?

ASRock was one of the earliest vendors to cater to the small-form factor (SFF) PC market with a host of custom-sized motherboards based on notebook platforms. Despite missing the...

27 by Ganesh T S on 1/23/2023

CES 2023: Akasa Introduces Fanless Cases for Wall Street Canyon NUCs

Akasa is one of the very few vendors to carry a portfolio of passively-cooled chassis solutions for the Intel NUCs. We had reviewed their Turing solution with the Bean...

1 by Ganesh T S on 1/6/2023

ASRock Industrial's NUC(S) 1300 BOX Series Brings Raptor Lake to UCFF Systems

Intel recently updated their low-power processors lineup with the Raptor Lake U- and P- Series 13th Gen Core mobile SKUs. Supporting a range of TDPs up to 28W, these...

1 by Ganesh T S on 1/4/2023

Intel NUC13 Extreme Raptor Canyon Review: Sizzling SFF Performance Powerhouse

Intel officially unveiled the details of their Raptor Lake-based NUC13 Extreme last month. Based on the desktop Raptor Lake processors, the 13.7L NUC13 Extreme is Intel's biggest NUC yet...

27 by Ganesh T S on 12/14/2022

Intel Launches Raptor Canyon: Desktop Raptor Lake Sizzles in NUC13 Extreme

Intel is officially taking the wraps off the first member of their Raptor Lake-based NUC13 family today. The NUC13 Extreme (like the three previous Extreme NUCs) caters to the...

27 by Ganesh T S on 11/8/2022

Intel Announces Serpent Canyon: Alder Lake and Arc Amalgamate in NUC12 Enthusiast

Intel officially unveiled the final member of their Alder Lake-based NUC12 family earlier this week. The NUC12 Enthusiast (like the three previous Enthusiast NUCs) caters to the gaming /...

13 by Ganesh T S on 9/22/2022

ASRock Industrial NUC BOX-1260P and 4X4 BOX-5800U Review: Alder Lake-P and Cezanne UCFF Faceoff

The past few years have seen Intel and AMD delivering new processors in a staggered manner. In the sub-45W category, Intel's incumbency has allowed it to deliver products for...

34 by Ganesh T S on 8/5/2022

Intel NUC11TNBi5 and Akasa Newton TN Fanless Case Review: Silencing the Tiger

Intel's Tiger Lake-based NUCs have been shipping for well over a year now. Supply chain challenges have been impacting availability of different models in different regions, but that has...

18 by Ganesh T S on 7/22/2022

Intel Atlas Canyon (NUC11ATKPE) and GEEKOM MiniAir 11 UCFF PCs Review: Desktop Jasper Lake Impresses

Intel's low-power Tremont microarchitecture has powered a range of products - from the short-lived Lakefield, to Elkhart Lake in the embedded space, and finally, Jasper Lake in the client...

23 by Ganesh T S on 7/14/2022

Jasper Lake Fanless Showdown: ECS LIVA Z3 and ZOTAC ZBOX CI331 nano UCFF PCs Review

Intel's Jasper Lake series of products based on the Tremont microarchitecture was launched in early 2021. Since then, we have seen a steady stream of notebooks and motherboards /...

52 by Ganesh T S on 7/8/2022

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