Compulab fitlet-XA10-LAN Review: A Fanless AMD UCFF PC for Networking Applications
by Ganesh T S on April 19, 2016 8:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Systems
- Networking
- AMD
- Fanless
- Industrial PC
- Passive Cooling
- CompuLab
Wireless Networking and Storage Performance
Networking and storage are two major aspects which influence our experience with any computing system. This section presents results from our evaluation of these aspects in the CompuLab fitlet-XA10-LAN. On the storage side, one option would be repetition of our strenuous SSD review tests on the drive(s) in the PC. Fortunately, to avoid that overkill, PCMark 8 has a storage bench where certain common workloads such as loading games and document processing are replayed on the target drive. Results are presented in two forms, one being a benchmark number and the other, a bandwidth figure. We ran the PCMark 8 storage bench on selected PCs and the results are presented below.
The Micron RealSSD C400v is a mSATA drive based on the Marvell 88SS9174 controller. It is quite old, considering that we reviewed it back in 2012. However, it does come with 25nm MLC flash, and is rated for a 36TBW workload. Practically speaking, it stands head-to-head with modern SSDs when it comes to performance for day-to-day applications.
On the networking side, we restrict ourselves to the evaluation of the WLAN component in this section. Our standard test router is the Netgear R7000 Nighthawk configured with both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz networks. The router is placed approximately 20 ft. away, separated by a drywall (as in a typical US building). A wired client (Zotac ID89-Plus) is connected to the R7000 and serves as one endpoint for iperf evaluation. The PC under test is made to connect to either the 5 GHz (preferred) or 2.4 GHz SSID and iperf tests are conducted for both TCP and UDP transfers. It is ensured that the PC under test is the only wireless client for the Netgear R7000. We evaluate total throughput for up to 32 simultaneous TCP connections using iperf and present the highest number in the graph below.
In the UDP case, we try to transfer data at the highest rate possible for which we get less than 1% packet loss.
Since the WLAN adapter is actually an external USB 2.0 device and has a 1x1 802.11n 2.4 GHz-only configuration, it is not surprising to see that the Wi-Fi performance is barely passable. That said, the WLAN component is fine for use as a management interface (which is likely, given the presence of four gigabit wired ports). It must also be noted that the fitlet-X LAN sacrifices WLAN performance in favor of LAN due to lack of space. The fitlet-i, targeting more traditional use cases, incorporates Intel's AC7260 802.11ac chipset with dual antennae for significantly better Wi-Fi performance.
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rstuart - Tuesday, April 19, 2016 - link
The Kettop has less than 1/2 the warranty, is still bigger, doesn't have wireless, has VGA vs 2 x HDMI, 2xUSB-2 versus 3xUSB-2 + 2xUSB-3, no serial port, and no m-PCI expansion.But yeah, your right. Apart from that you are almost buying the same thing.
Lazn_W - Wednesday, April 20, 2016 - link
I guess my brief search didn't find anything quite so small.. But there are plenty of options in this arena, perhaps not quite so tiny, but if you need the wifi etc, and more horsepower.. you can get them, here is another MFG for example: http://www.amazon.com/Qotom/b/ref=bl_dp_s_web_1006...rstuart - Wednesday, April 20, 2016 - link
It's the same deal though isn't it? Your original point is there are cheaper options elsewhere, but while it's cheaper it's hardly the same thing. Good for a home router maybe - but doesn't have the ports to do much else. For a person wanting to put in in a remote office literally mega metres away and not touch it, the 1 year warranty doesn't send a good signal.As for the AMD vs Intel thing - I simply don't care. It's a bit of mystery to me why anybody would care. What I do care about is you load the OS on it, and it just works. They certainly do that. They've given me less compatibility headaches that any box I can remember. Even Debian stable "just works".
The one criticism I have of these CompuLab boxes is there is no TPM. TPM's are nice to have in boxes holding secure credentials in remote locations. Oh yeah and the choice of the Intel 7260 wifi module. It works wonderfully as a client, but as a master it only supports 13 stations which isn't enough.
zodiacfml - Friday, April 22, 2016 - link
I'm with you here. The size of the Compulab is impressive but for someone who is going to build and leave this in a not so nice location for human beings, the size difference is not much of an advantage for the Compulab.variab1e - Tuesday, April 19, 2016 - link
Is the J1900 going to be faster than the A10 Micro-6700T ?Lazn_W - Tuesday, April 19, 2016 - link
http://cpuboss.com/cpus/Intel-Celeron-J1900-vs-AMD...ganeshts - Tuesday, April 19, 2016 - link
That is a naive comparison. Only when we actually evaluate the *system* that the real performance comes out. Those 'bot' sites that just compare paper specifications never tell the full story.When I started the fitlet-XA10-LAN review, I was pretty sure the Braswell and Bay Trail SoCs would run circles around the A10 Micro-6700T. I was very surprised with the results - the difference lies in the thermal design - the unlocked TDP means the APU can dissipate a lot more power than what it is intended to in its target market (tablets for the A10 Micro-6700T).
So, we have the A10 Micro-6700T in the fitlet-XA10-LAN that was faster than any Braswell or Bay Trail passively cooled CPU with a larger form factor in *CPU* benchmarks. Credit to Compulab should be given when they deserve it :)
Lazn_W - Tuesday, April 19, 2016 - link
Sure, I was pointing out other options for those of us who prefer the blue team.And if you are willing to spend, there are Core i5/i7 based options out there too. If interested, look on Amazon.
WorBlux - Thursday, March 9, 2017 - link
And do they come with a standard 60 month (5 whole years) warranty?Bob Todd - Tuesday, April 19, 2016 - link
I'm surprised this thing wasn't able to NAT another ~100Mb/s. A $99 ERL can max out a gigabit FTTH connection.