The ASRock DeskMini 310 Mini-PC Review: A Cost-Effective Mini-STX Platform
by Ganesh T S on March 15, 2019 9:30 AM ESTNetworking 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 ASRock DeskMini 310. 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 NVMe SSD used in the DeskMini 310 allows it to be clear of the SATA-using PCs in the above graphs. However, the 240 GB capacity point and general performance prevent the drive from moving up the graph.
On the networking side, we restricted ourselves to the evaluation of the WLAN component. 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 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.
These bandwidth numbers are consistent with what one can expect from a 1x1 client radio.
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skpetic - Saturday, March 16, 2019 - link
Can you please review the possibilities for passively cooling the CPU in this case? I feel this is a device that could really be a hit in the low noise HTPC market. Interested in Arctic Alpine AM4 Passive cooler and the like.AdditionalPylons - Saturday, March 16, 2019 - link
The Arctic Alpine AM4 heatsink won't fit in the A300 case. Max supported CPU cooler height is 46 mm, while the Alpine is 70 mm. That said you can of course run with the case open but that's not an option for most people. Possibly move the motherboard to another case?SaturnusDK - Saturday, March 16, 2019 - link
The stealth cooler that comes with a 2200/2400G does fit though.skpetic - Sunday, March 17, 2019 - link
Do you know if the 2400G will throttle badly if you disable the fan on that / can the chip be under volted to remedy it somewhat?guidryp - Tuesday, March 19, 2019 - link
Just dremel the case and let the Arctic Alpine fins stick out.vithrell - Monday, March 18, 2019 - link
Could you review 2400GE/2200GE at the same time, those are very interesting SKU, but solid reviews are nowhere to be found, especially with power consumption numbers.IGTrading - Friday, March 15, 2019 - link
Is there an AMD Ryzen based version ?I'll wait for that.
toliman - Friday, March 15, 2019 - link
Check youtube for at least 2 reviews of the deskmini A300, with a Ryzen 2400G. They really should have focused on the A300 review as intel NUC hardware has been around for years & other options are available. Price is usd $149 on neweggdeil - Friday, March 15, 2019 - link
I want one. Only reason I checked this article.....m.2 drive, amd apu, 3200 ram, vesa mount. mini-gaming-god.
Ashinjuka - Friday, March 15, 2019 - link
I find the AMD-oriented DeskMini A300 Series much more interesting in this little sub-segment. I'm tempted to grab one to play with but I'll probably just wait until summer and the Ryzen 3000's and do a full build.