ASUS PN50 Mini-PC, with Ryzen Mobile 4000 APUs, Coming September
by Dr. Ian Cutress on August 3, 2020 2:00 PM EST
AMD launched its Ryzen Mobile 4000 ‘Renoir’ processors in January, and one of our questions was around the appetite for AMD to push mini-PC designs. Processors that have both high performance and low power are ideal for small form factors, and there has always been a dedicated community to this hardware segment. As we’ve seen in previous launches, sometimes these sorts of machines come before laptops, or very quickly after. At the time, AMD said that the focus was on the laptops, however there would be nothing to stop one of its partners going ahead with a mini-PC design. So we waited, and waited…
The ASUS PN50 is going to be one of the first mini-PCs on the market with the new Renoir hardware in a mini-PC design. Much like the PN60 chassis the company has used with Intel 15 W processors, the unassuming polished grey size and small footprint will ensure that an AMD powered version will fit seamlessly into that vision – with four times the cores and beefier graphics as well.
ASUS will offer the PN50 with four different APUs: the Ryzen 3 4300 and the Ryzen 5 4500U are coming to the UK market on September 7th, while the Ryzen 7 4700U and Ryzen 7 4800U will be available on September 21st. The kit will be a barebones system, requiring the user to add in memory and a storage drive. The PN50 supports dual DDR4-3200 SO-DIMMs, up to 64 GB, along with an M.2 2280 SATA/PCIe drive and a single 2.5-inch SATA drive.
The Vega graphics on the mobile APU means the PN50 will support a single 8K display at 60 Hz or up to four 4K60 displays through HDMI, DisplayPort, and dual USB-C ports. On the front there is a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port with battery charging support, a USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A port, a 3-in-1 card reader, and an audio jack. On the rear is a USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C port, two USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A ports, the HDMI 2.0 port, a ‘configurable’ port (DP1.4/COM/VGA/LAN depending on region), gigabit Ethernet, and the DC-in connector. Inside the system is an Intel AX200 Wi-Fi 6 module for wireless connectivity. The system includes a VESA mount kit in the bundle.
The four variants are as follows:
| ASUS PN50 Ryzen Mobile 4000 Mini-PC | ||||
| AnandTech | Ryzen 7 4800U |
Ryzen 7 4700U |
Ryzen 5 4500U |
Ryzen 5 4300U |
| Price (inc VAT) | £500 | £370 | £320 | £275 |
| Cores | 8 Cores 16 Threads |
8 Cores 8 Threads |
6 Cores 6 Threads |
4 Cores 4 Threads |
| Frequency | 1.8G-4.2G | 2.0G-4.1G | 2.3G-4.0G | 2.7G-4.0G |
| Graphics | Vega 8 | Vega 7 | Vega 6 | Vega 5 |
| Memory | 2 x SO-DIMM, up to 64 GB DDR4-3200 | |||
| Storage | 1 x SATA/PCIe M.2 2280 1 x SATA 6 Gbps |
|||
| Wi-Fi | Intel AX200 Wi-Fi 6 | |||
| VESA | Mounting Kit Included | |||
| Front IO | 1 x USB 3.2 G2 Type-C (DP1.4, BC1.2) 1 x USB 3.2 G1 Type-A 1 x Audio Jack 2 x Microphone Array 1 x IR Receiver 1 x 3-in-1 Card Reader |
|||
| Rear IO | 1 x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C (DP1.4) 2 x USB 3.2 G1 Type-A 1 x HDMI 2.0 1 x Configurable (DP1.4/COM/VGA/LAN) 1 x Gigabit Ethernet 1 x DC-In |
|||
| Optional | TPM / fTPM 2.0 | |||
| Dimensions | 115 x 115 x 49 mm (0.62L), 0.7 kg | |||
| PSU | 90 W | 65 W | ||
| Available | September 21st | September 7th | ||
Availability will vary depending on region. The UK has pre-order listings at several retailers, including Amazon.
Source: ASUS
Related Reading
- AMD Details Renoir: The Ryzen Mobile 4000 Series 7nm APU Uncovered
- AMD Ryzen Mobile 4000: Measuring Renoir’s Die Size
- Ryzen Roundup: A Quick Overview of Ryzen Mobile 4000 Laptops From Acer, ASUS, Dell, & MSI
- AMD’s Mobile Revival: Redefining the Notebook Business with the Ryzen 9 4900HS (A Review)
- ADATA's New 32 GB DDR4-3200 SO-DIMM, Ideal for Ryzen Mobile
- AMD Announces Ryzen Pro 4000 for Mobile: 8 Cores, 15 W, 4.1 GHz
- New Lenovo ThinkPad Range with Ryzen 4000 & 4000 PRO Mobile
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frbeckenbauer - Monday, August 3, 2020 - link
The mac mini has 3x the footprint area of this. It's gigantic in comparison. The PN50 literally fits into the palm of the hand.Alistair - Monday, August 3, 2020 - link
The Mac Mini is TINY, we are talking about 1.4L vs. 0.6L, don't mislead people. We just pointed out the PSU is included in the Mac Mini case.Samus - Tuesday, August 4, 2020 - link
The PSU is included in many small game consoles, too. The PS2 Slim is 1L and the SCPH-90000 models had an internal PSU...AND A DVD-ROM Drive. But its a bunk comparison too, because like the Mac Mini, it's proprietary, non-upgradable and border-line unserviceable due to its highly-integrated nature.Samus - Tuesday, August 4, 2020 - link
As stated, the Mac Mini comparison doesn't hold up. It's twice the footprint and nearly twice the volume.The Mac Mini is also highly integrated. All models after 2014 lack either upgradable memory or upgradable storage, as most components are soldered to the motherboard (even the wireless controller.)
The last decently upgradable Mini was the 2012 model which had tremendous thermal throttling issues, part of the reason they discontinued the server editions and moved exclusively to laptop CPU's.
I have also replaced more than a few PSU's in Mac Mini's over the years, and they are EXPENSIVE to replace and a pain in the ass to service as ALL components need to be removed to slide the PSU out.
Apples to Oranges comparison. Might as well compare a NUC to a PlayStation 1 if we are going to randomly compare something with an external PSU to something with an internal PSU.
FMinus - Tuesday, August 4, 2020 - link
Ever heard of pico PSUs. Here's one 150W https://www.mini-box.com/picoPSU-150-XT and here's a more appropriate 90W https://www.mini-box.com/picoPSU-90. They are barely larger than the 24 pin ATX connector.Spunjji - Wednesday, August 5, 2020 - link
...and the PicoPSU needs to be fed power by an external power brick, just like this device.🤦♂️
J0S3R - Monday, August 3, 2020 - link
Didn't try to shoehorn a hot bulky PSU into a tiny case. perrrrrrrrrrfect.Alistair - Monday, August 3, 2020 - link
A 65W or 95W PSU doesn't have to be hot and bulky... ala Mac MiniSamus - Tuesday, August 4, 2020 - link
The last Mac Mini that had any upgradability was the 2012 model. They were notorious for PSU failures. Since then, the 2014 and 2018 models have been highly integrated in order to make the PSU larger and improve cooling. The 2014 and 2018 models have virtually no upgradability (soldered RAM, even soldered storage) so the comparison is ridiculous. The NUC is completely modular and servicable which naturally sacrifices internal volume.hetzbh - Monday, August 3, 2020 - link
So? This is the same with Intel NUC, as well as the Intel variant of this mini PC.