We’ve already checked the hardware of the GEEKOM Mini Air12 Lite mini PC with an unboxing and teardown in the first part of the review. It is a low-cost mini PC based on an Intel Processor N100 CPU, coupled with 8GB DDR4-3200 memory, a 256GB M.2 SATA SSD, dual Display output through HDMI and DisplayPort connector, GbE, WiFi 6E, and a 9-pin expansion header port – as found in some NUC model – to access an external power button, reset button, and LEDs when housed in a cabinet or kiosk. You’ll find the full Mini Air 12 Lite specifications in our previous article about it. We’ve now had more time to test the mini PC, so we’ll report our experience with the Mini Air12 Lite running Windows 11 Pro operating system in the second part of the review. We’ll go through a software overview, test most of the features, run [...]

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I’ve already gone through the specifications, an unboxing, and a teardown of the GEEKOM GT1 Mega AI mini PC powered by an Intel Core Ultra 9 185H “Meteor Lake” processor with 32GB DDR5 RAM and a 2TB M.2 NVMe SSD in the first part of the review. I’ve now had more time to play with the GEEKOM GT1 Mega, so I will report my experience with Windows 11 Pro operating system in the second part of the review testing features, running benchmarks including an AI benchmark, evaluating networking and storage performance, testing the thermal design while under stress, and taking measurements for fan noise and power consumption. Software overview and features testing Going to the System->About window in the Settings confirms we have a GT1-Mega mini PC powered by a 2.50 GHz (base frequency) Intel Core Ultra 9 185H processor with 32GB of RAM running Windows 11 Pro 23H2 build [...]

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iBASE Technology has unveiled the IB962 3.5-inch single-board computer (SBC) powered by the Intel Core Ultra 5/7 100 Series processor family (formerly Meteor Lake U/H) and delivering an “optimal balance of performance and power efficiency.” The IB962 3.5-inch SBC mostly follows the IB961 board‘s design, offering more powerful SoC options, more system memory, and an HDMI 2.0 display interface supporting 4K resolution at 60Hz. It provides dual Gigabit Ethernet networking, three USB 3.2 ports (two via pin headers), three USB 2.0 ports, and three M.2 slots (M-Key + E-Key + B-Key) for networking, storage, and cellular communication. While IB962 is not a single-board computer in the strictest sense since it uses SODIMM sockets, it is still quite compact and useful for portable or space-constrained applications. It is intended for industrial automation, manufacturing, retail, entertainment, healthcare, and various edge AI applications. It is a larger alternative to AAEON’s PICO-MTU4 Pico-ITX SBC [...]

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We’ve already checked out the hardware of the Maxtang T0-FP750 mini PC with an unboxing and a teardown in the first part of the review, before thoroughly testing the AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS mini PC in Windows 11 Pro. The time has now come to report our experience with Ubuntu 24.04, and more exactly Ubuntu 24.04.1 “dot” release, with the Maxtang T0-FT750 mini PC in the final part of the review. This will include a software overview, feature tests, benchmarks, storage and USB performance evaluation, 2.5Gbps Ethernet and WiFi 6 network performance tests, a stress test to check for thermal and/or power throttling, and fan noise and power consumption measurements. We will also compare the results of the Maxtang T0-FP750 mini PC in Ubuntu 24.04 against the ones for the earlier Maxtang MTN-FP750 mini PC using AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS CPU which we tested with Ubuntu 22.04. Ubuntu 24.04 system [...]

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GEEKOM Mini Air12 Lite is a mini PC based on Intel Processor N100 CPU whose unique feature is to include an external 9-pin expansion header port for expansion to add an external power button, a reset button, and a few LEDs. As its name implies, it’s also a cheaper version of the GEEKOM Mini Air12 that ships with 8GB DDR4-3200 memory and a 256GB NVMe SSD. The mini PC also features  HDMI and DisplayPort video outputs, Gigabit Ethernet, WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.3, and six USB 3.2/2.0 ports. GEEKOM sent us a sample of the Mini Air12 Lite for review. So today, we’ll start by checking out the hardware with an unboxing and teardown, before trying to boot it up, and we’ll then test the system in more detail with Windows 11 and Ubuntu 24.04.1 in the next parts of the review. GEEKOM Mini Air12 Lite unboxing We received the [...]

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The second prize of Giveaway Week 2024 is the Orbbec Femto Mega 3D depth and 4K RGB camera powered by an NVIDIA Jetson Nano module and featuring Microsoft ToF technology found in Hololens and Azure Kinect DevKit. The camera connects to Windows or Linux host computers through USB or Ethernet and is supported by the Orbbec SDK with the NVIDIA Jetson Nano running depth vision algorithms to convert raw data to precise depth images. I first reviewed the Orbbec Femto Mega using the Orbbec Viewer for a quick test connected to an Ubuntu laptop (as shown above) before switching to a more complex demo using the Orbbec SDK for body tracking in Windows 11. Although it was satisfying once it worked, I struggled quite a lot to run the body tracking demo in Windows 11, so there’s a learning curve, and after you have this working, you’d still need to [...]

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GEEKOM GT1 Mega is an AI mini PC based on the latest Intel Core Ultra 5/7/9 Meteor Lake processor. We received a review sample from the company with an Intel Core Ultra 9 185H SoC, 32GB DDR5 memory, and a 2TB NVMe SSD as well as an Intel BE200 WiFi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 module. As usual, we’ll do a three-part review starting with an article with the specifications, an unboxing, and a teardown followed by a thorough review with the pre-installed Windows 11 Pro operating system, and finally with the latest Ubuntu 24.04.1 OS. GEEKOM GT1 Mega specifications GEEKOM provides the following specifications for the GT1 Mega mini PC and motherboard: Meteor Lake SoC (one or the other) Intel Core Ultra 9 185H 16-core (6P+8E+2LPE) processor @ 2.5 / 3.8 / 5.1 GHz (Turbo) with 24MB cache, 8x Xe-cores Intel Arc graphics @ 2.35 GHz, Intel AI Boost NPU; [...]

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Intel Processor N150, Processor N250, and Core i3-N355 new Alder Lake-N processors have recently shown up in the upcoming ASUS NUC 14 Essential mini PCs and offer a small performance boost compared to existing variants such as the N100, N200, and Core i3-N305. The upcoming NUC 14 Essential family also includes one model with the existing Processor N97 CPU, supports up to three 4K displays via HDMI, DP, and USB-C connectors, offers 2.5 GbE networking, six USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports, and a single USB 2.0 port. ASUS NUC 14 Essential (NUC14MNK) specifications: Alder Lake-N SoC Intel Processor N97 quad-core processor @ up to 3.4 GHz (Turbo) with 6MB cache, 24EU Intel UHD graphics; TDP: 6W Intel Processor N150 quad-core processor @ up to 3.6 GHz (Turbo) with 6MB cache, Intel graphics; TDP: 6W Intel Processor N250 quad-core processor @ up to 3.8 GHz (Turbo) with 6MB cache, Intel graphics; [...]

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DFRobot’s 14-inch ultra-wide IPS display offers narrow bezels, 4K (3840 x 1100) resolution, 10-point capacitive touch, and is designed for mounting single board computers such as LattePanda Sigma and Raspberry Pi 5. It can also be connected to other computers with dual USB Type-C and mini HDMI video input interfaces. With a unique 3.5:1 bar-shaped aspect ratio, this display can present information in an intuitive format for countertop advertising screens, measurement equipment, and smart terminals. DFRobot’s “14-inch 4K IPS bar touch display” specifications Display 14-inch ultra-wide, narrow bezel IPS bar touch display with 4K (3840×1100) resolution Ten-point capacitive touch support, offering precise input Aspect ratio – 3.5:1 Pixel – 0.08964(H) × 0.08964(V) mm Viewable area – 344.2(H)×98.6(V) mm with 170° viewing angle and ≥6H surface hardness Color Gamut – 72% Brightness – 300 cd/m2 Contrast Ratio – 1200:1 Refresh rate – 60Hz Transmittance – Greater than equals to 86% Driver [...]

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The Banana Pi BPI-M1S, also known as the ArmSoM-Sige1, is a low-profile single board computer (SBC) based on the Rockchip RK3528 quad-core Cortex-A53 SoC initially designed for entry-level 4K TV boxes. Contrary to the two other RK3528(A) SBCs we’ve covered, namely the Radxa Rock E20C and FriendlyELEC NanoPi Zero2 focusing on low-cost and small footprint for headless networked applications, the Banana Pi BPI-M1S integrates more features such as HDMI 2.0 for 4K video output and audio, 2.5GbE and WiFi 6 networking, and a 40-pin GPIO header for expansion. Banana Pi BPI-M1S specifications: SoC – Rockchip RK3528 CPU – Quad-core Arm Cortex-A53 @ 2.0 GHz GPU – Arm Mali-G450 GPU with support for OpenGL ES1.1, ES2.0, and OpenVG 1.1 APIs VPU H.264, H.265, and AVS2 decoder up to 4Kp60 H.264 and H.265 encoder up to 1080p60 Memory – 4GB LPDDR4x Storage 32GB eMMC flash (by default) MicroSD card slot Video Output – [...]

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DFI has recently launched the RPS101/RPS103 industrial mini-ITX motherboards compatible with 14th/13th/12th Gen Intel Core processors and equipped with R680E, Q670E, or H610E chipset. They also support up to 64GB of DDR5 memory and offer various connectivity and management features including support for up to four independent 4K displays, two Intel 2.5GbE ports, and an integrated DFI M2-OOB module. These features are designed to meet the demands of factory automation and kiosk applications, and the company claims its latest mini-ITX motherboards are ideal for businesses that need to reduce TCO and accelerate AI adoption. RPS101/RPS103 mini-ITX motherboards’ specifications CPU options LGA 1700 Socket  (one or the other) 14th Gen Raptor Lake-S Refresh  – Intel 300T dual-core to Intel Core i9-14900 24-core 13th Gen Raptor Lake-S – Intel G6900TE dual-core to Intel Core i9-13900 24-core 12th Gen Alder Lake-S – Intel G6900TE dual-core to Intel Core i9-12900 16-core Graphics Intel HD [...]

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The iKOOLCORE R2 Max is an Alder Lake-N-powered firewall/gateway/server/mini PC that is offered with either an Intel Processor N100 or Core i3-N305 CPU, and equipped with two 10GbE ports and two 2.5GbE ports. It builds upon the iKOOLCORE R2 mini PC and router which we reviewed with Promox VE, Ubuntu 22.04, and pfSense and features four 2.5GbE ports in a smaller form factor. The new R2 Max model uses the N100/Core i3-N305 CPU instead of the N95/Core i3-N300, supports up to 48GB SO-DIMM memory, features a wider yet thinner design, and provides support for both 10GbE and 2.5GbE networking. iKOOCORE R2 Max specifications: Alder Lake-N SoC Intel Processor N100 quad-core processor @ up to 3.4 GHz (Turbo) with 6MB cache, 24EU Intel UHD graphics; TDP: 6W Intel Core i3-N305 octa-core processor @ up to 3.8 GHz (Turbo) with 6MB cache, 32EU Intel UHD Graphics; TDP: 15W System Memory – 8GB, [...]

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The Quartz64 Zero is a thinner, cheaper version of the Quartz64 Model B with a Rockchip RK3566T quad-core Cortex-A55 SoC clocked at 1.6 GHz, 1GB LPDDR4, and HDMI and USB ports. The Quartz64 Zero has almost the same design as the Quartz64 with footprints for optional components (more on that later). Two noticeable differences are the presence of the 20-pin PCIe connector compatible with the one found on the Raspberry Pi 5 instead of a mini PCIe socket, and WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.4 support instead of just WiFi 5/Bluetooth 5.0. Quartz64 Zero specifications (changes highlighted in bold and strikethrough when items have been removed): SoC – Rockchip RK3566T CPU – Quad-core Cortex-A55 processor up to 1.6 GHz GPU – Arm Mali-G52 GPU supporting OpenGL ES 1.1/2.0/3.2, OpenCL 2.0, Vulkan 1.1 NPU – 0.8 TOPS NPU for AI acceleration (Unclear whether it’s present, not listed in the specs) System Memory [...]

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We already looked at the Radxa X4 kit featuring an Intel N100 SBC with a design similar to the Raspberry Pi 5 and accessories including a Radxa Power PD 30W power adapter, an NVMe SSD, and a USB-C to USB-C cable, in the first part of the review, before installing Ubuntu 24.04 on the board.

In the second part of the review, we will test Ubuntu 24.04 in more detail with some benchmarks and power consumption measurements to show how well it works (or not) compared to a Raspberry Pi 5. We will also test the 40-pin GPIO header on the Radxa X4 controlled through a Raspberry Pi RP2040 microcontroller.

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The Turing Pi 2.5 is a mini-ITX motherboard designed for clusters of system-on-modules such as Raspberry Pi CM4, NVIDIA Jetson modules, or the company’s own RK1 SoM powered by a Rockchip RK3588 AI SoC. A mini-ITX case compatible with both the Turing Pi 2 and 2.5 boards is also available. The Turing Pi 2.5 is an upgrade to the earlier Turing Pi 2 with the main key features, but some updates related to USB, HDMI output, new 8-pin connectors for I2C, audio, and GPIO pins, and BMC upgrades. While the company has just announced the start of Turing Pi 2.5 and the mini-ITX case pre-order, documentation and photos on the store and documentation website have not been updated. Everything is still about the Turing Pi 2 except for the information in the announcement. I won’t go through the specs since they are not available for the latest version, but the [...]

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