Systems
The performance of ultra-compact form-factor (UCFF) desktops has improved significantly over the years, thanks to advancements in semiconductor fabrication and processor architecture. Thermal solutions suitable for these 4in. x 4in. machines have also been evolving simultaneously. As a result, vendors have been able to configure higher sustained power limits for the processors in these systems. With Intel and AMD allowing configurable TDPs for their notebook segment offerings, UCFF systems with regular 45W TDP processors (albeit, in cTDP-down mode) are now being introduced into the market. GEEKOM became one of the first vendors to release a Core i9-based UCFF machines with the launch of the Mini IT13. Based on paper specifications, this high-end Raptor Lake-H (RPL-H) UCFF desktop is meant to give the mainstream RPL-P NUCs...
ASRock Industrial NUC BOX-N97 and GMKtec NucBox G2 Review: Contrasting Compact ADL-N Options
Intel has been maintaining a low-power / low-cost x86 microarchitecture since the introduction of the Silverthorne Atom processors in 2008. Its latest iteration, Gracemont, made its debut in the...
20 by Ganesh T S on 10/6/2023
ECS LIVA Q3D and ACEMAGIC T8 Plus micro-PCs Review: Jasper Lake and Alder Lake-N in a Smaller-than-UCFF Package
Compact computing systems have gained significant market share over the last decade. Improvements in the performance per watt metric of processors have enabled the replacement of bulky desktop PCs...
8 by Ganesh T S on 9/21/2023
Khadas Mind Premium Review: Raptor Lake-P in a Modular Portable Workstation
Khadas is a well-known vendor in the ARM-based single-board computer (SBC) circles. Recently, the company made its first foray into the small form-factor x86 PC space with a rather...
20 by Ganesh T S on 9/14/2023
Beelink GTR7 mini-PC Review: A Complete AMD Phoenix Package at 65W
The increasing popularity of small form-factor (SFF) PCs has allowed a number of second and third tier vendors to market their wares. While the trend was kickstarted by the...
56 by Ganesh T S on 8/24/2023
GEEKOM AS 6 (ASUS PN53) Review: Ryzen 9 6900HX Packs Punches in a Petite Package
The market demand for small form-factor (SFF) PCs was kickstarted by the Intel NUC in the early 2010s. Since then, many vendors have come out with their own take...
15 by Ganesh T S on 7/31/2023
ASRock Industrial NUC BOX-1360P/D5 Review: Raptor Lake-P on the Leading Edge
ASRock Industrial has been a key player in the ultra-compact form-factor PC space over the last few years. They have managed to release 4"x4" systems based on the latest...
21 by Ganesh T S on 7/18/2023
Palm-Sized Minisforum EM680 Desktop PC Packs AMD's Ryzen 7 6800U and USB4
We've seen AMD's Ryzen Mobile 6000 series chips show up in several mini-PC devices thus far, and now a recently-released mini-desktop from Minisforum is the smallest yet. The Mini-PC...
19 by Anton Shilov on 6/8/2023
Topgro's $499 Fanless PC Packs Core i7-1255U 'Alder Lake' CPU
One of the perks of modern mobile CPUs is that, being designed for laptops and their very limited cooling capacity, they can be placed in a NUC-sized (or smaller...
10 by Anton Shilov on 5/5/2023
Minisforum Unveils UM773 Lite: A Cheap Compact PC with Ryzen 7 7735HS
Minisforum has quietly started selling its Venus Series UM773 Lite, a compact system that packs AMD's eight-core Ryzen 7 7735HS processor. While this ultra-compact form-factor PC is rather powerful...
18 by Anton Shilov on 4/18/2023
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
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