MINIX Z100-0dB review – Part 3: A fanless Intel N100 mini PC tested with Ubuntu 22.04

MINIX Z100-0dB review Ubuntu 22.04 Linux

After the first part of the review with an unboxing and a teardown of the MINIX NEO Z100-0dB mini PC, we tested the fanless Intel N100 mini PC with Windows 11 Pro in the second part, and we are now ready to report our experience with Linux, and more specifically Ubuntu 22.04, on the MINIX Z100-0dB mini PC in the final and third part of the review. We will go through features testing, run some benchmarks to evaluate the performance in Linux, perform storage and network performance tests, check the cooling ability of the mini with a stress test, and also check its power consumption under different scenarios. We will also compare the MINIX Z100-0dB to the actively cooled GEEKOM Mini Air12 mini PC that uses the same Intel Processor N100 CPU. Ubuntu 22.04 installation We will install Ubuntu 22.04 alongside Windows 11 Pro in dual boot configuration, so we […]

Beelink SEi12 i7-12650H mini PC review – Part 3: Ubuntu 22.04 Linux

Beelink SEi12 i7-12650H mini PC Review Ubuntu 22.04

After going through an unboxing and teardown of the Beelink SEi12 i7-12650H mini PC, and testing the 12th gen Intel Core i7-12650H mini PC in Windows 11 Pro, we’ll now report our experience with Ubuntu 22.04 in the third part of the review to show how the Beelink SEi12 performs in Linux. We will perform feature testing, run some benchmarks to evaluate performance, test Ethernet, WiFi 6, and Bluetooth, submit the system to a stress test to check its cooling performance and measure fan noise and power consumption. We’ll also compare it to the GEEKOM Mini IT12 mini PC with the same Intel Core i7-12650H CPU. Ubuntu 22.04 installation We shrank the Windows partition is about half to install Ubuntu 22.04 in dual boot configuration along with Windows 11 Pro. We then installed Ubuntu 22.04.3 ISO from a USB flash without any issues. Ubuntu 22.04 system information After a system […]

MINIX Z100-AERO is an Intel N100 mini PC with triple 4K display support, dual Ethernet

MINIX Z100-AERO mini PC

The MINIX Z100-AERO is an actively-cooled Intel Processor N100 mini PC with a form factor similar to the company’s Z100-0dB fanless mini PC but offered with a different choice of interfaces including dual Ethernet (1Gbps + 2.5 Gbps), and three video outputs through HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort, and USB-C connectors. The mini PC supports up to 32GB DDR4 memory via a single SO-DIMM slot and M.2 NVMe SSD storage,  and features four USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports (5Gbps), plus one full-featured USB-C 3.2 port, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. MINIX Z100-AERO specifications: SoC – Intel Processor N100 quad-core Alder Lake-N processor @ up to 3.4 GHz (Turbo) with 6MB cache, 24EU Intel HD graphics @ 750 MHz; TDP: 6W System Memory – 4GB, 8GB, or 16GB DDDR4-3200 via 1x SO-DIMM socket, upgradable to 32GB Storage 128GB, 256GB, or 512GB M.2 SSD (PCIe Gen3 x1?), upgradable up to 4TB MicroSD card slot […]

Intel Core Ultra 5 134U and Core Ultra 7 164U are 9W Meteor Lake processors

Intel Core Ultra 9W processors

Intel Core Ultra 5 134U and Core Ultra 7 164U are new 12-core Meteor Lake processors with 9W PBP (Processor Base Power) and 30W Max Turbo Power (MTP) that appear to have recently been added to Intel Ark. Intel just announced Intel vPro Platform support for the Core Ultra Meteor Lake processors to make those more suitable to business customers with improved security through AI-powered Intel Threat Detection Technology, better manageability with the Intel Device Discovery comprised of cloud-based tools for managing PCs remotely, and enhanced stability thanks to Intel’s Stable IT Program aiming to validate and ensure Windows 10 and Windows 11 compatibility. But Liliputing also notes that Intel has added some 9W parts besides the existing 15W parts such as the Intel Core Ultra 5 125U or Core Ultra 7 165U, namely the Core Ultra 5 134U and Core Ultra 7 164U. They are quite similar to the […]

$20 coupon codes for the GEEKOM Mini IT13 mini PC with Core i7-13620H, 32GB RAM, 1TB NVMe SSD (Sponsored)

GEEKOM Mini IT13 20 dollar coupon codes

GEEKOM is offering a $20 discount for the powerful GEEKOM Mini IT13 mini PC with coupon codes for Amazon (code CNXSWIT13) and the official GEEKOM store (code cnxsoftware) bringing the price down to just $609. The mini PC features an Intel Core i7-13620H 10-core/16-thread Raptor Lake processor, 32GB DDR4 RAM, and a 1TB NVMe SSD for storage. It can drive up to four 4K displays through HDMI and USB4 ports, supports 2.5GbE and WiFi 6E networking, and comes with a total of six USB ports for expansion. GEEKOM Mini IT13 specifications: SoC – Intel Core i7-13620H 13th Gen Raptor Lake processor with 10 cores, 16 threads up to 4.90 GHz, 24MB Cache, Iris Xe graphics; PBP: 45W System Memory – 32GB dual-channel DDR4-3200 via 2x SODIMM sockets Storage 1TB M.2 2280 PCIe Gen 4 x4 SSD M.2 2242 SATA SSD slot, expandable up to 1TB 2.5-inch SATA HDD (7mm) slot, […]

CWWK “Magic Computer” is a fanless Alder Lake-N mini PC with a PCIe x8 slot

magic computer

CWWK Magic Computer is an unusual fanless mini PC offered with a range of Alder Lake-N processors from the Intel Processor N95 to the Core i3-N305 and a PCIe x8 slot allowing users to connect all sorts of PCIe boards on the side of the device for example for networking and/or storage. The mini PC supports up to 32GB DDR5, an M.2 NVMe (PCIe 3.0 x1) SSD, two SATA drives, and up to four 4K capable monitors through HDMI, DisplayPort, and USB-C interfaces. It is also equipped with two 2.5GbE RJ45 ports, four USB 2.0 ports, and a range of internal headers for a COM port, USB 2.0, a TPM, and optional fans. CWWK Magic Computer specifications: Alder Lake-N SoC (one or the other) Intel Processor N95 quad-core processor @ up to 3.4 GHz (Turbo) with 6MB cache, 16EU Intel HD graphics; TDP: 15W Intel Processor N97 quad-core processor @ up […]

MINIX Z100-0dB review – Part 2: A fanless Intel Processor N100 mini PC tested with Windows 11

MINIX Z100-0dB review Windows11

We’ve already done an unboxing and a teardown of the MINIX NEO Z100-0dB fanless mini PC powered by an Intel Processor N100 CPU, and equipped with a 16GB DDR4-3200 RAM and a 512GB M.2 SSD before quickly trying the preinstalled Windows 11 Pro operating system in the first part of the review. We’ve now had time to test Windows 11 in the MINIX Z100-0dB fanless mini PC in more detail. So we’ll report our experience in the second part of the review with features testing, benchmarks, some storage and networking performance tests, measurements of fan noise and power consumption, and more. We’ll also compare the MINIX NEO Z100-0dB against other Alder Lake-N mini PCs such as the actively-cooled GEEKOM Mini Air12 that we reviewed at the end of last year. Software overview and features testing The System->About window confirms the Z100-0dB mini PC features an Intel N100 processor at 800 […]

GEEKOM A7 mini PC review – Part 3: Ubuntu 22.04 (and Ubuntu 24.04)

GEEKOM A7 Ubuntu 22.04 Linux review

After a GEEKOM A7 mini PC unboxing and teardown, I tested the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS mini PC in Windows 11 Pro, but I’ll now report my experience with the GEEKOM A7 running Ubuntu 22.04.4 to see our well the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS system performs in Linux. I also had to install Ubuntu 24.04 to check the wireless module further, so I’ll report on that too. The Ubuntu 22.04 review will include features testing, several benchmarks, storage, 2.5GbE, and WiFi 6 networking performance testing, a stress test to check thermal performance, as well as fan noise and power consumption measurements. Ubuntu 22.04 installation I resized the Windows 11 partition to get an unused 500GB partition to install Ubuntu 22.04 from a USB drive. But the first time, it did not work as I was asked to disable BitLocker disk encryption in Windows 11 just like I did for the […]