It’s always possible to connect a USB hard drive to a mini PC, but it’s not quite as neat as having an internal drive, and it may not pass the wife test. NEXBOX T11 mini PC powered by Intel Atom x5-Z8300 processor addresses this issue by including a 2.5″ SATA bay on the bottom for the case of a SSD or HDD with up to 2 TB capacity.
- SoC – Intel Atom x5-Z8300 “Cherry Trail” quad core processor @ 1.44 GHz/1.84 GHz (turbo) with Intel Gen8 HD graphics
- System Memory – 2 GB DDR3
- Storage – 32 GB flash, 2.5″ SATA drive support, and micro SD slot
- Video Output – HDMI and VGA
- Audio Output – HDMI and 3.5mm audio jack
- Connectivity – 10/100M Ethernet port, 802.11 b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 4.0
- USB – 3x USB 2.0 host ports, 1x USB 3.0 port, 1x micro USB OTG port
- Misc – Power button
- Power Supply – 5V/3A
- Dimensions & Weight – TBD
The device is said to run a licensed version of Windows 10 Home.
NEXBOX T11 is sold for $136.99 on GeekBuying, and $148.90 on GearBest but GBT11 coupon brings that down to $129.99. It is not the only Cherry Trail mini PC with SATA, as PiPO X6S also provides a 2.5″ SATA bay and Atom x5-X8300 processor with a different set of features (4GB RAM, 64 GB flash, 802.11ac, dual Ethernet, HDMI only…) for about $190 shipped.
You can also consult the manufacturer product page, where either T11 or T12 is used, but I’ve been told both are the same exact model.
Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.
Has USB 3.0, uses USB 2.0 to SATA bridge to implement SATA… :s
…and it may not pass the wife test… -> now add only an integrated slimline slot and the wife will be completely happy, add an apple logo and she will even be interested…
@onebir
If the processor only has one USB 3.0 interface (I’m not sure about that), then they would have had to remove the external USB 3.0 port, or add a USB 3.0 hub internally bringing the cost up.
Wonder why they’d do 10/100 Ethernet. I’d be the first taker if they spruce up the CPU to Skylake and put in Gigabit Ethernet.