2.5GbE News - CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

May 16, 2025May 16, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 15 Comments

TexHoo QN15 – A sub $100 mini PC with Intel Processor N150 CPU

Once entry-level Intel processors have been on the market for long enough, we often start to see systems sell for under $100. The TexHoo QN15 mini PC is offered with a recent Intel Processor N150 Twin Lake CPU for just around $100 in its barebone configuration with WiFi 5, but no RAM, and no storage. The mini PC supports DDR4 memory and NVMe and SATA storage, and offers two 4K-capable HDMI ports, gigabit Ethernet, a M.2 socket for WiFi and Bluetooth, and five USB ports with two USB 3.2, two USB 2.0, and a USB Type-C port. TexHoo QN15 specifications: SoC – Intel Processor N150 quad-core Twin Lake processor @ up to 3.6 GHz (Turbo) with 6MB cache, 24EU Intel UHD graphics @ 1.0 GHz; TDP: 6W System Memory – SO-DIMM socket for DDR4-2666/32000 up to 32GB Storage M.2 2280 socket for SATA or NVMe SSD 2.5-inch SATA bay (proprietary SATA […]

May 15, 2025May 15, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

ZimaBoard 2 micro server review – Part 1: Unboxing, teardown, and ZimaOS interface

We’ve just received a review sample of the ZimaBoard 2 micro server and mini PC powered by an Intel Processor N150 “Twin Lake” CPU. The system features two 2.5 Gbps Ethernet ports, two SATA III ports, two USB 3.1 ports, and a miniDP video port supporting 4K resolution. IceWhale Technology provided us with the ZimaBoard 2 model 832 prototype with 8GB RAM and 32GB eMMC flash preloaded with the ZimaOS operating system for review. In this article, we will unbox the device and its accessories, perform a teardown, and boot the micro server with the pre-installed ZimaOS and check the web dashboard. In the second part of the review, we will test ZimaOS in more detail, run some benchmarks since it’s our first Twin Lake mini PC, install an Ubuntu virtual machine, test the SATA ports and PCIe 3.0 x4 slot, and more. ZimaBoard 2 unboxing We received a package […]

May 10, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 19 Comments

Beelink ME Mini is a compact 6-slot SSD NAS and mini PC powered by an Intel N150 Twin Lake SoC

Beelink was one of the first companies to launch an Intel Processor N150 mini PC with the EQ14 model, and they’ve now launched the ME Mini 6-slot SSD NAS based on the Twin Lake processor, coupled with 12 GB RAM, 64GB eMMC flash, and a 2TB NVMe SSD. The compact NAS/computer also features two 2.5GbE ports, a WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2 wireless module, HDMI 2.0 video output, and a few USB ports. Like the Beelink EQ14, it comes with an integrated 100/240V power supply instead of an external power brick. Beelink ME Mini specifications: SoC – Intel Processor N150 quad-core Twin Lake processor @ up to 3.6 GHz (Turbo) with 6MB cache, 24EU Intel UHD graphics @ 1.0 GHz; TDP: 6W System Memory – 12GB LPDDR5 4800 MHz; note: a 16GB LPDDR5 model will also be available Storage 5x M.2 2280 PCIe 3.0 x1 sockets 1x M.2 2280 PCIe 3.0 […]

May 8, 2025May 8, 2025 by Debashis Das - No Comments

Intel Atom x7000RE fanless industrial box PC offers 10-year life cycle for factory automation

AAEON BOXER-6617-ASL is a rugged and compact fanless industrial box PC built around the Intel Atom x7000RE series of SoCs. It is designed for harsh industrial environments and has a wide operating temperature range (-20°C to 70°C) and a guaranteed 10-year product lifecycle making it a reliable long-term solution for factory automation and other embedded applications. The rugged embedded system supports up to 32GB DDR5 memory, dual HDMI, dual 2.5GbE LAN ports, and extensive I/O including six serial ports, USB 3.2 and 2.0, DIO, and audio. Storage options include M.2 NVMe and 2.5″ SATA, with additional expansion through M.2 E-Key (Wi-Fi) and B-Key (5G/LTE) sockets. It also has a wide 9V–36V power input range, circuit protection, and strong shock/vibration resistance. The computer also features six RS-232/422/485 serial ports and DIO via DB9 connectors AAEON BOXER-6617-ASL Specifications: Amston Lake Series SoC options (one or the other) Intel Atom x7835RE octa-core processor […]

May 7, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 6 Comments

MINIX NEO Z150-0dB and Z150-Aero – Fanless and actively-cooled Intel Processor N150 mini PCs with WiFi 6 and 2.5GbE

MINIX NEO Z150-0dB and NEO Z150-Aero mini PCs are both based on an Intel Processor N150 Twin Lake processor, but the first one is fanless, and the second is actively cooled. Both mini PCs ship with up to 16GB DDR4 memory and 512GB NVMe SSD storage, and the most obvious difference is that the fanless model comes with two external antennas, while the actively-cooled mini PC features internal antennas. But there are more. Let’s find out by checking out the specifications. MINIX NEO Z150-0dB MINIX Z150-0db specifications: SoC – Intel Processor N150 quad-core “Twin Lake” processor @ up to 3.6 GHz (Turbo) with 6MB cache, 24EU Intel UHD graphics @ 1000 MHz; TDP: 6W Memory – 8GB or 16GB DDR4-3200 SO-DIMM memory; upgradeable up to 32GB Storage 256GB or 512GB M.2 SSD in M.2 PCIe Gen3 x4 socket MicroSD card slot Video Output – 2x HDMI 2.1 ports up to […]

April 23, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

Zimaboard 2 – An Intel N150 micro server and mini PC with dual SATA, dual 2.5GbE, PCIe slot, miniDP (Crowdfunding)

ZimaBoard 2 is a compact Intel Processor N150 “Twin Lake” mini PC and micro server with two 2.5Gbps Ethernet ports, two SATA ports, two USB 3.1 ports, and a 4K-capable miniDP video output. It built upon the company’s ZimaBoard introduced in 2021 with an Apollo Lake processor, but offers a much faster Intel N150 CPU, LPDDR5x memory, 2.5GbE networking instead of gigabit Ethernet, and a PCIe Gen 3.0 x4 slot as opposed to a PCIe Gen 2.0 x4 slot. Two variants are offered: one with 8GB RAM and 32GB eMMC flash and the other in a 16GB/64GB configuration. Zimaboard 2 specifications: SoC – Intel Processor N150 quad-core “Twin Lake” processor @ up to 3.6 GHz (Turbo) with 6MB cache, 24EU Intel UHD graphics @ 1000 MHz; PBP: 6W (but set to 10W here) System Memory and Storage ZimaBoard 2 832 – 8GB LPDDR5X 4800MHz; 32GB eMMC flash ZimaBoard 2 1664 […]

April 22, 2025April 22, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 15 Comments

Banana Pi BPI-RV2 is a low-cost RISC-V router with a 2.5GbE port and five gigabit Ethernet ports

We briefly mentioned the Banana Pi BPI-RV2 router in our article about the Siflower SF21H8898 quad-core 64-bit RISC-V SoC designed for industrial gateways, routers, and controllers. But we now have more information about Banana Pi’s latest RISC-V router, and it’s available for purchase for $34.50 on AliExpress. So let’s have a closer look. The Banana Pi BPI-RV2 ships with 512MB DDR3 RAM, 128 MB SPI NAND, and 16 MB SPI NOR flash for storage redundancy. The router features one 2.5GbE port with optional PoE support, five gigabit Ethernet ports, an M.2 2242/2230 PCIe Gen 2 x1 interface for NVMe SSD storage, and a mini PCIe socket for a WiFi module. Banana Pi BPI-RV2 specifications: SoC – Siflower SF21H8898 quad-core 64-bit RISC-V @ 1.25GHz System Memory – 512MB DDR3 Storage 128 MB SPI NAND Flash for U-Boot and Linux 16 MB SPI NOR flash for U-Boot and Linux; write protected by […]

April 17, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 6 Comments

HoneyComb Ryzen V3000 – An AMD Ryzen V3C18I mini-ITX motherboard with dual 10Gbps SFP+, 2.5GbE, dual SATA III

SolidRun HoneyComb Ryzen V3000 is a mini-ITX motherboard powered by an AMD Ryzen Embedded V3C18I processor, supporting up to 64GB of DDR5 memory and M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD storage, and equipped with two 10 Gbps Ethernet SFP+ cages, a 2.5GbE RJ45 jack, and two SATA III ports for advanced networking and storage applications. The solution is comprised of a mini-ITX motherboard and a Ryzen V3000 CX7 COM Express module, which the company introduced in 2022. As an industrial motherboard, it’s designed to operate in the -40°C to +85°C temperature range. HoneyComb Ryzen V3000 specifications: Ryzen V3000 CX7 COM Express module SoC – AMD Ryzen Embedded V3C18I octa-core/16-thread processor clocked at 1.9 GHz / 3.8 GHz (Turbo) with 4 MB L2 cache and 16 MB L3 cache; TDP: 15W System Memory – Up to 64GB (2x 32GB), ECC/Non-ECC DDR5 memory up to 4800 MT/s via two SODIMM sockets. Dimensions – 125 […]