I’ve already checked out iKOOLCORE R2 Max hardware in the first part of the review with an unboxing and a teardown of the Intel N100 system with two 10GbE ports and two 2.5GbE ports. I’ve now had more time to test it with an OpenWrt fork, Proxmox VE, Ubuntu 24.04, and pfSense, so I’ll report my experience in the second and final part of the review. As a reminder, since I didn’t have any 10GbE gear so far, iKOOLCORE sent me two R2 Max devices, a fanless model and an actively-cooled model. I was told the fanless one was based on Intel N100 SoC, and the actively-cooled one was powered by an Intel Core i3-N305 CPU, but I ended up with two Intel N100 devices. The fanless model will be an OpenWrt 23.05 (QWRT) server, and the actively cooled variant be the device under test/client with Proxmox VE 8.3 server […]
HUNSN RJ42 and RJ43 Intel N150 fanless network appliances and mini PCs come with four 2.5GbE ports, four video outputs
We’ve previously seen the new Intel N150 “Twin Lake” processor in mini PCs such as Beelink EQ14 and ASUS NUC 14 Essential among others, but the new quad-core CPU is now also found in HUNSN RJ42 and RJ43 fanless network appliances with four 2.5GbE RJ45 ports. They also double as mini PCs with multiple video outputs and USB ports. The mini PCs ship with up to 32GB RAM and 512GB of storage, support four independent displays through HDMI, DisplayPort, and USB-C interfaces, and offer five USB Type-A ports for expansion. The HUNSN RJ42 and RJ43 offer a similar set of features as previous Intel N100 network appliances with 2.5GbE ports such as the iKOOLCORE R2 and INCTEL N100, but with a slightly faster Intel N150 “Alder Lake-N Refresh” or “Twin Lake” processor thanks to higher clock speeds, and extra interfaces. HUNSN RJ42/RJ43 specifications: SoC – Intel Processor N150 quad-core “Twin […]
MeLE QuieterDL – An ultrathin fanless Intel N100 mini PC with dual 2.5 GbE, HDMI, DisplayPort, and USB-C video outputs
MeLE QuieterDL is a fanless mini PC with an ultrathin design similar to the MeLE Quieter4C, albeit larger, and featuring two 2.5GbE RJ45 ports and supporting triple display setups via HDMI, DisplayPort, and USB-C connectors. The computer also comes with up to 16GB LPDDR4 RAM, 512GB storage, a microSD card slot, a 3.5mm audio jack, three USB 3.2 ports, one USB 2.0 port, WiFi 5 and Bluetooth 5.1 wireless connectivity, and Kensington lock slot for theft prevention. MeLE QuieterDL specifications: SoC – Intel Processor N100 CPU – Quad-core Alder Lake-N processor @ up to 3.4 GHz (Turbo) GPU – 24EU Intel HD graphics @ 750 MHz Cache – 6MB cache TDP: 6W System Memory – 4GB, 8GB, or 16GB LPDDR4X Storage Up to 512GB storage; support up to 4GB (unclear where it’s an eMCM flash + SSD configuration, or SSD only) MicroSD card reader Video Output 1x HDMI 2.0 port […]
UP Xtreme i14 Edge – An Ubuntu 24.04 Pro industrial mini PC powered by Intel Core Ultra “Meteor Lake” SoC
UP Xtreme i14 Edge is an industrial fanless mini PC preloaded with an Ubuntu Pro-validated Ubuntu 24.04 Linux distribution and powered by an Intel Core Ultra 5/7 “Meteor Lake” SoC with up to 64GB LPDDR5. The device is based on the UP Xtreme i14 SBC we covered last June, and comes with M.2 PCIe sockets for NVMe SSD, a SATA port, 2.5GbE and GbE interfaces, support for WiFi and 4G LTE/5G wireless modules, four 8K capable video output ports (HDMI, DP, and USB-C), and three USB Type-A ports, but is housed in a fanless metal enclosure with two RS232/RS485 DB9 connectors and an externally-accessible terminal block for GPIO signals. UP Xtreme i14 Edge specifications: Meteor Lake-H/U SoC (one of the other) Intel Core Ultra 7 165H 16-core (6P+8E+2LPE) processor @ 1.4 / 5.0 GHz with 24MB cache, Intel 8Xe LPG graphics @ 2.3 GHz, Intel AI Boost NPU; TDP: […]
GEEKOM GT1 Mega review with Ubuntu 24.10 – Part 3: Linux on an Intel Core Ultra 9 185H “Meteor Lake” mini PC
We’ve already had a look at GEEKOM GT1 Mega’s hardware with an unboxing and a teardown before following up with a thorough review of the Intel Core 9 Ultra 185H mini PC with Windows 11 Pro. After being interrupted by some Raspberry Pi reviews, I finally had the time to test the GEEKOM GT1 Mega with Ubuntu 24.10 to check out how well (or not) it works with a recent Linux distribution. I’ve tested the features of the Meteor Lake mini PC in Linux, ran some benchmarks, evaluated storage and network performance, played 4K and 8K videos on YouTube at various frame rates, went through a stress test to check its thermal design, and finally measured the mini PC’s fan noise and power consumption. Ubuntu 24.10 installation I would usually review mini PCs with the latest Ubuntu LTS version which would currently be Ubuntu 24.04.1. However, since the Intel Core […]
Orange Pi 5 Ultra SBC offers HDMI 2.1 output and HDMI 2.0 input
The Orange Pi 5 Ultra is a Rockchip RK3588 SBC that’s slightly larger than a business card and visually identical to the Orange Pi 5 Max introduced last August, but replacing one of the two HDMI 2.1 video outputs on the latter with an HDMI 2.0 input port. The new single board computer is still offered with up to 16GB LPDDR5, an eMMC flash module connector or soldered-on eMMC flash, an M.2 socket for an NVMe SSD, 2.5GbE and WiFi 6E networking, and four USB 3.0/2.0 ports. Orange Pi 5 Ultra specifications: SoC – Rockchip RK3588 CPU – Octa-core processor with 4x Cortex-A76 cores @ up to 2.4 GHz, 4x Cortex-A55 cores @ up to 1.8 GHz Arm Mali-G610 MP4 GPU with support for OpenGL ES1.1/2.0/3.2, OpenCL 2.2, and Vulkan 1.2 6 TOPS AI accelerator with support for INT4/INT8/INT16/FP16 mixed operation VPU – 8Kp60 H.265/VP9/AVS2 10-bit decoder, 8Kp30 H.264 decoder, […]
AAEON FWS-2370 network appliance features Intel Atom Parker Ridge/Snow Ridge processor, up to 14 Ethernet ports
The FWS-2370 is a network appliance powered by the Intel Atom C Series “Parker Ridge” or P Series “Snow Ridge” processor family (Atom C5315 by default), tailored for SD-WAN and uCPE applications. It incorporates Intel QAT and Intel VT-d/VT-x to accelerate encryption, decryption, and virtualization tasks. The system supports up to 64GB of DDR4 memory (ECC/Non-ECC) through dual SODIMM slots and offers onboard eMMC storage options up to 128 GB. Networking capabilities include four 2.5GbE RJ-45 ports (Intel I226-V), four gigabit Ethernet RJ-45 ports (Marvell 88E1543), and four 10GbE SFP+ ports, with optional PoE af/at support for enhanced deployment flexibility. For connectivity, the FWS-2370 features two M.2 B-Key slots for 5G/LTE modules, one M.2 E-Key slot for Wi-Fi, and two Mini Card slots with SIM support. This expansive configuration ensures seamless wired and wireless networking. Designed to manage high data throughput and multi-threaded workloads, the FWS-2370 is ideal for applications […]
Jetway MF30 – A 3.5-inch SBC with 13th Gen Intel Core i5-1335U/1335UE Raptor Lake SoC, quad display support
The Jetway MF30 is a 3.5-inch subcompact board powered by 13th-generation Intel Core Raptor Lake-P U-series processors, including the Intel Core i5-1335U and Core i5-1335UE. Designed for embedded applications such as digital signage, control systems, gaming setups, and transportation hubs, the board supports versatile high-definition multi-screen configurations with two HDMI ports, two DisplayPorts, one Type-C DP, and one LVDS/eDP interface. For connectivity, the MF30 offers dual 2.5GbE ports, three USB 3.2 Gen2 ports, four USB 2.0 ports, and a USB Type-C port, while storage options include SATA III port and M.2 (2242/2280) sockets. Jetway is well known for its SBCs, and we’ve previously covered products like the JMTX-ADN8, JNUC-ADN1 mini-ITX motherboard, and JF35-ADN1 3.5-inch motherboard all powered by the Intel N97 CPU. Additionally, we’ve explored other SBCs and Mini PCs featuring 13th-gen Raptor Lake SoCs, including the iBASE IB961, GEEKOM GT13 Pro, Cincoze DV-1100, and LattePanda Sigma. If you’re interested […]