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October 10, 2025October 9, 2025 by Debashis Das - 1 Comment

Avalue EPC-ASL Intel N97 fanless industrial mini PC is designed for 24/7 operation

Avalue EPC ASL Intel N97 Fanless Compact System

Avalue Technology’s EPC-ASL is a rugged fanless industrial mini PC built around the Intel Processor N97. Designed for 24/7 operation and edge computing, the mini PC is suitable for industrial environments, such as smart manufacturing, retail, logistics, and surveillance. The PC supports up to 16GB DDR5 memory, dual 2.5GbE, and various I/O options, including six USB ports, dual RS-232, HDMI 2.0, and DisplayPort 1.4a for multi-display setups. Storage and expansion are supported by M.2 Key-B/E slots, which accommodate Wi-Fi 6E, LTE, 5G, or SSD modules for enhanced connectivity and storage. The system also includes TPM 2.0 security, +12V/24V DC input, and wall-mount support. Avalue EPC-ASL specifications: SoC – Intel Processor N97 quad-core processor up to 3.6 GHz with 6MB cache, 24EU Intel UHD Graphics Gen 12 @ 1.2 GHz; TDP: 12W System Memory – Up to 16GB DDR5 4800MHz via 1x SO-DIMM socket (Up to 64GB DDR5 is likely supported, but Avalue […]

August 21, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

Intel N97/Core i3-N305 fanless mini PC exposes a GPIO header and two COM ports

Intel N97 Core i3-N305 mini PC with GPIO header

Maxtang SXC-ALN30 is a fanless, embedded mini PC powered by an Intel Processor N97 or Core i3-N305 Alder Lake-N processor and exposes a GPIO header and two RS232/RS485 COM ports for business applications requiring a scanner, a PoS (Point-of-Sale), a cash register, or even medical equipment. The mini PC supports single-channel DDR4 SO-DIMM memory and M.2 NVMe or SATA storage. It offers three HDMI 2.0 video outputs suitable for digital signage, two Gigabit Ethernet ports, six USB ports, a 3.5mm audio jack, and a 4-pin connector to connect an external power button. Maxtang SXC-ALN30 specifications: Alder Lake N-series SoC (one or the other) Intel Processor N97 quad-core processor up to 3.6 GHz with 6MB cache, 24EU Intel UHD Graphics Gen 12 @ 1.2 GHz; TDP: 12W Intel Core i3-N305 octa-core processor up to 3.8 GHz with 6MB cache, 32EU Intel UHD Graphics Gen 12 @ 1.25 GHz; TDP: 15W System […]

August 6, 2025 by Debashis Das - No Comments

MSI MS-C926 ultra-slim, fanless industrial box PC is just 19mm thick

MSI MS-C926 is an Intel Alder Lake-N/Twin Lake fanless industrial box PC that’s ultra-slim at just 19mm thick, making it suitable for space-constrained applications such as digital signage, industrial control, kiosks, and edge computing. This ultra-thin PC also features up to 16GB DDR5 memory, triple 4K display outputs, dual 2.5GbE, three USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports, and a COM port. Expansion options include an M.2 B-Key slot with Nano SIM support for cellular, an M.2 E-Key slot for Wi-Fi, and a 2.5-inch SATA drive bay. It also supports optional TPM 2.0, a wide 12–24V DC input, VESA/wall mounting, and operates between -10°C to 50°C. MSI MS-C926 Specifications Alder Lake-N / Twin Lake SoC (one or the other) Intel Processor N97 quad-core processor @ up to 3.6 GHz with 6MB cache, 24 EU Intel UHD graphics @ 1.20 GHz; TDP: 12W Intel Processor N150 quad-core processor @ up to 3.6 GHz with 6MB […]

July 29, 2025July 29, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

AAEON FWS-2291/FWS-2292 – Intel N97 & N150 desktop network devices with six 2.5GbE and GbE ports

AAEON FWS-2291 and FWS-2292 are Intel N97/N150 desktop network devices with six Ethernet ports, either in 4x 2.5GbE RJ45 ports + 2 SFP cages or 6x 2.5GbE RJ45 ports configuration, which are designed for SD-WAN, uCPE, and UTM (Unified Threat Management) applications. The network and firewall appliances are said to support up to 16GB DDR5 memory with the default processors, come with 32GB eMMC flash for the OS (build option up to 128GB), offer a 2.5-inch SATA bay and an M.2 Key-M socket for additional storage, M.2 Key-E and Key-B sockets for WiFi, Bluetooth, 4G LTE, and/or 5G cellular connectivity, and two USB 3.2 ports. They also support power redundancy thanks to two 12V DC lockable input connectors. FWS-2291/FWS2292 specifications: SoC FWS-2291 (default) – Intel Processor N97 quad-core Alder Lake-N CPU up to 3.6 GHz with 6MB cache, 24EU Intel UHD Graphics; TDP: 12W FWS-2292 (default) – Intel Processor N150 […]

July 10, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

GEEKOM Mini IT12 2025 Edition Review – Part 3: Ubuntu 24.04 on an Intel Core i7-1280P mini PC

GEEKOM Mini IT12 2025 Edition review performance ubuntu 24.04

We’ve already checked out GEEKOM Mini IT12 2025 Edition mini PC’s hardware with an unboxing and a teardown, and tested the Intel Core i7-1280P mini PC with Windows 11 Pro in detail in the second part of the review. We’ve now had time to test the Mini IT12 2025 Edition mini PC with Ubuntu 24.04, so we’ll report our experience with Linux in the third part of the review. We’ll specifically go through system information, test key features, benchmark the system and compare it against the earlier Mini IT12 “2023 Edition” powered by an Intel Core i7-12650H processor, because checking out storage and USB performance, WiFi 6 and 2.5GbE network performance, stress testing the mini PC, and finally measuring fan noise and power consumption. Ubuntu 24.04 installation We decided to install Ubuntu 24.04 LTS alongside Windows 11 in a dual-boot configuration, so we resized the Windows 11 partition by about […]

June 27, 2025 by Debashis Das - 14 Comments

Yxk S15 UItra – A thin fanless mini PC with Intel N100, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD selling for $119.99

The Yxk S15 Ultra is a low-cost, fanless Intel N100 mini PC with an ultra-thin design similar to the MeLE Quieter4C, MeLE QuieterDL, or MeLE Quieter4C. What makes this product interesting is its significantly lower price of $119.99 on Amazon compared to similar products. The mini PC comes with 16GB DDR4 RAM and a 512GB SSD (expandable up to 2TB), an HDMI port, a DisplayPort, a 3.5mm audio jack for headphones, and another for mic input. Additionally, it features two USB 3.0 ports, four USB 2.0 ports, and a USB Type-C port. Networking interfaces include WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, and a GbE port. Yxk S15 Ultra 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 – 16GB DDR4 RAM Storage – 512GB M.2 SSD, expandable up to […]

June 26, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 13 Comments

Topton N18 NAS mini-ITX motherboard ships with Intel N150 or Core i3-N305 SoC, offers 6x SATA, 10GbE, 2x 2.5GbE

Topton N18 is a mini-ITX motherboard powered by either an Intel Processor N150 Twin Lake CPU or a Core i3-N305 Alder Lake-N SoC, and suitable for NAS and networking applications with six SATA ports, a 10GbE RJ45 port, and two 2.5GbE jacks. The motherboard also features a DDR5 SO-DIMM socket for up to 64GB memory, two M.2 PCIe sockets for NVMe SSD storage, HDMI and DisplayPort video output, and up to eight USB ports via ports and internal headers. Topton N18 specifications: SoC (one or the other) 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 Intel Core i3-N305 octa-core Alder Lake-N processor @ up to 3.8 GHz (Turbo) with 6MB cache, 32EU Intel UHD Graphics @ 1.25 GHz; TDP: 15W System Memory – Single-channel DDR5 SO-DIMM slot fitted with up to 32GB RAM; upgradeable to 64GB […]

June 23, 2025July 10, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

GEEKOM Mini IT12 2025 Edition Review – Part 1: Intel Core i7-1280P mini PC specifications, unboxing, and teardown

GEEKOM Mini IT12 Mini PC Intel Core i7-1280P review

GEEKOM Mini IT12 2025 Edition is a mini PC with three 12th Gen Intel Alder Lake CPU options: Core i5-12450H, Core i7-1280P, and Core i9-12900HK. It supports up to 64GB of RAM, up to 2TB NVMe SSD, offers various ports such as HDMI 2.0, USB4, and 2.5GbE, and comes with WiFi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity. GEEKOM sent us a review sample of the Mini IT12 with an Intel Core i7-1280P processor, 32GB DDR4, and a 1TB M.2 NVMe SSD. If the name sounds familiar, it’s because we previously reviewed the Mini IT12 with an Intel Core i7-12650H in December 2023/January 2024 with the same name but a different processor, and a few other changes, as we’ll see below. In the first part of the review, we will look at the specifications of the GEEKOM IT12 2025 Edition mini PC, go through an unboxing, perform a teardown to check out […]