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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 […]

June 11, 2025June 12, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments

MeLE Quieter4C fanless mini PC is now sold without OS for $139.99 and up

The MeLE Quieter4C fanless mini PC, powered by an Intel Processor N100 SoC coupled with 8GB RAM and 128GB eMMC flash, is now available for $139.99 on Amazon without Windows 11 or any other OS pre-installed, after a $20 discount code is applied. Most mini PCs, except barebone models, ship with Windows 11 pre-installed, which isn’t ideal for users who prefer Linux or BSD distributions, as they pay extra for an unused Windows license. The Quieter4C mini PC was launched in 2023 with Windows 11 Pro, but the company is now offering the 8GB RAM/128GB eMMC flash model and other variants (see below) without OS for people who want to install their own OS. MeLE Quieter4C specifications: SoC – Intel Processor N100 CPU – Quad-core Alder Lake-N processor @ up to 3.4 GHz (Turbo) with 6MB cache GPU – 24EU Intel HD graphics @ 750 MHz TDP: 6W System Memory […]

May 24, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 9 Comments

Shuttle unveils Intel Twin Lake/Amston Lake IoT gateway and Mini PCs, Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus / Elite AI mini PC at Computex 2025

Shuttle showcased a wide range of devices at Computex 2025, including the FTL1 IoT Edge Twin Lake/Amston Lake mini PC/gateway, the XPC Nano NE20N/NE10N Twin Lake/Alder Lake-N mini PCs, the XPC Nano AI Mini PC G1 powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus / Elite Arm SoC, and the XPC Fanless DL40N/DL30N with Intel Twin Lake and Alder Lake-N processors, respectively. Shuttle FTL1 IoT Edge gateway FTL1 specifications: SoC (One or the other) Intel Processor N150 Twin Lake SoC with Intel UHD Graphics Intel Atom x7211RE Amston Lake SoC with Intel UHD Graphics System Memory – DDR5 4800 MT/s, up to 16 GB (note: It should be able to handle up to 64GB DDR5 memory) Storage – M.2 SATA or PCIe socket Video Output – HDMI up to 4096 x 2160 @ 60Hz) DisplayPort via USB Type-C Networking 2.5GbE RJ45 port (Intel controller), optional 2nd LAN port Optional WiFi and […]

May 16, 2025May 16, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 17 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 […]

April 28, 2025April 28, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

64GB DDR5 memory modules shown to work on ODROID-H4 Alder Lake-N SBC

The ODROID-H4 SBC powered by an Intel Processor N97 or Core i3-N305 Alder Lake-N CPU has been shown to work with up to 64GB DDR5 since Crucial/Micron released such modules earlier this year. There’s always been a lot of confusion about the maximum memory supported by Alder Lake-N CPU, mostly due to Intel Ark, which should be a trusted official source, but that will often wrongly report a maximum of 16GB RAM: But people quickly found out that 32GB RAM would work just fine, and the guys at Hardkernel even tested several 48GB RAM modules successfully when they launched the ODROID-H4/H4+/H4 Ultra single board computers last year. But domih noted that 64GB DDR5 SO-DIMM modules were now available, and several members of the odroid forums purchased 64GB CT64G56C46S5 DDR5 memory modules to give it a try. It worked for them. Pugglewuggle further added that IBECC worked too, and with faster […]