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November 5, 2026November 5, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

ACEMAGIC Kron Mini K5 Review – Part 3: Ubuntu 26.04 on an entry-level Wildcat Lake mini PC

ACEMAGIC Kron Mini K5 Mini PC review Ubuntu 26.04

After checking out the ACEMAGIC Kron Mini K5’s hardware with an unboxing and a teardown in the first part of the review, we tested the entry-level Intel Core 3 304 mini PC on Windows 11, and we’ve now taken the time to test Linux on the low-cost mini PC with Ubuntu 26.04. In this article, we’ll report our experience installing Ubuntu 26.04.1 LTS, checking system information, running benchmarks, evaluating storage and networking (2.5GbE and WiFi 6) performance, running a stress test to monitor thermal throttling, and measuring fan noise and power consumption of the mini PC. Installing Ubuntu 26.04.1 For this test, we installed Ubuntu 26.04.1 LTS alongside Windows 11. We started by shrinking the Windows (C:) partition by about half to free up space for the Linux installation. We then plugged in the USB drive and began the installation process. However, the first installation attempt failed because the system […]

November 4, 2026 by Kumpee Teeravech - No Comments

LattePanda Mu Ultra Review – An Intel Core Ultra 7 256V AI Compute Module tested on Ubuntu 26.04

Today, I’m going to review the LattePanda Mu Ultra, a compact x86 compute module designed for on-device AI applications. It comes in two versions, powered by either an Intel Core Ultra 5 226V or a Core Ultra 7 256V processor. Both models feature 16 GB of high-speed LPDDR5X memory running at 8533 MT/s, with the higher-end model delivering up to 115 TOPS of combined AI computing power. In this review, I installed Ubuntu 26.04 and benchmarked the LattePanda Mu Ultra using various tools, including sbc-bench, Geekbench 7, and Geekbench AI. I also tested its CPU, GPU, and NPU performance with llama.cpp and YOLO26 to evaluate its capabilities for AI applications. Finally, I created a fun demo combining YOLO26, MediaPipe, and OpenCV to test real-time computer vision performance, including hand gesture-based image adjustments, using a USB webcam. LattePanda Mu Ultra unboxing The package was shipped from China and arrived in just […]

September 10, 2026September 10, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

LattePanda Mu Ultra Compute Module features Intel Core Ultra 5 226V/7 256V Lunar Lake CPU for AI workloads

The LattePanda Mu Ultra is an x86 Compute Module powered by an Intel Core Ultra 5 226V or Ultra 7 256V Lunar Lake processor and equipped with 16GB of DDR5 memory. Offered in the same compact 69.6 × 60mm form factor as the earlier LattePanda Mu Alder Lake-N system-on-module (N100 or Core i3-N305), it delivers much higher performance, including up 115 TOPS of AI performance. Target applications include robotics, industrial automation, portable instruments, vision AI, and a range of Edge AI applications. LattePanda Mu Ultra Specifications: Lunar Lake SoC (one or the other) Intel Core Ultra 5 Processor 226V CPU – Octa-core processor up to 4.5 GHz GPU – 7x Xe-core Intel Arc 130V GPU up to 1.85 GHz AI – 40 TOPS Intel AI Boost; combined up to 97 TOPS Intel Core Ultra 7 Processor 256V CPU – Octa-core processor up to 4.8 GHz GPU – 8x Xe-core Intel Arc […]

September 6, 2026November 5, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

ACEMAGIC Kron Mini K5 Review – Part 2: A $400 Intel Core 3 304 Wildcat Lake mini PC tested with Windows 11 Pro

ACEMAGIC Kron Mini K5 Intel Core 3 304 review windows 11

After checking out the hardware of the ACEMAGIC Kron Mini K5 with an unboxing and a teardown in the first part of the review, we’ve now had time to test the Intel Core 3 304 Wildcat Lake mini PC in more depth with Windows 11 Pro. So in this article, we’ll report our experience with the penta-core mini PC, testing features, running system and AI benchmarks, playing 4K and 8K YouTube videos on Firefox, measuring network throughput (2.5GbE and WiFi 6), evaluating thermal performance, and measuring fan noise and power consumption. Software overview and feature testing The System > About window confirms we have a 1.5 GHz (base frequency) Intel Core 3 304 computer paired with 12GB of RAM and 477GB of storage, running Windows 11 Pro 25H2 build 26200.9168. HWiNFO 64 provides additional details about the 15W Intel Core 3 304 penta-core (1P+4E) Wildcat Lake-U processor, the motherboard with […]

August 15, 2026August 19, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

GEEKOM IT13 Max Review – Part 3: Ubuntu 26.04 on an Intel Core Ultra 9 185H mini computer

GEEKOM IT13 Max Mini PC review Ubuntu 26.04 Linux

We’ve already checked out the hardware with an unboxing and a teardown of the GEEKOM IT13 Max in the first part of the review, before testing the Intel Core Ultra 9 185H mini PC with Windows 11, so it’s now time to test Linux on the mini computer using Ubuntu 26.04. In this review, we will report our experience running Ubuntu 26.04 on the GEEKOM IT13 Max, after going through feature testing, running system benchmarks and AI benchmarks on the CPU, GPU, and NPU, checking out storage and USB performance, testing 2.5GbE and WiFi 6/7, stress testing the mini PC, and measuring the Meteor Lake mini PC’s fan noise and power consumption. Installing Ubuntu 26.04 We installed Ubuntu 26.04 alongside Windows 11 in dual boot configuration. We first shrank the Windows partition (C:) size by approximately half, before inserting a USB flash drive with Ubuntu 26.04 to start the installation […]

August 11, 2026August 19, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

GEEKOM IT13 Max review – Part 2: An Intel Core Ultra 9 185H mini PC tested with Windows 11 Pro (in 2026)

We previously checked out the hardware of the GEEKOM IT13 Max mini PC with an unboxing and a teardown of the 16-core Intel Core Ultra 9 185H mini PC in the first part of the review, before booting it up to Windows 11 Pro. We’ve now had time to test it in more detail. So we will report our experience with the GEEKOM IT13 Max on Windows 11 Pro, covering feature testing, system performance benchmarks, AI benchmarks, YouTube 4K and 8K video playback in Firefox, 2.5GbE and Wi-Fi 6 network performance testing, and thermal performance, as well as measurements of fan noise and power consumption. Since we had already reviewed the GEEKOM GT1 Mega mini PC with the same Intel Meteor Lake CPU in 2024, we’ll compare the results to report any improvements or regressions since then. Software Overview and Feature Testing The System->About window confirms we have an “IT13_Max” […]

July 19, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 9 Comments

Beelink EQi 304 review – Part 3: Ubuntu 26.04 on a Wildcat Lake mini PC

Beelink EQi Wildcat Lake mini PC Ubuntu 26.04 review

After checking out the hardware with an unboxing and a teardown of the Beelink EQi Wildcat Lake mini PC, we reviewed the Intel Core 3 304 computer with Windows 11 in detail. We’ve now had time to test the Beelink EQi mini PC running Ubuntu 26.04 with Linux 7.0/7.1 kernels. We’ll report our experience with feature testing, benchmark results, 2.5GbE, 10GbE, and WiFi 6 networking evaluation, storage and USB/Thunderbolt tests, and more, including power consumption measurements. Ubuntu 26.04 installation and system information I’d usually resize the Windows partition to install Ubuntu alongside it in dual boot configuration. However, since the Beelink EQi mini PC also comes with two PCIe Gen4 x1/x2 sockets, I installed Ubuntu 26.04 on a 256GB NVMe (PCIe Gen3 x4) SSD fitted into the PCIe x2 socket and left the Windows 11 partition on the UFS storage alone. Despite the Intel Core 3 304 chip being a […]

July 12, 2026July 19, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

Beelink EQi review – Part 2: An Intel Core 3 304 “Wildcat Lake” mini PC tested with Windows 11 Pro

Beelink EQi Wildcat Lake Core 3 304 Windows 11 mini PC review

We’ve already checked out the specifications and hardware of the Beelink EQi Wildcat Lake mini PC in the first part of the review, with an unboxing and a teardown, before booting the mini PC into the pre-installed Windows 11 Pro for a first quick look. We’ve now had time to test the Intel Core 3 304 mini PC in more detail on Windows 11 Pro, so we’ll report our experience. The review includes feature testing, benchmark results, 4K and 8K YouTube video playback, 10GbE, 2.5GbE, and WiFi network performance evaluation, cooling performance, and measurement of fan noise and power consumption. Software Overview and Feature Testing After fully updating Windows 11 Pro and drivers to the latest version (excluding previews), I went to System > About window again. We still have a 1.50 GHz (base frequency) Intel Core 3 304 processor with 16GB 6400MT/s memory, and 834GB of storage from the […]