Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 13 Comments on Intel Jasper Lake N-Series launched with 6W Celeron and 10W Pentium Silver processors

Intel Jasper Lake N-Series launched with 6W Celeron and 10W Pentium Silver processors

Intel has finally announced the Gemini Lake processor family successor at CES 2021 together with other processors. The Jasper Lake family currently comes with six different Celeron and Pentium Silver parts with respectively 6W and 10 TDP. The company positions those for the education market, but I’d expect them to also be found in various mini PCs, single board computers, and systems-on-module. The processors are manufactured with the company’s 10nm process, and are said to deliver up to 35% better overall application performance and up to 78% better graphics performance compared to  Gemini Lake Refresh processors. The new parts listed on Ark are not really new for CNX Software readers as we published the list of Jasper Lake processors in September following a leak. But we know have more details, so let’s compare the top parts of both Gemini Lake Refresh (Pentium Silver J5040) and Jasper Lake (Pentium Silver N6005) both 10W processors. One of the main differences is the […]

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Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 393 Comments on MINIX NEO J50C-4 Max mini PC international giveaway

MINIX NEO J50C-4 Max mini PC international giveaway

Right before Christmas,  I posted a review of MINIX NEO J50C-4 Max mini PC powered by an Intel Pentium J5005 Gemini Lake processor coupled with 8GB RAM and a 240GB SSD. It’s basically the same as the previously reviewed MINIX NEO J50C-4 except for the extra memory and faster & higher capacity SSD storage. MINIX asked me if I could do a giveaway of three units on CNX Software after the review, and I thought it would be a good idea so here we are. I wanted to complete the review before launching the giveaway and tested MINIX NEO J50C-4 Max with the pre-installed Windows 10 Pro. I worked just as well as the previous model with no CPU throttling and the performance one should expect from a Gemini Lake processor, but you may want to add an extra 8GB memory stick to take advantage of the higher bandwidth provided by dual-channel memory. This can help with some 4Kp60 video […]

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Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 16 Comments on ECS GLKD-HTI is a “Half mini-ITX” motherboard with Gemini Lake processor

ECS GLKD-HTI is a “Half mini-ITX” motherboard with Gemini Lake processor

If you’ve never heard about a “half mini-ITX” motherboard, that’s normal, as I don’t think it’s actually a thing. At least until now, as ECS GLKD-HTI is an Intel Gemini Lake motherboard that’s half the size of a standard mini-ITX motherboard. The board still comes with the usual HDMI, DisplayPort, USB and Ethernet ports, as well as a SODIMM slot for DDR4-2133 memory, an M.2 socket for 2280 SATA SSDs, as well as a SATA 3.0 port. ECS GLKD-HTI “half mini-ITX” motherboard specifications: SoC – Choice of Intel Gemini Lake processors with Intel UHD 600 graphics System Memory – 1x DDR4 SO-DIMM socket for up to 8GB DDR4 2133 non-ECC memory Storage 1x M.2 slot for SSD for 2280 single side SATA SSD 1x SATA 3.0 6Gbps connector 128 MB SPI Flash for AMI BIOS / UEFI Video Output – HDMI 1.4a up to 1920×1200 1x LVDS connector Audio 2x Audio jacks (Line Out, Mic In) 1x Speaker header 1x […]

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Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 9 Comments on MINIX NEO J50C-4 Max mini PC review with 8GB RAM, 240GB SSD

MINIX NEO J50C-4 Max mini PC review with 8GB RAM, 240GB SSD

Back in 2018 MINIX Introduced NEO J50C-4 Windows 10 Pro mini PC based on Intel Pentium J5005 Gemini Lake processor and fitted with 4GB RAM and 32GB eMMC flash. It never got released in this configuration, as due to Gemini Lake processors shortage the company relaunched it with a 64GB eMMC flash in 2019. Since then, the company launched the NEO J50C-4 Plus with a 240GB SSD and 4GB RAM, which I did not review. But now the Hong Kong company has introduced a new model with NEO J50C-4 Max equipped with 8GB RAM and 240GB SSD. I’ve just received a sample, but since the design and specifications are the same as the earlier NEO J50C model except for the SSD and RAM capacity, I’ll focus this mini review on the main differences, and small issues I had last year. NEO J50C-4 Max Unboxing The package looks familiar… And so are the specifications except for the 8GB DDR4 (upgradeable to […]

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Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments on Chuwi LarkBox Pro mini PC gets a faster Celeron J4125 processor, sells for $179

Chuwi LarkBox Pro mini PC gets a faster Celeron J4125 processor, sells for $179

CHUWI Larkbox is a 2.4-inch mini PC that can fit in the palm of your kid’s hand and that launched last year on Indiegogo for as low as $149. It’s powered by an Intel Celeron J4115 Gemini Lake Refresh processor that currently in the process of being discontinued. So the company has now come up with an upgrade and launched the Chuwi Larkbox Pro with exactly the same specifications, except for the (slightly) faster Intel Celeron J4125 quad-core GLK Refresh processor with a 2.0 GHz base frequency and 2.7 GHz Turbo frequency, against 1.8 and 2.5 GHz respectively for J4115. Chuwi Larkbox Pro specifications: SoC – Intel Celeron J4125 quad-core Gemini Lake Refresh processor @ 2.0 / 2.7 GHz (Turbo) / 2.4 GHz (Turbo all cores) with Intel UHD Graphics 600 @ 250/750 MHz; 10W TDP System Memory – 6GB LPDDR4 Storage – 128GB eMMC 5.1 flash, M.2 2244 socket for SATA SSD, MicroSD card slot Video Output – HDMI […]

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Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments on Chuwi GemiBook 13″ 2K Gemini Lake Refresh Laptop Sold for $299 (Promo)

Chuwi GemiBook 13″ 2K Gemini Lake Refresh Laptop Sold for $299 (Promo)

Chuwi is running a promotion on Aliexpress where they sell some products at a discount including some previously launched devices such as LarkBox mini PC but also took the opportunity to launch Chuwi GemiBook laptop powered by an Intel Celeron J4115 Gemini Lake Refresh processors and equipped with a 13-inch 2K (2160×1440) display. The laptop also comes with 12GB LPDDR4X RAM, and a 256GB SSD which makes it a fairly decent deal for the $299.99 price asked during the two-day promotion. You can even shave off an extra $10 from the total price by selecting the $10 discount coupon for orders over $299. Chuwi Gemibook specifications: SoC – Intel Celeron J4115 quad-core Gemini Lake Refresh processor @ 1.8 / 2.5 GHz (Boost) with Intel UHD Graphics 600 @ 750 MHz System Memory – 12GB LPDDR4X @  2133MHZ Storage – 256GB SSD, MicroSD card socket up to 2TB Display – 13-inch IPS display with 2160×1440 resolution; 180° rotation support Camera – […]

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Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment on GMK NucBox Palm-Sized Mini PC Launched on Indiegogo with 8GB RAM, Up to 512GB SSD

GMK NucBox Palm-Sized Mini PC Launched on Indiegogo with 8GB RAM, Up to 512GB SSD

Earlier this month, we wrote about GMK mini PC as an alternative to Chuwi LarkBox with a more powerful Intel Celeron J4125 processor coupled with 8GB RAM and 128GB SSD. The tiny computer now has a complete name “GMK NucBox”, and just launched on Indiegogo with rewards starting at $179. GMK NucBox specifications: SoC – Intel Celeron J4125 quad-core Gemini Lake Refresh processor @ 2.0 / 2.7 GHz with Intel UHD Graphics 600; 10W TDP System Memory – 8GB LPDDR4 Storage – 128GB, 256GB or 512GB M.2 2242 SSD, MicroSD card slot Video Output – HDMI 2.0 up to 4K @ 60 Hz Audio – 3.5mm audio jack, digital audio via HDMI Connectivity – Dual-band 802.11 b/g/n/ac WiFi 5 2×2 MIMO up to 867 Mbps and Bluetooth 4.2 USB – 2x USB 3.0 ports, 1x USB Type-C port for power only Misc – Power button, cooling fan with “almost no noise” Power Supply – 12V via USB-C port Dimensions – […]

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Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 7 Comments on ODYSSEY-X86J4105 SBC Review with Ubuntu 20.04 – Raspberry Pi & Arduino Headers Tested

ODYSSEY-X86J4105 SBC Review with Ubuntu 20.04 – Raspberry Pi & Arduino Headers Tested

We’ve already reviewed ODYSSEY-X86J4105 SBC with Windows 10. When combined with Re_Computer enclosure it’s a typical Intel Gemini Lake mini PC but with a twist: Arduino and Raspberry Pi header. The latter works fine in Windows, but at the time, the Raspberry Pi header does not. So Linux is our only option. I’ve now had time to install and test Ubuntu 20.04 on ODYSSEY-X86J4105 single board computer. I did not install Ubuntu on the internal eMMC flash where Windows 10 resides, but instead on a 128GB M.2 SATA SSD. I’ll first run some usual command to check system information, then run benchmarks, and check whether all features are working before focusing the review on the Arduino and Raspberry Pi headers. ODYSSEY-X86J4105 Ubuntu 20.04 System Info We can check some of the information from the system in the terminal: An Intel Celeron J4105 processor with 8GB RAM and the rootfs on a 127GB partition looks good to me. Features Testing Most […]

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