When I first saw the iKOOLCORE R1 I was fascinated that a mini PC of similar size to the smallest fully functional ones available (think Chuwi LarkBox, GMK NucBox or ECS LIVA Q Series) could be equipped with four 2.5 gigabit Ethernet (2.5GbE) ports. I approached iKOOLCORE who kindly provided an R1 for review and I’ve looked at performance running both Windows 11 and Ubuntu 22.04 and dabbled with using hypervisors on this mini PC through Proxmox virtual environment. iKOOLCORE R1 specifications iKOOLCORE list the R1 specifications on their website as: Of note are the ‘EC, FCC, RoHS’ certifications indicating both European conformity and approval for use in the US. Technically ‘EC’ refers to an ‘EC declaration of conformity’ which is not a certificate, however, the ‘EC declaration of conformity’ is called a ‘CE statement’ or ‘CE certificate’ which is why you often see this abbreviated as ‘CE’. The rest […]
ODROID-H3+ SBC review with “Unlimited Performance” mode and 2.5GbE Net Card
Hardkernel have added Intel Jasper Lake mini PCs to their ODROID-H series and they are known as the ODROID-H3 and ODROID-H3+. Like the discontinued ODROID-H2/H2+, this new series also supports the Net Card which will add four extra 2.5 gigabit Ethernet ports. Hardkernel kindly sent an ODROID-H3+ together with a selection of accessories for review and I’m going to look at the effect on performance when changing the Power Limit values in the UEFI (BIOS) together with the network performance of the Net Card. ODROID-H3+ hardware overview The ODROID-H3+ physically consists of a 110 x 110 mm (4.33 x 4.33-inch) motherboard complete with an Intel Pentium Silver Jasper Lake mobile N6005 processor which has 4 cores and 4 threads and can boost to 3.3 GHz and also includes Intel UHD Graphics. The processor, and nearly the entire motherboard, is covered by a large metal heat sink: The front of the […]
ECS LIVA Q3H mini PC targets video conferencing with HDMI output and input ports
ECS LIVA Q3H is a pocket-sized mini PC with a Jasper Lake mini PC and the company says it is especially suited to video conferencing applications thanks to HDMI output and input ports enabling users to connect it with a guest PC and easily add it to a meeting. The mini PC is equipped with an Intel Pentium Silver N6000, Celeron N5100, or Celeron N4500 processor, comes with up to 4GB RAM and 128GB storage, supports Ethernet and WiFi 5 networking and offers a few USB 3.2/2.0 ports for peripheral expansion. LIVA Q3H mini PC specifications: Jasper Lake SoC (one or the other) Intel Celeron N4500 dual-core processor @ 1.1GHz / 2.8GHz (Burst frequency) with Intel UHD graphics; 6W TDP Intel Celeron N5100 quad-core processor @ 1.1GHz / 2.8GHz (Burst frequency) with Intel UHD graphics; 6W TDP Intel Pentium N6000 Silver quad-core processor @ 1.1 GHz / 3.1GHz (Burst frequency) […]
XCY-X66 is a tiny Intel Celeron N5105 Mini PC with four 2.5GbE ports
XCY-X66 is a tiny (75 x 75 x 52mm) mini PC based on Intel Celeron N5105 Jasper Lake and equipped with four 2.5GbE ports using Intel i225V controllers that should make it suitable for a range of networking applications. The small actively-cooled computer also comes with 8GB LPDDR4X, an M.2 2242 socket suitable for NVMe or SATA storage, one 4K-capable HDMI 2.0 port, and a few USB ports. XCY-X66 mini PC specifications: SoC – Intel Celeron N5105 quad-core Jasper Lake processor @ 2.0GHz / 2.9GHz (Turbo) with Intel UHD graphics 605; 10W TDP System Memory – 8GB LPDDR4X Storage 1x M.2 M-key 2242 socket for NVMe PCIe 3.0 or SATA 3.0 SSD MicroSD card slot Video Output – 1x HDMI 2.0 up to 4Kp60 Networking – 4x 2.5GbE RJ45 ports via Intel i225V 2.5GbE controllers USB – 2x USB 3.0, 1x USB 3.0 Type-C port, 1x USB Type-C for power […]
MeLE PCG02 Pro and Quieter3C Mini PCs giveaway
Giveaway Week 2022 ended about a month ago, but we’ve got a new surprise for our readers, as MeLE wants to give away two of their Intel Celeron N5105 Jasper lake mini PCs: MeLE PCG02 Pro with 8 GB RAM, 128 GB storage sold for $249.99 on Amazon, down to $199.99 after applying a $50 coupon MeLE Quieter3C with 8 GB RAM, 128 GB storage sold for $259.99 on Amazon, down to $219.99 after applying a $40 coupon Ian reviewed both in the last few months with both Windows 11 and Ubuntu 22.04. He found them to have similar performance, with the smaller PCG02 Pro lacking an M.2 NVMe slot, having fewer ports, and not supporting DisplayPort Alt. mode on its USB Type-C port. The PCG02 Pro comes with two HDMI ports for dual display setups, while the Quieter3C offers one HDMI port, one mini DisplayPort, and a USB-C port […]
Gowin R86S mini PC offers 2.5GbE and 10GbE networking for $310 and up
Gowin R86S (aka GW-R86S) is an affordable Intel Celeron N5100 or Pentium N6005 Jasper Lake mini PC, router, and firewall appliance with 2.5GbE and 10GbE networking that sells for $310 and up on Aliexpress. 10GbE used to be reserved for the enterprise market due to the cost of hardware, but costs have gone down a lot as illustrated by the Gowin R86S system with up to three 2.5GbE ports, two 10GbE SFP+ cages, as well as ports that you would typically find a mini PC such as HDMI 2.0 video output, M.2 socket for NVMe SSD, two USB 3.0 ports, and a WiFi module. Gowin R86S specifications: SoC (one or the other) Intel Celeron N5105 quad-core Jasper Lake processor @ 2.0GHz / 2.9GHz (Turbo) with Intel UHD graphics 605; 10W TDP Intel Pentium N6005 quad-core Jasper Lake processor @ 2.0GHz / 3.3GHz (Turbo) with Intel UHD graphics @ up to […]
MeLE PCG02 Pro Review – A Fanless Intel Celeron J4125 / N5105 mini PC with an ultra-compact form factor
MeLE has launched a new ‘stick’ mini PC called the PCG02 Pro. It comes in two models featuring either a mobile Gemini Lake Refresh or a Jasper Lake processor. Both models appear physically similar however the memory, WiFi, Bluetooth, and USB ports differ plus only the lower-powered model includes an M.2 NVMe or SATA slot. MeLE kindly sent both models for review and I’ve looked at the performance running both Windows and Ubuntu. MeLE PCG02 Pro hardware overview The MeLE PCG02 Pro physically consists of a 146 x 61 x 20mm (5.75 x 2.40 x 0.79 inches) rectangular plastic case that ‘wraps’ around a plastic inner frame. The outside of the case has a knurled or cross-hatched pattern (engineered to provide high thermal conductivity) and the inner frame has the WiFi antennas glued to it. As passively cooled mini PCs, the first model known as the PCG02 Pro J4125 uses […]
GEEKOM’s Christmas promotion – Save $50 on Jasper Lake mini PCs (Sponsored)
Black Friday and Cyber Monday are done, but GEEKOM has started a Christmas promotion for two Jasper Lake mini PCs that will run until December 31, 2022. The GEEKOM MiniAir 11 mini PC reviewed by Ian with Windows 11 and Ubuntu 22.04 this past summer, is offered for $179 with the code coupon XMAIR11A, or a $50 discount compared to the retail suggested price of $229. Ian found out the mini PC worked well in both Windows and Ubuntu with a near-silent operation but noted the lack of a SATA bay for expansion and limited BIOS options. It is powered by an Intel Celeron N5090 quad-core Jasper Lake processor clocked up to 2.9GHz, equipped with 8GB RAM and a 256GB SATA SSD with Windows 11 Pro pre-installed, and two 4K capable video output including one HDMI port and one miniDP port. You’ll find more detailed specifications in our write-up about […]