Reviews - Page 2 of 143 - CNX Software

August 29, 2026September 6, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

ACEMAGIC Kron Mini K5 (Core 3 304) review – Part 1: Specifications, unboxing, teardown, and first boot

ACEMAGIC Kron Mini K5 Intel Core 3 304 unboxing review

ACEMAGIC sent us a sample of the Kron Mini K5 Wildcat Lake mini PC for review. The computer is offered with either an Intel Core 3 304 or Core 5 320 CPU, and features triple display output, 2.5GbE and WiFi 6 networking, and several USB ports, but, interestingly, no Thunderbolt/USB4 ports. The company provided us with the entry-level variant pairing an Intel Core 3 304 penta-core processor with 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. In this first part of the review, we’ll list the mini PC’s specifications, go through an unboxing and a teardown, before booting it into Windows 11. In the next parts, we’ll review it using Windows 11 and Ubuntu 26.04 in depth with feature testing and benchmarks. ACEMAGIC Kron Mini K5 (Intel Core 3 304) specifications The company hasn’t put up a product page for this exact model just yet, so we gathered specifications from our […]

August 27, 2026September 2, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

LUNYEE 3020 Nova review – A desktop CNC router with 710W spindle tested with UGS and Easel software

We’ve gotten a sample of the LUNYEE 3020 Nova desktop CNC router for review. The machine features a 710W trim router spindle suitable for carving wood, acrylic, and aluminum. The drive system relies on dual HG15 linear guides and 1204 ball screws for enhanced rigidity and motion accuracy, and the machine integrates NEMA 17 stepper motors with 0.89 N·m torque. It supports Windows, Linux, and Mac systems and works with GRBL-compatible CNC software such as UGS, Fusion 360, VCarve, Easel, and LightBurn. LUNYEE sent us the CNC router with a dust shoe and a CNC vise worktable for review. We will cover the specifications, go through an unboxing, and show how to assemble and set up the machine before testing it with UGS and Easel programs using wood and acrylic as test materials suitable for the bits provided by the company. LUNYEE 3020 Nova desktop CNC router specifications Control Board […]

August 17, 2026August 17, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

SONOFF Hydro DUO review – A dual-zone BLE and Zigbee water valve tested with eWeLink and Home Assistant

SONOFF Hydro DUO review eWeLink Home Assistant

ITEAD has sent us a review sample of the SONOFF Hydro DUO (SWV-ZF2E) dual-channel Zigbee 3.0 and Bluetooth 5 LE smart water valve. The device supports up to 12 custom watering schedules, integrates a water flow meter, and features alert systems for leak risks, low battery, and insufficient water. The device has a maximum Zigbee communication range of 130 meters in open, unobstructed areas. It is primarily designed for the eWeLink app but also works with MQTT-compatible platforms such as Home Assistant. In this review, we will cover everything from unboxing, installation, and getting started with the SONOFF Hydro DUO via Bluetooth LE and Zigbee (through the SONOFF NSPanel Pro Gen2) using the eWeLink app, before switching to Home Assistant and creating an automation system leveraging moisture data from the XIAO Soil Moisture Sensor. SONOFF Hydro DUO unboxing We received the device in a retail package which clearly indicates we […]

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” […]

August 7, 2026August 15, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

GEEKOM IT13 Max mini PC review – Part 1: specifications, unboxing, teardown, and first boot

We’ve just received a sample of the GEEKOM IT13 Max mini PC powered by an Intel Core Ultra 9 185H CPU for review. With up to 35 TOPS, sixteen cores clocked up to 5.1 GHz, and up to 24 GB LPDDR5 memory, the Meteor Lake mini PC is well-suited for AI workloads, creative tasks, coding, and heavy multitasking. Two configurations are available: one with 16 GB DDR5 SODIMM RAM and a 1 TB PCIe Gen4 SSD, and another with 24 GB soldered-on LPDDR5-5600 memory and a 500 GB SSD. Both feature two 40 Gbps USB4 ports, five USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports, two HDMI 2.0 ports, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, and dual 2.5 GbE networking, and come pre-installed with Windows 11 Pro. GEEKOM specifically sent us the IT13 Max mini PC with 24 GB LPDDR5 and a 500 GB M.2 SSD for testing. In this article, we will cover […]

August 1, 2026August 4, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

Creality Falcon T1 review – A 5-in-1 modular laser engraver tested with 20W fiber and 40W diode laser modules

Creality Falcon T1 5-in-1 Laser Engraver review

Creality sent us a sample of the Falcon T1 5-in-1 modular laser engraver for review. The company describes it as the world’s first 5-in-1 laser engraving and cutting machine that supports five types of laser modules in a single unit: 20W diode laser 20W, 40W diode laser, 20w fiber laser, 60W MOPA laser, and 5W UV Laser 5W. The laser heads can be swapped tool-free in just 15 seconds. It works with an HD camera and AI system and can engrave and cut a wide range of materials including wood, leather, acrylic, metal, glass, crystal, and plastic. Diode laser modules are ideal for cutting and engraving wood, leather, and acrylic, the fiber laser module is better suited for marking and engraving metal, the MOPA laser module supports color marking on metals such as stainless steel and titanium, and the UV laser module uses cold processing for high-precision work on glass, […]

July 26, 2026July 29, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 8 Comments

Creality Pika review – An affordable, portable 3D scanner with infrared and blue laser modes

Creality has sent us a sample of the Pika portable 3D scanner for review. In some ways, it shares some of the features of the high-end Sermoon S1 3D scanner, like blue laser and NIR structured light scanning modes, but it’s more affordable and compact, works out of the box through USB or WiFi, and is offered in a design and form factor similar to an action or point-and-shoot camera. In this review, I’ll start by listing the specifications, then go through an unboxing, and test the Pika with an (underpowered) Android phone, before spending more time testing the portable 3D scanner on a powerful mini PC connected to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16GB GPU dock. Pika 3D scanner specifications and host requirements Pika (CRS15CPK) specifications: SoC – Unnamed octa-core processor clocked at 2.0 GHz Display – 3-inch touchscreen display Scanning Modes 7 Parallel Blue Laser Lines Working […]