This week-end I received Vorke V1 mini PC powered by Intel Celeron J3160 processor, and with upgradable memory, storage and WiFi as explaining in the first part of the review, and with a $160 price tag after coupon I found it to be pretty good value (Normal price is $200). But still, one person commented that it was too expensive, while another mentioned that some people may prefer to buy extra components such as SO-DIMM RAM, mSATA SSD, and wireless modules locally in order to benefit from a local warranty. So I went on aliexpress to find barebone mini PCs based on Intel Celeron J3160 processor, and I had no luck probably because the processor is relatively recent, so I refocused my search on Intel Celeron N3150 processor which has roughly the same performance, and the one of the cheapest options I could find was Partaker B4 mini PC selling for $131.49 in barebone configure with shipping by DHL.
Inctel Partaker B4 barebone specifications:
- SoC – Intel Celeron N3150 quad core processor @ 1.6/2.08 GHz with Intel HD graphics GPU @ 320/640MHz – 6W TDP
- System Memory – 1x (or 2x?) SO-DIMM slot for up to 8GB RAM
- Storage – 1x mSATA 3.0 connector for SSD. 1x SATA 3.0 connector for HDD
- Video Output – HDMI and VGA
- Audio Output – HDMI, 3.5mm headphone and microphone jacks; ALC662 chip
- Connectivity – Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi (150 Mbps) with two external WiFi antennas.
- USB – 2x USB 2.0 ports, 4x USB 3.0 ports
- Misc – Power button & LED
- Power Supply – 12V/3A to 6A
- Dimensions – 16 x 12 x 4 cm
- Weight – 2.5 kg ???
The system is said to be fanless. Sadly Inctel, the company behind the product, did not feel it necessary to post image of the motherboard in Aliexpress or the product page. I could only find the picture below on a Russian blog for the Core i3 version of Partaker B4.
You’ll need to add your own storage and memory, as well as install your favorite operating system, to get a working system. The Aliexpress page have memory and storage options too, and if you add 4GB RAM and 64GB SSD, the price becomes $193.64, or quite close to the standard price for Vorke V1, minus an 802.11ac module and a Windows 10 license, but with more USB 3.0 ports. I have tried to find sellers of Partaker B4 mini PC with China post airmail to get a cheaper price, but all seem to be using DHL or Fedex.
Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.
Support CNX Software! Donate via cryptocurrencies, become a Patron on Patreon, or purchase goods on Amazon or Aliexpress
http://www.hystou.com/about-us/about-us/why-hystou-5.html
I was told that Hystou is the factory which produces those mini pc’s, you can find this same mini pc’s under the name “eglobal”:
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/2GB-RAM-1TB-HDD-Celeron-N3150-Mini-Fanless-Nuc-PC-6W-TDP-VGA-HDMI-WIFI-BT/32542519524.html?spm=2114.13010208.99999999.267.KfVhSa
most of the sellers offers free DHL which suggests that HYSTOU are actually sending the packages. many friends of mine purchased those from Eglobal and most of the time very happy.
This seems interesting if you want a fanless PC. For $183, you can also currently find an Asus VivoMini UN42 with Celeron 2957U, 2GB, 32GB SSD and Windows Home 10 (not fan-less). Multi threaded performance should be a bit lower but it more than makes up for it in single threaded workloads.