Intel unveiled the Compute Card at the very beginning of the this year, without that many details, except it would included a 7th Gen Intel Core, memory, storage and wireless connectivity, and connect compliant dock with a new standard connector featuring USB-C and extra I/Os. Later this year, we learned more details about some Apollo Lake and Kaby Lake Compute Cards including specifications and block diagram. However those cards won’t be of any use without docks, and while NexDock promised a laptop dock for the cards, I have not seen any other announcements, but we now have some info about Intel’s own Compute Card dock that looks like a mini PC as the company released technical specifications and user manuals for DK132EPJ dock, and three Compute Card SKUs.
Intel Compute Card Dock DK132EPJ specifications:
- CPU, Memory, Storage, Wireless – Via slot supporting certified Intel Compute Cards
- Video Output – HDMI and mini DisplayPort
- USB – 3x USB 3.0 ports
- Connectivity – Gigabit Ethernet (via Intel I211-AT); Built-in compute card: 802.11ac WiFi and Bluetooth 4.2
- Misc – Lock indicator; eject button+indicator; power button; security lock
- Power Supply – 19V via power barrel jack
- Dimensions – 151.76 mm x 145 mm x 20.5 mm
The enclosure also supports 75 x 75 and 100 x 100 VESA mount so it can be mounted on the back of compatible monitors or televisions. The dock comes with a 19 power adapter with plug adapter for various countries and a 2-meter power cord. The operating system is not pre-installed in the Compute Card, but Windows 10 Home, Windows 10 Pro, Windows 10 Enterprise, Windows 10 Education, and Windows 10 IoT Enterprise are supported, and some Linux operating systems may be supported. The cards requires software support at least for authentication and the eject function.
The compute cards & dock should be available for purchase now, but they do not seem broadly available online, as I could just find the dock listed for $111.19 on Provantage (with the wrong product photo), and CD1C64GK Compute Card with Celeron N3350/4GB/64GB configuration for 641 AED (~$175 US) on “Gear Up Me” website with stock expected in 9 days. Alzashop has all four Compute Card SKUs with prices ranging from 143 to 527 Euros depending on model.
Via Ian Morrison in Mini PCs and TV Boxes G+ Community
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.
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I like the lock indicator and eject button, to avoid the computer card getting lost or stolen.
So for 111 + 175 = 286 USD you have a Celeron 4GB/64GB box … that’s is not very cheap.
@Sander
The RRPs are included in tables in my post (although you probably need to click on them to enlarge sufficiently for reading) with the dock at $110 and the Celeron at $145 = 255 USD … slightly better than the current website adverts … the price does include a three (3) year warranty for the card though.
@Ian W MORRISON (Linuxium)
OK, 255 USD is already better. And Intel quality … nice.
BTW: what is “RRP”?
@Sander
RRP = Recommended Retail Price. Intel actually use the term ‘Recommended Customer Price’ on ARK.
I’ve not seen any significant news about the Compute Card ecosystem after this short burst of news. Are Intel really committed to this? I’d hate to buy in to the ecosystem only to have it flounder.
I signed up to nexdock’s email alerts and it’s all rather quiet.
@Paul M
The Compute Card is mostly a product for businesses so there may not be that many news.
It’s also possible we need to wait a little longer for product like NexDock.
Intel has a recent history of canceling many projects, so there’s definitely a risk…