INCTEL N100, also sold under the Partaker brand, is a fanless mini PC and “micro firewall appliance” powered by an Intel Processor N100 CPU and equipped with four 2.5GbE ports all using Intel i226V.
It has features similar to the tiny, actively cooled iKOOLCORE R2 Alder Lake-N mini PC that combines Intel and RealTek controllers, but the INCTEL model has a larger yet thinner design. The device supports up to 16GB DDR5 memory, can take an M.2 NVMe SSD and/or a 2.5-inch SATA drive for storage, and also provides two video outputs through HDMI and DisplayPort, as well as a few USB ports, an RJ45 console port, and optional support for WiFi and 4G LTE connectivity.
INCTEL N100 specifications:
- SoC- Intel Processor N100 quad-core Alder Lake N-series processor @ up to 3.4 GHz (Turbo) with 6MB cache, 24EU Intel UHD graphics @ up to 750 MHz; TDP: 6W
- System Memory – Optional 8GB or 16GB DDR5 4800 MHz via 1x SO-DIMM socket
- Storage
- M.2 Key-M socket for 2280 NVMe SSD
- 2.5-inch SATA bay
- Video Output
- HDMI 2.0 port up to 4Kp60
- DisplayPort output to 4Kp60
- Dual independent display support
- Networking
- 4x 2.5GbE RJ45 ports via Intel i226V 2.5GbE controllers
- Optional WiFi and Bluetooth via M.2 CNVi wireless slot
- Optional 4G LTE via mini PCIe socket and SIM card slot
- 2x antenna holes
- USB
- 2x USB 3.0 Type-A ports
- 2x USB 2.0 Type-A ports
- System Management – 1x RJ45 console port
- Misc
- Power button
- CLR CMOS pinhole
- LED for HDD and wifi
- AMI UEFI BIOS with auto power on, scheduled boot, wake on LAN (WoL), PXE boot, watchdog
- Power Supply – 12V/5A via DC jack
- Dimensions – 134 x 125 x 40 mm (aluminum alloy chassis, fanless design)
- Weight – 1 kg
The mini PC ships with a 12V/5A power adapter, a power cord, a SATA cable, and a screw bag. The Amazon listing claims “Windows 10 Pro” is installed on systems with storage and memory, but that seems an odd choice, and it might not be activated since most people will likely install another OS on this type of hardware. The company also mentions Linux, Centos, Ubuntu, pfSense, OPNsense, OpenWrt, ESXi, Proxmox, PVE, and CentOS support.
It’s possible to use this type of 2-in-1 mini PC and network appliance with Proxmox running a desktop OS such as Windows 11 or Ubuntu 22.04 desktop and a networking OS such as pfSense or OPNsense, but configuring the system properly requires some effort especially if you want to connect an actual display and USB peripherals. If you have no experience, you may be interested in my review of iKOOLCORE R2 with Proxmox VE, Ubuntu 22.04, and pfSense which goes through the steps I had to take in detail.
The INCTEL N100 fanless mini PC and micro firewall appliance can be purchased on Aliexpress for $158 for the barebone version, and up to $237 with 16GB DDR5 and a 512GB SSD. If don’t need a recent processor, there are also cheaper models with Gemini Lake and Jasper Lake processors. The company also sells a black model that appears to be the same design apart from the color of the front and rear panels. You’ll also find the device on Amazon under the Partaker brand but with the price starting at $226.99.
Some European readers have had issues with Aliexpress in recent months, but INCTEL does sell to Europe too and even offers a tax-free option using “seller’s shipping method” without tracking to the EU, the UK, or Russia that looks like tax evasion to me, but maybe I’m being too conspirational…
Via FanlessTech
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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Interesting name choice. I’m sure they weren’t trying to make it sound okay to a different company…
The specs and price are quite appealing for a generic multi-purpose fanless machine.
That perfectly illustrates what I mentioned a few months ago on the Radxa forum regarding the risks of making too expensive Arm boards: when you start approaching the x86 price it’s very difficult to remain competitive with featureful boards with enclosure, replaceable memory, many ports, and which can run the distro of your choice with the latest kernel. And I think that some x86 vendors have understood the desire for small fanless boards and the threat posed by Arm devices.
Yes, in 2014 the Raspi (1) was cheap (25 euro), and computers were expensive (250+ euro?)
Now, bare SBCs are around 100 Euro, and complete x86 NUCs (8GB RAM, 128GB SSD, case, power supply) can be bought for 125 euro. And indeed: with the x86 NUCs, you can pop in and run an off the shelf Ubuntu.
The last SBC I bought, was in december 2021 the licheeRV RISC-V D1 sipeed for 33 euro incl VAT and shipping. Very little memory (0.5GB), but cheap.
Yeah, i’d go for such any day instead of ARM SBCs/mini pcs with cumbersome uboot/images and all the other limitations. For my use cases 20W vs 5W doesn’t mean anything, although i appreciate low as possible power usage ofc, e.g when idling.
I can’t have a box that is limited to certain kernel/distro and such.
Amen.
LPDDR5 doesn’t come in SODIMM, it’s not possible due to signalling limitations.
My bad. It’s indeed DDR5.
I’ve just noticed it is fairly similar, albeit not the same design, as another N100 mini PC with four 2.5GbE I covered in January: https://www.cnx-software.com/2024/01/03/fanless-intel-n100-mini-pc-poe-power-input-four-2-5gbe-ports/
These don’t heat up like other previous gen Intel “low power CPUs” without a fan?
It’s possible to make fanless models that stay relatively cool.
https://www.cnx-software.com/2024/01/12/minix-neo-z100-0db-fanless-n100-mini-pc-review-unboxing-teardown-first-boot/