Using an eGPU with a mini PC

using r43sg egpu with mini PC

Mini PCs have grown in popularity in part due to their small form-factor offering low-powered basic computing with sufficient ports for connectivity. As such they are useful both in commercial settings such as digital signage as well as with consumers needing a small-footprint or VESA-mounted low-cost computer. However, one drawback is their limited graphical performance due to using CPUs with integrated graphics which results in the options for playing games being somewhat restricted and ‘AAA’ titles typically being unplayable. Lower-priced laptops often share the same drawback and one of the ways that users have addressed their graphical need is by utilizing an external GPU (eGPU) however the commercially available ones are both expensive and require connecting via a Thunderbolt 3 port. Unfortunately, not many Chinese-made mini PCs currently include a Thunderbolt 3 port however now that they have started to include M.2 NVMe ports this has created the possibility of […]

Commell LP-179 Pico-ITX motherboard ships with Intel Tiger Lake UP3 embedded processor

LP-179 Tiger Lake Pico-ITX motherboard

Intel first introduced Core i3/i5/i7 Tiger Lake UP3 processors with Intel Xe graphics in early September 2020, soon followed with embedded versions of Tiger Lake UP3 a couple of weeks later, and then Celeron 6305E, still for embedded & IoT applications, with support for features such as 2.5GbE and quad-display support. We’ve already seen some Tiger Lake UP3 motherboards with AAEON UP Xtreme i11 (122 x 120 mm) and IEI tKINO-ULT6 mini-ITX SBC, but if you’d like a more compact Tiger Lake solution, Commell LP-179 Pico-ITX motherboard may be an option with a choice of Core i7-1185G7E or Celeron 6305E processor. Commell LP-179 specifications: SoC (one or the other) Intel Core i7-1185G7E quad-core/octa-thread Tiger Lake UP3 embedded processor @ 1.8 GHz / 4.4 GHz (Turbo) with 12MB cache, 96EU Intel Iris Xe graphics; 12 to 28W TDP Intel Celeron 6305E dual-core Tiger Lake UP3 embedded processor @ 1.8 GHz (No […]

Beelink SEI Review – A Core i3-10110U Mini PC Tested with Windows and Ubuntu

beelink sei review

Beelink has launched a new range of mini PCs called the SEi Series. Similar in size and appearance to an Intel ‘NUC’ they are available in various configurations. Beelink sent a Core i3-10110U SEi model for review which is the version that has now replaced their i3-1005G1 model which they had to discontinue due to the lack of processor availability. There is also an i5-8259U model in the series. Beelink SEi Hardware Overview The SEi physically consists of a 124 x 113 x 41mm (4.88 x 4.48 x 1.61 inches) rectangular plastic case. It is an actively cooled mini PC and uses Intel’s 14 nm++ Core i3-10110U Comet Lake processor which is a dual-core 4-thread 2.10 GHz processor boosting to 4.10 GHz with Intel’s UHD Graphics for 10th Gen Intel Processors. The front panel has a power button, a headphone jack, a Type-C USB 3.0 port, and two USB 3.0 […]

IP67 mini PC targets harsh environments and marine applications

IP67 mini PC

We’ve covered plenty of Whiskey Lake-based mini PC‘s and SBC‘s, but most of them are made for the home or the office, except for some designed with a wider temperature range for industrial and factory environments. But Stealth is going further with WPC-905 IP67 waterproof mini PC that’s completely sealed and fanless making it suitable for harsher environments, including marine applications. The rugged computer comes with a choice of Intel Celeron and Core processors and supports variable DC input from  9V to 48V DC via an M12 connector. Stealth WPC-905 IP67 mini PC specifications: SoC (one or the other) – all from the Whisky Lake Embedded family Intel Celeron 4305UE dual-core processor @ 2GHz with Intel UHD Graphics 610; 15W TDP Intel Core i3-8145UE dual-core/quad-thread processor @ 2.2GHz / 3.9GHz (Turbo) with Intel UHD Graphics 620; 15W TDP Intel Core i5-8365UE quad-core/octa-thread processor @ 1.6GHz / 4.1GHz (Turbo) with Intel […]

Mini-ITX SBC with Tiger Lake UP3 CPU offers dual 2.5GbE, quad display support

tKINO-ULT6 Mini-ITX SBC

IEI launched tKINO-ULT6 is a Thin Mini-ITX SBC that comes with an 11th generation Intel core processor part of the Tiger Lake-UP3 CPU family. The tKINO-ULT6 Mini-ITX SBC also supports quadruple independent displays, SATA 6Gb/s, dual Intel 2.5GbE, HD audio, and RoHS. It can handle a wide range of input DC power from 9V to 36 V. The tKINO-ULT6 SBC is expected to be found in CNC (Computer Numerical Control) machines, real-time controls, human-machine interfaces, tool applications, medical imaging, and other applications requiring high resolution. Key Features of  the tKINO-ULT6 Mini-ITX SBC Mini-ITX form factor with 11th Gen. Intel Tiger Lake UP3 Embedded processor, support for DDR4-3200 memory Video Output – Four independent displays via HDMI, DP, eDP/LVDS, USB4 Networking Dual Intel 2.5GbE LAN M.2 A key for WIFI+Bluetooth (PCIe x1/USB 2.0), M.2 M key for Storage (PCIe x2/SATA) Expansion – PCIe x8 Gen 4.0 slot  The tKINO-ULT6 Mini-ITX SBC […]

Lenovo LAVIE MINI 8-inch mini laptop to come with optional desktop and gaming docks

Lenovo LAVIE MINI mini laptop game controllers

In the last two years or so, we’ve seen several so-called mini laptops with screen sizes from 5-inch to 8-inch mostly from smaller companies like GPD and One Netbook, but also CHUWI to a lesser extent. Now Lenovo has entered the fray with LAVIE MINI mini laptop powered by an Intel Tiger Lake processor and equipped with an 8-inch touchscreen display. The device is also offered with optional accessories including an HDMI desktop docking station and a gaming dock with two game controllers. Lenovo LAVIE MINI preliminary specifications: SoC – Intel Tiger Lake with Intel Xe graphics up to Intel Core i7-1180G7 SoC System Memory – 16GB LPDDR4x-4266 dual-channel memory (soldered) Storage – 256GB SSD Display – 8-inch touchscreen display with 1920 x 1200 resolution, 400 nits brightness Audio – 1.5W stereo speakers Camera – IR camera with Windows Hello face recognition Connectivity – WiFi 6 & Bluetooth 5.1 User […]

Emini V6 mini PC integrates a tiny LCD display for CPU usage, temperature…

Emini V6 mini PC LCD Display

Emini V6 is a desktop mini PC powered by a 15W Intel Core i5-7200U Kaby Lake processor, that looks like most other comparable computers, except for one detail:  a tiny LCD display is integrated into one side of the case. At first, it seemed non-sensical, especially the photos should a Windows logo on the photos, but it made a little more sense once the company explained it was to display CPU usage, temperature, and other system information. Emini V6 (MR-V6-I5K72D4U-LCD) specifications: SoC – Intel Core i5-7200U dual-core Kaby Lake processor @ 2.5GHz / 3.1GHz with 3MB Cache, Intel HD Graphics 620; TDP: 15W System Memory – 2x DDR4 SO-DIMM slots up to 32GB RAM (dual-channel) Storage – M.2 2242 SSD and 2.5-inch SATA SSD support Video Output 1x HDMI 1.4a up to 4096 x 2304 @ 24Hz 1x mini DisplayPort (mDP) up to 4096 x 2304 @ 60Hz Display – […]

Year 2020 in review – Top ten posts and stats

CNX Software Year 2021

It’s this time of the year when we look back at what happened, and what may be next. 2020 did not pan out as planned in more ways than one, but there were still some interesting developments. Based on 2019 announcements, 2020 was promising to be an exciting year for Amlogic and Rockchip with the expected launch of RK3588 and S908X high-end processors for 8K capable devices,  but we’ll have to wait for 2021 for this to happen. Instead, the most interesting processor of the year from the Allwinner, Amlogic, and Rockchip offerings was probably Amlogic S905X4 processing adding AV1 hardware decoding. As pointed out in our “RISC-V 2020 highlights” post, it was a fairly eventful year for RISC-V architecture, although there’s still a long road ahead, especially for application processors. We had seen some general-purpose and Bluetooth RISC-V MCUs in 2019, but 2020 saw the launch of the first […]

UP 7000 x86 SBC