iKOOLCORE R2 Max 10GbE mini PC review – Part 1: Unboxing, teardown, and first boot

Dual 10GbE Dual 2.5GbE Intel N100 mini PC soft router

iKOOLCORE R2 Max is an Alder Lake-N mini PC, server, and soft router equipped with two 10GbE and two 2.5GbE ports and offered with either an Intel Processor N100 quad-core CPU, or a more powerful Intel Core i3-N305 octa-core processor. When iKOOLCORE offered me an R2 Max sample for review, I explained I did not own any 10GbE networking gear. So the company decided to send me two samples for testing 10 Gbps Ethernet networking: a fanless Intel N100 model and an actively-cooled Core i3-N305 model. Since we’ve already gone through the specifications in the first article, I’ll start the iKOOLCORE R2 Max review with an unboxing, a teardown, and a first boot. In the second part of the review, I’ll use Proxmox, OpenWrt, Ubuntu, and/or other operating systems to test the devices using one as a DUT (Device Under Test) and the other as a 10GbE server. iKOOLCORE R2 […]

Rikomagic RKM MK42 Intel N100 mini PC targets business applications such as digital signage

Rikomagic RKM MK42 mini pc

Rikomagic RKM MK42 is yet another Intel Processor N100 mini PC but geared towards business applications such as digital signage, retail kiosks, or IoT gateway rather than home use. The mini PC ships with 12GB RAM and a 512GB SSD, and offers dual GbE, WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2, dual 4K display setups through HDMI and DP++ ports, and five USB ports for expansion. Rikomaigc RKM MK42 specifications: SoC – Intel Processor N100 quad-core Alder Lake-N processor @ up to 3.4 GHz (Turbo) with 6MB cache, 24EU Intel HD graphics @ up to 750 MHz; TDP: 6W System Memory – 12GB RAM Storage – 512GB SSD Video Output HDMI 2.0 port up to 4Kp60 DisplayPort++ connector up to 4Kp60 Up to 2x independent 4K displays Audio – 3.5mm audio jack, digital audio output via HDMI and DP++ Networking 2x Gigabit Ethernet RJ45 ports Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2 USB – […]

UP Squared Pro 710H SBC combines Alder Lake-N CPU with Hailo-8 AI accelerator for the machine vision market

UP Squared Pro 710H

AAEON UP Squared Pro 710H is a 4×4-inch SBC and developer board designed for machine vision applications with an Intel Processor N97 or Core i3-N305 Alder Lake-N CPU and a 26 TOPS Hailo-8 Edge AI processor. The single board computer supports up to two MIPI CSI cameras via a 61-pin connector and offers expansion capabilities through a 40-pin Raspberry Pi-compatible header and three M.2 sockets for 5G, Wi-Fi, and NVMe storage support. While it’s only designed to operate in the 0 to 60°C temperature range, it does have industrial features such as 12V to 36V DC input and two RS-232/422/485 connectors. UP Squared Pro 710H specifications: Alder Lake N-series SoC (one or the other) Intel Processor N97 quad-core processor up to 3.6 GHz with 6MB cache, 24EU Intel UHD Graphics Gen 12 @ 1.2 GHz; TDP: 12W Intel Core i3-N305 octa-core processor up to 3.8 GHz with 6MB cache, 32EU Intel […]

Intel Processor N150 and N250, Core i3-N355 Alder Lake-N Refresh SoCs show up in ASUS NUC 14 Essential mini PCs

ASUS NUC 14 Essential

Intel Processor N150, Processor N250, and Core i3-N355 new Alder Lake-N processors have recently shown up in the upcoming ASUS NUC 14 Essential mini PCs and offer a small performance boost compared to existing variants such as the N100, N200, and Core i3-N305. The upcoming NUC 14 Essential family also includes one model with the existing Processor N97 CPU, supports up to three 4K displays via HDMI, DP, and USB-C connectors, offers 2.5 GbE networking, six USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports, and a single USB 2.0 port. ASUS NUC 14 Essential (NUC14MNK) specifications: Alder Lake-N SoC Intel Processor N97 quad-core processor @ up to 3.4 GHz (Turbo) with 6MB cache, 24EU Intel UHD graphics; TDP: 6W Intel Processor N150 quad-core processor @ up to 3.6 GHz (Turbo) with 6MB cache, Intel graphics; TDP: 6W Intel Processor N250 quad-core processor @ up to 3.8 GHz (Turbo) with 6MB cache, Intel graphics; […]

MSI MS-CF16 fanless Alder Lake-N/Amston Lake Pico-ITX single board computer features up to 16GB LPDDR5 RAM

MSI MS-CF16 Pico-ITX single-board computer

MSI MS-CF16 is a fanless single board computer (SBC) in the Pico-ITX form factor powered by low-power Intel Alder Lake-N or Amston Lake series processors. It features up to 16GB LPDDR5 RAM, offers dual independent display support via HDMI and LDVS/eDP connectors, and integrates other peripherals such as 2.5GbE and 1GbE LAN ports, multiple USB 3.2 and USB 3.0 ports, and two M.2 (B-Key and E-Key) sockets. The MS-CF16 is a smaller and more power-efficient alternative to the MS-CF17 3.5-inch SBC which we covered previously. It is perfect for industrial and embedded applications such as industrial automation, edge computing, medical devices, outdoor signage, and general computing in demanding conditions. It’s far from the first Alder Lake-N or Amston Lake Pico-ITX single board computer we’ve written about, and competing solutions include Jetway’s JPIC-ADN1, AAEON’s PICO-ASL4, DFI’s RPP051, and Kontron 2.5”-SBC-AML/ADN Alder Lake-N/Amston Lake Pico-ITX SBC covered by Sayantan earlier today. MSI […]

Kontron 2.5”-SBC-AML/ADN Pico-ITX SBC features Alder Lake-N or Amston Lake SoC up to Intel Atom X7835RE

2.5 inch SBC AML and ADN

Kontron has launched its new Amston Lake Pico-ITX SBC, the 2.5”-SBC-AML/ADN series, optimized for low-power, real-time computing in industrial automation, smart cities, energy, retail, and healthcare applications. This compact SBC series supports Intel’s energy-efficient processors, including the Intel Atom x7000E Series, Intel Core i3 N-Series, Intel N-Series (Alder Lake-N), and the Intel Atom x7000RE Series (Amston Lake). With Intel UHD Graphics (Gen12) featuring up to 32 execution units, these Amston Lake Pico-ITX SBCs enhance graphics processing and support concurrent AI inference. Powered by Intel Deep Learning Boost, they achieve faster AI inference, which is ideal for efficient edge computing, while meeting the stringent demands of real-time, low-latency applications. Previously, we covered several Pico-ITX SBCs, including the AAEON PICO-ASL4, Jetway JPIC-ADN1, AAEON PICO-IMX8PL, and AAEON RICO-MX8P, among others. Feel free to explore these reviews if you’re interested in similar SBCs. Kontron 2.5”-SBC-AML/ADN specifications: CPU Standard Intel Atom x7211RE dual-core processor up […]

Portwell WEBS-21J0-ASL – A rugged embedded system with Intel Atom x7000RE Nano-ITX motherboard and Hailo-8 AI accelerator

WEBS-21J0-ASL Nano-ITX embedded system

Portwell’s WEBS-21J0-ASL is a fanless, rugged embedded system with a Nano-ITX motherboard powered by an Intel Atom x7000RE Series processor and optimized for industrial IoT applications. It features two 2.5Gbps Ethernet ports, dual 4K display support (DP/HDMI), and a serial port as well as M.2 E and B Key sockets for wireless and storage expansion. Designed for harsh environments, the WEBS-21J0-ASL operates in temperatures ranging from -20°C to 60°C. The system is equipped with DDR4 SO-DIMM memory (up to 16GB and 10Gbps USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports. It has passed vibration and shock tests for durability in rugged applications making it suitable for a wide range of industrial and automation systems. The WEBS-21J0-ASL also supports optional integration with the Hailo-8 AI acceleration module delivering up to 26 TOPS of AI performance for applications requiring advanced AI capabilities. This makes it an ideal solution for robotics, medical equipment, outdoor gateways, and […]

AAEON FWS-2290 Intel N97 network appliance targets UTM and VPN applications

AAEON FWS 2290

AAEON has recently released the FWS-2290, an Intel N97 network appliance. This is not quite the first network appliance launched by the Taiwanese company. Back in 2018, they launched the AAEON FWS-2360 designed for wireless gateway, SD-WAN, IPS, WAN Optimization, NFV, and vCPE applications. In 2020, they followed up with the FWS-2275 rugged network appliance for Secure industrial IoT networks, and then, in 2021, they introduced the FWS-2280 Elkhart Lake network appliance designed for UTM (Unified Threat Management), firewall, SD-WAN (Software-defined Wide Area Network), VPN, and other applications. Compared to all the previous network appliances the new FWS-2290 features a newer generation and more powerful Intel Alder Lake-N processor, faster DDR5 memory, 2.5GbE Ethernet compared to GbE Ethernet on the previous models, an M.2 slot for storage, and to top it all off the device is now more compact than the previous ones. AAEON FWS-2290 network appliance specification SoC Intel […]

UP 7000 x86 SBC