GEEKOM AS 6 is a mini PC based on AMD Ryzen 6000HX CPU with up to 64GB dual-channel DDR5 RAM memory, two PCIe Gen 4×4 M.2 2280 SSD sockets, WiFi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2, and a range of ports, made in collaboration with ASUS (that’s the PN53 model) and which the company advertises as an alternative to the Intel NUC 13 Pro “Arena Canyon”. GEEKOM sent us a sample of the AS 6 mini PC with an AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX octa-core processor with Radeon 680M graphics, 32GB RAM and a 1TB SSD for review, and in the first part of the review, we’ll look at the specifications, check the package content, teardown the system, and give it a first try, before testing it more thoroughly with the pre-installed Windows 11 and Ubuntu 22.04 in the next parts. GEEKOM AS 6 specifications Here’s how GEEKOM AS 6 specifications compare the […]
GL.iNet Spitz AX review – Part 2: a router with 5G NR, WiFi 6, 2.5GbE, failover and load balancing
Earlier this month I introduced the GL.iNet Spitz AX (aka GL-X3000NR) router with 2.5GbE, WiFi 6, and 5G NR cellular connectivity listing the specifications, doing an unboxing, and going through the initial setup. I’ve now received a new SIM card for testing and installed it into the router to continue the review. 4G/5G cellular connectivity on Spitz AX router After powering the router, the SIM card was detected and showed a 5G connection, but quickly fell back to 4G as can be seen with the cyan icon in the screenshot below. Shortly after, I lost 4G data connectivity, and after a while, the modem was not detected at all. But after restarting the router, and clicking on the “Auto Setup” icon everything looked to be working fine and I was always on a 5G connection from “house 1”. You’ll notice an envelop icon on the top right corner of the […]
Orange Pi 5 Plus SBC switches to Rockchip RK3588 SoC, brings dual HDMI 2.1, dual 2.5GbE, M.2 PCIe sockets
Orange Pi 5 Plus is the first Rockchip RK3588 SBC from the company and succeeds the cheaper Rockchip RK3588S-based Orange Pi 5 and Orange Pi 5B single board computers that had a more limited number of high-end interfaces. Switching to the I/O rich RK3588 processor allowed Orange Pi to add two 2.5GbE networking interfaces, support for NVMe SSD storage up to 2,000 MB/s, up to four display interfaces with two HDMI 2.1 ports, MIPI DSI and USB-C with DisplayPort Alt. mode, as well as an extra M.2 socket for optional WiFi 6 and Bluetooth connectivity. Orange Pi 5 Plus specifications: SoC – Rockchip RK3588 CPU – Octa-core processor with 4x Cortex-A76 cores @ up to 2.4 GHz, 4x Cortex-A55 cores @ up to 1.8 GHz Arm Mali-G610 MP4 GPU with support for OpenGL ES1.1/2.0/3.2, OpenCL 2.2, and Vulkan 1.2 6 TOPS AI accelerator with support for INT4/INT8/INT16/FP16 mixed operation VPU […]
GL.iNet Spitz AX (GL-X3000NR) 5G NR WiFi 6 router review – Part 1: Specs, unboxing, and first boot
GL.iNet Spitz AX, also known as GL-X3000NR, is a compact 5G NR WiFi 6 router running OpenWrt 21.02 on a MediaTek Filogic 820 (TM7981A) dual-core Cortex-A53 processor coupled with 512MB DDR4 and 8GB eMMC flash, as well 2.5GbE and GbE interfaces, and a USB 2.0 port. The company sent us a Spitz AX router for evaluation, and in the first part of the review, we’ll go through the specifications, and do an unboxing and a teardown, before connecting it for a first boot. GL.iNet Spitz AX router specifications SoC – MediaTek MT7981A (Filogic 820) dual-core Arm Cortex-A53 processor @ 1.3 GHz System Memory – 512 MB DDR4 Storage – 8GB eMMC flash, MicroSD card slot up 1+ TB Networking 1x 2.5GbE WAN Ethernet port 1x Gigabit Ethernet LAN port Dual-band IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax WiFi 6 up to 574Mbps (2.4GHz), 2402Mbps (5GHz) RM520N-GL 5G cellular modem and 2x Nano SIM card slots […]
GEEKOM AS 6 AMD Ryzen 6000 mini PC takes on Intel NUC 13 Pro “Arena Canyon” (Sponsored)
GEEKOM AS 6 is an AMD Ryzen 6000 mini PC developed in collaboration with ASUS that aims to provide a cost-effective alternative to the Intel NUC 13 Arena Canyon mini PC powered by an Intel Core i7-1360P Raptor Lake-P hybrid SoC. The mini PC is equipped with either an AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX or Ryzen 7 6800H processor, supports up to 64GB DDR5 memory, three storage options with two NVMe sockets and one 2.5-inch SATA drive bay, and can drive up to four independent displays thanks to two HDMI 2.1 ports, one DisplayPort 1.4 output, and two Thunderbolt 4 / USB4 ports. Networking is the same as on the NUC with 2.5GbE, WiFi 6E, and Bluetooth 5.2. Here’s how GEEKOM AS 6 specifications compare the ones of the Intel NUC 13 Pro “Arena Canyon”. The performance of the selected AMD Ryzen 9 and Intel Raptor Lake processor is comparable, but […]
TI launches Simplelink CC3300/CC3301 WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.3 LE companion IC for IoT applications
Texas Instruments has unveiled the SimpleLink CC33xx family of Wi-Fi 6 companion IC with optional Bluetooth 5.3 Low Energy designed to be connected to a microcontroller (MCU) or a microprocessor (MPU) for secure and power-efficient IoT devices, The SimpleLink CC3000 supports 2.4 GHz WiFi 6, and interfaces over SDIO, SPI, and/or UART to the host system, while the SimpleLink CC3301 also adds support for Bluetooth 5.3 LE. Both chips can operate in high-temperature environments up to 105ºC. Texas Instruments CC3300/CC3301 specifications: Wireless 2.4 GHz WiFi 6 (802.11ax) up to 50 Mbps; Support for TWT and OFDMA, multirole (Access Point and Station) CC3301 only – Bluetooth 5.3 Low Energy up to 2 Mbps WiFi and Bluetooth COEX Host interface – 4-bit SDIO or SPI, and UART to external MCU or MPU Security – FW authentication and anti-rollback protection, WPA2/WPA3, Secured host interface Pacakge – 40-pin QFN package (5×5 mm) Temperature range […]
HIGOLE PC STICK (J4125+WiFi 6) review – Part 1: Specs, unboxing, teardown, and first boot
HIGOLE PC STICK is a mini PC that looks like a large flash drive, is smaller than a regular mini PC, and is easier to carry around. You can connect it directly to a monitor or TV with an HDMI input, and use it like any computer right away. In part 1 of the HIGOLE PC STICK review, we will go through the specifications, unbox the design, check its hardware design with a teardown, and go through the first boot. HIGOLE PC STICK specifications The HIGOLE PC STICK is powered by an Intel Celeron J4125 quad-core Gemini Lake Refresh processor with 8GB RAM, 128GB flash, and microSD card slot for storage expansion. The mini PC comes with a Gigabit Ethernet port, WiFi 6 & Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity, and supports two independent displays through the HDMI 2.0 port and USB Type-C port. The device also includes two USB 3.0 ports, one […]
Beelink EQ12 mini PC features Processor N100 “Alder Lake-N” CPU, up to 16GB RAM
Beelink EQ12 is a mini PC powered by an Intel Processor N100 “Alder Lake-N” quad-core processor offered with 8GB or 16GB DDR5 memory, a 512GB NVMe SSD for storage, as well as two 2.5GbE ports, and a WiFi 6 & Bluetooth 5.2 wireless module. The actively cooled computer also comes with two 4K capable HDMI ports, three USB 3.2 ports, and a 10Gbps USB Type-C that also supports DisplayPort Alternate Mode enabling the EQ12 to drive up to three 4K displays. Beelink EQ12 specifications: SoC – Intel Processor N100 Alder Lake-N quad-core processor @ up to 3.4 GHz (Turbo) with 6MB cache, 24 EU Intel HD graphics @ up to 750 MHz; TDP: 6W System Memory – 8GB or 16GB DDR5 4800 MHz RAM Storage 500GB M.2 2280 NVMe SSD upgradeable up to 2TB Support for 2.5-inch SATA SSD / HDD (CNXSoft: not shown in the specs, but a “scalable […]