congatec launches 10 new COM-HPC and COM Express Computer-on-Modules with 12th Gen Intel Core processors (Sponsored)

congatec – a leading vendor of embedded and edge computing technology – introduces the 12th Generation Intel Core mobile and desktop processors (formerly code-named Alder Lake) on 10 new COM-HPC and COM Express Computer-on-Modules. Featuring the latest high-performance cores from Intel, the new modules in COM-HPC Size A and C as well as COM Express Type 6 form factors offer major performance gains and improvements for the world of embedded and edge computing systems. Most impressive is the fact that engineers can now leverage Intel’s innovative performance hybrid architecture. Offering up to 14 cores/20 threads on BGA and 16 cores/24 threads on desktop variants (LGA mounted), the 12th Gen Intel Core processors provide a quantum leap [1] in multitasking and scalability levels. Next-gen IoT and edge applications benefit from up to 6 or 8 (BGA/LGA) optimized Performance-cores (P-cores) plus up to 8 low-power Efficient-cores (E-cores) and DDR5 memory support to […]

Phytium D2000 ARMv8 Mini PC runs Linux, supports gaming with Box64 emulator

Dragonbox is now taking pre-orders for a “Phytium D2000 ARMv8 Mini PC” with an octa-core 64-bit Arm processor, 16GB RAM, a 512GB NVMe, and an AMD Radeon RX550 GPU that makes it powerful enough to play older PC gaming like Crysis through Box64 x86_64 emulator, the 64-bit version of Box86 x86 emulator compatible with Raspberry Pi and other 32-bit Arm platforms. If the Dragonbox name sounds familiar, it’s because that’s the community that developed the Pyra handheld Linux game console/PC, except now they are offering a mini PC based on Phytium D2000 processor based on the same FTC663 Armv8 cores as found in the earlier Phytium FT2000/4 processor, with both Pythium SoC specifically designed for desktop PCs, contrary to most other Arm SoCs on the market. Phytium D2000 mini PC specifications: SoC –  Phytium D2000 ARMv8 octa-core custom Armv8 (FTC663) desktop processor @ 2.3 – 2.6 GHz with 8MB L2 […]

Khadas Edge2 Arm mini PC

ODROID-H2+ SBC discontinued due to supply shortage

Hardkernel has just discontinued ODROID-H2+ single board computer based on the Intel Celeron J4115 Gemini Lake Refresh processor, which followed ODROID-H2 SBC itself being discontinued shortly after Intel decided to phase out Intel J4105 and other Gemini Lake processors. The reason given is the “uncertain situation of main component supply”, which could mean Celeron J4115 processor is hard to get (or expensive), or the Realtek RTL8125B chipset provides 2.5GbE networking. That means Hardkernel does not offer any x86 SBC at this time. That’s a shame before ODROID-H2+ was a well-supported SBC running Linux or Windows, and great value for money at $119, especially for people interested in the two 2.5 Gbps Ethernet ports found on the board (and upgradeable to six), not to mention support for SO-DIMM memory and M.2 NVMe SSD. Update: There were multiple components with very long lead times that must have contributed to the situation as […]

MINIX NGC-5 Review – Windows 10, Ubuntu 20.04, and external GPU

MINIX has just launched a new mini PC in their NGC range called the NGC-5. Although it uses a somewhat dated Intel eighth-generation Core i5 processor, the integrated Iris Plus Graphics 655 is notable for being one of the more powerful iGPU solutions. MINIX kindly sent one for review and I’ve looked at performance running both Windows and Ubuntu together with using an eGPU. Hardware Overview The NGC-5 physically consists of a 153 x 153 x 43mm (6.02 x 6.02 x 1.57 inches) square plastic case. As an actively cooled mini PC, it uses Intel’s older 14 nm++ Core i5-8279U Coffee Lake processor which is a quad-core 8-thread 2.40 GHz processor boosting to 4.10 GHz with Intel’s Iris Plus Graphics 655. The front panel has just a LED power indicator whereas the rear panel includes dual gigabit Ethernet ports, dual USB 3.1 ports, a DisplayPort 1.2, an HDMI 2.0a port, […]

AAEON PICO-TGU4 Pico-ITX Tiger Lake UP3 SBC Comes with 2.5 GbE, SATA, HDMI & eDP

I’ve just written about the first Tiger Lake UP3 Pico-ITX motherboard I’ve seen with Commell LP-179 equipped with an Intel Core i7 or Celeron processor, but while doing research on the topic, AAEON PICO-TGU4 Pico-ITX SBC with “11th Generation Intel Core i7/i5/i3/Celeron U-Series Processor SoC” showed up. More specifically, the PICO-TGU4 Pico-ITX SBC features processors from the Tiger Lake UP3 family, comes with up to 32GB RAM, SATA storage, HDMI output, dual Gigabit Ethernet, dual USB 3.2, and more. But we’ve now got some photos and key features & specifications for AAEON PICO-TGU4 SBC: SoC – 11th Generation Intel Core i7/i5/i3/Celeron Tiger Lake UP3 SoC up to 4.8 GHz System Memory – Up to 32GB LPDDR4x 3200 MHz on-board memory, optional In-Band ECC for Tiger Lake GRE processors, only available upon request Storage – 1x SATA port Video Output HDMI 2.0b port up to 4Kx2K 60Hz 1x eDP up to […]

Cincoze GP-3000 review – An expandable Xeon-based GPU computer

Cincoze GP-3000 is an expandable high-performance GPU computer. It consists of either a 9th or 8th generation Intel processor-powered embedded computer which can be expanded with Cincoze’s proprietary GPU Expansion Box (GEB) capable of housing up to dual 250W full-length graphic cards. Additional I/O expansion is also possible through the use of various modules. With a total 720W power budget the GP-3000’s additional GPU performance massively accelerates complex industrial AI and machine vision tasks. As a rugged computer, the GP-3000 has passed a series of stringent quality assurance tests and industry standards including MIL-STD-810G military standard, E-mark for in-vehicle applications, and EN50155 (EN 50121-3-2 only) for rolling stock environments. It can withstand hot and cold temperature extremes, shock and vibration, and high electromagnetic radiation. In this review, I’ll cover some performance metrics from both Windows and Ubuntu and also discuss the thermals. Hardware Overview The GP-3000 (see PDF datasheet) loaned […]

Rockchip RK3568/RK3588 and Intel x86 SBCs

Tiger Lake UP3 single board computer offers quad displays, 2.5 GbE, PCIe Gen4, up to 32GB RAM

Taiwan Commate Computer Inc, also known as just Commell, has unveiled LE-37O 3.5-inch single board computer based on Intel Tiger Lake UP3 embedded processors for industrial applications. The SBC supports up to 32GB DDR4 single-channel memory, up to four displays through DisplayPort, HDMI, VGA, and LVDS interfaces, and offers both Gigabit Ethernet and 2.5 GbE ports, as well as PCIe Gen4 via an M.2 socket. Commell LE-37O specifications: SoC – Intel Tiger Lake UP3 processor with Iris Xe graphics; FBCGA1449 package; 12-28W TDP; default: Core i7-1185G7E quad-core/octa-thread processor; option: Celeron 6305E dual-core processor System Memory – 1x 260-pin DDR4 3200 MHz SO-DIMM up to 32GB non-ECC, unbuffered memory Storage – 2x SATA III ports with RAID 0,1 support, M.2 and mSATA storage (see Expansion section) Video Outputs HDMI port DisplayPort port 24-bit dual channel LVDS connector with +3.3V/+5V/+12V supply; 1x LCD inverter connector VGA connector Quad independent display support Optional […]

Linux 5.13 Release – Notable changes, Arm, MIPS and RISC-V architectures

Linus Torvalds has just announced the release of Linux 5.13: So we had quite the calm week since rc7, and I see no reason to delay 5.13. The shortlog for the week is tiny, with just 88 non-merge commits (and a few of those are just reverts). It’s a fairly random mix of fixes, and being so small I’d just suggest people scan the appended shortlog for what happened. Of course, if the last week was small and calm, 5.13 overall is actually fairly large. In fact, it’s one of the bigger 5.x releases, with over 16k commits (over 17k if you count merges), from over 2k developers. But it’s a “big all over” kind of thing, not something particular that stands out as particularly unusual. Some of the extra size might just be because 5.12 had that extra rc week. And with 5.13 out the door, that obviously means […]

Khadas VIM4 SBC