GEEKOM GT13 Pro Core i9-13900H mini PC review with Windows 11 and Ubuntu 24.04

GEEKOM GT13 Pro is a Windows 11 mini PC powered by a 13th Gen Intel Core i9-13900H or Core i7-13620H processor with Intel Xe Iris graphics, two Thunderbolt 4 ports, a 2.5GbE port, WiFi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity. GEEKOM sent us a review sample of the GEEKOM GT13 Pro mini PC with a Core i9-13900H 14-core/20-thread processor, 32GB RAM, and a 2TB NVMe SSD. We would usually do a three-part review, but the GEEKOM GT13 Pro uses the same motherboard as the GEEKOM Mini IT13 reviewed at the end of last year. So we’ll do a more condensed one-part review focusing on the differences between the two models in terms of features and performance in both Windows 11 Pro and Ubuntu 24.04. GEEKOM GT13 Pro specifications SoC – Intel Core i9-13900H 13th Gen Raptor Lake processor with 14 cores, 20 threads up to 5.40 GHz, 24MB Cache, Iris Xe […]

COM Express Type 6 Compact module features 14th gen Intel Core Ultra “Meteor Lake” processor

ADLINK cExpress-MTL is a COM Express Type 6 Compact module based on the just-announced 14th gen Intel Core Ultra “Meteor Lake” processor family with up to fourteen CPU cores in 6P+8E configuration, eight Xe-cores (128 EUs), and an NPU (11pTOPS/8.2eTOPS) in a 15 or 28W TDP thermal configuration delivering up to 1.9x the GPU performance of the previous generation (Raptor Lake). The power consumption will also be lower thanks to Intel Core Ultra’s new Low-Power E-cores that are 30 to 50% more efficient than the E-cores in 13th gen Intel Core processors, and the faster GPU and built-in NPU will enable hardware-accelerated AV1 encoding/decoding and various devices leveraging AI such as portable medical ultrasound devices, industrial automation, autonomous driving, AI robots, and more. cExpress-MTL specifications: Meteor Lake-H/U SoC (one of the other) Intel Core Ultra 7 MS3 165H 16-core (6P+8E+2LPE) processor @ 1.4 / 5.0 GHz with 24MB cache, Intel […]

Khadas Edge2 Arm mini PC

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 […]

CrowView Note Review – A 14-inch laptop shell designed for Raspberry Pi 5 and Jetson Nano Developer kit

Elecrow CrowView Note is a laptop shell with a 14-inch Full HD display, an 84-key QWERTY keyboard with a touchpad, built-in speakers and microphone, and a 5,000 mAh battery that’s specially designed for the Raspberry Pi 5 and the Jetson Nano Developer Kit thanks to adapters. However, it can be used with any machine with either a full-featured USB-C port or spare USB and HDMI ports. So it works with any Raspberry Pi model, Windows, Mac OS, or Linux computers, Android smartphones, PS4/PS5 game consoles, and more. This type of laptop shell has been around for years with the first one being the Laptop shell for the Motorola Atrix 4G smartphone introduced in 2011, and more recently Nexdock launched a range of laptop shells such as the Neckdock XL 15.6-inch touchscreen display and wireless charging. The CrowView Note differentiates itself with its low price and direct compatibility with the Raspberry […]

Khadas Mind Graphics NVIDIA RTX 4060 Ti GPU dock for the Mind mini PC is now available for $999

The Khadas Mind Graphics is a dock for the Khadas Mind Raptor Lake mini PC that integrates an NVIDIA Geforce RTX 4060 Ti GPU and enables users to run high-end games, edit videos, design graphics, and experiment with AI while keeping the portability and small size of a mini PC. As we’ve seen in our reviews, mini PCs now match the performance of larger machines in almost all aspects with tools like PassMark Performance showing higher-end models’ CPU, memory bandwidth, and storage in the top 10% or 20% of systems. The exception is 3D graphics performance because integrated GPUs can’t match the performance of higher-end graphics cards. The Khadas Mind Graphics solves that by adding an NVIDIA Geforce RTX 40601 Ti GPU to the Khadas Mind mini PC through its Mind Link connector also bringing out other connectors such as 2.5GbE, USB, SD card, etc… Khadas Mind Graphics specifications: Graphics […]

Testing ntttcp as an iperf3 alternative in Windows 11 (and Linux)

ntttcp (Windows NT Test TCP) is a network benchmarking utility similar to iperf3 that works in both Windows and Linux written and recommended by Microsoft over iperf3, so we’ll test the alternative in this mini review. iperf3 is a utility of choice for our reviews of single board computers and mini PCs running either Windows or Linux, but we’ve noticed that while Ethernet (up to 2.5GbE) usually performs just as well in Windows and Linux, WiFi is generally much faster in Ubuntu 22.04 than in Windows 11. So when XDA developers noticed a post by Microsoft saying iperf3 should not be used on Windows 11, it caught my attention. Microsoft explains iperf3 should not be used in Windows for three main reasons: The maintainer of iperf – ESnet (Energy Sciences Network) – says “iperf3 is not officially supported on Windows, but iperf2 is. We recommend you use iperf2. Some people […]

Rockchip RK3568/RK3588 and Intel x86 SBCs

2023 Year in review – Top 10 posts, statistics, and what to expect in 2024

It’s the last day and last article of the year, so we will look at some highlights of 2023, some traffic statistics on the CNX Software website, and speculate what interesting developments may happen in 2024. Looking back at 2023 The semiconductor shortage that had happened since 2020 started to fade away in early 2023, and supplies for most electronics components and devices seem to be adequate at this time, so that was a bright spot this year, and hopefully, it will stay that way in 2024 despite geopolitical tensions. We did not have any super exciting new Arm application processors from Rockchip, Amlogic, or Allwinner announced this year, although the Amlogic S928X penta-core Cortex-A76/A55 CPU started to show up in some 8K TV boxes. The launch of the Raspberry Pi 5 SBC with a Broadcom BCM2712 quad-core Cortex-A76 processor was probably the main highlight for Arm on this side […]

ASRock Industrial NUC Ultra 100 Meteor Lake-H motherboards feature Core Ultra 5 125H and Core Ultra 7 155H processors

ASRock Industrial has just announced two NUC Ultra 100 motherboards powered by Intel Core Ultra Meteor Lake-H processors namely the Core Ultra 5 125H and Ultra 7 155H with up to 16 cores and 22 threads, and integrating Intel ARC Graphics and the new Intel NPU AI engine. As the name implies, the NUC Ultra 100 Motherboard Series are designed in NUC form factor, support up to 96GB dual-channel DDR5-5600 MHz memory, three storage interface, up to four 4K displays, and offer two 2.5GbE networking ports, one USB4/Thunderbolt, and four USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports. ASRock Industrial says those features make the motherboards suitable for smart retail, kiosks, digital signage, smart cities, embedded industries, Edge AIoT applications, etc… NUC Ultra 100 motherboards specifications: Meteor Lake-H SoC (one or the other) Intel Core Ultra 7 T4 155H 16-core (6P+8E+2LPE) processor @ 1.4 / 4.8 GHz with 24MB cache, Intel 8Xe LPG […]

Khadas VIM4 SBC