5 models for all (almost) occasions

Manufacturers of laptops and desktop PCs are releasing new models. Mini-PCs, which are becoming more and more numerous, are no exception. Many of them are very productive, so such devices can be used to perform fairly “heavy” tasks. Others are suitable for office work, which is also good – it saves space on your desktop, such a device can be mounted on the back cover of the monitor and forgotten about it. Well, a selection of such devices is under the cut.

KAMRUI AK1 Plus

This isn’t your average mini PC as it comes in two parts. The first is the miniature device itself. But the second one is a docking station with an additional hard drive. With all this, the device is very inexpensive, its price is only $180.

The device supports up to 6 TB of internal memory, including both an M.2 slot for SSD (maximum capacity – 2 TB), and HDD or SATA-SSD with a maximum capacity of 4 TB.

Unfortunately, the RAM is soldered onto the board, so you won’t be able to upgrade the device. Available models include a device with 8 GB RAM as well as 16 GB RAM.

The model has two HDMI ports, gigabit Ethernet, two USB 3.0 Type-A ports and two USB 2.0 Type A ports, plus a 3.5 mm audio jack. The system also has a wireless communication module supporting WiFi 5 and Bluetooth 4.2.

The device supports dual 4K displays, has Intel UHD graphics and an Intel N95 processor. So this mini-PC is capable of handling not only ordinary tasks, but also those that require a relatively large amount of computing resources.

Zotac ZBOX pico PI430AJ

Zotac has been producing mini-PCs for over ten years, but this particular model is the most powerful in the manufacturer’s line. First of all, thanks to the installed 8-core Intel Core i3-N300 processor.

Of course, this is not a top-end processor, but it is capable of handling many tasks while being energy efficient. It also doesn’t get very hot, so it can work even in a relatively small case.

The company will offer customers two device options:

ZBOX Pico PI430AJ system with 8GB LPDDR5 RAM, but without storage and operating system.

ZBOX Pico PI430AJ Windows system with 8GB LPDDR5 RAM and 512GB NVMe SSD.

Both models have an M.2 2280 slot with PCIe 3.0 support; you can install a drive up to 4 TB. But, as in the previous model, the RAM is soldered on the board, so you won’t be able to upgrade the device.

The device dimensions are only 115 x 76 x 24 mm, which is smaller than many modern smartphones. Here is a list of ports and connectors:

The system supports three 4K displays simultaneously. There is a wireless communication module that supports WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2 standards.

As for heating, the manufacturer promises a low temperature level during operation, despite the fact that only passive cooling is used. The advantage of the device, accordingly, is that it is silent.

CWWK Mini M1 and Superfan M1

Chinese manufacturer CWWK offers two new device models. They have the same size, 75.4 x 75.4 x 52.5 mm. Moreover, each device has its own set of functions.

For example, CWWK Mini M1 is equipped with two 2.5 GbE Ethernet ports and can work simultaneously with three displays. As for the CWWK Superfan M1, this device only supports two displays, but it has a 2.5 GbE Ethernet port. For both models you can choose Intel Processor N100, N200, or Core i3-N305 processors, a maximum of 16GB RAM, and up to TB SSD.

It is worth noting that these devices are not the cheapest on the market, but they are very functional, so they can be useful both at home and in the office.

As for cost and characteristics, here is the list:

CWWK Superfan M1 (4 x 2.5 GbE Ethernet)

• Intel N100/8GB RAM/no SSD – $212
• Intel N200/8GB RAM/no SSD – $276
• Intel Core i3-N305/8GB RAM/128GB SSD – $385

CWWK Mini M1 (2 x 2.5 GbE Ethernet)

• Intel N100/8GB RAM/no SSD – $203
• Intel N200/8GB RAM/no SSD – $266
• Intel Core i3-N305/8GB RAM/no SSD – $372

The LPDDR5-4800 RAM is soldered on the board, so you won’t be able to upgrade the device; you need to immediately choose what to buy – a model with 8 GB of RAM or 16 GB.

And another important point is that the manufacturer installs active cooling for devices. The devices are compatible with both Windows and Linux.

ACEMAGIC TANK 03

And this is a much more advanced, powerful and stylish device than previous models. It looks futuristic, although, of course, not everyone will like this design, not to mention the backlight (which, by the way, can be turned off).

The cube size is 167 x 167 x 161. The basis of the system is a 45-watt Intel Core i7 or even i9 12th generation. Moreover, the most advanced model from this range comes with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 graphics adapter.

The device cannot be called completely miniature, but it is still a mini-PC, and not a full-fledged desktop PC in a conventional case. At the same time, the device can perform a wide range of tasks, including those that require a large amount of computing resources.

Here is a list of available configurations:

Intel Core i9-12900H/RTX 3080/32GB RAM (2 x 16GB)/1TB SSD

Intel Core i7-12700H/RTX 3070/32GB RAM (2 x 16GB)/1TB SSD

Intel Core i7-12700H/RTX 3060/32GB RAM (2 x 16GB)/1TB SSD

Intel Core i7-12700H/RTX 3060/16GB RAM (1 x 16GB)/1TB SSD

Well, the price starts at $1799. Here it is up to the user to decide what to take – a futuristic mini-PC or a more powerful desktop PC with more capabilities.

GEEKOM Mini IT13

This device is positioned by the manufacturer as the world’s first mini-PC with a 13th generation Intel Core i9 processor. The dimensions of the device are 117 x 112 x 49.2 mm. Inside there is the processor mentioned above, 32 GB of RAM and 2 TB SSD. The cost of a device with this configuration is $789.

As for graphics, it is Iris Xe Graphics with 1.50 GHz. On one side of the case there is a power button, an audio connector and two USB Type-A 3.2 Gen 2×1. But most of all ports and connectors are on the other side:

1 x power

1 x USB4 Type-C

1 x HDMI 2.0

1 x 2.5 Gb Ethernet

1 x USB Type-A 3.2 Gen 2×1 (10 Gbit/s)

1 x USB Type-A 2.0 (480 Mbit/s)

1 x USB4 Type-C

1 x HDMI 2.0

Several types of drives are supported, for which the following slots are provided:

M.2 2280 PCIe Gen 4 x4 NVMe SSD

M.2 2242 SATA SSD

2.5″ SATA HDD (7 mm)

Overall, this is another system that can be used to solve very resource-intensive problems. And such a device costs less than the previous model “from the future.”