Silent mini PC with Intel N100 processor. What kind of device is this?
Device characteristics
The model is based on the Intel Processor N100 processor. This is one of the least powerful Alder Lake-N chips. We can say that the chip is the least productive quad-core Intel processor of the latest generation, and in general one of the simplest and most affordable Intel chips. Nevertheless, it successfully copes with quite “heavy” tasks, and can even run relatively old games like TES V: Skyrim. It has 4 cores/4 threads, frequency up to 3.4 GHz, 24 iGPU execution units, TDP 6 W. Graphics, respectively, Intel UHD.
Here is a list of ports and connectors:
1 × USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 2 × 1 port with 10 Gbit/s data transfer, video (DisplayPort Alt Mode) and Power Delivery function
1 × 3.5 mm audio
1 × microSD
2 × HDMI 2.0 ports
1 × USB Type-C for power
1 × Gigabit Ethernet
Not much, but quite enough for most users. In addition, the model comes with a monitor mounting kit.
Well, the device is equipped with LPDDR4X memory and eMMC storage soldered on the board. As usual, the model differs in the amount of RAM and memory. The manufacturer offers devices with 8 or 16 GB of RAM and 128 or 256 GB of internal memory. In addition, there is a slot for SSD drives, and this is the only element that can be upgraded.
Full list of characteristics:
SoC: Intel Processor N100, quad-core Alder Lake-N processor @ up to 3.4 GHz (Turbo) with 6MB cache, 24EU Intel HD graphics @ 750 MHz; TDP: 6W
RAM: 8 GB or 16 GB LPDDR4X
memory:
○ 128 GB or 256 GB eMMC
○ optional 256 GB M.2 SSD (512 GB total) installed in M.2 2280 SATA socket ○ III/PCIe Gen3 x4
○ MicroSDVideo Output:
○ 2 × HDMI 2.0 up to 4Kp60 Hz
○ DisplayPort 1.4 over USB-C
○ supports simultaneous operation with 3 displaysaudio: 3.5 mm
connection: Gigabit Ethernet RJ45 port, dual-band 802.11b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth 4.2
ports and connectors: USB – 2 × USB 3.2 ports (one 5 Gbps, the second 10 Gbps), 1 × USB 2.0 port, 1 × USB 3.2 (10 Gbps) Type-C port with DisplayPort 1.4 alt
BIOS supports Wake on LAN, PXE, BIOS One-Step Reset, Auto Power on, RTC wake-up
nutrition: 12V/2A via USB-C with USB PD 3.0
dimensions: 131 × 81 × 18.3 mm
weight: 203 g
Additional features
An interesting feature of this particular model is that it can work with an eGPU.
In this case, you can connect an external video card to the device. For example, Nvidia GT 1030, as one of the owners of this device did.
As a result, he received a near-game device for relatively little money.
By the way, it is worth understanding that MeLE Quieter 4C is indeed a very small and silent mini-PC. But it has quite a lot of UEFI (BIOS) settings that allow you to adjust performance. Here's an interesting point: some default settings reduce performance in order to keep temperatures low. If you know what you are doing, then some settings can be changed to improve the performance of the device.
But even the default settings allow you to easily use the device in solving a wide range of tasks – where high performance is not needed. The developers clearly did their best to maintain the temperature-performance balance.
Price
As mentioned above, the model is sold in three different configurations:
8 GB RAM and 128 GB eMMC – $180
8 GB RAM and 256 GB eMMC – $190
16 GB RAM, 256 GB eMMC + 256 GB NVMe – $220
In general, not very expensive, quite affordable device.
What else?
Despite its small size, the Quieter 4C has a good selection of ports, including a fully functional full-size M.2 NVMe port. Overall, this is an impressive mini PC that takes up very little space and is quiet. Yes, and it costs a little. But if you want to buy something more productive, albeit on the same processor, with a little more money, then this can also be done by choosing a different model. Fortunately, manufacturers release new mini-PC models quite often.
