The year 2024 should offer us mini PC ever faster thanks to new chips from AMD or Intel. AMD has the floor today.
Whether it’s AMD, Apple, Qualcomm or even Intel, integrated solutions are on the rise and this is reflected in the mini PC market which is gaining new fans every day.
ASRock is loyal to this segment and the brand does not intend to lose its leadership. It is thus among the first to offer configurations based on Ryzen 8040U (Hawk Point), the latest APU from AMD.
6 to 8 Zen 4 cores, 8 to 12 RDNA 3 cores
For the moment, however, it is only a question of machines intended for professionals (ASRock Industrial), the general public is not yet in the crosshairs of Taiwanese society.
Two machines to be completely exact since the 4X4 BOX range in 8040U-Series offers a choice of the 4X4 BOX-8640U or the 4X4 BOX-8840U. Of course, the main difference is in the onboard processor. On one side, we are talking about the Ryzen 5 8640U and on the other the Ryzen 7 8840U.
Both are engraved by TSMC using its 4 nm process, but while the first is satisfied with 6 Zen 4 cores, the second has 8. Basically, the first is at 3.5 GHz compared to only 3 .3 GHz for the second, but this 8840U can climb up to 5.1 GHz against 4.9 GHz for the 8640U.
A compact case, but abundant connectivity © ASRock
The graphics part (in RDNA 3) also turns to the advantage – logically – of the Ryzen 7 8840U which integrates a Radeon 780M with 12 GPU cores and 2.7 GHz frequency against a Radeon 760M equipped with 8 cores and capable of 2, 6 GHz for the Ryzen 5 8640U.
A richly endowed motherboard
These technical differences will of course have an impact on the performance of ASRock 4X4 BOXes. On the other hand, the manufacturer has endeavored to offer machines that are otherwise strictly identical.
Thus, the two mini PCs are based on the same compact chassis measuring 117.5 x 110 x 49 millimeters and on the same 4X4-8000U motherboard from ASRock. It is worth noting the vast potential of this card which has two DDR5 SO-DIMM slots for up to 96 GB of RAM. We can also count on two M.2 Key M for PCIe Gen4x4 SSDs: the first in 2280 max format while the second is satisfied with 2242.
A third M.2 slot is planned, but in Key E, it is designed to accommodate a Wi-Fi 6E/BT 5.2 wireless solution. Connections supported by the two RJ45 ports, one of which is even 2.5 GbE. On the USB side, ASRock has done things well with 2x USB 4 compatible with DP1.4a and 1x USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 on the front as well as 2x USB 2 on the back. Still on the rear, two HDMI 1.4b ports complete a complete display section.
It should also be noted that this motherboard will also be sold separately by ASRock, even if the preferred marketing remains within its mini-PCs to result in barebones that are as modern as they are powerful. No price has been communicated, but the release is planned for early 2024.
Source : ASRock, VideoCardz
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