Month: November 2021

MINISFORUM says it’s working on a small form-factor desktop computer with an AMD B550 chipset and support for up to an AMD Ryzen 6 5600X processor.

Measuring 166.5 x 158 x 67mm (6.56″ x 6.22″ x 2.64″), the computer won’t take up much space on a desk… but there’s also not room under the hood for a discrete graphics card – but the computer does support one.

MINISFORUM’s new B550 mini PC comes with a detachable graphics dock that hooks up to a PCIe connector on the main computer, allowing you to use a full-sized, desktop-class graphics card with this small computer.

MINISFORUM hasn’t announced a price, release date, or even a name for the computer yet, but after initially teasing the little computer in November, the company has released some more details and pictures showing how the mini PC and graphics dock will work together.

According to MINISFORUM, the computer supports AMD Ryzen 5000 series processors and comes with a 19V power brick and cooling system capable of handling chips with a TDP up to 65 watts. If you’re planning to use a 65-watt chip like the AMD Ryzen 7 5700G with integrated graphics, then you shouldn’t need to buy any additional gear.

But if you want a higher-performance system that pairs components like a Ryzen 5 5600X desktop processor with a discrete GPU, MINISFORUM says you can bring your own ATX or SFX power supply for up to 600 watts of power.

For what it’s worth, some of these details may be subject to change – when MINISFORUM first announced plans to release this mini PC with an AMD B550 motherboard and discrete graphics support, the company promised it would support up to a 105 watt Ryzen 9 5900X processor and power supplies up to 1000 watts, but neither of those claims show up in the latest press release.

I wouldn’t consider anything final until this somewhat modular mini PC actually starts shipping.

That said, here are a few other things MINISFORUM has revealed so far:

• 2 x M.2 2280 slots with support for PCIe 3.0 NVMe or SATA SSDs
• 2 x HDMI
• 1 x DisplayPort
• 2 x USB Type-C
• 4 x USB 3.x Type-A ports
• 1 x 3.5mm mic input
• 1 x 3.5mm audio out
• 2.5 Gbps Ethernet

There don’t appear to be any ports at all on the front of the computer.

This article was originally published November 9, 2021 and most recently updated February 11, 2022. 

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GeniaTech is selling a line of single-board computers that look like Raspberry Pi clones, but which are powered by Amlogic chips instead of Broadcom processors.

Available with a choice of Amlogic S905X2 or S905X3 processors, each model sports 2GB of RAM, 8GB of eMMC storage, and support for 4K video playback. They’re also competitively priced – the cheapest Geniatech XPI-S905X series computer costs $35, while the most expensive is just $42.

Here’s the breakdown on those pricing options:

• Amlogic S905X2 and no wireless for $35
• Amlogic S905X2 + WiFi & Bluetooth for $40
• Amlogic S905X3 and no wireless for $37
• Amlogic S905X2 + WiFi & Bluetooth for $42

Amlogic’s S905X2 is a quad-core ARM Cortex-A53 processor, while the S905X3 is a quad-core Cortex-A55 chip. Both feature ARM Mali-G31 MP2 graphics. And if you’re thinking of building your own media streaming device, you could certainly do worse than these processors. They’re closely related to the chip that Google uses for its Chromecast with Google TV.

But while Google’s media streamer skimps on ports, the Geniatech XPI-S905X series mini PCs have HDMI, USB 3.0, USB 2.0, micro USB, and Ethernet jacks, a microSD card reader, and Raspberry Pi-compatible 40-pin GPIO connectors.

While Geniatech is only selling models with 2GB of RAM and 8GB of storage through its website at the moment, the official spec sheet shows that the company can make models with as little as 1GB or as much as 4GB of memory and up to 32GB of emMC storage, although I suspect you’d need to place a special order to get your hands on one of those configurations. There’s also mention on the website of support for an optional Amlogic S905X4 processor.

The boards officially support Android 9.0 software, but as CNX-Software notes, other boards with similar hardware can run GNU/Linux distributions, so odds are that Linux-savvy users could find a way to get their OS of choice up and running on Geniatech’s boards.

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Es fließt viel staatliches Fördergeld für den Mobilfunk mit Open RAN. Doch der Ausbau ist noch offen. (Open RAN, Telekom)

Maximale Feuerkraft: Ab Ende November stampft der AT-AT aus fast 6.800 Legosteinen in die Sammlervitrinen. Er ist aber sehr teuer. (Lego, Star Wars)

The Realme 4K Smart Google TV Stick is a dongle that plugs into the HDMI port of your TV to let you stream media using the Google TV user interface. After launching in India last month, the Realme 4K TV Stick is now available worldwide for about $50, give or take a buck or two.

There are a few different listings for a “global version” of the Realme 4K TV Stick on AliExpress, although I’m inclined to put the most trust the one that lists the specs correctly and offers AC adapters for US, EU, UK, and AU regions.

Realme’s media streamer features a 2 GHz Amlogic S905Y4 quad-core ARM Cortex-A35 processor with Mali-G31 MP2 graphics, 2GB of RAM, 8GB of storage, and support for 4K HDR 10+ video playback.

There’s an HDMI 2.1 connector on one end for plugging directly into the HDMI input on your TV, and a micro USB port for connecting a power adapter.

The device features WiFi and and Bluetooth 5.0 support and it comes with a Bluetooth remote control featuring dedicated Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, and YouTube Music buttons plus a Google Assistant button that you can press for voice controls.

Overall the Realme Smart Google TV Stick looks like it would be pretty attractive if it launched a year or two ago… but today it has to compete with the similarly-specced, similarly-priced Google Chromecast with Google TV that has an older, but at least as powerful processor.

That’s not to mention cheaper 4K media streamers from Walmart, Amazon, and Roku.

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Was am 9. November 2021 neben den großen Meldungen sonst noch passiert ist, in aller Kürze. (Kurznews, Firefox)

Wie legal sind Echtzeit-Auktionen für verhaltensbasierte Internetwerbung? Dazu startet nun die letzte Entscheidungsrunde der Datenschutzbehörden. Ein Bericht von Christiane Schulzki-Haddouti (Datenschutz, Onlinewerbung)

The ONEXPLAYER is a handheld gaming PC with an 8.4 inch, 2560 x 1600 pixel touchscreen display surrounded by game controllers. First launched in May with up to an Intel Core i5-1185G7 processor, it was one of the most powerful devices in the handheld gaming space… until the company launched a new model with a Core i7-1195G7 chip in September.

Now One Netbook is preparing something different: a ONEXPLAYER AMD Edition.

One Netbook is inviting potential beta testers to sign up for a chance to test the ONEXPLAYER AMD Edition, and the company has started providing demo units to testers in China, where the company appears to be offering beta hardware with two different (but very similar) processor options:

• AMD Ryzen 7 4800U
• AMD Ryzen 7 5700U

Both of those are 8-core, 16-thread chips with Zen 2 processor cores, AMD Radeon Vega 8 graphics, and configurable TDP settings in the 10 to 25-watt range. The Ryzen 7 5700U is about a year newer and it has a slightly faster GPU and slightly higher max CPU boost frequency.

It’s unclear whether One Netbook actually plans to sell the ONEXPLAYER AMD Edition with a choice of those two processors or if the company is just asking beta testers to try them both out to see which is a better fit.

YouTuber Project-SBC got his hands on a model with the Ryzen 7 5700U processor and reports that it looks identical to an Intel-powered ONEXPLAYER on the outside, but under the hood it does have AMD’s processor. He’s begun posting some hands-on videos showing game play on this pre-release prototype:

One Netbook doesn’t plan to phase out the Intel version of the ONEXPLAYER. Instead the company will offer a choice of Intel or AMD processors moving forward, which is a way for the company to diversify its portfolio a bit in a move that could help the company’s devices better compete with devices like the GPD Win Max 2021, which is also available with a choice of processors.

Whether the move helps One Netbook stay competitive at a time when the Valve Steam Deck will begin shipping to customers who paid $399 and up soon, remains to be seen.

The Steam Deck has a smaller, lower-resolution display and ships with Valve’s Linux-based Steam OS rather than Windows. But it also has a custom AMD processor with RDNA 2 graphics, which should make it very competitive, especially considering that handheld gaming PCs from Chinese device makers like One Netbook, GPD, and AYA tend to sell for closer to $1,000.

Valve, which is better known for software than hardware, also has the advantage of operating the popular Steam game client used by millions of gamers, while One Netbook and its peers have a bit of a spotty track record when it comes to providing customer support for their products.

One advantage companies like One Netbook, GPD, and AYA have though? You don’t typically have to wait as long to get your hands on their hardware. Folks who pre-order a Steam Deck today will have to wait months for it to arrive.

ONEXPLAYER AMD version is going to release for test, if you would like to participate, please click the link below: https://t.co/YFBNv7qC2H Welcome to join us! ONEXPLAYER will bring you more surprise anywhere, anytime! Due date: 2021.11.15 6:00pm(GMT+8）#onexplayer #amd pic.twitter.com/N7OHwP4Kus

— One-Netbook official (@OnenetbookO) November 9, 2021

This article was originally published November 9, 2021 and last updated November 15, 2021. 

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