CompuLab IPC3, Testing 10 Mini PCs / Small Form Factor Linux PCs

[microcode]

Heh, as long as the minipcie slot has usb lines too (most modems are using usb, not pcie because of obvious reasons), you can use a flex-cable adapter like this https://techship.com/products/sim-ca...press-modules/
to add the sim slot.
The contact part must be wrapped around the smaller part of the minipcie connector, as it needs to pipe the SIM electrical connection into that part, and you're good to go.

For the average "minipcie" (actually USB) modem card you can also use "usb to minipcie" (actually still providing just USB lines + power) adapters with sim card slot like these (or a random chinese clone) http://eshop.sintech.cn/mini-pcie-3g...-s-p-1030.html

And then you can add a half-serious modem to whatever has a usb port.

There's already a SIM slot built in though, just look at the picture with the cover off. It's right on the board.

[guido12]

I found some Zotac alternatives (Nano C-series):
https://www.anandtech.com/show/10966...-lake-ces-2017

Seems to be a lot less pricey than Compulab.

I wonder if there're some reviews for them.

[guido12]

https://www.anandtech.com/show/11954...aby-lake-u-15w

Sadly, they don't say exactly what CPU models it'll have. Also, no benchmarks (yet).

Thanks! I did some searching and found a review: https://hexus.net/tech/reviews/syste...silent/?page=6

those numbers are understandably low because the CPU is automatically throttled when temperature hits 55ºC, which is almost immediately.

For some reason, MSI tries to keep the CPU below 55 ºC and heavy throttles it.

[GreatEmerald]

NUC boards have a standard form factor. If case color is the issue, you might be able to find a different case that matches your decor. For instance:

Not as standard as you might think. The number of ports and even the location of the power button is different between generations. The one you linked to only supports the 5th generation, which is way older (and is white to begin with).

[coder]

anyone know of cheaper fanless mini-PC alternatives with similar performance if I don't need the industrial ruggedness? I want a fanless mini-PC but it'll just be sitting at the corner of my desk. Not really a harsh environment.

https://www.anandtech.com/show/11954...aby-lake-u-15w

Sadly, they don't say exactly what CPU models it'll have. Also, no benchmarks (yet).

[coder]

And actually I would have gone for an NUC7I5BNH (which is cheaper, too), but... it's dark. I need it to be white or at least silver so it would not clash with the white interior of the room. (MSI Cubi used to be white, and now it's completely black too, sigh.)

NUC boards have a standard form factor. If case color is the issue, you might be able to find a different case that matches your decor. For instance:

http://www.silverstonetek.com/product.php?pid=638&area=en

[GreatEmerald]

Out of curiosity, what NUC are you planning on ordering?

NUC6I5SYH. It needs a bit more computing power than a regular office PC because it's going to run some VMs for compatibility with old Windows software, and for future-proofing (the previous PC lasted for a decade and this will probably need to last another decade).

And actually I would have gone for an NUC7I5BNH (which is cheaper, too), but... it's dark. I need it to be white or at least silver so it would not clash with the white interior of the room. (MSI Cubi used to be white, and now it's completely black too, sigh.)

[coder]

Nice comparison; I'm planning to order a NUC tomorrow, so that's timed real well! It confirms that there's a huge difference between the Atom SoCs and the Core series, but after that there is little difference, and so for office work an i3 is pretty much ideal.

I just wanted to point out that the two N-series Celerons (both in NUCs) are the only dual-thread CPUs in the comparison. Even the A10 is quad-core. I think that's probably the biggest factor hurting them against the i3-5010U (which would still be faster, just not nearly as much).

It would be great to see a quad-core Apollo Lake, in this lineup. That has a new Goldmont core architecture, whereas the other Atoms are of the older Silvermont design.

This NUC has a quad-core Apollo Lake SoC:

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/products/boards-kits/nuc/kits/nuc6cayh.html

https://ark.intel.com/products/95594/Intel-Celeron-Processor-J3455-2M-Cache-up-to-2_3-GHz

Only 10 W TDP and MSRP of $130. Though, I think it's still not fanless.

BTW, here's a fanless NUC case I noticed they linked at the bottom of that page:

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/nuc/newton-fanless-case-for-intel-nuc-video.html

[coder]

the CompuLab Airtop. ... it's real desktop hardware and all passively cooled while still having an industrial-grade metal enclosure.

AFAIK, industrial PCs have sealed enclosures. This doesn't.

[Apopas]

I'm thinking to buy a mini pc for xmas present.
Thanks a lot for the comparison, Michael!

Another interesting product is slimbook one, though it uses a 6th generation processor.

https://slimbook.es/en/power-minipc-one

I dream for a Raven Ridge mini pc for a decent GPU.