OnLogic Helix 500: A Linux-Friendly, Fanless + Reliable Edge Computer

The Helix 500 we were provided with by OnLogic for review and benchmarking was configured with the Intel Core i7 10700T with UHD Graphics 630, 32GB of RAM, and 256GB Transcend NVMe SSD.

The Intel Core i7 10700T is an eight core / sixteen thread processor with 2.0GHz base frequency and 4.5GHz maximum turbo frequency while having a 16MB cache and 35 Watt TDP. The i7-10700T supports DDR4-2933 dual channel memory and the common Gen9 UHD Graphics 630 with a graphics frequency up to 1.2GHz.

Given Intel's stellar open-source/Linux support, seeing the Helix 500 run gracefully across a range of latest Linux distributions and enterprise releases came to no surprise. The Intel Comet Lake industrial PC was running great on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS, Ubuntu 20.10, Fedora 33, CentOS 8, Debian Testing, and other popular Linux distribution choices. Obviously for the best performance and features, the newer the Linux kernel and other components will lead to the more performant experience.

Beyond Linux distributions, the OnLogic Helix 500 works good on FreeBSD too. The Helix 500 was successfully tested on both FreeBSD 12.2 and FreeBSD 13 BETA.