[Hardware]It looks like a Mac Mini, but it's the first mini PC with AMD Phoenix

[Dean Ambrose™]

That since the Pandemic the mini PC market has been booming is something that we all already know, and the manufacturers that are dedicated to it are trying harder than ever to offer new models that are increasingly more powerful, efficient and with better designs. One of the most recognized mini PC manufacturers is GEEKOM (of which we have already reviewed a handful of mini PCs and have been delighted with their performance/quality ratio), who have now presented (but not launched) their first mini PC equipped with one of the next AMD Phoenix APUs... but in addition to this, it has a very curious design that is very reminiscent of an Apple Mac Mini.

Like everything in life, mini PCs have many advantages but also drawbacks; The advantages are obvious: they take up very little space, they have very low consumption and also a low sound level, but the main disadvantage is that except for the TOP models, they cannot compete in performance with a desktop PC, and of course neither They are suitable for gaming. In any case, thanks to their small size and low consumption, they have become an ideal tool for those who need to have a computer at home but do not want to complicate their lives with a complete desktop PC, nor do they need its performance.

The mini PC with AMD Phoenix that looks like a Mac Mini
Unfortunately, what the manufacturer of this mini PC has done is simply publish what is known as a teaser, a preview in which they have shown a couple of photographs and little else. This means that we do not know the complete technical specifications of the device, but they have said that it will be offered in configurations based on AMD Phoenix APUs, specifically Ryzen 7 7840HS and Ryzen 9 7940HS.

But apart from that, the biggest novelty is found in its design, which is quite far from the Intel NUC format (well, or ASUS NUC) to which we are accustomed and which looks like a clear copy of Apple's Mac Mini, with dimensions of 112.4 x 112.4 x 37 mm (it is actually smaller than a Mac mini) with the exterior part made of aluminum and that black plastic area on the back where we also have the connections, although it is true that, at the same time, Contrary to what we find in Apple's mini PCs, we also have a pair of USB ports, the audio jack and the power button on the front.

As you can see, on the back we find the power connector, a USB-C 3.2 Gen 2, two HDMI, a USB 3.1, a USB 2.0, another USB-C but in this case 3.1 and the RJ-45 2.5 GbE for cable connection to the Internet. On the side there is an SD card reader, while on the front we have two other USB 3.1 Type-A ports, in addition to the aforementioned combo minijack connector for audio (headphones and microphone) and the power button (Mac Minis have it behind).

GEEKOM is expected to launch this new mini PC whose name is still initially unknown in Asia during the next month, and in early 2024 it should reach the rest of the world. As for the price, there is no official information from the manufacturer either, but if we stick to the precedents and similar models from the competition, we should be talking about a device worth around €600, assuming that it comes with 32 GB of RAM and 2 TB of NVMe SSD. .

 

https://hardzone.es/noticias/equipos/mini-pc-amd-phoenix/