MINIX NEO Z83-4, Intel Cherry Trail Fanless Mini PC
MINIX NEO Z83-4 is a late 2016 release fanless ultra compact – mini PC offered as a “Thin Client Solution” with modern specs and connectivity, like the advanced 802.11ac wireless, a USB 3.0 port, a decent size memory for multitasking capability.
It has the mini DP and HDMI outputs and the convenient compact size- small footprint and portability. Technical specs include the 64-bit quad core Intel Cherry Trail Atom X5-Z8300 processor at 1.44 to 1.84GHz with turbo (no hyperthreading as it already comes with 4 cores) and a benchmark score of around 1200, 4GB DDR3L SDRAM that seems to be generous at this level and will give the ability to run a few tasks simultaneously, 32GB eMMC 5.0 flash storage which is faster than a mechanical SATA drive but slower than SSD
It comes pre-installed with the Windows 10 64-bit Home like we’re used to seeing over the last year and we like it much more than the previous Windows 8 and 8.1. For connectivity, you have the dual band 802.11ac wireless (2.4GHz, 5GHz), the latest version Bluetooth 4.2, Gigabit Ethernet with RJ-45 connector, dual output display ports, 3 x USB 2.0 ports, a USB 3.0 port, a Microphone and Headphone output, a TF card (Micro-SD) Card slot (TF cards up to 64GB is supported by this Minix Neo so you can add a 64GB TF card, and Kensington Lock and the power button is located on the left.
The Minix Neo is basically the size of your palm, has a decent solid build quality with metal bottom and plastic cover, weighs 1.4 pounds with the measurements of 4.8 x 4.8 x 1.22 inches. You will experience the speed and performance while hearing no noise during operation and it will not get hot due to the low operating temperature with the fanless design even when performing the hard tasks and has no moving parts.
It is suitable for both work and entertainment for the smooth operation of daily tasks and will offer satisfying performance unless you will be running complex software or play advanced games. The graphics card is the Intel HD and you can play the casual light games with no dramas and it can be used as a great home theater computer and supports up to 4K at 30 frames per second. It consumes as much as 80% less electricity than the regular desktop computers- TDP of less than 4 watts. It may look like a basic Android box for play, but is a lot more than that- a proper Windows 10 PC with enough multitasking power, you just need to connect a mouse and a keyboard.
You can use Microsoft Word, Excel, Powerpoint without problems, has excellent WiFi, video playback, fast start-ups, good multitasking and you can use it for anything you would do on a higher level Android box. But you can’t expect a very smooth experience in more demanding tasks, and for that you’ll need to spend more and get a higher model of Minix, having said that this one also offers stable performance that could be compared to some of the more expensive machines too. Warranty is the standard one year for labor and parts by the manufacturer and you’re guaranteed a full refund within 30 days if the unit is delivered to you damaged or “dead on arrival”.
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