Nosotros got our first expect at Intel'due south Braswell SoCs last month courtesy of Asrock's N3050B-ITX and N3700-ITX motherboards outfitted with the new dual-cadre two.16GHz Celeron N3050 and quad-core two.40GHz Pentium N3700 SoCs.

Both chips were clocked lower than their Bay Trail-D predecessors which helped reduce power consumption but also fabricated the Braswell parts slower, and sacrificing performance isn't something these low-end SoCs can really afford to do. While Intel's latest desktop SoCs didn't wow us, nosotros were impressed with the quality of the boards and at present Asrock is back to show us a more than complete package by implementing Braswell in its new 'Beebox' mini PC.

Asrock is heavily promoting the fact that its latest mini PC can support triple-monitors using 3 video outputs simultaneously including 4K using DisplayPort. The company claims the Beebox can handle 4K video thanks to its unique dual-channel retentivity, a feature other Braswell mini PCs don't support.

The Beebox measures 0.6L and boasts a mere iv watt TDP. This incredibly depression power rating has allowed Asrock to create a tiny HTPC that is completely fanless. Under typical usage the unabridged system draws less than ten watts.

Competition includes the Gigabyte BRIX BXBT-1900 ($140), which is similarly compact at 0.69L and too features a fanless pattern using the same Celeron J1900 SoC.

The mobile Bay Trail-M SoCs accept also been a popular choice for modest form gene computers with the dual-core 2.16GHz Celeron N2807 landing inside the Gigabyte BRIX BXBT-2807 ($130) and the Intel NUC DN2820FYKH barebones ($135) using the slightly faster ii.4GHz N2820.

At that place is likewise the ECS Liva X which comes with the Celeron N2808, a 1.58GHz dual-core Bay Trail-M SoC, 2GB of retentiveness, a 32GB eMMC SSD as well as Windows 8.1 for just $190. ECS provided us with a review sample of the Liva X only we never ended up getting information technology to piece of work correctly. The systems design and build quality appeared crude at best.

Asrock has likewise adult a Bay Trail-D mini PC with the Celeron J1900 called the Mini Q190D, simply that's non most as noteworthy equally the Beebox for a few reasons. For starters, with a 2.5L book the Mini Q190D might be modest but information technology'southward a mammoth compared to an Intel NUC using the same SoC. The Mini Q190D isn't fanless either and information technology doesn't support DisplayPort or 4K resolutions.

Beebox Design, Fit for a Sultan

The Beebox comes in white, blackness and gilded. That'southward correct, not silver, but golden, and in what can only exist a motion to take the mickey out of us, Asrock sent the gold version. At to the lowest degree it doesn't cost $x,000.

If we look past the plastic gold exterior and imagine the case in virtually any other color, the Beebox is a great looking mini PC. It'southward relatively sleek with nice curves and indentations that break upwards what would otherwise exist a irksome blueprint.

On the front in that location are two USB three.0 ports and one of them is a 'Blazon C' port. The Beebox is the first mini PC to feature Type-C USB, which apparently doubles the charge speed of devices such as smartphones.

Along with the USB 3.0 ports at that place is an audio-out jack that also accepts mic-in. Finally there is a small infrared receiver used to communicate with the supplied remote.

On pinnacle of the Beebox is a small circular ability button which is gently backlit using a blue LED. The top of the unit measures 116 x 112mm and it stands 40mm tall.

Around the back we have a 12v 3a DC in-put, two HDMI outputs, DisplayPort output, two USB three.0 ports, a unmarried Gigabit LAN port and a Kensington lock. This provides the Beebox with considerably better connectivity than Intel'southward NUC DN2820FYKH for case.

Underneath the Beebox at that place are four pocket-sized prophylactic feet and plenty of ventilation. The four screws seen in a higher place tin be removed become inside the device.

The Beebox N3000 will be bachelor in three configurations: a barebones kit, a full organization with OS, and a full arrangement without OS. The three offerings are identical at heart, including their fanless blueprint, which makes them exceedingly repose when in use.

For testing we have the N3000-NUC without Os and it comes with a 128GB mSATA SSD and 4GB of DDR3 retention. The Windows ten Home version, which nosotros assume will exist available later in the month, only features a 32GB mSATA SSD and 2GB of memory. The barebones version goes without any memory, storage or software, and volition be the best choice for those wanting to customize the Beebox.

Included in the box is a 36w/12v power adapter, remote command, VESA bracket also every bit the typical user guides, transmission and installation CD, which is ironic given that the Beebox doesn't have an optical drive -- in fact, the area of the PC is smaller than a CD. Obviously you lot could purchase a USB optical drive but we'll just download the drivers.