Intel Atlas Canyon (NUC11ATKPE) and GEEKOM MiniAir 11 UCFF PCs Review: Desktop Jasper Lake Impresses

Intel’s low-power Tremont microarchitecture has powered a spread of merchandise – from the short-lived Lakefield, to Elkhart Lake within the embedded house, and at last, Jasper Lake within the shopper computing space. A gentle stream of notebooks and motherboards / mini-PCs primarily based on Jasper Lake have change into out there because the introduction of Jasper Lake in early 2021. Given their pricing, ultra-compact form-factor (UCFF) machines primarily based on them provide engaging entry-level choices within the NUC area. With a spread of SKUs specified for energy consumption numbers starting from 4.8W as much as 25W, the product collection lends itself to designs that may be both actively or passively cooled.

Intel’s Jasper Lake SKUs are a follow-up to Gemini Lake. Again in 2018, we had reviewed two completely different Gemini Lake UCFF PCs – the actively cooled June Canyon NUC from Intel, and the passively cooled LIVA Z2 from ECS. For Jasper Lake, we’ve sourced 4 completely different UCFF PCs – two passively cooled programs utilizing 6W TDP processors, and two actively cooled ones utilizing 10W+ TDP processors. Our in-depth look into the 2 passively-cooled JSLK UCFF PCs – the ECS LIVA Z3 and the ZOTAC ZBOX CI331 nano, was printed final week. To spherical out our Jasper Lake protection, the evaluate under takes a take a look at the efficiency and worth proposition of the 2 actively cooled programs – the Intel NUC11ATKPE and GEEKOM’s MiniAir 11.

Introduction and Product Impressions

Intel’s Apollo Lake SoCs (Goldmont-based) launched in 2016 have been rapidly adopted by Gemini Lake (Goldmont Plus) in late 2017. Nonetheless, the delays associated to 10nm manufacturing resulted in a major hole earlier than the Tremont-based Jasper Lake merchandise made an look in early 2021. In comparison with Gemini Lake, the brand new Jasper Lake merchandise have improved CPU efficiency (Intel claims a 33% uplift) with an up to date microarchitecture and bigger caches. The built-in GPU can also be clocked larger with further EUs on particular SKUs. On the system entrance, quicker growth choices can be found, with as much as 8 Gen 3 lanes (in contrast 6 Gen 2 lanes in Gemini Lake), 14 USB ports (as much as 10 Gbps) (in comparison with 8 ports as much as 5 Gbps in Gemini Lake). Jasper Lake additionally integrates a Wi-fi-AX MAC, permitting for cost-effective programs with Wi-Fi 6 help. Producers can undertake or make the most of these options in a diversified method to deliver differentiated merchandise into the market.

Much like our Apollo Lake (Intel Arches Canyon and ECS LIVA Z) and Gemini Lake (Intel June Canyon and ECS LIVA Z2) experiments, we received maintain of a number of Jasper Lake UCFF PCs for analysis. Right now’s evaluate is concentrated on the 2 actively cooled programs – the Intel NUC11ATKPE and GEEKOM MiniAir 11.

A fast comparability of the Intel NUC11ATKPE and the GEEKOM MiniAir 11 reveal the next differentiation elements:

• Intel Celeron N5095 (TDP of 15W) within the MiniAir 11, in comparison with Intel Pentium Silver N6005 (TDP of 10W) within the NUC11ATKPE
• Barely smaller bodily footprint for the MiniAir 11
• Combination of USB Kind-C and Kind-A ports within the MiniAir 11, in comparison with solely Kind-A ports within the NUC11ATKPE
• Availability of SDXC UHS-I Card Reader within the MiniAir 11, not out there within the NUC11ATKPE
• Bodily DisplayPort output is full-sized within the NUC11ATKPE, whereas it’s mini-DP within the MiniAir 11
• Combo audio jack within the MiniAir 11, whereas the NUC11ATKPE ships separate audio out and microphone jacks within the entrance panel
• Intel Wi-fi-AC 9462 within the NUC11ATKPE, in comparison with Intel Wi-fi-AC 7265 within the MiniAir 11

The NUC11ATKPE is primarily priced as a barebones system, however availability of computing programs usually within the current previous has been spotty attributable to provide chain challenges. This has allowed B2B / B2C retailers like SimplyNUC to put vital premiums for ready-to-ship Atlas Canyon NUCs. Pattern this – a barebones NUC11ATKPE has a beneficial buyer worth of round $180 (road worth, when out there, is round $188). Nonetheless, SimplyNUC’s base worth for the Atlas Canyon NUC is at the moment $449 and comes with 4GB of DDR4 SODIMM and a 256GB M.2 NVMe SSD. One can take away the DRAM and SSD from the configuration, however that does not have an effect on the worth. Distinction that with the GEEKOM MiniAir 11 – with present reductions, it’s priced at $219 (inclusive of taxes) when ordered from their web site and $245 (taxes further) on Amazon. For that worth, GEEKOM is bundling in a 256GB M.2 2280 SATA SSD and 1x 8GB DDR4-2666 SODIMM.

The use-cases for each programs are manifold. Intel markets the Atlas Canyon NUCs below the NUC Necessities branding – low-cost, but efficient sufficient for workloads that don’t want excessive processing energy. GEEKOM’s push can also be comparable – taking efforts to convey that the system is for informal residence and workplace use, and never for heavy gaming. The programs are additionally being pushed for functions in retail corresponding to kiosks and digital signage.

Whereas GEEKOM sampled us a retail model of their system bundle, Intel offered us with a pre-production engineering pattern for analysis. Each programs embody a 65W energy adapter (19V @ 3.42A) and screws for putting in the inner M.2 SSD. The MiniAir 11 bundle additionally features a VESA mount (and related screws), a HDMI cable, a mini-DP to HDMI adapter cable, a storage bag, and an consumer information.

The NUC11ATKPE pattern was barebones – we used a SK hynix Gold P31 PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe SSD within the M.2 slot (although we may have gotten by with a PCIe 3.0 x2 NVMe SSD such because the WD Blue SN500 additionally, on condition that the M.2 slot within the NUC is electrically PCIe 3.0 x2 solely). The DRAM possibility was extra difficult. The Jasper Lake platform formally helps DDR4-2933. Having numerous DDR4-2933 / DDR4-3000 / DDR4-3200 SODIMMs collected (ranging from the Skylake days), I used to be hopeful of getting a kind of early high-frequency SODIMMs to function at DDR-2933 speeds within the NUC11ATKPE. Sadly, all of them defaulted to DDR4-2400 or DDR4-2666, and the BIOS was not too useful by way of permitting modification of DRAM timings. Solely current DDR4-2933+ SODIMMs have been in a position to function at DDR-2933 within the system – sadly, I solely had 32GB SODIMMs in hand from the current batches. In the long run, the NUC11ATKPE was outfitted with 2x 32GB DDR4-3200 Kingston HyperX (now, FURY) SODIMMs for a complete of 64GB of RAM – larger than the formally specified 32GB most reminiscence capability of the NUC11ATKPE. Happily, the system labored flawlessly via our benchmarking routines regardless of this out-of-spec configuration. The total specs of the NUC11ATKPE pattern as examined are offered within the desk under.

The GEEKOM MiniAir 11 evaluate pattern got here with solely one of many reminiscence slots occupied (1x 8GB DDR4-2666 SODIMM). A 256GB SXMicro NF830 M.2 SATA SSD can also be included. The retail pattern comes with Home windows 11 Professional pre-installed, however as customary, we worn out the drive and put in our personal copy for analysis functions. The total specs of the GEEKOM MiniAir 11 pattern as examined are offered within the desk under.

The chassis of each programs is manufactured from polycarbonate apart from the steel plate held by 4 screws on the underside. The highest of the MiniAir 11 is shiny and attracts smudges and fingerprints, whereas the NUC11ATKPE has a matte end.

A more in-depth take a look at the NUC11ATKPE case and inner footage can be found within the gallery under. The thickness of the system is such {that a} easy thermal pad affixed to the underside of the chassis is enough to chill down the put in SSD. One other attention-grabbing facet of the NUC11ATKPE is the absence of any type of LED indicator within the entrance panel, aside from the ability button itself. As an alternative, there’s a entrance panel header (behind the versatile masking) that incorporates pins to drive LEDs for storage exercise and different statuses.

The gallery above gives a take a look at the chassis design of the GEEKOM MiniAir 11. It additionally contains disassembly images – disassembly is simple and required if there’s ever a have to replace the inner SSD or RAM. A thermal pad on prime of a steel block on the underside of the chassis makes up the thermal safety for the put in SSD.

Within the subsequent part, we check out the system setup and comply with it up with an in depth platform evaluation.