One of the advantages of modern mobile CPUs is that they were designed for laptops and have very limited cooling capacity, so they can be placed in small NUC-sized (or smaller) desktop PCs with little difficulty. . Even better, a desktop that provides space for a proper heatsink (i.e. fins), even passively cooled Mini PCs with laptop-grade silicon are viable. The only real downside to these mini PCs is largely the niche nature of the market, leading to high prices and limited options for high-performance systems. His K3 mini PC based on Intel 12th Gen Core.
top gro Although not a household name, it sells a collection of compact desktop PCs on Amazon, including cheap office machines and decent gaming systems.as discovered by fanless techTopgro’s K3 is the latest addition to the company’s lineup, offering Intel’s Mobile 12-based passively cooled mini PC system.thGeneration Core ‘Alder Lake’ processor with 96 EU Iris Xe integrated GPU.
Posted recently on Amazon, Topgro originally offered a complete Core i7-1255U system with 512 GB of solid-state storage and 16 GB of DDR4 memory for just $369 (after discounts). It is complete and ready to use right out of the box. albeit a sign that Topgro could have been a little that too The price is already $100 higher because we were actively working on the new PC. $469 Just the time it took me to finish writing this article.
With dimensions of 174 mm x 128 mm x 45 mm (6.85 x 5 x 1.77 inches), Topgro’s K3 Mini PC is a fairly compact machine. And with Alder Lake CPUs for notebooks packed with a lot of features, these K3 machines are very capable. The small form factor PC not only features a 96 EU integrated Intel Xe-LP GPU, but also two SO-DIMM modules, two M.2-2280 SSDs (PCIe 4.0 and PCIe 3.0 interfaces), and a large Can accommodate one 2.5 inch SATA HDD or SSD for capacity storage. Thunderbolt 4 is also supported as it is natively built into Intel’s mobile CPUs.
When it comes to connectivity, Topgro’s K3 offers everything Intel’s 12 offers.th A Gen Core platform for laptops should offer several features. This includes Wi-Fi 6 (enabled by Intel’s AX200 module), two 2.5GbE ports (making the system suitable for enterprise environments), the aforementioned USB Type-C connector with Thunderbolt 4, and four Includes display outputs (DP 1.4, two HDMI 2.0). , USB-C), 6 USB Type-A ports (3 USB 3.0, 2 USB 2.0), and an audio jack.
As mentioned, the most notable thing about this PC is Topgro’s aggressive pricing, especially considering it’s a fanless machine. The only K3 configuration where Topgro offers a pair of Intel Core i7-1255U (2P + 8E cores, 12 threads, 4.70 GHz, 12 MB L3, Iris Xe GPU with 96 EUs), 16 GB DDR4-3200 and 512 GB NVMe SSD, preloaded with Windows 11.The manufacturer is offering a $30 digital coupon on top of the (current) $499 base price, making the final price for the system $469.
Coincidentally or not, $469 is also the list price for Intel’s Core i7-1255U. And while system vendors rarely pay list prices (especially over a year after a CPU has been on the market), systems such as the K3 are being pushed by PC vendors to move their PCs around in the current market downturn. It emphasizes how proactive you need to be. Combined with DRAM and NAND prices bottoming out at record lows, it’s becoming increasingly possible to find the right system at an affordable price.
It’s the only fanless model in Topgro’s profile, but the company also offers an aggressively cooled mini PC in a similar form factor at a similarly aggressive price.a Core i9-12900H Boxes running the same RAM and NAND $679 After the discount; this is a big step up from the K3 in terms of price, but offers Intel’s top Alder Lake mobile CPU.
