14 DAY TRIAL // Nettops are supposedly defined by their low-end specifications and compact shapes, but they actually come in a significant variety of sizes and specifications, as seen even in the newest Compulab Fit-PC.
Ironically enough, that is because of how the systems are supposed to be low-end and, thus, presumably rigid in terms of customizing opportunities.
Makers of PCs, or mini PCs as the case may be, have turned it into a game, a contest if you will, to see how much power they can pack inside small form factors.
In the process, they gained significant mastery over balancing performance and energy requirements / thermal enveloped.
The New Fit-PC4 might not necessarily be the perfect example, but the Fit-PC4 Pro comes pretty close, with its quad-core APU.
Specifically, while the Fit-PC4 value system has a dual-core AMD A4-1250 APU inside, with an 8W TDP, the Fit-PC4 Pro relies on the quad-core AMD GX-420CA, with Radeon HD 8400E graphics.
That's not the only difference between the two though. They also have different wireless technology support.
The Value model features 802.11 b/g/n WLAN with Bluetooth 3.0, while the Pro has the faster and more recent 802.11 ac and Bluetooth 4.0.
Furthermore, the Fit-PC4 is smaller, at 160 x 160 x 25 mm / 6.29 x 6.29 x 0.98 inches, than the Pro, at 160 x 190 x 37 mm / 6.29 x 7.48 x 1.45 inches.
That said, the rest of the specs are the same all around, from the two DDR3 DIMM slots that can hold up to 16 GB of DDR3 RAM (random access memory), to the 2.5-inch drive bay with SATA 6 Gb/s interface.
You won't be limited to just one storage unit though, since the Fit-PC4 also have an mPCIe+mSATA 6 Gb/s slot, plus a micro-SDXC card slot.
Furthermore, Compulab installed 7.1-channel audio (with TOSLINK SPDIF) on the nettops, along with a pair of HDMI 1.4a ports and analog audio outputs.
The Compulab Fit-PC4 should have a price of around $299, which is €216 according to exchange rates, although EU price tags will probably be closer to €299 regardless. On that note, the Fit-PC4 Pro is priced at $380 / €275 - €380.
You should find them both on sale already, but shipments to different regions might not be available, and it might take weeks for products to arrive after an order. Pretty much the same expectations one should have of anything ordered from far off really.