14 DAY TRIAL // After testing the market with its first near-stick-sized Intel Compute Stick mini NUC, the American IT giant decided to bring computing power at more acceptable levels without sacrificing power or mobility.
Although "rather small" isn't probably what people expect from a mobile PC, small-form-factor PCs offer enough performance to rival laptops, but just as laptops, or even more similar to consoles, these usually are not upgradable and can't have interchangeable parts.
However, this sort of layout philosophy does not apply to mini-ITX systems as these support all sorts of CPUs, can be upgraded and are considerably larger than mini PCs. Borrowing the same mini ITX mentality on mini-PCs, Intel offers its first customizable mini-PC in a 5x5 form factor.
It is a brand-new form factor, upgradable personal computer that can reach almost 4cm in height. The main 5x5 platform is a 140mm*147mm (5.5”×5.8”) mainboard, much smaller than common mainboards found on mini-ITX computers, but larger than ones found on NUCs. It features an LGA socket, two SO-DIMM slots, an M.2 connector for SSDs, a port for optional Wi-Fi/Bluetooth card and two USB 3.0 connectors, an Ethernet port and two HDMI outputs.
Intel wants to start a new class of customizable mini-PCs
Supporting CPUs with a thermal design power of up to 65W, the new mini PC-sized mini ITX from Intel gives a broad choice of components and processors ranging from Celerons to Intel Core i7s. Although the processing power is there, the lack of a proper PCIe x16 slot will force gaming enthusiasts to keep to Intel's integrated graphics solutions or weaker mobile graphics cards.
Although it has visible limitations in regard to its PCI Express bandwidth and form factor, it will still be able to allow users to try out different "Haswell" and "Broadwell" chips, while "Skylake-U" models will likely join soon in the compatible line-up with new LGA sockets. Intel believes it could add "Alpine Ride" controller as well to allow USB 3.1 type-C and Thunderbolt connectivity, which will be a major boost to its data storing features that creative professionals will surely appreciate.