The Asus ExpertCenter PN42 is a 5.2″ x 5″ x 2.3″ desktop computer with a fanless chassis, a 6-watt Intel processor, and support for up to 16GB of RAM, 2.5 GbE Ethernet connections, and multiple displays.
First unveiled during CES in January, Asus issued a press release today with more details about the little computer. Among other things, now we know that it’ll come with a choice of three different processor options: two of the chips are part of Intel’s new Alder Lake-N family, while one is part of the company’s older Jasper Lake lineup.
Asus says the system will be available with Intel Processor N100 or N200 chips based on Alder Lake-N architecture or a Celeron N4500 chip based on Jasper Lake architecture.
The newer chips should bring a significant boost in CPU and graphics performance. And models with those chips also support DDR4-3200 memory and WiFi 6E while the Celeron N4500 model tops out at DDR4-2933 and WiFi 6. But the Jasper Lake model has two SODIMM slots for memory while the Alder Lake-N versions have just one. Both versions support Bluetooth 5.0.
Otherwise the specs are largely the same for all models. The little computer has a chassis designed for passive cooling, silent operation, and easy upgrades: you don’t need any tools to open the system up and access the memory and storage.
The computer has a single M.2 2280 slot for PCIe Gen 3 x4 storage, and Asus says it supports NVMe SSDs up to 2TB in capacity.
Ports include:
- 1 x HDMI
- 1 x DisplayPort 1.4
- 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A
- 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A
- 3 x USB 2.0
- 1 x 2.5 GbE Ethernet
- 1 x 3.5mm mic input
- 1 x 3.5mm combo audio jack (mic/line/headphone)
There’s also support for a configurable port that can be used to add USB-C, COM, VGA, or additional DisplayPort, HDMI, or 2.5 GbE Ethernet ports.
The computer comes with a 65W power adapter and the system weighs 820 grams (about 1.8 pounds), which should make it small and light enough to easily mount to a wall, desk, or back of a display.
Looks like a decent option for a low-power server.