The Asus PN50 is a small desktop PC powered by an AMD Ryzen 4000 series processor. First unveiled during an event in South Korea in June, the Asus PN50 is now available for purchase in the UK for about £275 ($350) and up and should ship in early September.
Update 9/25/2020: The Asus PN50 is also now available in the US. Select models are available from Newegg for $330 and up.Â
The little computer looks a lot like the older Asus PN60 mini PC, but there’s an important difference. While that earlier model has an 8th-gen Intel Core processor with Intel UHD graphics, the new version’s AMD “Renoir” processor should deliver a significant boost in CPU and graphics performance.
The little computer measures 4.5″ x 4.5″ x 1.9″ and features DisplayPort 1.4, HDMI 2.0, and Gigabit Ethernet ports, a headset jack, microSD card reader, two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C ports, and three USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports.
Under the hood there are two SODIMM slots for up to 64GB of DDR4-3200 memory. It also supports dual storage devices thanks to an M.2 2280 slot for a SATA or NVMe SSD and a 2.5 inch drive bay for a hard drive or solid state drive. And the system comes with a WiFi 6 + Bluetooth 5.0 wireless card.
But the thing that most sets this system apart from its predecessors (or other similarly-sized computers like Intel’s Frost Canyon NUC), are the processor options.
The entry-level model is a barebones computer with an AMD Ryzen 3 4300U quad-core processor, while a top-of-the-line version sports a Ryzen 7 4800U octa-core chip.
Here’s a run-down of the different configurations/prices available in the UK so far:
Model | Processor | Cores / Threads | Base / Boost Freq | Cache (MB) | Graphics Cores | GPU Freq | TDP |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
LN109239 (£500) | Ryzen 7 4800U | 8 / 16 | 1.8 GHz / 4.2 GHz | 12 | 8 | 1.75 GHz | 15W |
LN109238 (£370) | Ryzen 7 4700U | 8 / 8 | 2.0 GHz / 4.1 GHz | 12 | 7 | 1.6 GHz | 15W |
South Korea-only? | Ryzen 5 4600U | 6 / 12 | 2.1 GHz / 4.0 GHz | 11 | 6 | 1.5 GHz | 15W |
LN109237 (£320) | Ryzen 5 4500U | 6 / 6 | 2.3 GHz / 4.0 GHz | 11 | 6 | 1.5 GHz | 15W |
LN109236 (£275) | Ryzen 3 4300U | 4 / 4 | 2.7 GHz / 3.7 GHz | 6 | 5 | 1.4 GHz | 15W |
AMD’s Ryzen 4000 “Renoir” processors are all 7nm chips based on AMD’s Zen 2 architecture, and they each feature AMD Radeon Vega graphics. Designed for laptops and other small, low-power systems, they aren’t exactly going to rival AMD Threadripper chips for performance.
I haven’t had a chance to test a Ryzen 4000U-based computer yet, but based on reviews I’ve seen, AMD’s 15 watt U-series chips have largely caught up to Intel’s equivalent processors when it comes to power consumption… and in some cases they’ve surpassed Intel’s chips when it comes to performance.
The Asus PN50 should be available in South Korea in August before shipping from UK retailers in September. It’s up for pre-order in the UK from Amazon, eBuyer, and Scan.
There’s no word on if or when you’ll be able to buy the Asus PN50 in other regions. One thing to keep in mind is that the UK prices include a value-added tax and a 3-year warranty. So it’s possible that the Asus PN50 could be priced differently in other parts of the world.
You can discover more small computers by checking out Liliputing’s Mini PC section.
This article was originally published June15, 2020 and last updated July 15, 2020.
via Tom’s Hardware, SmartPC, iT dongA, and Dustin Home
These seem nice , but the price jump from the top to 2nd top seems slightly excessive 370–> 500 (only Apu difference)
Hey, I need to use it with Kinect Camera. So I need a specific USB Host Controller. Can anyone says about it regarding the USB Type C Connection?
Really interested in this for my next HTPC project. Any word on VRR and HDR support over HDMI for these machines?
The CPU in this thing is an absolute beast. Its a 8 core 16 thread laptop CPU that outperforms the i9-9900 (which is a desktop CPU).
Its a shame that Thunderbolt isn’t going to be possible with these AMD CPUs (without an expensive 3rd party chipset along with royalty fees to Intel).
Is that M.2 slot NVMe or SATA?
According to the spec sheet, it should support either.
I’ll be up for one of these. My Hades Canyon has done good work for me but now that Intel/AMD have basically stopped updating the graphic drivers, that’s a proper pain.
The only setback for me is the lack of WiFi out of the box.
It has Wi-Fi 6.
https://www.notebookcheck.net/Asus-will-be-first-to-release-mini-PCs-with-AMD-Ryzen-4000-Renoir-APUs-this-summer.476559.0.html
Good to see that the NUC form factor is finally here for Renoir.
https://liliputing.com/2019/12/28-amd-renoir-chips-leaked-zen-2-processors-radeon-vega-graphics-15-to-65-watts.html
Even comes with the dual ssd that I requested. Sold!
The biggest shortcoming is that it is not possible to increase the Graphical Performance of these.
They lack the full-bandwidth TB3 (or TB4, or USB4) port to be able to do eGPU. I doubt we will see any eGPU solutions for AMD products in 2021 and 2020. And they don’t have a hidden PCIe port to plug-in a dGPU directly. So even if you transplanted the entire motherboard/system into a larger ITX case it won’t be possible.
My idea was to use a small/sleek device like this to act as a TV Console, like a PS4/XBox. I mean x86 systems are quite capable, from thousands of Android Apps and old Flash Games, to thousands of Indie and AAA-title PC/Steam Games. And we’re getting really good emulation such as Switch, WiiU, PS3, X360, Xbox, Wii, GameCube, 3DS, PS2, PSP, Dreamcast, PS1, DS, N64, DoS, GBA, SNES, Sega, Arcades, Atari, etc etc. Maybe in the future with some LLE, it might also do PS4. Much more convenient having your collection in one place, rather than stacks and stacks of discs piling up in a room.
“and in some cases they’ve surpassed Intel’s chips when it comes to performance.”
Make that most cases.