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The Asus ExpertCenter PN53 is a compact desktop computer that went on sale earlier this year with prices starting at $429 for barebones models with AMD Ryzen 6000H series processors.
Now Asus has announced it’s updating the little computer so that it’s available with a choice of Ryzen 6000H or Ryzen 7035H processor options, although it probably doesn’t really make much of a difference which you buy, because performance should be very similar.
While AMD’s Ryzen 7035 series chips are certainly newer, they’re based on the same architecture as the Ryzen 6000H family. AMD’s Ryzen 7000 lineup is complicated, to say the least, but in a nutshell these particular chips are based on the same Rembrandt-R architecture as the Ryzen 6000H series, meaning they combine Zen 3+ CPU cores with RDNA 2 graphics architecture.
So here’s a run-down of the chips that Asus says will be available in the PN53 mini PC this year:
| Model | CPU Gen & node | Cores / Threads | Base / Boost CPU freq | Total Cache | Graphics | RAM | TDP |
| Ryzen 9 6900HX | Zen 3+ (6nm) | 8 / 16 | 3.3 GHz / 4.9 GHz | 20MB | Radeon 680M (12 x RDNA 2) | DDR5 / LPDDR5 | 45W |
| Ryzen 7 7735H | Zen 3+ (6nm) | 8 / 16 | 3.2 GHz / 4.75 GHz | 20MB | Radeon 680M (12 x RDNA 2) | DDR5 / LPDDR5 | 35W – 54W |
| Ryzen 7 6800H | Zen 3+ (6nm) | 8 / 16 | 3.2 GHz / 4.7 GHz | 20MB | Radeon 680M (12 x RDNA 2) | DDR5 / LPDDR5 | 45W |
| Ryzen 7 5 7535H | Zen 3+ (6nm) | 6 / 12 | 3.3 GHz / 4.55 GHz | 19MB | Radeon 660M (6 x RDNA 2) | DDR5 / LPDDR5 | 35W – 54W |
| Ryzen 5 6600H | Zen 3+ (6nm) | 6 / 12 | 3.3 GHz / 4.5 GHz | 19MB | Radeon 660M (6 x RDNA 2) | DDR5 / LPDDR5 | 45W |
So far the only models I’ve seen available for purchase have featured Ryzen 5 6600H and Ryzen 7 6800H processors. I suspect Asus will phase these out over time and replace them with Ryzen 7 7735H and Ryzen 5 7535H chips which offer slightly higher CPU boost speeds.
But if and when the Ryzen 9 6900HX model ever sees the light of day, it’s still likely to offer the best performance of the bunch.
There is at least one advantage to opting for a Ryzen 7035H model though: Asus says systems with those chips support up to 64GB of RAM (via two 32GB sticks of DDR5 memory), while Ryzen 6000H models top out at 32GB (2 x 16GB).
The Asus ExpertCenter PN53 measures 130 x 120 x 58mm (5.3″ x 4.7″ x 2.3″) and weighs about 900 grams (2 pounds) when equipped with a 2.5 inch hard drive.
Under the hood it has room for up to three storage devices thanks to two M.2 2280 slots for PCIe Gen 4 x4 SSDs, and a 2.5 inch bay for a hard drive or SSD. Asus offers the system in barebones or pre-built configurations depending on whether you want a computer that comes with memory, storage, and operating system or if you’d prefer to bring your own.
Asus says the computer supports up to four 4K displays or up to a single 8K monitor and features a set of ports that includes:
- 2 x USB4 ports
- 5 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports
- 2 x HDMI 2.1 ports
- 1 x DisplayPort
- 1 x 2.5 GbE Ethernet
- 1 3.5mm audio jack
- 1 x DC power input
The computers also come with a wireless card that supports WiFi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity.
While the computer has a fan for active cooling, Asus says running the computer in “quiet mode delivers low-nice performance,” while “standard mode supports sustained peak performance during data processing.”
I suppose the only advantage of the 7735, would be the artificial intelligence section and the 5nm, rather than 7nm technologies. I run a PN50, 4000 series, Ryzen 7, with 32GB of RAM, at only 2.666GHz and 0.5 TB of PCIe3, plus 0.5 TB of SATA 3, Win 11, Server 2022.
The 7735U is 6nm vs 7nm for the 5825U, so that might bring some modest improvements. But I’m pretty sure the only Ryzen 7000 chips with the integrated AI engine are the 7040 “Phoenix” series.
Yup, I’ll take your word on that, AMD’s purchase of the AI architecture company, was after all very recent and there’s not much 5nm out there, apart from Apple. I’ve got the iPad mini 6, Mac mini M1 and Apple TV 2022, all 5nm, but when we say 5nm it’s a relative term. All of those and my Chrome Duet 3, have AI, at 16 TFLOPS, on the iPad mini 6.