The Intel Processor N100 is a 6-watt, quad-core processor that’s part of part of Intel’s Alder Lake-N line of chips, which are designed for low-cost, low power laptops, tablets, and small form-factor desktop computers.
PC makers have introduced a bunch of Alder Lake-N laptops and mini PCs since Intel unveiled the processors earlier this year. But if you want to build your own, now there’s another option. In May ASRock introduced two motherboards with Intel N100 chips, and now they’re available for purchase worldwide.
The ASRock N100M is an Micro ATX sized board that measures 226 x 178mm (8.9″ x 7″) and features a 24-pin connector for a power supply, while the ASRock N100DC-ITX is a Mini ITX board that measures 170 x 170mm (6.7″ x 6.7″) with an integrated DC input jack for a 19V power adapter.
Both systems feature an Intel N100 4-core, 4-thread processor with support for speeds up to 3.4 GHz and Intel UHD integrated graphics with 24 execution units and support for speeds up to 750 MHz.
And both have a single DDR4 DIMM slot for up to 32GB of DDR4-3200 non-ECC memory, an M.2 2280 socket for PCIe Gen 3×2 storage, and two SATA 3 connectors for a hard drive or SSD.
ASRock N100DC-ITX | ASROCK N100M | |
Processor | Intel Processor N100 4-cores / 4-threads Up to 3.4 GHz Intel UHD graphics (24 eu, up to 750 MHz) 6 watts | |
Memory | 1 x DDR4 DIMM slot Supports DDR4 non-ECC un-buffered memory Supports up to 32GB | |
Storage | 1 x M.2 2280 socket (PCIe Gen3x2) 2 x SATA3 6.0 Gb/s connectors | |
Slots | 1 x PCIe 3.0 x4 1 x M.2 2230 (for WiFi & BT) | 1 x PCIe 3.0 x16 1 x PCIe 3.0 x1 1 x M.2 2230 (for WiFi & BT) |
Ports | 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A 4 x USB 2.0 1 x Gigabit Ethernet 1 x HDMI 1 x VGA 1 x PS/2 1 x COM 1 x 3.5mm speaker out 1 x 3.5mm mic in 1 x 3.5mm line in 1 x DC power input (19V) | 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C 4 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A 4 x USB 2.0 1 x Gigabit Ethernet 1 x HDMI 1 x VGA 1 x DisplayPort 1 x PS/2 1 x 3.5mm speaker out 1 x 3.5mm mic in 1 x 3.5mm line in |
Dimensions | 170 x 170mm 6.7″ x 6.7″ | 226 x 178mm 8.9″ x 7″ |
Price | $130 (Newegg) | $120 (Newegg) |
The boards ship with heat sinks for passive cooling, allowing you to build fanless computing solutions. But there are also fan connectors for those who would prefer to add active cooling.
Other headers can be used for additional USB connections, speakers, and other functions.
This article was first published May 12, 2023 and most recently updated August 28, 2023.Â
Been using the fanless Intel DN2800MT Marshalltown mini-ITX board for 8+ years now as a personal server/home VPN. Rock solid, no issues aside from the iffy driver support (Windows 7 only PowerVR graphics).
This would be a great replacement with some modern components and similar power profile with an external/laptop PSU. Thanks for the news.
been looking for low power ITX motherboards for a small server. thanks for posting this!
DOA. When Chinese 4×4 n100 boxes include 12GB DRAM, 256GB SSD and Windows 11 are $170 from Amazon, how is a $130 board supposed to compete? On Prime Day the same box was $150.
https://www.amazon.com/GMKtec-Office-Mini-Computers-N100/dp/B0BS3VBQPV?th=1
Sorry 128GB SSD.
It’s the flexibility and upgrade capability offered by the ATX ecosystem.
I have an Antec ISK110 VESA U3 ITX case which I used for an Atom D510 board in 2010. I was hoping to upgrade the board/ram when needed.
When Chromebox and Chinese 4x4s arrived, buying the case, ram and ssd with the cpu/board became cheaper and smaller than buying the individual components.
13 years ago this was a good little NAS/Server/Media box… now Chinese 4x4s are a cheaper/better option. Just sayin, been there, done that.
The mATX board is something I am interested at but it’s still not widely available in the US.
i would like to see an itx version with 4x i226-V 2.5gbe ports.
Good for basic computing, but you really need the n300-305 to even be able to play back modern games at 720p, medium settings. This N100 barely can run dx12 games at 480p.
At 6 watts, this is not meant to play modern games. It’s more of a raspberry pi competitor.
Nice option for a low-power small machine with decent performance. Also looking forward to seeing the N100 in some budget laptops with good battery life. It would be a nice upgrade to the Celeron N4000 machine I’ve been using for the last 3 years.
Want more juice, buy a Surface 3.