The Mele Overclock 4C is a 178 x 94 x 21mm (7″ x 3.7″ x 0.8″) computer that’s small enough to fit in a pocket. But it’s a full-fledged desktop computer, complete with a 15-watt Intel N95 quad-core processor, a decent set of ports, and dual storage support.
It’s available now from Amazon with a list price of $270 for a model with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, but as of November 6, 2023 you can save $50 with an on-page coupon, bringing the price down to $220.
If Mele Overclock name sounds familiar, that’s because this is an updated version of the Overclock 3C that Ian reviewed for Liliputing this summer. That model was powered by an Intel Celeron N5105 processor and offered decent overall performance. Ian noted at the time that it had a few features that made it stand out, including:
- Support for upgradable memory (something that’s rare in a min PC this small)
- A new (for Mele) cooling system that combines a fan and a pure copper heat pipe
- The ability to “overclock” the computer by adjusting the power limits (PL1, PL2, etc)
While that third point is what gives the Mele Overclock PCs their name, it’s sort of a weird use of the word “overclock,” as you cannot increase CPU frequency. Instead, adjusting the power limits might let you eke out small improvements in sustained performance over time.
What the new Overclcok 4C brings to the table is a higher-performance Intel Processor N95, which is based on Intel’s Alder Lake architecture, and which Mele says brings about 33% more performance than the Celeron N5105 Jasper Lake processor used in the previous-generation model.
Other features are largely the same. The Mele Overclock 4C supports both eMMC 5.1 and PCIe 3.0 x4 storage. The 16GB/512GB model available from Amazon has DDR4-3200 memory, 256GB of eMMC storage, and a 256GB M.2 2280 NVMe SSD.
While the eMMC storage is not user upgradeable, both the memory and SSD can be replaced: the system has a single SODIMM slot for up to 32GB of total memory and Mele says the computer can support up to a 4TB SSD. There’s also a microSD card reader with support for up to 2TB of removable storage.
Ports include:
- 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C (Power, data, and video)
- 1 x USB Type-C (power only)
- 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A
- 1 x USB 2.0 Type-A
- 2 x HDMI 2.0
- 1 x Gigabit Ethernet
- 1 x 3.5mm audio
The computer supports 24W or higher power supplies, which means you should be able to power it using some smartphone chargers or USB power banks. The power-only USB-C port supports 12V – 23V power input, while the full-function USB-C port supports 12V – 18V input.
The Mele Overclock 4C supports WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2.
via AndroidTVBox.eu
I recently bought a $250 laptop with the much improved N200 CPU. It is basically this, plus keyboard, track pad, battery and screen, and comes with 16GB RAM (biggest and fastest supported).
For $50 more ($325), you can find a 1080p screen, the i3 N305, and 8GB of DDR5.
Much preferred over this tiny doohickey.
You can still plug it in an HDMI screen, and add mouse and keyboard.
What’s the laptop’s manufacturer’s name? The N200 & N300 seems like the right Intel CPUs for anything in this end of the market.
It’s ultra-portable. Laptops are nowhere near ultra-portable. Don’t compare apples and oranges.
is passive?
No.
@Brad
thx
The description from Mele says it has a “Smart fan”, so likely only comes on when required, stays off during moderate usage. I have a couple of N5105 systems from them (3C), of similar design, which are passive, and I’d say that the 6W CPU in them is the upper limit of what can be cooled by this case. I put USB fan, or an old CPU HS, on any system that is working hard for a long time.
I like their products, have had two 3Cs in service for about a year, one crunching data, one as an HTPC (4k H265 playback via USB drive). Can’t say I care for the N95’s power consumption, an N200/N300 version makes more sense to me.
And if Mele is reading this, multiple SATA ports would suit the HTPC market better than a fast (multiple of)nvme interface, if a 4H is in the works.