Disclosure: Some links on this page are monetized by the Skimlinks, Amazon, Rakuten Advertising, and eBay, affiliate programs, and Liliputing may earn a commission if you make a purchase after clicking on those links. All prices are subject to change, and this article only reflects the prices available at time of publication.
The new Mele QuieterHD3 is a compact desktop computer that measures 7.8″ x 5.8″ x 1.7″ and features a fanless design. Powered by an Intel Celeron N5105 processor.
While the computer is subsantially larger than other members of the Mele Quieter family (which are typically pocket-sized computers), the new model is more powerful and more versatile. It has 16GB of RAM, 512GB of eMMC storage, support for two additional storage devices thanks to an M.2 2280 slot for a PCIe NVMe SSD and a bay for a 2.5 inch hard drive or SSD, and plenty of ports.
In fact, while Mele is slapping the Quieter name on this new computer, it’s actually more of a Mele PCG35 HD3Q with an alternate case design. The two computers are the same size and have similar ports, but the PCG35 has a somewhat more industrial look (although both have plastic cases, so it’s likely there won’t be too much of a difference in actual heat dissipation performance).
Ports on the new Mele QuieterHD3 include:
- 2 x HDMI
- 1 x VGA
- 1 x Gigabit Ethernet
- 1 x USB Type-C
- 2 x USB 3.0 Type-A
- 2 x USB USB 2.0 Type-A
- 1 x microSD card reader
- 1 x 3.5mm audio jack
The computer is powered by Intel’s 10-watt, 4-core, 4-thread Celeron N5105 processor based on Jasper Lake Architecture and featuring Intel UHD graphics. That should be good enough to drive up to three displays (two 4K@60 Hz screens via the HDMI ports and one 1080p display thanks to the VGA port).
Other features include support for WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2, support for wake on LAN, an unlocked BIOS for fine tuning the system settings, and a VSA mount that allows you to attach the 1.2 pound desktop PC to the back of a display or affix it to a wall or other surface.
The Mele QuieterHD3 is out of stock at Amazon, but FanlessTech reports it will sell for around $310. The Mele PCG35HD, meanwhile, currently sells for $238 and up (with the starting price covering a model with 8GB of Ram and 128GB of storage.
Imagine how many of these they could sell if they even tried to be price-competitive with the now-unobtainable Raspberry Pi.
You’re dreaming if you think an x86 Mini PC should aim to compete with a $35 ARM board.
I would imagine that he was talking about the pi4 with high ram and storage/ports capabilities that pre-scalper priced closer to $100, but then most folks actually familiar with pi’s would know that?
There are and have been N5105 based minis that sold for $170-210 as recently as a few months ago. Hence, this is overpriced. I know that was the price, because I own one.
I just paid $200 for a boxed Pi4 8GB metal cased kit from CanaKit, a reputable vendor. I need to buy more to meet obligations to others.
If your pi sits in a draw, or can do work on 1GB or 2GB, that’s, uh, great. Rest of us are trying to choose a new platform and if that results in a speed boost, fine, but the driver’s entirely about availability. Scalpers aren’t attacking Mele’s resellers like those hawking Pis.
“Now-unobtainable” refers to them being scalped far above $35. But let’s bump the price up to $75, the MSRP of the 8 GB RPi 4 model. You can get a decent N4020 laptop with 4 GB of RAM for that price, with a screen and keyboard, faster CPU, graphics, and video decode that actually works. That is a sale price for retailers clearing out inventory, but that’s where we are right now.
Put something compelling at $100 to $150, depending on if the RAM is soldered or SO-DIMM, and it will sell. And I think we’d pay more for an 8-core, which Alder Lake-N Atoms should bring.