Small PC maker MINISFORUM plans to launch a crowdfunding campaign soon for an Intel NUC-sized desktop computer called the DeskMini DMAF5. But instead of an Intel processor, it’s powered by an AMD Ryzen 5 3550H processor.
That’s a 35 watt, quad-core processor with AMD Radeon Vega 8 graphics. It’s not as powerful as AMD’s newer Ryzen 4000H series chips, but the MINISFORUM DeskMini DMAF5 stands out anyway because it’s still relatively uncommon to find mini-desktop computers with AMD Ryzen chips.
The DMAF5 will be available for pre-order soon through an Indiegogo campaign, and prices are expected to start at $399.
That’s the price for a model with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. The company also plans to offer a $529 version with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage.
You can always upgrade the hardware on your own — the system has two SODIMM slots for DDR4-2400 memory and support for dual storage devices thanks to a 2.5 inch SATA III drive bay and an M.2 2280 card with support for SATA III SSDs.
The system supports up to three 4K displays thanks to HDMI 2.0, DIsplayPort, and USB Type-C ports. And there are also four USB 3.1 Type-A ports, a 3.5mm audio jack, and dual Gigabit Ethernet ports.
You can find more details including performance notes in a video review from TechTablets.
Without USB-C (Thunderbolt) Gen 1.2 40 Gbps, what’s the point, useless.
There’s a pay-wall (licensing) with such a feature.
Which is why ALL cheap devices lack it. And the ones that feature it, are too expensive that you may as well just throw in a dGPU in there.
The only solace we have is either:
– Hope for a Ryzen 5000 APUs to come cheap and with a potent RDNA iGPU
– Wait for used laptops to get cheap that they can be transformed into/repurposed as a Mini HTPC, but those that feature Full-ThunderBolt-3 protocol and a decently fast 4c/8t Intel CPU (8th/9th/10th gen).
Whichever comes first. Though the second option is more likely, but it’s moreso going to serve the USA market (ie Harder/Less likely in Africa, Asia or East Europe).
According to a few sites Thunderbolt 3 no longer has a licensing fee (at least royalties).
https://liliputing.com/2017/05/intel-thunderbolt-3-will-integrated-next-gen-chips.html
https://www.bit-tech.net/news/tech/peripherals/intel-thunderbolt-3-licensing/1/
Stacy is correct. As of 2020, “Intel did not previously charge royalties for Thunderbolt. Instead, vendors weren’t allowed to produce Thunderbolt controller silicon, which is now freely allowed.”
So it is a matter of manufacturers doing it to integrate Thunderbolt 3. Given that it is a cost of both parts and R&D and most customers don’t expect Thunderbolt on AMD products, most AMD makers omit it to maximize their profits. Big picture, it really doesn’t make sense since it would represent a significant selling point, but bean counters seldom have been friendly to innovation and often have been short-sighted thanks to their balance sheets.
Source:
https://www.tomshardware.com/news/amd-motherboard-asrock-first-thunderbolt-certification-intel
@Hifihedgehog
What do you think is the limitation of ThunderBolt 3 adoption on low-powered systems? It’s not just AMD and ARM, but even Intel products lack it. I mean TB3 is still (slightly) superior to the shotshiw that is USB-4.
Is it because premium Intel SoC’s had the TB3 controller integrated. Whereas all other solutions require an additional expensive on-board chipset just to handle the TB3 controller/protocol?
PS: What’s with the commenting system, did it just get updated??
I’m streamlining the site to to reduce unnecessary plugins and code. About other things, I just turned off WPDiscuz, because I realized it doesn’t currently work with the AMP version of the site. But I haven’t decided whether to leave it off permanently or not. Right now you’re looking at native WordPress comments with a few tweaks.