There’s no shortage of tiny, fanless computers capable of running Windows or LInux software these days. But the Vnopn K1 is a bit unusual since it has a low-power AMD processor rather than an Intel chip.
As spotted by AndroidPC.es, the Vnopn K1 is available from Chinese marketplace AliExpress with prices starting at $134 for a barebones model.
Before you pull out your wallet, you should know that this little computer doesn’t have one of AMD’s newfangled Ryzen processors. Instead it’s powered by a 28nm chip that was released six years ago.
Under the hood, the Vnopn K1 features an AMD A6-1450 processor with Radeon HD 8250 graphics. It’s an 8 watt, quad-core processor with a base clock speed of 1 GHz and support for boost speeds up to 1.4 GHz.
It’s also outclassed in CPU and graphics benchmarks by Intel’s 6 watt Celeron N4100 Gemini Lake processor with Intel UHD 600 graphics.
In other words, you’d probably get much better performance from the Kodlix GN41, a Celeron N4100-powered fanless mini PC that sells for $215 and up and ships with Ubuntu or Windows 10.
That said, the Vnopn K1 is a bit smaller than the GN41, measuring 6.2″ x 4.2″ x 1.” It features an aluminum chassis with passive cooling and since there are no moving parts, it should be silent while in use. The A6-1450 processor may not be a powerhouse, but it should be good enough for basic computing tasks.
According to the AliExpress product page, the computer features two USB 3.0 ports, four USB 2.0 ports, an Ethernet jack, mic and headphone jacks, a VGA port, and an HDMI port… but pictures seem to show that the computer has a DisplayPort jack rather than HDMI.
Prices range from $134 for a barebones model with no memory, storage, or WiFi to $239 for a model equipped with 8GB of RAM, a 256GB SSD, and a WiFi card.
I’d consider getting another RX-427BB before this. I’ve been very happy with it powering my Windows Media Center. Old enough to support Windows 7 but powerful enough to smoothly play every file and stream I’ve thrown at it, all while passively cooled and free of buggy Intel drivers.
Wow! The prices seem nice, but… The AMD A6-1450 seems to be in the same performance class as the Atom X5-Z8350, which is still in fairly wide use. Its benchmark scores are generally about half those of my old BRIX with its AMD A8 5557M.
That cpu was a dog when new, and now it’s just a travesty. Your basic cheap Chromebook is more powerful. I guess this is just an ad.
Nifty, except for the fact that I can get a refurbished laptop at this price that is more powerful and has more features and peripherals.
Amazing that parts that old are still available in quantity.