Thursday, January 10th 2019
CES 2019: ASRock Launches DeskMini A300, World's First Ryzen APU-powered Mini STX PC
ASRock at CEs announced what has become the world's first Mini STX PC to employ an AMD Ryzen APU. In the form of the DeskMini A300. With just 1.9 liters, it makes use of AMD's A300 chipset to guarantee support for both AMD's Ryzen (Raven Ridge) processors, as well as A-series Bristol Ridge processors with up to 65 W TDP. Take care that an integrated cooling solution isn't shipped with the A300, though - you'll have to find a cooling solution no taller than 45 mm.
2x DDR4 SO-DIMM slots allow for up to 32 GB of DDR4-2400 or DDR4-2933 memory (Ryzen or A-series). For the small form-factor, 2x M.2-2280 slots for SSDs (PCIe 3.0 x4 and x2/x4) and 2x 2.5-inch bays for SATA SSDs or HDDs sems more than plenty (RAID 0 and 1 modes are supported). No support for MXM graphics cards here - only integrated graphics can drive your displays, via 1x DisplayPort 1.2, 1x HDMI 2.0, or 1xD-Sub outputs. There's a RealtekRTL8111H GbE network connection, 2x USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A and 1x Type-C port, 1x USB 2.0 Type-A connector, as well as 1x M.2-2230 slot for a Wi-Fi + Bluetooth module. Power is delivered by an external, 120 W power-brick, which should help keep in-chassis temperatures in check.
2x DDR4 SO-DIMM slots allow for up to 32 GB of DDR4-2400 or DDR4-2933 memory (Ryzen or A-series). For the small form-factor, 2x M.2-2280 slots for SSDs (PCIe 3.0 x4 and x2/x4) and 2x 2.5-inch bays for SATA SSDs or HDDs sems more than plenty (RAID 0 and 1 modes are supported). No support for MXM graphics cards here - only integrated graphics can drive your displays, via 1x DisplayPort 1.2, 1x HDMI 2.0, or 1xD-Sub outputs. There's a RealtekRTL8111H GbE network connection, 2x USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A and 1x Type-C port, 1x USB 2.0 Type-A connector, as well as 1x M.2-2230 slot for a Wi-Fi + Bluetooth module. Power is delivered by an external, 120 W power-brick, which should help keep in-chassis temperatures in check.
14 Comments on CES 2019: ASRock Launches DeskMini A300, World's First Ryzen APU-powered Mini STX PC
BTW, they've managed to cram-in one more M.2 slot, which is beyond real... I'm still surprised my older STX machine has 2 HDD slots and an NVME, and I still don't know what to do with all of that.
The only thing I don't like about my new devices is their shitty VGA port. AsRock have used the cheapest available part without any back support. It's basically held by VGA contacts soldered to the board and nothing else. And everything would've been better if it had at least some through-hole plastic pegs like on laptops or other cheap motherboards, but it's just sitting there and wobbling at every touch, waiting to be broken off. I already broke mine, so now I have to use HDMI-VGA adapter to hook it up to my work monitor (cheap IPS LG).
It even got an early 7th gen support w/ BIOS update.
Right now it's running Celeron G3900. Wanted to get my hands on i7-6700T (the real thing, not ES bullcrap that flooded the market), but it's still so expensive here that I'm gonna gave to drop this plan and go with Ryzen APU instead. That iGPU oomph will make my work a lot more enjoyable, maybe even move my 4K monitor to the office.
To be honest, I was actually just looking to buy the DeskMini H310 this last weekend, like I had it in my Amazon cart about to check out, but then for some reason decided not to. I'm so glad that I didn't buy it, because the AM4 DeskMini appeals to me so much more because of the added GPU horsepower of the APUs. I like to run emulators on my HTPC, and that is one thing the Deskmini H110 is really lacking in. It runs everything up through the PS1/Saturn/N64 era just fine, but anything past that really start to struggle. I really can't wait to get an AM4 Deskmini now!(Sorry if I'm rambling because I'm excited.)
The only thing that worries me is the cooler. The stock Wraith Stealth that comes with the 2200G and 2400G is 54mm tall, but according to AsRock the Am4 DeskMini can only handle coolers up to 45mm tall. Which is kind of a bummer, because that means there will be an extra cost with buying a decent low profile cooler, which ain't cheap. I'll probably end up going with the Noctua NH-L9a, which is about $40. It might not seem like a lot, but when you're putting it on a processor that only cost $100, it's a pretty big chunk...
I also hope they bundle a WiFi card with it, like they did with the other models. Right now it looks like they might not, but this is just a display unit, so the retail version might include it.
Also, the new article lists 45mm, but AsRock's site says 46mm. Not that it matters that much, because the Cryorig C7 is 47mm and likely won't fit either way. Meh, not a big loss, the NH-L9a is only a few bucks more, and does a good enough job on a 2400G(in a system that can't be overclocked at least). Ah, that makes sense. The other DeskMini seem to only be available in the "W" variants in the US, or at least that's all I've ever seen for sale. I'll gladly pay a little extra for the included wireless kit, especially since the it seems they will be using a pretty decent Intel wireless card.
I have a C7, I'll buy a A300 and test, I know there is a little space between the intel cooler and chassis. I'll update this thread when they're available :)
Only had to order some u.fl to SMA pigtails from China and dust off a pair of 5dBi antennas.