As the mini computer continues to take the tech world by storm, ASRock has announced plans to launch one of its own. Titled Beebox, the little PC will be out by the end of June, according to ArsTechnica.
The Beebox will feature a dual-core Intel Celeron N3000 based Intel’s latest Cherry Trail platform. It will have a base frequency of 1.4GHz with a burst frequency up to 2.08 GHz. Additionally, the Beebox is completely fanless, and it will be the first mini-PC to include a USB-C type port. This port is expected to be seen more frequently in devices as 2015 rolls on.
With 802.11ac Wi-Fi capabilities, you’ll be able to seamlessly connect to your network with the Beebox. In the back, it has two HDMI ports, two USB 3.0 ports and one LAN output. Turn it around and you’ll find one USB 3.0 port, the USB 3.1 Type-C port and an audio-out port. For good measure, it also has Bluetooth 4.0 and an Ethernet jack.
The Beebox has two memory slots for up to 8GB of RAM. There’s also internal support for a 2.5-inch SATA drive or an mSATA SSD, as well. Conveniently, the Beebox can be mounted onto a desktop or the back of a monitor with its VESA mounting frame. The entire device is powered by an external 36-watt power adapter.
You’ll be able to purchase the Beebox in three different versions. The first is a “barebones” model that doesn’t have RAM, a hard drive, or an operating system installed. Next up is a mid-range model running Windows 10 on 2GB of RAM and a 32GB mSATA SSD. The most powerful edition has 4GB of memory and a 128GB mSATA SSD, but strangely has no operating system.
It’s worth noting that the prices for the Beebox has not been released as of yet. Given its specifications, we think the barebones model will have to be less than $150 if ASRock wants to be competitive. Intel’s NUC is very similar, after all, and starts a bit north of $300 with a much more powerful processor.
