During our visit with ECS at CES 2019, we had the opportunity to check out some of their Mini-PCs. The first one we looked at during our tour was the M520 which comes equipped with an Intel Apollo Lake SoC and support for up to 8 GB of DDR3L via 2 SODIMM slots. Expansions options consist of an M.2 E key 2230 slot (PCIe, USB) and an M.2 M key 2242/2280 PCIe x1 slot. It offers HDMI and mDP for video output and even has two Gigabit LAN ports along with wireless connectivity and Bluetooth 4.0. Onboard storage consists of eMMC configured as 64 GB or 32 GB, and a 2.5-inch HDD/SSD as an option. It also has 4x USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports for peripherals and device connectivity along with an ES-232/422/485 port. In general, this particular system is quite tiny, but even with that in mind, we have to wonder why a 32 GB version is also an option considering Microsoft has gone so far as to say 32 GB of storage is inadequate for Windows 10.

Next up was the LIVA M520 not to be confused with the model previously discussed this option is quite a bit larger but features similar specifications. It comes equipped with a Celeron N3350 and up to 8 GB of DDR3L via 2x SODIMM slots. Storage consists of the same 32 GB, or 64 GB of eMMC and a 2.5-inch HDD/SSD is optional. The rest of the specifications are also quite similar with the LIVA M520 having an HDMI + mDP for video output, 4x USB ports, and 2x Gigabit LAN ports. Where it differs is the USB ports are only USB 3.0, not 3.1. For expansion, it includes the same M.2 E key and M.2 M key slots as the other M520 system.

The successful XPC cubes model series gets a boost: With the new SH310R4, the 8th and 9th generation of the Intel Core processors is now also available in Shuttle's entry-level range making it a good-value, but yet powerful model based on "Coffee Lake".

Based on the Intel chipset H310, the XPC cube Barebone SH310R4 supports the latest Intel Core processors of the "Coffee Lake" series with socket LGA1151v2 and up to 95 Watt TDP. Therefore, even the particularly fast ones such as the i9-9900K with up to 8 cores and 16 threads can be used. Two slots on the mainboard allow a total of 32 GB of DDR4 memory to be installed.

Fanless mini-PC major cirrus7 rolled out the Nimnini 2.5, cube-shaped fanless NUC powered by Intel 8th generation "Coffee Lake" ("Kaby Lake-R") SoC, specifically the Core i7-8559U. This chip features a 4-core/8-thread CPU clocked at 2.70 GHz with 4.50 GHz boost, 8 MB L3 cache, and Intel Iris Plus 655 graphics processor that has 128 MB L4 cache. cirrus7's approach to cooling this 28W TDP MCM is an aluminium fin-stack heatsink that consists of large square aluminium plates that are held together by four 6 mm-thick copper heat pipes. The outer body continues along this design scheme. The company claims the case with its included heatsink runs the i7-8559U a whole 12 °C cooler than Intel's stock fan-heatsink based case.

The base-model of the cirrus7 Nimbini 2.5 includes a Core i3-8109U dual-core SoC, and is priced at 499€. You can configure it with a Core i5-8259U quad-core for an extra 139€, and the i7-8559U for 299€ over the base price. You add your own memory and storage. The NUC board supports up to two DDR4 SO-DIMM modules, holding up to 32 GB of memory. The Nimbini holds a 2.5-inch SATA drive in addition to the NUC board's M.2 slot. The case measures 157 mm x 157 mm x 120 mm (HxDxW), weighing 2.5 kg, including the heatsink and NUC motherboard option you choose.

Compulab has taken to Kickstarter as a way to subsidize the development and production of its Airtop2 Inferno Mini-PC. This aims to be a be-all, end-all Mini-PC that enables high-quality gaming in a fanless, noiseless design. Its insides are positively bursting with top notch hardware: it'll be powered by an Intel i7-7700K (95 W TDP) and the desktop version of Nvidia's GTX 1080 (180 W TDP). If it ever begins actual production, that is; nothing against Compulab, but Kickstarter itself seems to have one too many of these cases popping out.

Compulab's solutions use their metal side panels as "immense" radiators to dissipate the heat buildup inside the chassis. A number of heatpipes and air channels are built into these side panels' structure, so as to allow for better heat dissipation and usage of natural warm air convection. Besides the top of the line CPU and GPU, the Airtop2 Inferno packs a C236 chipset motherboard (a Z170 equivalent). It's possible to install up to 4x DIMMs, 4x 2.5" HDD or SSD solutions, and 2x NVMe SSDs.