ASRock Releases Two New SoC Motherboards Based on Intel N100 Processor

[GFreeman]

Leading global motherboard manufacturer ASRock proudly announces its new series of Alder Lake-N motherboards. The new motherboards will be featuring the latest N100 SoC processor, 4 E-cores with a turbo frequency up to 3.4 GHz and Intel UHD Graphics supporting 4K@60Hz resolution, this passively cooled motherboard provides adequate performance as well as outstanding heat management.

The N100M is a M-ATX sized motherboard designed for smart buyers who is looking for a simple yet capable solution, with onboard USB Type-C, M.2 for both SSD & WiFi, the N100M can be easily built into a system that suits your need, and thanks to the onboard XXL CPU heatsink and fan-less design, it is able to perform a low noise ultra-silent computing experience.



ASRock also offers a DC-in solution for small form factor occasions, the N100DC-ITX has a DC-in jack at the rear I/O and is compatible with 19 V power adapters allowing N100DC-ITX to fit in compact chassis. Besides M.2 slots for WiFi & SSD, this motherboard also supports legacy I/O such as COM port or LPT port header, making N100DC-ITX a perfect solution for multiple purposes.

Learn more about ASRock N100M motherboard
Learn more about ASRock N100DC-ITX motherboard

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[Darmok N Jalad]

I'd love to see this in an unlocked 8C model with more than one DIMM slot. Considering it has to be really cheap to make, maybe Intel is missing an opportunity to let enthusiasts have their way with an E-core only setup.

 

[bug]

These would be so cool if someone figured how to put the PSU inside. As it is, we're just "tricked" into buying something small, only to realize there's an external brick almost as large as the case of the PC itself (I'm exaggerating, but it can be almost half that size).

 

[sethmatrix7]

Now we just need this with 7xxx series APUs

 

[bug]

Now we just need this with 7xxx series APUs

For a media box, Intel's SoC is enough. Plus, it's a 6W SoC, I don't know if AMD is planning to go there with their APUs.

 

[sethmatrix7]

For a media box, Intel's SoC is enough. Plus, it's a 6W SoC, I don't know if AMD is planning to go there with their APUs.

Don't crush my hopes and dreams like they're a.. bug

My future hopes for building a small form factor APU based SteamOS/HTPC build are dashed

 

[randomUser]

But why 19V? And a barrel?
Ok, you could leave 19V but it then should be powered by USB-C PD charger.
Its much more stable and compact compared to those gigantic 19V power bricks.
The GaN chargers are also much more power efficient than stadard power bricks even at low loads.

They could make it 12V or 24V DC-IN. Would have been MUCH better as there are dozens of LED drivers designed to work 24/7 at 100% load with no problems.

 

[bug]

Don't crush my hopes and dreams like they're a.. bug

My future hopes for building a small form factor APU based SteamOS/HTPC build are dashed

Why dashed? You'll be able to build one just fine. It just won't be as small as this.

Also, "SteamOS/HTPC" is a misnomer. These days the needs of a HTPC can be met with a RaspberryPi-class USB stick. The needs of a SteamOS PC, not so much.

 

[ymdhis]

How much power does the full board use? The CPU is 6W max but it doesn't mention the full board itself. I'd be interested in knowing. If it's sub 10W and can run TrueNAS, then this kicks a lot of ass.

If only it had 2.5gbe, it would be a kick ass NAS solution.... I suppose one could put a 2.5gbe card in the pcie x1 slot and a SAS card in the x4 slot (on the up side, those are PCIE v3.0).

 

[bug]

How much power does the full board use? The CPU is 6W max but it doesn't mention the full board itself. I'd be interested in knowing. If it's sub 10W and can run TrueNAS, then this kicks a lot of ass.

If only it had 2.5gbe, it would be a kick ass NAS solution.... I suppose one could put a 2.5gbe card in the pcie x1 slot and a SAS card in the x4 slot (on the up side, those are PCIE v3.0).

Where would you attach all the drives a NAS solution needs?

 

[AusWolf]

As a sucker for low power, small form factor and passively cooled stuff, I highly approve of this!

 

[ymdhis]

Where would you attach all the drives a NAS solution needs?

SATA card on the x1 slot (4 drives max) or SAS card in the pcie x4 slot (up to 16 drives depending on the card, with a pcie v3 card you wouldn't be bandwidth starved either, unless you run all drives at 100% speed).

 

[bug]

SATA card on the x1 slot (4 drives max) or SAS card in the pcie x4 slot (up to 16 drives depending on the card, with a pcie v3 card you wouldn't be bandwidth starved either, unless you run all drives at 100% speed).

Could work if you don't stress it much, but I doubt there's physical room to fit 4 drives. You could do RAID1 (but lose half the capacity of already small drives). RAID5 would lose you less capacity, but would still require space for 3 drives.

DIY NAS is hard, I've looked before and gave up. Either you build something small, but then you're limited by 2TB M.2 drives, or you build something proper and end up with a big case

 

[ymdhis]

Could work if you don't stress it much, but I doubt there's physical room to fit 4 drives. You could do RAID1 (but lose half the capacity of already small drives). RAID5 would lose you less capacity, but would still require space for 3 drives.

DIY NAS is hard, I've looked before and gave up. Either you build something small, but then you're limited by 2TB M.2 drives, or you build something proper and end up with a big case

What's the problem with a big case? Just stick it in another room where you don't notice it.