MINIX NGC-1 Intel Braswell-Based

MINIX NGC-1 Intro And Specifications

One of the many benefits of Intel’s strong focus on power efficiency in recent years, is that relatively high performance processors are now able to fit into tiny form factors. The recently released Intel Compute Stick for 2016 has a quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, 32GB of storage, 802.11ac Wi-Fi and a number of external ports in a package not much bigger than a pen drive.

However the latest Compute Stick does have some drawbacks. With just 2GB of RAM, it has just the bare minimum needed to run Windows 10 semi-smoothly and the 32GB of integrated storage cannot be upgraded. The small enclosure also means the CPU inside must be actively cooled as there is not enough space for a passive heat-sink large enough to cool the quad-core Atom CPU.

MINIX has been producing ultra-small form factor systems and accessories for a few years now featuring ARM and Intel-based technology. The latest device to come from the company, the NGC-1 is one of their more powerful devices, featuring an Intel’s Braswell-based Celeron processor.

Braswell is the follow-up to Intel’s BayTrail SoC and is manufactured on Intel’s tri-gate 14nm process. Like BayTrail, Braswell is a low-power architecture, designed for entry level 2-in-1 devices, laptops, and small form factor system.

Along with the Braswell-based Celeron N3150 inside the system, the MINIX NGC-1 also features 4GB of RAM, a 128GB M.2 SSD, and a 64-bit edition of Windows 10. The form factor, while still small, also affords more connectors and I/O than something as small as the Compute Stick.

MINIX NGC-1 Mini PC

Specifications & Features

Processor	Quad-Core Intel Celeron N3150
GPU	Intel HD Graphics
Memory	4GB DDR3-L
Internal Storage	128GB M.2 SSD
Wireless Connectivity	802.11ac Dual Band Wi-Fi (2.4GHz/5GHz), Bluetooth 4.2
Operating System	Windows 10 (64-bit), Ubuntu OS
Video Output	Mini-DP, HDMI 1.4 (up to 4K @ 30Hz)
Audio Output	Via HDMI 1.4, 3.5mm stereo jack, optical SPDIF
Peripheral Interfaces	RJ-45 Gb Ethernet, USB 3.0 x 3, headphone / mic jack, Kensington Lock
Power	DC 12V, 3A Adapter Included (CE, CC Certified)

 

 

---

The MINIX NGC-1

The MINIX NGC-1 is a very small device at about 12.5mm square by 2.5mm high. Having rounded corners also makes it appear quite a bit smaller. Apart from the various ports, the NGC-1 features a completely sealed, all-metal enclosure that has a high-quality feel. The enclosure has a dark-grey, gun metal type finish, with MINIX laser etched into the top.

 

 

Because the quad-core Celeron N3150 and other components inside the NGC-1 are passively cooled, there is no need for vents or holes in the system’s chassis. As long as there is some air-space around the system itself (the top cover gets warm to the touch), it runs reliably without overheating.

The Braswell Celeron N3150 CPU has a base clock of 1.6GHz (turbo clock of 2.08GHz), 2 MB of L2 cache with only a TDP of 6W. Graphics is based on an integrated Intel HD Graphics engine with 12EUs, and base / burst frequencies of 320MHz / 640MHz, respectively. There is also a single-channel of 4GB of DDR3L-1600 memory in the NGC-1, along with a 128GB M.2 solid state drive.
 

 

 

On the front of the device, there are three full-sized USB 3.0 ports adjacent to the power button. The right side has a headphone jack, mini-DisplayPort connector, an HDMI port, an S/PDIF optical output, an RJ-45 gigabit LAN jack and the power connector.

 

On the rear is the antenna mounts for the built in Wi-Fi (Intel AC 3165) and a lock port. On the left there is a tiny, sole, LED indicator that lights up blue when the system is powered on and active, and turns green when the machine is asleep.

 

The MINIX NGC-1’s design language is modern, attractive, and understated. The bottom of the device is relatively clean, apart from the rubber feet and some logos silk screened in the centre. The only thing that distracts from the overall look of the device are the relatively large, external Wi-Fi antennas.

 

 

The MINIX NGC-1 comes with a 64-bit edition of Windows 10 Home pre-installed.  Setting the machine up is as simple as connecting power, input devices, and a monitor, then turning it on, entering some basic user information for Windows login purposes, and then letting the OS run a few updates.

 

MINIX NGC-1 Mini PC Performance

It may technically be a quad-core PC, but the MINIX NGC-1 is not meant for high-performance computing applications. It is designed for media consumption and basic computing needs. There is no point in carrying out an extensive array of benchmarks, but rather test the MINIX NGC-1 in a few of the scenarios it was designed for.

 

Processor Arithmetic	Memory Bandwidth

 

Processor Arithmetic	Memory Bandwidth

In the four SiSoft SANDRA modules run, (Processor Arithmetic, Multi-Media, Memory, File System), the MINIX NGC-1 performed in-line with expectations. The Braswell-based Celeron processor powering the device performed about on par with similar Atom-derived products.

 

In the Multi-Media benchmark, performance was similar to Celerons and some older Atom-class processors. Memory bandwidth from the single-channel of DDR3 RAM peaked at just under 6GB/s, which is fairly low. The internal M.2 128GB SSD showed a reasonable performance, averaging around 142MB/s, but peaking close to 200MB/s.

 

 

SunSpider was tested to see how the MINIX NGC-1 performed while browsing / executing JavaScript, using the Microsoft Edge browser and got a score of just over 395ms. That puts the MINIX NGC-1 well ahead of the latest Compute Stick and in-line with some of Samsung's recent high-end smartphones.

 

Here are some quick numbers in a simple audio-encoding tool to show where the MINIX NGC-1's Celeron N3150 falls in comparison to some other x86-based low-power processors.

 

In this test, the MINIX NGC-1 outpaces the Compute Stick once again and almost catches the AMD A4 APU.

Captain America: Civil War Trailer, YouTube, 1080P - Scaled To 4K

Streaming SD and HD video from YouTube worked very well. The image above is from a Full HD version of the Captain America: Civil War trailer, set to 1080p, but scaled to full screen on a 4K display connected to the NGC-1 via HDMI. It played lag-free using only the built-in WiFi to connect to the web. Regardless of the resolution, this clip played back smoothly, and as can seen above, the CPU utilisation remained relatively low throughout.

 

Suicide Squad Trailer, 4K (2160P), Full Screen

This shot is from the Suicide Squad trailer, streaming from YouTube at 4K (2160P), with the MINIX NGC-1 connected to a 4K display. Unlike the Compute Stick, which struggled to keep this media playing smoothly, the MINIX NGC-1 handled it with no problem. The combination of the NGC-1's slightly faster SoC, additional memory and faster storage allowed it to handle something more taxing like full-screen 4K video much better.

In addition to streaming from the web, an assortment of 1080p MKV, MP4, and AVI files were tested and all played perfectly.

 

MINIX NGC-1 Streaming And Power

The MINIX NGC-1 is also a good candidate for thin-client applications, or for remote controlling other systems.

TeamViewer 11 Running On The MINIX NGC-1 @ 4K

The MINIX NGC-1 worked perfectly using Windows' built-in Remote Desktop tool and other remote support tools like TeamViewer. Accessing a higher-end system remotely from the MINIX NGC-1 should not be a problem at all.  In this scenario, the MINIX NGC-1 is connected to a 4K display and remotely connected to another PC, which is connected to a much lower resolution display -- hence the full resolution / desktop in a relatively small window.

 

Here are some power consumption figures from a variety of usage scenarios. The MINIX NGC-1 uses between 6 and 11 watts of power.
 

MINIX NGC-1 Summary And Conclusion

 

Performance Summary: The MINIX NGC-1 is a capable, silent, ultra-small form factor PC, that is well suited to media and thin-client applications.

 

Running a full, 64-bit edition of Windows, there is software available to playback virtually any file type, and the tests showed that the system was perfectly capable of local playback and streaming of all types of media up to 4K resolutions.

 

The system is well designed and appointed, offering a very good mix of hardware for its intended applications. The 4GB of RAM and 128GB SSD should give users plenty of free memory space for use in different types of applications.