ASUS has introduced the ExpertCenter PN42, a fanless mini-PC series. The ExpertCenter PN42 may sound as if it should be a relative of the ExpertCenter PN53, but the pair are intended for different use cases. For example, ASUS offers the latter with up to the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX, an 8-core and 45 W APU that contains the powerful Radeon 680M iGPU. By contrast, the ExpertCenter PN42 features the Intel Processor N100 or the Intel Processor N200, a pair of Intel Alder Lake-N processors with 6 W TDPs.
For reference, both processors contain four E-cores and no P-cores. Neither support Hyper-Threading either, but the Intel Processor N200 has a 300 MHz higher CPU boost clock at 3.7 GHz. Also, Alder Lake-N processors only support single-channel DDR5 RAM, PCI3 Gen 3, Bluetooth 5.2 and WiFi 6E connectivity. Additionally, while the Intel Processor N100 makes do with an iGPU with 24 Execution Units (EUs), the Intel Processor N200 possesses a more powerful 32 EU variant. Still, the 6 W TDP and single-channel RAM support will result in limited GPU performance for both models.
Unsurprisingly, the ExpertCenter PN42 is fanless. ASUS has opted for a plastic housing too, presumably because of how little heat the mini-PC kicks out. The ExpertCenter PN42 is not short on ports though, with seven USB Type-A connections, 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet, DisplayPort, two HDMI ports and dedicated audio in/out jacks. So far, ASUS has confirmed that the ExpertCenter PN42 will be available later this quarter. However, the company has not revealed to which markets the mini-PC is headed nor how much it will cost for its Intel Processor N100 and Intel Processor N200 variants.
Prior to writing and translating for Notebookcheck, I worked for various companies including Apple and Neowin. I have a BA in International History and Politics from the University of Leeds, which I have since converted to a Law Degree. Happy to chat on Twitter or Notebookchat.
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