Computers

Latest mini computer from Asus ain't that small

Latest mini computer from Asus ain't that small
Asus has managed to cram workstation grade features into a ProArt PC that won't take up too much room under the office desk
Asus has managed to cram workstation grade features into a ProArt PC that won't take up too much room under the office desk
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Asus has managed to cram workstation grade features into a ProArt PC that won't take up too much room under the office desk
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Asus has managed to cram workstation grade features into a ProArt PC that won't take up too much room under the office desk
The Asus Mini PC ProArt PA90 can be had with a 9th Gen Intel Core processor, 64 GB of system memory and a three drive storage setup
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The Asus Mini PC ProArt PA90 can be had with a 9th Gen Intel Core processor, 64 GB of system memory and a three drive storage setup
At 176 x 176 x 365 mm, the liquid-cooled Mini PC ProArt PA90 is a lot bigger than other members of the small form fact computer class
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At 176 x 176 x 365 mm, the liquid-cooled Mini PC ProArt PA90 is a lot bigger than other members of the small form fact computer class
The Mini PC ProArt PA90 features a novel ventilation system where the top cover extends upward to increase airflow when the CPU runs hot
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The Mini PC ProArt PA90 features a novel ventilation system where the top cover extends upward to increase airflow when the CPU runs hot
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Small form factor computers are great for those with limited space, for retailers with customer kiosks and businesses that don't need huge desktop PCs cluttering up the office. The latest ProArt Series mini computer from Asus has been developed for content creators, packing lots of power into a shapely skin that turns its back on the sharp-angled boxy design that's common in this space.

At 176 x 176 x 365 mm (6.9 x 6.9 x 14.3 in), the liquid-cooled computer is certainly smaller than a full-blown desktop PC but isn't quite in the same space-saving league as the kind of mini machines from companies like CompuLab or Shuttle. But it is quite the power house.

The Mini PC ProArt PA90 can be had with 9th Gen Intel Core i9-9900K/i7-9700K processing brains, supported by as much as 64 GB of DDR4 RAM and a storage design that supports two 512 GB M.2 PCIe SSDs and a 2.5 inch 1 TB HDD. Graphics is served up as Nvidia Quadro P4000/P2000 "workstation grade" GPU to support video and photo editing tasks, as well as CAD workflows.

At 176 x 176 x 365 mm, the liquid-cooled Mini PC ProArt PA90 is a lot bigger than other members of the small form fact computer class
At 176 x 176 x 365 mm, the liquid-cooled Mini PC ProArt PA90 is a lot bigger than other members of the small form fact computer class

Elsewhere, there are two USB 3.1 ports to the front and two more around back, together with four DisplayPort connections and two Thunderbolt 3 ports. There's 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth wireless connectivity, as well as Gigabit Ethernet LAN. The Mini PC doesn't have a built-in speaker but does have a 3.5 mm headphone jack to the front and a line-out jack to the rear.

And it features a novel ventilation system where the top cover extends upward to increase airflow when the CPU runs hot.

Asus is not giving away pricing and availability information – but you can expect the top spec models to be pricey. The company will be displaying its new products at CES 2019 in Las Vegas next week, for show goers wanting a closer look ahead of launch.

Source: Asus

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Easy
I've had an ASUS Strix with an Nvidia 1070 and the SSD boot drive etc.. 17" for Sketchup and CAD work. With Oculus/Rift VR running, you're out of USB ports right away, each tower needs one, plus the headset. You have to unplug any mouse that uses a USB port and use the touchpad which is only a pain until you get into 3D. From there you can bring up your desktop and basically operate your computer with out a keyboard, using a lasar pointer. (Virtual) The machine stutters sometimes, and it crashes or won't launch about every third time, which requires a driver tweak to get going again. It definitely needs more horsepower in every department. Other than that it's a pretty solid box software-wise. The way it's put together is cheap, the keys don't give confidence and the finish is decaying on well used surfaces. It cost $2200 at BestBuy a year ago.