Not everyone has the room for a bulky desktop computer at home or in the office, which makes a mini-PC a desirable option. Startup Miniproca has launched a model on Kickstarter that features octa-core processing brains, Radeon graphics, and a multi-touch display.
The headline feature of the NUC-like Miniproca mini desktop computer is that 7-inch hinged multi-touch monitor to the top of the unit, which has a reported resolution of 1,024 x 600.
This can be used as a mini display for work or play, or as a secondary screen when the unit is cabled to a full-size monitor (up to three simultaneous display connections and 4K at 120 Hz are supported) – to show social feeds, keep up with chats, run specific apps, view system performance stats during gaming sessions and so on.
The screen can be raised from horizontal to 90 degrees, and will remain in place at any point in between to create the perfect viewing angle. If you want or need to transport it to other locations, the campaign page shows someone popping the mini-PC in a bag (not supplied) between uses. But with the touchscreen facing up and lacking any cover or other protection, there does seem to be a risk of damage when it's thrown in with all your other gear (such as a keyboard and mouse, cables, headphones, power supply and more).
Unlike many mini-PCs already on the market, the Miniproca doesn't employ a fanless design but has vents to the sides and a "high-speed silent fan" to help the system keep air-cooled under load. Under the hood is an AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX octa-core processor with a base 3.3-GHz clock speed that can boost to 4.9 GHz when extra grunt is needed. This is married to Radeon RX 680M graphics boasting 12 stream processors and a clock speed of 2,400 MHz. And everything's supported by up to 32 GB of DDR5 (4,800-MHz) RAM and either 512 GB, 1 TB or 2 TB of PCIe 4.0 solid-state storage.
The RAM and SSD can be optionally upgraded by the user, though it's not clear whether this would invalidate the 1-year warranty offered by the maker. The campaign backer also gets to choose whether the system will run Windows 10 or 11 in the post-campaign survey.
Connectivity shapes up with HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 1.4, USB 2.0, 3.2 and Type-C, and a pair of Ethernet LAN ports plus Bluetooth 5.2 and Wi-Fi 6E. It lacks built-in speakers however, so users will need to connect to headphones over Bluetooth or 3.5-mm audio jack.
The Miniproca is wrapped in aluminum-alloy housing and measures 175 x 137 x 55 mm (6.89 x 5.39 x 2.16 in) while tipping the scales at 855 g (30 oz). Anti-slip strips have been positioned under the base to help the unit stay put on the desktop.
Kickstarter pledges currently start at US$699 for an 8GB/512GB combo, while a 32GB/2TB unit is pitched at $919. The mini-PC is being produced in China and will be shipped to backers from there, and that's not included in the pledge levels – the project creators reckon that it will cost about $15-20 to ship to the US, and will take up to 2 weeks to arrive. The usual crowdfunding cautions apply, but if all goes to plan with the remainder of the already funded campaign, deliveries are estimated to start from October.
Source: Kickstarter
