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Linux Mint Ditches AMD For Intel With New Mintbox Mini 2 (betanews.com)

Posted by msmash on from the new-shiny-objects dept.

An anonymous reader writes: Makers of Mint Box, a diminutive desktop which runs Linux Mint -- an Ubuntu-based OS, on Friday announced the Mintbox Mini 2. While the new model has several new aspects, the most significant is that the Linux Mint Team has switched from AMD to Intel (the original Mini used an A4-Micro 6400T). For $299, the Mintbox Mini 2 comes with a quad-core Intel Celeron J3455 processor, 4GB of RAM, and a 60GB SSD. For $50 more you can opt for the "Pro" model which doubles the RAM to 8GB and increases the SSD capacity to 120GB. Graphics are fairly anemic, as it uses integrated Intel HD 500, but come on -- you shouldn't expect to game with this thing. For video connectivity, you get both HDMI and Mini DisplayPort. Both can push 4K, and while the mini DP port can do 60Hz, the HDMI is limited to 30.

3 of 46 comments (clear)

  1. Actual Mint Team announcement... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    Can be read here, instead of going to another site.

  2. No, COMPULAB Switched by Mousit · · Score: 5, Informative

    Linux Mint itself has not "ditched" anything. Mint, being Linux, still supports both Intel and AMD just fine. The Mint Team also did not ditch anything, because this machine is not made by the Mint Team. As they note in their own press release that the summary failed to link to, the Mintbox is based on Compulab's Fitlet microcomputer.

    The recently-released Fitlet2 is what switched from an AMD SoC to an Intel SoC. The Mintbox is simply a branded Fitlet, with SSD and RAM included (Fitlet can be bought barebones) and Linux Mint pre-installed. Nothing more than that. So the Mint Team didn't really have a say in what SoC the new generation unit used.

    That being said, I have a Fitlet 1 myself and I love it. I'm quite a fan of Compulab's whole range of micro and mini computers. Which is why I'd like to see them actually get credit for this machine, which they make. :P At least Mint Team's press release credited them.

  3. Overpriced... by b0s0z0ku · · Score: 4, Informative

    Intel NUC with J3455 is $125 new. 8GB is $75. 525GB SSD is $140. For $350, you can have a much better spec than the "Pro" model, and everything just snaps together in the NUC.