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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.

7 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. Re:That's it by DontBeAMoran · · Score: 2

    Instructions unclear, sold all my socks.

    --
    #DeleteFacebook
  4. 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.

  5. Re:Gaming - Not WINE either. by CRB9000 · · Score: 2

    I was hoping the newest major release of WINE was going to fix issues with gaming and allow me to bring my Windows games into my Linux environment. NOPE, NO WAY, NO HOW. Have yet to get a game newer than 2010 to work, be it Mafia II, GTA IV, GTA V, Naval Action, etc. Native gaming on Linux is cheap, unsatisfying, and frankly is the reason why I keep trying WINE and why I keep rejecting Linux for my personal machines. (Note: I'm running a media server, VPN, and firewall using linux boxes.)

  6. Re:Power supply? by tlhIngan · · Score: 2

    I love these little boxes, but what happens is that they go in the closet and then a year or two later they come out and they use some semi-proprietary DIN plug pin-out and you've lost the power adapter.

    I keep the boxes, then when I put it in storage, I put the adapter and the device back in its original box. That way I also have all the little fiddly bits that it came with too that everyone loses.

    Or, if it's something I've used for years and tossed the box, I leave the power connected, and then wrap the device with the power cord so the wall wart and device are automatically matched up.

  7. The new Ryzen APUs are actually quite powerful by ReneR · · Score: 2

    at 15W cTDP even outperforming a dual Xeon workstation (MacPro2,1) from a decade ago, https://www.youtube.com/watch?...