MSI has enriched its inventory with a pair of mini-PCs. The Cubi 2 Plus and the Cubi 2 Plus vPro feature 155.3x147.9x58.6 mm dimensions. Both models come equipped with a 90-watt power adapter and run on Windows 10 Home OS. The first new-comer is based on Intel H110 chipset, while the second one – on Intel Q170 version. The pair supports the installation of either Intel Core i3-6100T CPU (3.2 GHz frequency), Intel Core i5-6500T (2.5-3.1 GHz frequency) or Intel Core i7-6700T (2.8-3.6 GHz frequency).



MSI Cubi 2 Plus mini-PCs employ Intel HD Graphics 530 GPU, up to 32 GB of DDR4-2133 MHz RAM, allowing to install a single M.2 SATA solid-state drive (up to 256 GB capacity) and a single 2.5-inch SATA HDD/SSD (up to 1 TB capacity). Network facilities are introduced by Bluetooth 4.0 adapter, Gigabit Ethernet port, 802.11b/g/n or 802.11ac Wi-Fi module.


To continue, MSI Cubi 2 Plus boasts rich connectivity; it is furnished with: two USB 3.1 (Type-A & Type-C) ports, one USB 2.0 …

Gigabyte has replenished its line of mini-ITX motherboards with a new remarkable model: the GA-E2100N. The product is targeting the segment of small-sized desktops or home media systems. It is based on AMD Kabini platform for Socket AM1 and equipped with AMD E1-2100 SoC with passive cooling solution. Featuring 170x170 mm, the board offers the whole range of facilities any modern full-sized model avails.



The integrated into Gigabyte GA-E2100N chip comes with an in-built Radeon HD 8210 graphics core with the support for DirectX 11.1 standard and with 1 MB of L2 cache. The chip operates at 1 GHz frequency, consuming not more than 9 W power. SoC is accompanied by two slots for the installation of up to 32 GB DDR3 memory modules with the maximal frequency of 1333 MHz.


The PCB is designed according to Gigabyte Ultra Durable 4 Plus template. It presumes the employment of high-quality components serving to protect the system from humidity, electrostatic discharge, voltage …

Intel’s Z-series chipsets have been recently supplemented by a new Z97 Express companion. Its release coincides with the launch of an updated Haswell Refresh CPU line for LGA 1150 socket. The new platform is thought to support PCI Express M.2 interface that substitutes an old-fashioned mSATA one. It is also supposed to support SATA Express interface and the forthcoming Intel Core 5th generation CPUs. What are the real differences between Z97 and preceding chipsets? Let’s find it out through the example of Asus Z97-Deluxe motherboard.



Basic Specifications


— form-factor: ATX, 305x244 mm dimensions;

— chipset and CPUs: Intel Z97 Express, 4th/5th gen Intel Core i3/i5/i7 processors for Socket LGA 1150;

— interface: DMI 2.0, 20 Gb/sec;

— memory: 4x DIMM slots, DDR3 standard, two-channel, 64 GB ultimate capacity, 1066 MHz-3300 (OC) MHz frequencies;

— multi-GPU support: AMD CrossFireX, Nvidia SLI;

— expansion slots: 3x PCI-e 3.0 x16, 4x PCI-e 2.0 …