ASRock Upgrades Beebox-S SFF PCs with Kaby Lake CPUs
by Anton Shilov on December 2, 2016 10:55 AM EST
ASRock has introduced updated versions of its Beebox-S small form-factor PCs. The new NUC-like systems are powered by Intel’s Core i5-7100U/i3-7200U CPUs featuring the Kaby Lake microarchitecture, but apart from that the computers are identical to their predecessors running the Skylake chips. ASRock positions its Beebox-S both for general-purpose computing as well as for multimedia playback.
Just like their predecessors, the Asrock Beebox-S comes in a small black enclosure (110×118.5×46 mm, 0.6 L) that is akin to other Intel NUC-like systems. Since the PC is based on Intel’s Kaby Lake processor, it has rather advanced video playback capabilities, which make it a good candidate for an HTPC. Moreover, ASRock specifically mentions HDMI 2.0 and support for 4Kp60 with 10-bit HDR output as one of the key features of the new Beebox systems. The manufacturer also installed an IR receiver compatible with a bundled remote controller, further emphasizing a possible positioning of the Beebox-S.
When it comes to connectivity, the SFF PC seems to be good for both office and the living room. The system is equipped with an HDMI 2.0 output (implemented using an LSPCon controller, most likely a MegaChips MCDP2000, and supporting 4096×2160 pixels at 60 Hz as well as HDR10) to connect to modern 4Kp60 UHDTVs (not sure about HDCP 2.2 support, but it should logically be there), an HDMI 1.4 as well as a DisplayPort 1.2. The Beebox-S also has one USB 3.0 Type-A and one USB 3.0 Type-C headers as well as a 3.5 mm TRRS connector for headsets on the front panel. Tthe back panel features two more USB 3.0 ports and one GbE connector.
The heart of the ASRock Beebox-S is either Intel’s Core i3-7100U or Core i5-7200U microprocessor in BGA packaging with integrated HD Graphics 620. The system can also be equipped with up to 32 GB of DDR4-2133 memory (two SO-DIMM slots), an M.2-2280 NVMe SSD and a 2.5” SSD/HDD depending on demands of exact customer. Meanwhile, Intel’s 802.11ac Wi-Fi + BT 4.0 wireless module is pre-installed.
| ASRock Beebox-S SFF PCs Based on Intel's Kaby Lake CPUs | ||||
| Beebox-S 7200U | Beebox-S 7100U | |||
| CPU | i5-7200U 2C/4T 2.5 GHz 3.1 GHz |
i3-7100U 2C/4T 2.4 GHz |
||
| GPU | HD Graphics 620 24 EUs up to 1050 MHz |
|||
| RAM | 2×DDR4-2133 SO-DIMMs (up to 32 GBs) | |||
| SSD | Up to M.2-2280 SSDs | |||
| HDD | 2.5"/9.5 mm | |||
| GbE | Intel i219-V (?) | |||
| Wi-Fi | Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 3160 (?) 1×1 802.11ac + BT 4.0 (via M.2 2230 card) |
|||
| I/O | USB 3.1 (10 Gbps) via ASMedia ASM1142 1×USB 3.1 Type-C 3×USB 3.0 Type-A |
|||
| Video | 1×HDMI 2.0 (HDCP2.2) via LSPCon 1×DisplayPort 1.2 |
|||
| Audio | Realtek ALC283 TRRS and HDMI connectors |
|||
| Size | H: 46 mm W: 118.5 mm L: 110 mm |
|||
| Full Specs |
Beebox-S 7200U | Beebox-S 7100U | ||
This week Newegg started to sell the Beebox-S 7100U and Beebox-S 7200U SFF PCs for $291 and $349, respectively. As it appears that retail pricing of the new Kaby Lake-based ASRock Beebox-S SFF PCs is higher that of the Skylake-powered Beebox-S, which are available for $264 to $320. One more thing to note about the new Beebox-S systems is that they only come in black enclosures, whereas their predecessors feature black, white, silver and golden finishes. We haven't heard of other colors coming, although that may change in the future.
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Source: ASRock
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morrisiriga - Friday, December 2, 2016 - link
Error in the first paragraph - "The new NUC-like systems are powered by Intel’s Core i5-7100U/i3-7200U CPUs featuring the Kaby Lake microarchitecture..."Should be i3-7100U and i5-7200U.
prisonerX - Friday, December 2, 2016 - link
Also the table is incorrect, it has two HDMI ports and one Displayport.acme64 - Friday, December 2, 2016 - link
Does the hdmi do CEC?cerberusss - Friday, December 2, 2016 - link
So with Kabylake, we get hardware-accelerated YouTube on all platforms and browsers?Kakti - Friday, December 2, 2016 - link
Kabylake has hardware accelerated encode/decode for h.265. It is browser (and video source) agnostic, so yes it'll work with YouTube or a locally stored HEVC file.Offtopic, but has anyone tried playing a 4k file on a Kaby Lake U system? I tried playing a few free 4k video clips on a Skylake U Surface Pro 4 when they first came out and it was terrible...completely unable to playback the videos. I'm wondering how much of that was the lack of hardware acceleration and how much was simply the relative weakness of the U processor I was using (believe it was an i5-6300u). Believe the video was from LG to demonstrate on their TVs.
Xajel - Sunday, December 4, 2016 - link
HTPC ? no, the size, design & features does not match an HTPC...I think manufacturers stopped making a real HTPC designs a while ago, they should look like an actual set-top boxes ( blu-ray players, AV reciever, etc... )
Any HTPC enthusiast will wants a good design with good features and compactness. some might prefer multi HDD's bay ( 4x 3.5" ) to serve as a server also. and maybe as well as a Plex Media Server all in one.
LuckyKnight - Monday, December 5, 2016 - link
Where is the Intel branded NUC?Unton - Wednesday, March 15, 2017 - link
Could you advise me please,Im looking for NUC pc and choose two favorites:
This model and Zotac Zbox CI543
Does this model make some noize ?
It important because nettop will work 24 hours near my bed.
Zotac is fanless and I guest its absolutely quite, but has older processor and video.
Please help me to choose.