Asus Vivomini UN62: The future of the desktop PC?

Like the Intel Nuc mini formfactor, but don’t want to buy something underpowered? Take a look at the Asus VivoMini UN62 mini-PC launched today.

Despite sticking to similar small footprint, the VivoMini UN62 mini-PC offers the power of a larger desktop CPU and comes with a Core i5 4210 processor.

Asus_Vivo_Mini_2

While not exactly the biggest beast in the market, the i5 4210 scores about 2700 single-core in Geekbench 3 and 5200 for multi-core.

That’s more than what most PCs out there in use right now can score, and enough power to meet the ‘ordinary’ needs of most people, especially those in offices.

If you’re looking for gaming, this obviously won’t do.

In addition, the VivoMini UN62 comes with a 4K UHD display port, which is very difficult to find in most entry-level motherboards at this time.

Excluding the HDD and RAM, the UN62 has been priced at Rs 26,500. While you can put together a comparable PC for about 18,000, for those who value the small formfactor, the model is worth the money.

“VivoMini has noise levels of just 26.3dB under full load — 60% quieter than industry standards — and draws as little as 6.95W at idle for breathtaking visuals, and multi-display support Powerful and compact mini PCs for work or play Powered by the latest 4th-generation Intel Core i5, i3 or Celeron processors, ASUS VivoMini delivers smooth full PC multi-tasking performance and productivity for work or play,” Asus said.

VivoMini has a 0.6-liter chassis that measures 131 x 131 x 42mm — giving it a footprint that’s slightly bigger than a standard men’s wallet.

“This sleek design frees up precious desktop space, while its modern Zen-inspired concentric-circle finish is easy on the eye and blends in anywhere in the home or office.”

The model can be VESA-mounted on the back of a display too, allowing users to create their own custom All-in-One (AiO) PC for a tidy, clutter-free desk or workstation. Asus is also targeting point-of- sale (PoS) terminals, digital signage and kiosk displays, and of course, the living room media station.

VivoMini also supports up to three independent displays without using additional graphics card thanks to built-in through HDMI and DisplayPort++ outputs.

There’s a total of four USB 3.0 ports, with two easy-access side ports with fast-charge technology to charge mobile devices in half the time. There’s also high-performance 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, a 4-in-1 card reader for easy photo sharing, a headset/microphone jack, and a Kensington lock.

The low power consumption “lets users leave VivoMini on overnight to download software updates or perform file backups, all without racking up big electricity bills,” Asus said.

VivoMini also has optimized low-speed fan settings that keep noise levels down to just 18.5dB at idle, “the same level as the sound made by falling leaves.”

It doesn’t get much noisier at full load, either – at just 26.3dB, that’s quieter than a library and is 60% lower than the industry standard.

Apps found in ASUS HomeCloud turns VivoMini into a private storage and multimedia center – letting users access VivoMini remotely, stream multimedia content, or manage files and documents from anywhere. There is also a Wake on WAN feature to wake up VivoMini remotely via the internet from a smart device. In addition, VivoMini comes with 100GB of ASUS WebStorage free for one year, as well as 100GB of Microsoft OneDrive free for two years.