MintBox Mini is a silent, quad-core Linux Mint PC that fits in your po

[securitybreach]

 

The MintBox Mini is a silent, quad-core Linux Mint PC that fits in your pocket

 

 

 

Linux users will no longer be left out of the miniature PC party with the MintBox Mini, a pocket-sized Linix Mint rig, due out next quarter.

 

While devices like the Raspberry Pi have already enabled Linux in diminutive packages, the MintBox Mini should be a clear step up in performance. According to the Linux Mint blog, it'll pack an AMD A4 6400T processor with Radeon R3 graphics, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of solid state storage. That should be more than sufficient for Web browsing, word processing, and video playback. As the name suggests, it'll include Linux Mint out the box.

 

Between the SSD and the passively cooled processor, the MintBox Mini runs utterly silent.

 

As for size, the MintBox Mini will measure 0.95 inches thick, with a volume of 0.22 liters. That makes it three times smaller than Intel's NUC desktops, and five times smaller than the original Mintbox from 2012. It should be small enough to stuff in your pocket........

 

It'll cost $295, with a portion of the proceeds going to Linux Mint, and will include a five-year warranty.

 

 

http://www.pcworld.c...our-pocket.html

 

(Bold edits are mine)

[Hedon James]

I'm glad to see devices like these coming out from OEMs with Linux pre-installed. Even if you don't like the distro, you know the hardware is linux-friendly for your distro of choice! And I know it's a matter of personal preference, but dayumm that is an UGLY box. Not sure what you can do about aesthetics...I guess a VESA mount is the best you can hope for, LOL!

[abarbarian]

I'm glad to see devices like these coming out from OEMs with Linux pre-installed. Even if you don't like the distro, you know the hardware is linux-friendly for your distro of choice! And I know it's a matter of personal preference, but dayumm that is an UGLY box. Not sure what you can do about aesthetics...I guess a VESA mount is the best you can hope for, LOL!

 

[Capt.Crow]

Now if it had a flip-up screen and a trackpad/ball. I would be very keen . Change the color though ,Can of nice "rainbow" spray .

[zlim]

Please explain the ports to this tech-idiot.

Front from left to right

1. on/off

2. Why is there an SS with the USB 3 port?

3. and 4. headphone and speaker

5. micro sd slot above the mic jack

6 and 7 2 USB 2 ports.

 

Back left to right

1. USB 2 port

2. First of two HDMI ports for display

3. Must have 12 volt power plug.

4. Unmarked port on top ?

5. again SS on the USB 3 port

6. top what is a com port?

7. bottom ethernet J-45

8. 2nd HDMI display port

Edited January 18, 2015 by zlim

[securitybreach]

The color may be ugly but that is the colors of Linux Mint's theme so it fits.

[ebrke]

And only about half the price of the original 2012 version.

[Hedon James]

The color may be ugly but that is the colors of Linux Mint's theme so it fits.

 

Yeah, I get the "Mint green" theme, but the older MintBox was kinda sharp looking, with a black box and mint green accent/lighting(?) colors.

 

http://www.linuxmint.com/store/mintBox2/2.png

 

This one...not so much. This green is more of a pastel green, not a "Mint green", IMO. As an Ubuntu fan, I hated the old "turd brown" and orange theme; I can't imagine I woulda bought a turd brown computer just because it had Ubuntu on it. Then again, I've always said "function supercedes form"...first make it work well, then make it look good. I do like the quad-core specs in such a small form, so perhaps I should focus on that? I'd buy one, but it would be tucked behind my monitor, or my TV! Maybe Mint fans will like the design?

[saturnian]

Tempting. I'd order one of these if I didn't have so many other things higher on my list of priorities.

 

What I'd really like to see, though: Low-priced Linux notebooks/laptops in this same price range, somewhere around $300 bucks.

[zlim]

Can't anyone answer my three questions in post #5?

 

Started looking at pictures and SS means Super Speed. Now to see if that is different than just a USB 3 port.

 

But still two of my questions remain.

Edited January 18, 2015 by zlim

[securitybreach]

USB 3.0 is the third major version of the Universal Serial Bus (USB) standard for interfacing computers and electronic devices. Among other improvements, USB 3.0 adds the new transfer mode SuperSpeed (SS) which can transfer data at up to 5 Gbit/s (625 MB/s), which is more than ten times faster than the USB 2.0 standard. USB 3.0 connectors are distinguished from their USB 2.0 counterparts by blue color-coding of the receptacles and plugs and the initials SS.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB_3.0

[Hedon James]

Can't seem to find anything to confirm, zlim, but looking at the Mintbox2 manual would suggest that com port is an RS232 mini serial port, while the unmarked port on top looks like the "display port" on the MB2, which is the hdmi alternative in the dual display functionality. looks like you nailed all the others!

[burninbush]

Tempting. I'd order one of these if I didn't have so many other things higher on my list of priorities.

 

What I'd really like to see, though: Low-priced Linux notebooks/laptops in this same price range, somewhere around $300 bucks.

 

 

Well, I can absolutely recommend the HP 8440p I recently bought as a refurb from newegg -- paid $270, came with win7-pro installed, 4gb memory, dual-core i5. I immediately repartitioned the 250gb disk to make room for a couple linux distros. So far have installed PCLinuxOS's latest KDE distro with zero issues, same for a frugal Porteus. It also connects to hdmi and even has a 1394 socket. Has a SD slot in front and will boot from SD. I anticipated a junk battery but the one included will hold it up for ~2 hours.

 

The Mint box is small and cute, but we aren't seeing all of it in these pics. Won't be so cute when there are big plugs with wires in all those sockets. It's a little hard to tell who would buy it, or what they'd use it for.

[securitybreach]

....dual-core i5.

 

I didn't know that there were dual core i5s, I thought they were all quadcore?

[burninbush]

....dual-core i5.

 

I didn't know that there were dual core i5s, I thought they were all quadcore?

 

I found this on Tom's Hardware ...

 

I7 9xx & 8xx are quad cores with hyper threading (with turbo)

I5 7xx are quad cores without hyper threading (with turbo)

I5 6xx are dual core with hyper threading (with Turbo)

I3 5xx are dual cores with hyper threading (without Turbo)

 

So I think my HP has the third type. It's no slug by any means, I'm very pleased with it.

[saturnian]

Tempting. I'd order one of these if I didn't have so many other things higher on my list of priorities.

 

What I'd really like to see, though: Low-priced Linux notebooks/laptops in this same price range, somewhere around $300 bucks.

 

 

Well, I can absolutely recommend the HP 8440p I recently bought as a refurb from newegg -- paid $270, came with win7-pro installed, 4gb memory, dual-core i5. I immediately repartitioned the 250gb disk to make room for a couple linux distros.

 

Yeah -- I've got four notebooks, all running Linux, and each one originally came with Windows 7. Paid under $300 for each one. Much less in a couple cases because they weren't new. But I'd consider buying another one if it was in that price range, and if it came with Linux. Not a Chromebook, though.

[securitybreach]

....dual-core i5.

 

I didn't know that there were dual core i5s, I thought they were all quadcore?

 

I found this on Tom's Hardware ...

 

I7 9xx & 8xx are quad cores with hyper threading (with turbo)

I5 7xx are quad cores without hyper threading (with turbo)

I5 6xx are dual core with hyper threading (with Turbo)

I3 5xx are dual cores with hyper threading (without Turbo)

 

So I think my HP has the third type. It's no slug by any means, I'm very pleased with it.

 

Actually that is not completely accurate.. My processor is a i5-3450S Processor (6M Cache, up to 3.50 GHz) with 4 cores and 4 threads.

 

http://ark.intel.com...-up-to-3_50-GHz

[Hedon James]

....dual-core i5.

 

I didn't know that there were dual core i5s, I thought they were all quadcore?

 

So did I until recently. I learned that earlier i5s were dual cores, while more recent & current i5s are quads. I still don't know how to tell the difference without researching it though.

 

EDIT: nevermind...BurninBush covered it! Thank you!

Edited January 19, 2015 by Hedon James

[lewmur]

Wonder how this would spec out against an Odroid C-1, $35, which is also quad core, plus a 64gb eMMC card, $39, total $74? I know they are "different animals", but is the difference really worth a couple hundred buck?

 

My Odroid only has a 16gb UHS-1 sdcard but it runs Ubuntu with XFCE4 very smoothly. And by simply swapping SD cards, it also run Android 4.4.2.

[zlim]

Thanks Hedon James.

that com port is an RS232 mini serial port

I'm not familiar with that. Time for some more reading!

 

 

 

the unmarked port on top looks like the "display port" on the MB2, which is the hdmi alternative in the dual display functionality.

okay. As one who is still using analog tvs and VGA connectors for the monitors, I've heard of hdmi but don't use it.

 

Thanks Josh for the link to USB 3. Things are changing faster than I can keep up with them!

Edited January 19, 2015 by zlim

[securitybreach]

Wonder how this would spec out against an Odroid C-1, $35, which is also quad core, plus a 64gb eMMC card, $39, total $74? I know they are "different animals", but is the difference really worth a couple hundred buck?

 

My Odroid only has a 16gb UHS-1 sdcard but it runs Ubuntu with XFCE4 very smoothly. And by simply swapping SD cards, it also run Android 4.4.2.

 

Probably a huge boost in speed as the Odroid has a ARM Cortex A5 processor whereas the MintBox has a AMD A4 6400T processor

 

As one who is still using analog tvs and VGA connectors for the monitors, I've heard of hdmi but don't use it.

 

Thanks Josh for the link to USB 3. Things are changing faster than I can keep up with them!

 

You havent had an dvi monitor yet?

[Hedon James]

Thanks Hedon James.

that com port is an RS232 mini serial port

I'm not familiar with that. Time for some more reading!

 

 

 

the unmarked port on top looks like the "display port" on the MB2, which is the hdmi alternative in the dual display functionality.

okay. As one who is still using analog tvs and VGA connectors for the monitors, I've heard of hdmi but don't use it.

 

Thanks Josh for the link to USB 3. Things are changing faster than I can keep up with them!

 

It's NOT hdmi zlim. There is an hdmi port AND a display port. 2 different connection types, just like a choice between VGA/DVI, more modern connections are hdmi and display port. Most folks know of hdmi, because it's more popular, but display port is another alternative for hi-def resolutions. An an effort to help you catch up, I've got a link for you to check out:

 

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2030669/hdmi-vs-displayport-which-display-interface-reigns-supreme-.html

 

Regardless of what I think of the MintBox Minis aesthetics, I'm amazed at the versatility of that little machine and the multitude of connections it provides for. A little swiss army knife in that little box... All it's missing is Thunderbolt connections. But since that's an Apple technology, a Thunderbolt connection would probably double the price?!

[zlim]

You havent had an dvi monitor yet?

I have one but since the computer only has a VGA port, that's what I use. No I'm not ready to add a 9th computer to the house - yet. I probably will in 2016 when Win 10 has some of the bugs worked out.

 

oops, I'm off to read that article on what I don't know.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Well this is encouraging

DisplayPort is backward compatible with VGA and DVI through the use of adapters.

Edited January 20, 2015 by zlim

[securitybreach]

I probably will in 2016 when Win 10 has some of the bugs worked out.

Aghhh, what happened? I thought you were mainly a linux user....

[zlim]

linux, not me. I have 4 Win 7 computers, two running XP (one of the XPs in a partition on a Win 7), 2 running 2K and 1 running linux. I also have an Android tablet.

[securitybreach]

Oh :> sorry to hear that