ASUS ExpertCenter PN54-S1 Mini PC Packs A Ryzen Chip & AI Assistant With Voice Recognition
ASUS ExpertCenter PN51-S1 Mini PC Specs
- Dimensions: 130 x 130 x 34mm (0.6 liters)
- Processor 1: AMD Ryzen 3 210 w/ Radeon 740M iGPU
- Processor 2: AMD Ryzen 5 220 w/ Radeon 740M iGPU
- Processor 3: AMD Ryzen 7 260 w/ Radeon 780M iGPU
- RAM Options: Barebones Kit (No RAM), or pre-installed 2-slot SO-DIMM DDR5-5600 MT/s up to 64 GB
- Storage Options: Barebones Kit (No SSDs), or 2 pre-installed NVMe Gen 4 SSDs, up to 2 TB each
- Wi-Fi Options: Wi-Fi 6E MT7922 or Wi-Fi 7 MT7925 card
- Bluetooth Options: Always Bluetooth 5.4
- Front I/O: 1 3.5mm Audio Jack, 1 USB 3.2 Gen2 Typie-C port, 2 USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports
- Rear I/O: One 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet port (optional extra port pictured above), 1 USB4 Type-C port, 2 DisplayPort 1.4 ports, 1 USB 2.0 port, 1 USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A port, 1 HDMI port
- Misc: Kensington Lock, Internal Speaker, Internal Microphone
Overall, the ASUS ExpertCenter PN51-S1 Mini PC does look compelling, as long as it's priced accordingly. However, competition is surprisingly hot in the sub-$500 Mini PC market. The machine does seem well-targeted at the enterprise space with a built-in fingerprint reader and other security features, including fTPM 2.0 and an optional dTPM (discrete TPM) for hardware-level key management. Support for ASUS Control Center software also allows for easy control of large-scale deployments, and each machine is capable of 16 AI TOPS, as well as AI voice assistant operations.
For those who want more power in this form factor with enterprise features intact, the Asus PN54 series is already listed on Amazon starting at $589 (Barebones w/ Ryzen AI 340) or $699 for a pre-built unit with a Ryzen AI 7 350. The latter of those two is outfitted with a Radeon 860M iGPU, which is as powerful as a Radeon 780M. If you have no need for the enterprise-centric features, the Geekom AX8 Max Mini PC also offers a Radeon 780M iGPU but for just $529 at time of writing.
Only time will tell if the ASUS ExpertCenter PN51-S1 has pricing to make it competitive with the Geekom AX8 Max, but its support for enterprise features may just edge it out in those use cases, anyway.
For those who want more power in this form factor with enterprise features intact, the Asus PN54 series is already listed on Amazon starting at $589 (Barebones w/ Ryzen AI 340) or $699 for a pre-built unit with a Ryzen AI 7 350. The latter of those two is outfitted with a Radeon 860M iGPU, which is as powerful as a Radeon 780M. If you have no need for the enterprise-centric features, the Geekom AX8 Max Mini PC also offers a Radeon 780M iGPU but for just $529 at time of writing.
Only time will tell if the ASUS ExpertCenter PN51-S1 has pricing to make it competitive with the Geekom AX8 Max, but its support for enterprise features may just edge it out in those use cases, anyway.
