ASUS PN65 Mini PC Breaks Cover With Intel 14th Gen Meteor Lake Riding Shotgun
Intel has repeatedly said that its Meteor Lake architecture is on track to debut this year and all indications point to that being true. Serving as further proof of this, ASUS has uploaded a product brochure for its Expert Center PN Series mini PCs for 2023, and one of the models listed inside references an "Intel 14th Gen Core Processor (28W)" for the CPU specs.
There's no mention of the specific SKU or other related CPU specs, such as the number of cores and threads, the clock speed, or how much cache it will carry. The only real detail is that it's a 28W processor, which indicates it's a mobile chip.
That said, Intel has provided some interesting details about Meteor Lake ahead of its release.
"Meteor Lake marks a significant milestone in the evolution not just in personal computing, but also in how we interact with technology. It starts with the 'chiplet' system-on-chip (SoC) design that allows Intel to deliver advanced intellectual properties (IPs) and leading-edge processes to optimize segment-relevant performance and lower power," Intel stated last week.
That blurb came from a press release about Intel's collaboration with Microsoft to bring AI to PCs at scale through Windows 11. As part of that effort, Intel said Meteor Lake will be its first PC platform to boast a built-in neural VPU, which is a dedicated AI engine integrated in the SoC to run AI models.
"With the new neural VPU combined with powerful AI accelerators on the CPU and GPU, which Intel has been supporting for several generations, Meteor Lake will play a crucial role in shaping the future of innovation and PC experiences for consumers and businesses across industries," Intel said.
Source: ASUS
It looks like ASUS will be one of the first to employ Meteor Lake, as outlined in its mini PC pamphlet (PDF). It references a PN65 model with a 14th Gen Core chip and Iris Xe graphics.
Other specifications include a pair of SO-DIMM slots supporting up to 64GB (2x32GB) of DDR5-5600 memory, two M.2 2280 slots supporting 256GB to 1TB NVMe SSDs, a 2.5-inch SATA slot for up to a 2TB HDD, Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E wireless connectivity options, a 2.5G LAN port, and various other I/O on the front and rear (plus a Kensington Lock slot on the side).
This will all come wrapped in a mini PC form factor measuring 120 x 130 x 58 millimeters (4.72 x 5.12 x 2.28 inches) and weighing 0.75 kilograms (1.66 pounds).
Assuming this really is Meteor Lake (as opposed to a Raptor Lake Refresh part), it will be interesting to see how it performs in a 28W package. Looking at Intel's 13th Gen lineup, 28W mobile CPUs fall under the company's P-series umbrella, which are offered with up to 14 cores (including 6 P-cores and 8 E-cores) and 20 threads.
