Computex 2021: ASRock Announces Mars 5000U Series Mini PC
by Gavin Bonshor on June 4, 2021 11:00 AM EST
During Computex 2021, ASRock unveiled the latest series in its Mars mini-PC range, the Mars 5000U. ASRock claims it's the thinnest AMD mini PC globally and comes equipped with AMD's latest 5000 series APU. It features support for DDR4-3200 SO-DIMM memory, one PCIe 3.0 x4 M.2 slot, a 2.5" SATA hard drive bay, and an Intel Wi-Fi 6 interface.
The ASRock Mars 5000U series comes in a svelte and very slimline black brushed aluminum chassis, with dimensions of 194 x 150 x 26 mm (W x D x H), making it a single mm thicker than a regular chassis fan. Due to there being very little wiggle room for space inside, at just 0.7 liters, ASRock uses a proprietary fan and heatsink combination to keep the AMD Ryzen 5000U APU cool. For memory, there's a pair of memory slots that can accommodate up to 64 GB of DDR4-3200 SO-DIMM memory, while storage capabilities include one PCIe 3.0 x4/SATA M.2 slot and one 2.5" SATA hard drive bay.
It is powered by a 65 W/19 V adaptor akin to a laptop charger and includes a decent selection of I/O. Included are four USB 3.2 G1 Type-A (two rear, two front), one USB 3.2 G1 Type-C (front), and two USB 2.0 (front) ports. The Mars 5000G also includes a 3-in-1 card reader including SD, SDHC, and SDXC support and two video outputs consisting of an HDMI and D-Sub. Networking options include one unspecified Gigabit Ethernet port with an Intel AX200 wireless interface offering Wi-Fi and BT 5.0 connectivity. An unspecified audio solution also powers a 3.5 mm microphone and 3.5 mm headphone jack combination.
The ASRock Mars 5000U series looks very similar to the previous Mars 4000 series mini-PC series. The only difference is that the newer model supports the upcoming Ryzen 5000 APUs based on AMD's Zen 3 microarchitecture. ASRock hasn't stated which APUs it will offer. Pricing is currently unknown.
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Samus - Saturday, June 5, 2021 - link
2022 "or so" sounds about right Replyscineram - Saturday, June 5, 2021 - link
That will be CES, yes. Replyzentwo - Friday, June 4, 2021 - link
Nice that uses Ryzen, but lacks dedicated GPU. I need a Mini PC with Ryzen, nvidia GPU and VESA mount. Replymeacupla - Friday, June 4, 2021 - link
okay, serious questionWould you trust ASRock if they added in a dedicated nvidia GPU into a mini PC?
because I wouldn't Reply
twotwotwo - Sunday, June 6, 2021 - link
As a curiosity, ASRock did a kinda cool experiment in the DeskMini GTX/RX (Intel). Bigger than this but smaller than mini-ITX, "cheating" with a brick PSU, an MXM module for the GPU, laptop RAM, and no full-size PCIe slot.When I was coming off of a NUC after Matisse came out, I'd've taken an AMD version of that, even with a crummy soldered-down dGPU, to get moar cores in a tiny box on my desk. Doubt there's enough of a market for that to justify actually building it, though. Reply
Hul8 - Sunday, June 6, 2021 - link
It's doubtful ASRock would add Nvidia anything, since they're an AMD GPU partner, with Radeon GPUs of their own. Replynpz - Friday, June 4, 2021 - link
"The Mars 5000G also includes a 3-in-1 card reader .."Is that a typo or is there another model with the card reader? Reply
Wereweeb - Friday, June 4, 2021 - link
It's the thin&long blue socket next to the USB-C. In other images you can read the sideways "SD" ReplyWereweeb - Friday, June 4, 2021 - link
Oh, sorry, now I realize what you mean. No, this is part of Asrock's line of NUC-likes, so no desktop APU's. The line with desktop APU's are the Deskminis and the Jupiters, and those don't have SD card slots. Must be a typo. Replybansheexyz - Friday, June 4, 2021 - link
Why not make all usb ports usb-c and bundle some adapters? How are peripheral makers ever going to dump them if mobos don't? Endless chicken and egg. Reply