ASRock Industrial is likely one of the few distributors with a lineup of ultra-compact form-factor (UCFF) computing programs based mostly on the most recent Intel and AMD platforms. Their lineup of NUC clones – the NUC BOX collection with Intel, and the 4X4 BOX collection with AMD – has loved vital market success, primarily because of their dedication to forefront processors. The corporate introduced the 4X4 BOX-7000 series UCFF PCs based mostly on AMD’s Rembrandt-R SoCs in early February, and despatched throughout their flagship SKU – the 4X4 BOX-7735U/D5 – to be put by means of our rigorous analysis routine.

The 4X4 BOX-7735U/D5 is likely one of the first UCFF mini-PCs to depend on DDR5 SODIMMs, and it’s the first AMD-based mini-PC in our labs to incorporate USB4 performance with PCIe tunneling. The method enhancements in transferring to Zen 3+ and a re-architected built-in GPU (RDNA2) ought to theoretically ship considerably higher efficiency and energy effectivity for a variety of workloads over the corporate’s Cezanne-based flagship (4X4 BOX-5800U) from final yr.

The Ryzen 7 7735U, regardless of being a Zen 3+ half, was really introduced only in January 2023. With a TDP of 28W, this U collection SKU is supposed primarily for pocket book platforms. Nevertheless, its deployment in an actively cooled UCFF chassis has allowed ASRock Industrial to offer the tip person with a little bit of flexibility when it comes to energy consumption – and, as an extension, efficiency.

ASRock Industrial ships the 4X4 BOX-7735U/D5 within the ‘Regular Mode’ with AMD’s urged TDP of 28W. Nevertheless, a toggle within the BIOS can push the system right into a ‘Efficiency Mode’ with a souped-up TDP of 42W. This assessment explores the efficiency profile of the PC in each modes, and offers detailed insights into the differentiating elements of AMD’s Rembrandt-R in a UCFF mini-PC platform.

Introduction and Product Impressions

Extremely-compact form-factor (UCFF) programs have managed to efficiently change cumbersome tower desktops for a lot of use-cases during the last decade. The class continues to expertise progress in each dwelling client and industrial settings. The B2B / industrial computing arms of many motherboard distributors have additionally began offering extra consideration to such programs. ASRock Industrial (spun out of ASRock’s enterprise unit in 2018) has been creating UCFF programs based mostly on each AMD and Intel platforms since 2019. We have now reviewed plenty of programs from the corporate within the final couple of years, starting from the 4X4 BOX-V1000M (based mostly on the AMD Ryzen Embedded V1605B Zen SoC) to the NUCS BOX-1360P/D4 (based mostly on the Intel Core i7-1360P Raptor Lake-P processor).

This assessment delves intimately into the corporate’s flagship AMD UCFF providing for 2023 – the 4X4 BOX-7735U/D5. Primarily based on AMD’s high-end Rembrandt-R 28W providing (Ryzen 7 7735U), the brand new system is supposed to be a follow-up to the Cezanne-based 4X4 BOX-5800U launched final yr. The Ryzen 7 7735U continues with the identical 8C/16T configuration of the Ryzen 7 5800U. Nevertheless, the fabrication course of has moved from TSMC’s 7nm to 6nm FinFET, permitting the Zen 3 microarchitecture to get rebranded as Zen 3+. The method change has resulted in higher voltage-frequency curves, with the web end result being larger clocks for higher efficiency and enhancements in vitality effectivity. Extra importantly, AMD has re-architected the built-in GPU – transferring from the Vega-based one in Cezanne to a RDNA2-based Radeon 680M in Rembrandt-R. This has allowed the corporate to reclaim floor misplaced to Intel when the latter introduces the brand new Xe structure into Tiger Lake and later processors.

ASRock Industrial’s UCFF programs are non-descript machines that don’t go for a elaborate industrial design. The useful casing utilized in earlier 4X4 BOX programs is retained for the 4X4 BOX-7735U/D5 additionally. Whereas the Intel-based NUC(S) BOX lineup made the grateful transfer to matte polycarbonate for the chassis, the 4X4 BOX collection continues to retain the shiny fingerprint magnet casing. The I/O port areas are precisely the identical as within the earlier era, however the modifications in Rembrandt-R has resulted in main updates to the interior board.

The corporate’s 4X4 BOX-7000 collection has solely two members – one based mostly on the Ryzen 7 7735U and the opposite based mostly on the Ryzen 5 7535U. A few of the key related elements are introduced out in AMD’s introductory slide to the product household again on the 2023 CES.

Not like a number of the different rebadges like Barcelo-R, Rembrandt-R helps solely DDR5 and LPDDR5. For programs with user-replaceable reminiscence just like the 4X4 BOX-7000 collection, DDR5 SODIMMs are the one choice. The transfer to PCIe 4.0 implies that the M.2 SSD slot on the board turns into able to supporting Gen 4 SSDs. AMD additionally guarantees USB4 within the platform for quick exterior units – and, as we will see in a while on this assessment, ASRock Industrial has configured the board parts appropriately to allow this on each Kind-C ports within the entrance panel.

ASRock Industrial provides each barebones model of the system in addition to the motherboard alone. The previous is usually offered within the retail, whereas the latter is supposed for the B2B channel. The barebones model bundle comes with a 120W DC energy adapter (19V @ 6.32A), VESA mount (and related screws), a geo-specific energy twine, the primary unit, and a product overview / person setup information.

The barebones model must DDR5 SODIMMs and a M.2 2280 SSD to finish the construct. Kingston provided a DDR5-4800 FURY equipment (2x8GB) for the construct, and we complemented that with a Samsung PM9A1 512GB Gen 4 NVMe SSD (OEM model of the 980 PRO).

Entry to the SODIMM and M.2 slots is by way of the underside. Elimination of the 4 screws on the backside permits the panel to be popped off.

Whereas it’s doable to put in a 2.5″ SATA drive within the system, ASRock Industrial strongly recommends not doing it with a purpose to help with correct airflow. The set up course of is in any other case much like the older 4X4 BOX programs, and we have been up and operating with a freshly put in OS very quickly. Home windows on-line updates resolve nearly all the unknown units within the machine supervisor, however a number of do want the AMD Chipset Driver bundle from ASRock Industrial’s product support page.

The total specs of the assessment pattern (as examined) are summarized within the desk beneath. As we are going to word within the subsequent part, the BIOS permits the system to be configured in both of two modes with totally different TDPs, as specified within the Processor entry.

Techniques Specs (as examined)
	ASRock 4X4 BOX-7735U (Efficiency)	ASRock 4X4 BOX-7735U (Regular)
Processor	AMD Ryzen 7 7735U Zen 3+ (Rembrandt R) 8C/16T, 2.7 – 4.75 GHz TSMC 6nm, 16MB L3, 28W Max / Goal TDP : 50W / 42W	AMD Ryzen 7 7735U Zen 3+ (Rembrandt R) 8C/16T, 2.7 – 4.75 GHz TSMC 6nm, 16MB L3, 28W Max / Goal TDP : 34W / 28W
Reminiscence	Kingston Fury KF548S38-8 DDR5-4800 SODIMM 38-38-38-70 @ 4800 MHz 2×8 GB	Kingston Fury KF548S38-8 DDR5-4800 SODIMM 38-38-38-70 @ 4800 MHz 2×8 GB
Graphics	AMD Radeon 680M (Rembrandt) – Built-in (12 CUs @ 2.2 GHz)	AMD Radeon 680M (Rembrandt) – Built-in (12 CUs @ 2.2 GHz)
Disk Drive(s)	Samsung PM9A1 MZVL2512HCJQ (512 GB; M.2 2280 PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe;) (Samsung 6th Gen. V-NAND 128L (136T) 3D TLC; Samsung Elpis S4LV003 Controller; OEM model of 980 PRO)	Samsung PM9A1 MZVL2512HCJQ (512 GB; M.2 2280 PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe;) (Samsung 6th Gen. V-NAND 128L (136T) 3D TLC; Samsung Elpis S4LV003 Controller; OEM model of 980 PRO)
Networking	1x 2.5 GbE RJ-45 (Realtek RTL8125) 1x GbE RJ-45 (Realtek RTL8111EPV) Mediatek MT7922 (RZ616) Wi-Fi 6E (2×2 802.11ax – 1.9 Gbps)	1x 2.5 GbE RJ-45 (Realtek RTL8125) 1x GbE RJ-45 (Realtek RTL8111EPV) Mediatek MT7922 (RZ616) Wi-Fi 6E (2×2 802.11ax – 1.9 Gbps)
Audio	Realtek ALC233 (3.5mm Audio Jack in Entrance) Digital Audio with Bitstreaming Assist over HDMI and Show Port	Realtek ALC233 (3.5mm Audio Jack in Entrance) Digital Audio with Bitstreaming Assist over HDMI and Show Port
Video	1x HDMI 2.1 1x Show Port 1.4a 2x Show Port 1.4a over USB4 Kind-C	1x HDMI 2.1 1x Show Port 1.4a 2x Show Port 1.4a over USB4 Kind-C
Miscellaneous I/O Ports	2x USB 2.0 (Rear) 2x USB4 Kind-C (Entrance) 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Kind-A (Entrance)	2x USB 2.0 (Rear) 2x USB4 Kind-C (Entrance) 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Kind-A (Entrance)
Working System	Home windows 11 Enterprise (22000.1696)	Home windows 11 Enterprise (22000.1696)
Pricing	(Avenue Pricing on April 2th, 2023) US $650 (barebones) USD 801 (as configured, no OS)	(Avenue Pricing on April 2th, 2023) US $650 (barebones) USD 801 (as configured, no OS)
Full Specs	ASRock Industrial 4X4 BOX-7735U/D5 Specifications	ASRock Industrial 4X4 BOX-7735U/D5 Specifications

Within the subsequent part, we check out the assorted BIOS choices and comply with it up with an in depth platform evaluation.