Why it matters to you
Intel’s fast but tiny Compute Card pushes the limit on what small PCs can do, and may enable new, more powerful IoT products.
The specifications of several Intel Compute Cards have been leaked, giving us our first look at what the interior hardware of the super-slim, fully-functioning PCs will be like. Along with a selection of differently specced processors, they all come with 4GB of RAM and up to 128GB of onboard PCI Express, solid-state (SSD) storage.
Taking micro-computing in a more powerful direction than the Rasbperry Pi and its contemporaries, Intel’s Compute Cards are designed as a spiritual successor to the Compute Stick. Slim and entirely self-contained, they’re designed to offer powerful, fully capable computing functions for modular systems. In the future, upgrading your laptop or smart appliance could be as simple as removing the old card and plugging in the new.
As well as not being marketed to bedroom hackers like many credit card-sized systems, Intel’s Compute Cards are much more capable, if the leaked specifications are anything to go by (thanks CNX-Software).
Besides the RAM and storage mentioned, Compute Cards offer quad core and dual core processors ranging from the sixth-generation Celeron N3450 and Pentium N4200, to the seventh-generation M3-7Y30 and i5-7Y57. With up to 3.3GHz with onboard Intel HD graphics, the chips consume no more than 4.5 watts of power, making them very efficient and capable of performing in such a small space without overheating.
Storage options include 64GB of eMMC flash storage with the older, Apollo Lake CPUs, while the more modern Kaby Lake options come with 128GB of PCIExpress SSD storage.
These systems are mainly aimed at manufacturers and partner firms, rather than consumers right now, which is why the Compute Cards don’t come with standard connectors like USB. However, using a bespoke Compute Card connector, they can output to just about anything you want. With the addition of a wireless module, they can also connect over Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
Designed to act as the core of a standalone computer or smart appliance, the rumored pricing for these Compute Cards ranges from $150 for the low-end models, up to $500 for the more expensive options.