ASRock unveiled a line of 11th Gen Core powered industrial SBCs including barebones NUC 1100, STX-1500 (Mini-STX), and IMB-1224 (thin Mini-ITX), plus Windows-based NUC BOX 1100 and iBOX 1100 mini-PCs.
ASRock typically preloads Win 10 on its embedded computers, including industrial focused models, but it usually sells its motherboards as barebones, without an OS. ASRock follows this pattern in its roll-out of a new line of industrial products equipped with Intel’s 11th Gen Tiger Lake ULP3 processors. The products include the barebones and presumably Linux- and Windows-ready NUC 1100, STX-1500 (Mini-STX), and IMB-1224 (thin Mini-ITX) boards, as well as the Windows-bundled NUC BOX 1100 mini-PC and iBox 1100 embedded PC, which appear to be based on the NUC 1100 board.
NUC-1185G7E (left) and the NUC BOX-1185G7E that it powers
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All the SBCs and the iBox system support the embedded focused Tiger Lake “E” models that were announced after the initial Tiger Lake launch. The NUC boards are also available with standard 11th Gen ULP3 models shown in the chart below, and the NUC mini-PCs provide only the standard models.
ASRock’s Tiger Lake products (left) and the standard Tiger Lake ULP SoCs (“E” parts have slightly slower clock rates)
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ASRock also revealed a “coming soon” SBC lineup with Tiger Lake. There were no details on the SBC-360P, SBC-360M, and SBC-360V, which are likely 3.5-inch boards. The Tiger Lake systems follow other ASRock industrial products, including last year’s 8th Gen Whiskey Lake lineup of Mini-ITX, NUC, iBox, and 3.5-inch offerings.
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Intel’s 11th Gen processor offers a significant CPU boost and a huge graphics improvement with its Intel Gen12 Iris Xe graphics. Other highlights of the 10nm fabricated chip include quad 4K support, AI support (Intel DL Boost), and support for PCIe Gen 4, USB 4.0, and 2.5GbE Ethernet.
The Tiger Lake “E” models offer extended purchase availability and have slightly lower base and Turbo frequencies than the similarly named ULP3 siblings without the “E” suffix. ASRock is not offering the “GRE” models, which are like the “E” models, but with Intel Time Coordinated Computing (TCC) and functional safety features. Other Tiger Lake SBCs include Aaeon’s UP Xtreme i11.
Common features on all the products include up to 64GB of dual-channel DDR4-3200, 1GbE and 2.5GbE ports, and at least 2x M.2 slots with PCIe Gen4. All but the IMB-1224 offers up to 10Gbps USB 3.2 Gen2 ports. They all provide quadruple simultaneous display support, wide-range power inputs, and a 0 to 60ºC operating range with 5% ~ 90% humidity tolerance.
NUC 1100
Unlike ASRock’s Mini-STX and Mini-ITX boards, the NUC 1100 is split into different product pages based on their dual- and quad-core Core and Celeron CPU SKUs. There are seven fan-cooled models, three of which are shown on the chart above. All the boards appear to be identical except for the processor, which can be easily identified by the product name: NUC-1185G7E, NUC-1145G7E, NUC-1115G4E, NUC-6305E (Celeron 6305E), NUC-1165G7, NUC-1135G7, and NUC-1115G4 (see Tiger Lake chart above).
NUC-1185G7E, front and back
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The 4.09-in x 4.02-in (4×4) NUC 1100 boards ship with 64GB DDR4-3200 and a SATA III interface, with more storage available via an M.2 M-key 2242/2260/2280 socket with PCIe Gen4 x4 and SATA III support. An M.2 E-key 2230 socket provides PCIe x1, USB 2.0, and CNVi for Wireless.
The NUC boards are available with GbE (Intel I219LM) and 2.5GbE (I225LM) ports and 6x USB 3.2 Gen2 ports, 2x of which are Type-C ports that also support DisplayPort 1.4. USB 4.0 (USB4) support is “pending for certification.” Internally, there are 2x USB 2.0 and single RS-232 interfaces, as well as a TPM chip and a watchdog.
In addition to the DP-ready Type-C ports, there are standalone DP 1.4 (DP++) and HDMI 2.0a ports, both at up to 4096 x 2160 @ 60Hz. It is unclear if can run four 4K displays simultaneously. Other features include an audio I/O jack with Realtek ALC233 codec, a 12-19V DC jack, AT/ATX support, and a power button.
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STX-1500
The STX-1500P (i7-1185G7E), STX-1500M (i5-1145G7E), and STX-1500V (i3-1115G4E) SBCs adhere to the 5.5 x 5.8-inch (5×5) Mini-STX form factor. Mini-STX boards are relatively rare, with examples including Sapphire’s Ryzen V1000 based, 147.3 x 139.7mm FS-FP5V.
STX-1500, front and back
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The STX-1500 boards provide 2x SATA III interfaces with SATA power output and RAID 0/1 support. There is also a SATA-ready M.2 M-key socket, although it appears you can only have two SATA drives at once. You also get the M.2 E-key slot for wireless plus an M.2 B-key 3052/3042/2280 with PCIe x1, USB 3.2, and USB 2.0 signals. The B-key slot is accompanied by a SIM slot for 4G or 5G modules.
Ethernet is the same as with the NUC 1100 except that one SKU offers a slightly different I219V GbE controller. The STX-1500 supplies 3x USB 3.2 Gen2 and 3x USB 2.0 ports plus internal USB 2.0, RS-232/422/485, RS-232, and 8-bit GPIO headers.
Quad display support is provided via 4x HDMI 2.0a ports at up to 4096 x 2160 @ 60Hz plus internal 4K-ready eDP, and HD-ready, dual-channel 24-bit LVDS interfaces. There are also dual audio jacks and a speaker header. The system has a watchdog, TPM, and a 12-28V DC jack and header with AT/ATX support and a power button.
IMB-1224
The IMB-1224 thin Mini-ITX boards include the IMB-1224P (i7-1185G7E), IMB-1224M (i5-1145G7E), IMB-1224V (I3-1115G4E), and IMB-1224E (Celeron 6305E). The 6.7 x 6.7-inch (170x 170mm) motherboard offers the same Ethernet, dual SATA, and M.2 M-key interfaces as the STX-1500. You get a SATA power output, but only dual SATA drives at once. The M.2 E- and B-key with SIM configuration is also the same.
IMB-1224 front and side views
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Like the STX-1500 board, quad display support is available via 4x HDMI 2.0b, eDP, and LVDS. Once again, there are dual audio jacks and a speaker header.
The IMB-1224 is limited to 2x USB 3.2 ports using the slower, 5Gbps Gen1 technology plus 2x USB 2.0 ports. Internal headers, however, are more extensive, with a single USB 3.2 Gen1, 2x USB 2.0, 2x RS-232/422/485, 4x RS-232, 16-bit GPIO, and a Parallel header. The IMB-1224 provides a watchdog, TPM 2.0, and the same 12-28V power features of the STX-1500.
NUC Box 1100 and iBOX 1100
The Windows-only NUC BOX 1100 and iBOX 1100 systems appear to be based on the NUC 1100 board detailed above.
The fan-cooled NUC BOX-1185G7E, NUC BOX-1145G7E, and NUC BOX-1115G4E mini-PCs have 117.5 x 110.0 x 47.85mm dimensions. The features are the same as the NUC board except for the the limitation to only one USB 3.2 Gen2 host port in addition to the dual Gen2 Type-C ports with DP support.
The NUC BOX 1100 also adds an Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX200 modem and a 2.5-inch SATA bay. The VESA-mountable, 1 kg mini-PC has a narrower 0 to 40ºC range than the SBC and ships with a 19V, 90W power adapter.
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NUC Box 1100 (left) and iBox 1100
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The more industrial, fanless iBOX-1185G7E, iBOX-1145G7E, and iBOX-1115G4E systems are larger, at 171.8 x 109.45 x 50.05mm. The specs are almost identical to the NUC board specs. The VESA and wall-mountable, 1 kg system has a 0 to 50ºC range and a 19V/90W adapter.
Further information
No pricing or availability information was provided for ASRock’s Tiger Lake based products. More information may be found in ASRock’s announcement, as well as product pages for the NUC 1100 board, STX-1500, and IMB-1224. The enclosed systems may be found in the fanned embedded page with NUC BOX 1100 mini-PCs and fanless embedded page with iBox 1100 systems.
This article originally appeared on LinuxGizmos.com on December 15, 2020.
ASRock Industrial | www.asrockind.com
