ASRock has introduced its new ultra-compact form-factor (UCFF) PCs powered by AMD's Ryzen 4000U-series processors with up to eight cores. The systems are said to be the world's thinnest AMD-based desktops and come in 0.74-litre chassis that is only 1 inch (26 mm) thick, yet they offer performance on par with mainstream notebooks.
ASRock's Mars 4000U barebones pack AMD's Ryzen 4000U-series accelerated processing units (APUs) with built-in Radeon Vega graphics that can be paired with up to 64GB of DDR4 memory (using two SO-DIMMs modules), an M.2-2280 SSD with a PCIe 3.0 x4 or SATA interface, and a 2.5-inch SATA HDD or SSD. The system uses a 65W external power brick and therefore can be equipped with a wide variety of components.
Connectivity for ASRock's Mars 4000U-series includes two display outputs (a D-Sub and an HDMI), a GbE, one USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C port, six USB Type-A connectors (four USB 3.2, two USB 2.0), an SD card reader, audio output/input jacks, and an optional Intel AX200 Wi-Fi 6 or any other M.2-2230 Wi-Fi + Bluetooth adapter.
ASRock's Mars 4000U UCFF PC measures 7.6 x 5.9 x 1 inches (194mm × 150mm × 26mm) and can be attached to VESA mounts of a display or used separately.
The ASRock Mars 4000U series currently includes one model that packs the six-core AMD Ryzen 5 4500U processor, yet the company can expand the lineup with other models running up to eight-core AMD Ryzen 7 4800U processor. In fact, the company also offers a range of FP6D4-P1 motherboards in a proprietary form-factor with various APUs that can be used inside its own Mars chassis or to build UCFF PCs in other cases.
Pricing of ASRock's Mars 4000U is unknown, but it will naturally depend on the SoCs used. The company's partners will sell the systems equipped with memory and storage devices, their MSRPs will depend on pricing of the said components.
