To the delight of SFF enthusiasts, ASRock is likely preparing the successor for the brand's DeskMini A300 mini-PC. According to a benchmark submission (via @_rogame), the new barebones device will house AMD's forthcoming Ryzen 4000-series (codename Renoir) APUs.
The Zen 2 APU in question surfaced with the 100-000000146-40_42/35_Y codename. The first part of the codename contains the OPN (Ordering Part Number) that matches the one for the Ryzen 7 4700G.
As a quick reminder, the Ryzen 7 4700G is expected to be the flagship for AMD's Zen 2 APU family. The 7nm processor sports eight cores, 16 threads, and, according to Biostar's previously published specifications, has a 3.6 GHz base clock and 65W TDP (thermal design power). The rumored boost clock speed for the Ryzen 7 4700G is 4.45 GHz. In terms of graphics, the Ryzen 7 4700G will potentially have up to eight Vega Compute Units (CUs) that operate up to 2,100 MHz.
As for the carrier, the Ryzen 7 4700G appeared alongside the ASRock X300M-STX motherboard. As the name implies, the X300M-STX is based on AMD's X300 chipset and AM4 socket. The motherboard enables overclocking, so it's been carefully tailored towards enthusiasts, and the name also suggests that the X300M-STX will retain the Mini-STX (147 x 140 mm) form factor. It's uncertain if the chipset switch is the only change to the X300M-STX motherboard. If the motherboard is anything like its predecessor, it should come equipped with two SO-DIMM DDR4 memory slots, two M.2 PCIe 3.0 x 4 slots, and a diverse list of video outputs, including an HDMI 2.0 port, D-Sub port, and DisplayPort 1.4 output.
The dimensions for the current DeskMini A300 are 155 x 155 x 80mm. The 1.92-liter case weighs a little under 2kg and even comes with a VESA mount. While looks are a subjective matter, the case's design has proven to be pretty decent. It remains to be seen whether ASRock ultimately decides to give the case a facelift or stick with the current design.
Renoir leaks and benchmark submissions have been piling up over the last few months, but we still have no idea when the Zen 2 APUs will hit the hardware shelves. If we look back at the Ryzen 3000-series (codename Picasso) launch, AMD released the mobile versions in January with the desktop versions eventually landing in July. If AMD keeps this pattern, then desktop Renoir should come out next month.
