ASRock Linux-ready “iBox-R1000” industrial PC and “NUC-R1000” mainboard provide the new AMD Ryzen Embedded R1000 SoC in a 4×4 NUC form-factor with up to 32GB DDR4, 2x GbE, 3x USB 3.1, triple 4K displays, and 2x M.2 slots.

In a renewed rivalry with Intel reignited by the success of its Ryzen line of processors, AMD has started to get a bit cheeky with its larger rival. Its latest provocation is the launch (via partner ASRock Industrial) of the first 4×4 (also called 4″x4″) NUC form-factor mini-PC based on an AMD processor. As noted in the Tom’s Hardware story that alerted us to the iBox-R1000 and the board-level NUC-R1000, the NUC label “isn’t technically accurate” since it’s an Intel brand that defines a certain class of mini-PC that uses Intel processors.

iBox-R1000 (left) and NUC-R1000
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As we reported a few days ago in our coverage of ASRock’s Intel Whiskey Lake-U based iBox-8265U mini-PC, ASRock recently showed off a NUC-8265U mini-PC based on Whiskey Lake and another unnamed NUC box based on the Ryzen Embedded V1605B. Presumably, ASRock, which uses Intel chips on almost all of its computers, would not call them NUC devices if there was any threat of an Intel lawsuit, but you never know.

Like ASRock’s Whiskey Lake based iBox-8265U, the fanless iBox-R1000 mini-PC and NUC-R1000 SBC are designed primarily for industrial applications and offer 0 to 50℃ and 0 to 60℃ support, respectively. The products showcase AMD’s new dual-core, quad-threaded Ryzen Embedded R1000. This stripped-down version of the Ryzen Embedded V1000 is designed for more constrained embedded duty such as fanless IoT computers. Roughly speaking, the R1000 is more like Intel’s Atom while the V1000 matches up closer with the Intel Core.

The iBox-R1000 and the NUC-R1000 SBC that powers it support both the 2.4GHz/3.3GHz R1505G and 2.6GHz/3.5GHz R1606G models. Both models have dual Zen cores, triple Vega GPU cores, and 12-25W TDPs. Aside from CPU clock rate, the only other noted difference is that the R1606G boosts the GPU clock from 1GHz to 1.2GHz. The ASRock product page notes only Windows 10, support, but the announcement also says it supports Linux kernel 4.18 and above.

iBox-R1000, front and back
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The iBox-R1000 and the NUC-R1000 can load up to 32GB 2400MHz DDR4 (including ECC) via dual channels. They provide a SATA III port, which in the case of the iBox-R1000 is extended with a 2.5-inch HDD/SSD bay. Triple simultaneous 4K displays are enable via an HDMI 2.0 port and dual DisplayPort 1.4 ports.

The iBox-R1000 and the NUC-R1000 take advantage of the Ryzen support for USB 3.1 by delivering 3x USB 3.1 ports. The iBox-R1000 has a single USB 2.0 port, although a second, internal USB 2.0 is accessible on the NUC-R1000 board.

The products offer a single RS-232/422/485 COM port plus 2x Realtek RTL8111G based Gigabit Ethernet ports. An M.2 Key-M slot supports 2242 and 2260 SSD cards, and an M.2 Key-E 2230 slot supports WiFi and Bluetooth cards.

NUC-R1000 portside views
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The 4.09 x 4.02-inch NUC-R1000 board exposes additional features such as an LPC header and audio I/O. The iBox-R1000 measures 171.8 x 150 x 69.8mm and weighs a single Kilogram. The iBox-R1000 is constructed of extruded aluminum and metal and supports 10%~90% humidity. A watchdog and 12V DC input are available along with wall and VESA mounting.

“We’re excited to partner with ASRock Industrial to introduce the iBOX-R1000, the world’s first AMD based NUC 4″x4″ form factor computer, built on the all-new AMD Ryzen Embedded R1000 SoC,” stated Stephen Turnbull, director of product management and business development, Embedded Solutions, AMD.

 
Further information

No pricing or availability information was provided for the iBox-R1000 and the NUC-R1000 mainboard. More information is available in ASRock Industrial’s announcement, as well as the iBox-R1000 and NUC-R1000 product pages.