The manufacturer Khadas has introduced a new mini-PC. It is aimed at both gamers and people who work in an office. The idea behind it is brilliant, but also very expensive.
Mini-PCs are great when you work from home and don’t want to use your power-hungry gaming PC right away.
The manufacturer Khadas has introduced a special mini-PC called “Khadas Mind.” This system not only focuses on a small size but also offers unique modularity. Currently, the system is being presented on Kickstarter.
Mini-PC focuses on modular components
What can the device do? The mini-PC itself is as large as an external SSD that you can quickly slip into your backpack or bag. Additionally, the manufacturer states that the system should have a built-in battery when you don’t have a power outlet within reach.
The mini-PC can be packed into a docking station, the so-called Mind Dock: This docking station expands the PC with eight additional ports (including a USB-C, two USB-A, and two more HDMI ports), a power supply, and additional speakers.
If you want to game with the device, you can add an additional graphics unit (RTX 4060Ti). This way, you won’t have to use the Intel graphics unit for gaming. However, with the mobile graphics unit, the mini-PC becomes very bulkier and more resembles small mini-ITX systems.
Is this something completely new? Such modular systems have existed for a while. For example, Razer offers an external graphics card that you can connect to your laptop via Thunderbolt, and some manufacturers provide docking stations for their laptops. Nevertheless, the idea of designing a mini-PC so modularly is quite unique.
Technical details of the “standard” model:
| Processor | Intel Core i5-1340P |
| Graphics card | Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics, with a clock frequency of 1,450 MHz |
| Memory | LPDDR5 16GB 5200MT/S |
| Storage | 512GB M.2 NVMe PCIe 4.0 2230 SSD + empty slot for expansion |
| Connection options: | Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax) Bluetooth 5.3 |
| Size and weight | 146x105x20mm, 450 grams |
| Operating system (OS) | Windows 11 Home |
The price is somewhat discouraging
The concept sounds brilliant on paper, as you cannot easily upgrade normal mini-PCs. At best, you can install a larger SSD or more memory. However, this is not always possible because some manufacturers prefer to solder the components.
What is discouraging? However, the price is not insignificant. Just for the base PC, Khadas charges around 800 US dollars. For other powerful mini-PCs, you are likely to pay about half. And the prices do not stop there:
- If you want to get the docking station, you’ll pay nearly 1,000 euros, and with the graphics unit, it will be around 1,500 euros.
- The entire Mind bundle will cost around 1,600 euros, and in retail, the bundle is expected to cost around 2,000 euros.
The idea behind the setup may be brilliant, but the price is quite discouraging. After the Kickstarter release, prices are expected to rise significantly. And most gamers, who may also run an office on the side, are likely to be deterred by these high prices rather than excited.
For that money, you can also buy a powerful gaming PC and get significantly more performance than with an RTX 4060 Ti. For 2,000 euros, you can get a gaming PC with an RTX 4080, and that puts you in the high-end range.
Other gaming PCs: By the way, it can get even more expensive. A German company has introduced a special gaming PC, but it is not cheap. Read more about it directly on MeinMMO:
German company presents gaming PC with Nvidia’s RTX 4090: It weighs 14 kg and costs as much as a car
