Biostar has introduced us to their latest products, the iDEQ-T1 Mini-PC designed to subvert the conventional desktop PC by being smaller, lighter and more mobile while still having similar features and capabilities. By using a motherboard that is based on the mITX form-factor, these miniPCs are only about two-thirds of an A4 sheet of paper in size and weigh just 800 grams.
The Biostar iDEQ-T1 comes in two versions, one with Karaoke support and one without. The Karaoke version has a C-Media CM108AH Audio chip whereas the non-karaoke version has a Realtek ALC662 Codec instead. Inside these tiny machines, we find a quad-core Intel Celeron N2940 processor with 2MB cache and a boost speed up to 2.25 GHz. Intel’s Bay Trail processor provides the Gen7 display chip which can run a 2560×1440 resolution and has DirectX 11 support while maintaining a very low power consumption.
Using dual-channel DDR3 SO-DIMM memory with speeds up to 1333 MHz, the miniPCs can have up to 16 GB RAM over the two memory slots. For additional expansions it features a mini PCI-E slot that can be covered with the optional WiFi IEEE 802.11 b/g/n module, or anything else you can find that fits. You can add a 2.5-inch storage drive up to 9.5mm thickness and it will connect to an SATA2 port.
Wired network is performed by the Realtek RTL8111G Gigabit Ethernet controller and the system has three USB 2.0 and one USB 3.0 ports. Monitors can be connected via the HDMI or VGA port and both can be used simultaneous for multi-screen setups. While speaking of monitors, the iDEQ-T1 is VESA compliant and can be mounted with optional 75/100 VESA brackets if the foot-stand isn’t to your liking.
This clearly isn’t a gaming machine, but I can see many scenarios where it would be a great system. The processor can pull any normal office or HTPC task with ease. The karaoke version might be a hit for some people, where others might just laugh a bit and move on.
As any device from any manufacturer, these mini-PCs feature a row of exclusive in-house features. We have the Magic BIOS that is able to install the LAN driver for you after you installed your operating system, a minor but great function. The BIOS also supports Rescue BIOS that automatically can load a working and error-free version if you’d ever run into a BIOS crash. For the more every-day usage, it has support for BIO-Remote 2 and Charger Booster technology.
Thank you Biostar for providing us with this information
Images courtesy of Biostar
