Looking for a Nano PC at an affordable range along with standard hardware configuration can be confusing. When we talk about Nano PC, the model implies on portable desktop solution, mini pc that are designed to give you portable size, lots of space and standard performance. This type of mini pc is best for HTPC (Home Theater Personal Computer). Also ideal for working. But not for gaming, neither for high end work. It is really amazing to find how small a pc can be. In this article we are going to review one of those. The manufacturer Foxconn has some nice set of products under this range following Intel Celeron, Intel Atom, Ivy Bridge and AMD series. We will discuss on Nano PC AT-5570. Near to a size of abook, Nano PC AT-5570 belongs to Brazo series of Faxconn. Following AMD CPU only product line. We are in the age of Core i7 processor that is capable of giving high clock rate with extreme overclocking. Also high end graphic cards that are capable of delivering unmatched gaming performance.
Now here it is wrong to expect something great for this Nano PC. They are designed to save lots of desk space and comes with mid range hardware config that you can easily find in netbooks. Similar to that some models are loaded with good graphics and CPU, but the price goes really high compared to a regular mid range ATX box. AT-5570 is a small stylish pc which stands vertically. It is also possible to mount it on the backside of monitor. AT-5570 is powered by Dual Core C70 APU. Being an APU this chip alone handles the processing and graphic performance hand to hand. The processor lies near to the performance of Pentium 4. A really outdated cpu which no one would love to buy right now. Being an enhanced version, Core C70 is a dual core cpu offering the maximum clock rate of 1Ghz only. At some point that fells back when I tried to use some resource intensive application on it. But worked fine for multimedia and web surfing. Brazo series of Foxconn consist of total 5 Nano PC model. Among which NT-A3800 is the highest that comes with AMD Dual Core E2-1800 1.7GHz APU.
While for memory it comes packed with 2GB DDR3 RAM and as per the specification it is possible to use upto 8GB ram (533 MHz) on it. Being small in size it surely works on laptop ram which again is a costly upgrade. The internal storage is around 180GB. The model supports SATA II connectors where you can add a single 2.5inch HDD or SSD. The gpu when checked on CPUZ showed AMD Radeon HD 7290 graphics (384MB). That looks to be the onboard video memory or the shared space with Dual Core cpu. Added video memory is quite important to run some applications that have better visual. But for gaming this gpu is not so helpful. Standard games like Angry Bird, Zuma, etc., fairly works well. Also the video memory helps for better video editing & converting. Below you can see the hardware config of AT-5570 and later on we will move ahead to check out more information about this Nano PC.
Specification:
1. Series / Model: Brazo/AT-5570
2. Dimension: 190(W) x 135(D) x 38(H) mm
3. Processors Supported: AMD Dual Core C70 1.0GHz APU
4. Chipset: AMD A45 FCH
5. Memory Supported: One SO-DIMM Socket support DDR3 up to 8GB
6. VGA Graphics: AMD Radeon HD 7290 support DX11
7. Storage Interface: One SATA II connector for 2.5″HDD or SSD
8. LAN: Gigabit LAN port
9. Front I/O:
- Two USB 3.0 ports
- SD/SDHC/SDXC/MS/MS Pro/MMC 5 in 1 Card Reader
- Audio line in 3.5mm jack (digital/analog)
- Headphone 3.5mm jack
10. Back I/O
- Gigabit LAN port
- Four USB 2.0 ports
- Audio line out 3.5mm jack (digital/analog)
- HDMI port support up to 1920×1080 resolution
- DVI port (support VGA out via DVI to VGA Adapter)
Design:
Visibility does not really matters in Nano PC. The thing which is really serious to look out is connectivity ports and simple usage. Powerful factor of a Nano PC or Mini PC is space management. All required stuff are packed well inside a small box that you can keep on a bookshelf or simply hook it on the backside of monitor. It is not at all visible. Foxconn Nano PC AT-5570 comes in black color with lightweight aluminum enclosure. There is no Bluetooth and optical drive on it.
The look is cool here. Due to an added gpu on the pc there is a vga port available. It has a single hdmi and DVI port. But the package comes with DVI to VGA adapter. At the front lies a round sliver power button with blue led only. Below that lies a tiny speaker that is enough for watching video or listening music when you are not really far from the pc. Adding a speaker really adds more portability to this system. The audio output is quiet near to laptop speakers. Below that you can see a square panel. That is the infrared light that can be used to program universal remote.
For better transfer speed Foxconn has provided two USB 3.0 ports on the front. Data transfer speed is good here comparing to the USB 2.0 ports on the backside. Due to dual ports you can add an usb or an external hard drive on the front panel and take data backup instantly. This is a bit smart thinking here. Below that lies a multi-purpose Memory Card reader. There is a single MMC slot. There is no dedicated slot available for MicroSD card which we widely use on tablet and smartphones. To use a MicroSD card you will have to purchase a full size memory card adapter separately. While the current slot is ideal for digital camera.
Just below that lies two audio jack. Among which one is Mic and other one is headphone jack. This is regular 3.5 mm audio jacks that work well with portable speakers. Being a regular audio channel there is no additional effects. The audio goes fine with reasonable sound. But when we talk about a HTPC alteast 5 channel audio is essential. This is applicable when you are planning to use a surround sound audio system. While following the traditional design, additional connectivity ports lies on the backside. At the top side lies a set of 4 usb 2.0 ports which can be used for keyboard, mouse, printer, etc.
4 ports seem to be enough while you can also hook an usb hub on the same extending it more. The data transfer speed is standard here. When placed vertically on desktop the ports are easier to access but when mounted on the backside of monitor, they remain hidden at the lower part. So you have to use fixed stuff on it. Like a keyboard/mouse. It is extremely comfortable if you are using a Bluetooth keyboard mouse on it. A single Bluetooth dongle handles both. The internal storage is 180GB which is enough for a HTPC.
Below lies a set of 2 display interface ports. Among which one is DVI and the second one is HDMI. Being powered by a gpu the output on HDMI port is great. The maximum resolution it supports is 1920×1080. The resolution looks to be great, but I found lagging performance when I tried to play HD videos on Windows 7. The system works well with single video or a single process at single time. But when you try to run different set of applications the performance is bit affected due to low processing power. As I already said above, AT 5570 is not meant for gaming. It is worthless to talk about the graphic output. You can install media center software on it and connect it to your widescreen TV. Via wireless keyboard you can stream content quite easily.
There is a Gigabit Lan port available on the backside which provides good data transfer speed. At the end there is an additional audio port with power jack. It comes with an integrated wifi support. The wifi here is supported by Intel Centrino Wireless N-2200 adapter. It is a single band wifi channel that offers you a 300mbps of data speed with great power efficiency. The overall look of AT5570 is really great. Compared to other models this one is more stylish and portable. The aluminum cover adds a bit of durability. But it is not shock and water proof. Most of the mini pc is fanless due to which they get heat up really fast while using them in non-ac room. AT5570 also has the same problem. You can feel the lower panel getting hotter.
Nano PC AT5570 has open panels on the top and bottom. This is the only place from where air flows from inside the chassis. Instead of placing it vertically it is far better to hook it on the backside of monitor. The lower part gets blocked when kept on the seat-base. Overall, I do not really liked the heat management of AT5570. It is essential that you must use it in a cooler environment. There is no way to upgrade the cpu fan here. That might cool it down a bit. This is really a matter of worry when you touch the pc and find it much hotter.
Mounting:
Being a Nano PC the placement does not occupy additional space. The dimension of AT5570 is 190(W) x 135(D) x 38(H) mm. That is near to a size of book. It is also smaller than an iPad. Ideally it is near to a size of 7inch tablet. There are two ways to keep it. First via seat-base which is in a D-shape platform where you can place the pc vertically. Now this pc is disturbed whenever you remove or add a device. It is comfortable for those who regularly require connecting or disconnecting many devices. It is also a bit thin in size. You can just keep it hidden behind your monitor.
The second way of mounting AT5570 is by fixing a bracket on the backside of the monitor and then connecting the pc to it. That is another comfortable way. It comes with VESA Mount 190(W) x 135(D) x 25(H) mm in the package itself. The front panel where the led, usb 3.0 port, card reader and audio jack lie remains on the top side. Other back connectors are at the bottom side due to which it becomes a bit uncomfortable to adjust different devices. You have to press the power button from top side. This is another way of saving space. Everything remains connected to the monitor itself.
While if your monitor is not heavy then you can also keep it lying horizontally on the desktop and place monitor over it. The aluminum enclosure on the top is bit tough and it does not bends towards inside. That makes it durable also. But you have to take care while using it on the desk. Do not keep any liquid material near. Everything is placed at the front and on the backside due to which you can adjust connectivity easily.
Comparison:
In the same Brazos series there are 4 more models. Among which the best I think will be NT-A3800. It has a more powerful processor. Both have the same kind of chipset. The only changes lies here are with the graphics card. NT-3800 has AMD Radeon HD 7340 gpu which is a bit stronger here. There are no great models available under AMD series. While if you are really looking for performance with portability then you can check out some models under Ivy Bridge series. I found AT 5570 an entry level mini pc with good hardware config. It might not be able to handle multi- tasking efficiently but it can give you standard desktop experience. It is great for office and educational institution where prime motto is work. Like web surfing, presentation, videos, etc. Otherwise if we talk about HTPC then it can be an appropriate choice.
Stress Test:
We performed certain testing on Nano PC AT5570. The results were same as expected. We tested this via PC Mark. The score that we got is somewhat a bit better than Pentium 4 cpu. Being a dual core processor, C-70 is capable of managing ample of task. A 4GB ram according to me will add more to the output. For upgrades it is a bit complicated to find relative parts in every computer shop. You might require contacting Foxconn for that. For web surfing the system worked really well. I tested it on an 18.5inch monitor at the highest resolution. Different tabs open well with video streaming, download and upload on the same time. But for video conversion the process was slow. I used some free video conversion tools and imported 4GB of data on it. That took long time. The same is applicable to conversion also. For resource intensive task like audio/video converting, video editing, zip archive, etc; the system works well with single process at a time. When you try to do additional stuff the responsive is poor.
Performance:
Foxconn Nano PC AT 5570 can be counted as entry level mini pc. As the hardware configuration here is not so great you have to compromise with various stuff. You can just assume using a netbook. Its performance would be similar to that. A mixture of processing power and graphic memory helps the system to give you more improved results in multimedia. Like playing a full hd video of around 2GB goes well on the full screen. I hooked system on a 32inch TV and played some hd videos that worked really fine. The annoying thing here is that there is on remote here. So using it like a media server is a bit complicated. I had seen some more models in the same range that are ideally designed for HTPC that comes with remote controller separately. Still you can hook universal remote on that. For multimedia you can get mid range output here. Not really great, nor really bad.
The higher resolution you are using on it the slower the system performance you will get. Background task freezes more. AT 5570 can act as a portable bridge in your media server. You can connect an external hard drive to it, install your favorite media server software and use it for streaming. Due to Gigabit port the data transfer is fine. Being a complete system you also get advantage of using Windows. Now for file transfer you have to rely on usb and wifi only. No Bluetooth is available. Also there is no optical drive. You have to use an usb dvd drive on it. It comes with a 4GB usb pen drive also through which you can install operating system on it.
Conclusion:
Foxconn Nano PC AT-5570 looks to be great for day to day use, entertainment and media server. It comes in two colors. Black and White. Black looks more decent and does not fade out. The internal storage is 180GB. But if you are planning to use it like a media server then you have to extend that by adding an external hard drive. AMD Dual Core C70 1.0GHz APU performs well on regular operation. It works fine with all application but lacks some multi-tasking. System freezes when you do multiple tasks at the same time. This can be improved by using 4GB ram on the same. Being a 64bit system you can also use 8GB ram giving out great performance boost. An integrated video memory enhances the video output and provides support for traditional gaming also. A simple seat-base allows you to place it comfortably on your desk or simply attach it on the backside of your monitor via Vesa Mount. The price of AT-5570 is unknown in India, but sold for $248.72 on Amazon. This is not really costly. If you are looking to buy bulk standard pc for your office work then you must checkout this one. It can be ideal choice for Office applications, web surfing, multimedia and data backup. Integrated wifi and speakers gives more help and saves some money also.
Pros
- Great Design
- Dual Core APU
- Upto 8GB Ram support
- Simple Mounting Panel
Cons
- Overheating
- No remote for HTPC
- Low on multi-tasking
