Computex 2021: ASRock Announces Mars 5000U Series Mini PC
by Gavin Bonshor on June 4, 2021 11:00 AM EST
During Computex 2021, ASRock unveiled the latest series in its Mars mini-PC range, the Mars 5000U. ASRock claims it's the thinnest AMD mini PC globally and comes equipped with AMD's latest 5000 series APU. It features support for DDR4-3200 SO-DIMM memory, one PCIe 3.0 x4 M.2 slot, a 2.5" SATA hard drive bay, and an Intel Wi-Fi 6 interface.
The ASRock Mars 5000U series comes in a svelte and very slimline black brushed aluminum chassis, with dimensions of 194 x 150 x 26 mm (W x D x H), making it a single mm thicker than a regular chassis fan. Due to there being very little wiggle room for space inside, at just 0.7 liters, ASRock uses a proprietary fan and heatsink combination to keep the AMD Ryzen 5000U APU cool. For memory, there's a pair of memory slots that can accommodate up to 64 GB of DDR4-3200 SO-DIMM memory, while storage capabilities include one PCIe 3.0 x4/SATA M.2 slot and one 2.5" SATA hard drive bay.
It is powered by a 65 W/19 V adaptor akin to a laptop charger and includes a decent selection of I/O. Included are four USB 3.2 G1 Type-A (two rear, two front), one USB 3.2 G1 Type-C (front), and two USB 2.0 (front) ports. The Mars 5000G also includes a 3-in-1 card reader including SD, SDHC, and SDXC support and two video outputs consisting of an HDMI and D-Sub. Networking options include one unspecified Gigabit Ethernet port with an Intel AX200 wireless interface offering Wi-Fi and BT 5.0 connectivity. An unspecified audio solution also powers a 3.5 mm microphone and 3.5 mm headphone jack combination.
The ASRock Mars 5000U series looks very similar to the previous Mars 4000 series mini-PC series. The only difference is that the newer model supports the upcoming Ryzen 5000 APUs based on AMD's Zen 3 microarchitecture. ASRock hasn't stated which APUs it will offer. Pricing is currently unknown.
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hubick - Friday, June 4, 2021 - link
They shoulda used USB-C Power Delivery.MenhirMike - Friday, June 4, 2021 - link
I agree, and I wonder if it actually works on the front USB-C port. I have a Lenovo M90n Nano that comes with a regular power supply, but also supports USB-C PD as an alternative.Samus - Saturday, June 5, 2021 - link
I doubt the USB-C is PD enabled based on the 65w power adapter supplying the entire chassis. And I agree, not using USB PD to power the chassis is kind of strange for a product like this released in 2021. Internally its no different than a 5000U-based laptop and many of those are USB-C PD powered...TheinsanegamerN - Monday, June 7, 2021 - link
Not strange at all, they'd have to retool if they wanted to use type C power instead of reusing the same chassis and power supply as the previous model to save money. And moving to type C in wouldnt make them any extra money either.Same reason peripherals are still type A.
lmcd - Friday, June 4, 2021 - link
Would've paired well with those USB-C hub monitors. Shame :(Fulljack - Friday, June 4, 2021 - link
hopefully it's Zen 3 based "Cezanne" chip and not Zen 2 based "Lucienne" chip.Smell This - Saturday, June 5, 2021 - link
**Ryzen 5000G (Cezanne), built on 7nm Zen 3 with Vega 8**
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OEM builds at 'spec' for AMD 5000-series APUs were announced 2 or 3 months ago.
meacupla - Saturday, June 5, 2021 - link
you seem to not know that the 5000 "U" series has rebranded 4000 U series mixed in to its SKU stack.DigitalFreak - Friday, June 4, 2021 - link
Not available for purchase until Q4 '22. /sheffeque - Friday, June 4, 2021 - link
I know that it's sarcasm... but it's actually not that much of sarcasm.Personally I can't wait for DDR5 + NAVI APUs to come along in 2022 or so :-P