Potential HW purchase

[Damonh]

After several failed attempts with existing hw I started looking for something that might fit.
I'd like your opinion on this minipc spec.

Acemagic AM18 8845HS

Processor

AMD Ryzen™ 7 8845HS Processor, 8 Cores/16 Threads (Zen4 architecture, 4nm lithography process, 16M L3 Cache, base frequency 3.8GHz, turbo frequency up to 5.1GHz)

Graphics

AMD Radeon™ 780M (graphics frequency: 2700MHz, RDNA 3 architecture, graphics core number: 12)

NPU

NPU: Embedded with AMD Ryzen™ AI engine, AI engine performance can reach up to 16 TOPS
CPU+GPU+NPU total AI performance can reach up to 38 TOPS

Memory

32GB DDR5 5600MHz Dual Channel （2*16GB）
( DDR5 SO-DIMM Slots×2, up to 64GB)

Storage

M.2 2280 1TB PCIe4.0×4 NVMe SSD or
M.2 2280 512GB PCIe4.0×4 NVMe SSD
M.2 2280 Slot x2 (PCIE NVMe/SATA dual protocol) adaptive

[Enoch]

Hi,

I recently learnt of Commodore X64 being available soon.

I thought instead of buying the C64X hardware which may be available end of February 2025 I would download the Commodore OS Vision files to my new ASUS laptop. Upon further reading on the installation of C64X I noted that I will need a Virtual-box software. I've never used a Virtual Box software before. My system is around two months old running Win11 64bit with 16Gb RAM and 1Tb SSD. I am a bit iffy installing software I've never used before and read that there are sometimes installation errors. There was also a mention of setting up a partition. I've experienced setting up partitions in the distant past and nothing good came of it. That was like in the 1990's on a 386 machine.

I then had a thought of buying a suitable NUC and had a good look at online sites, eg Ali Express. My closest power adapter for purchase with a NUC is the Australian version plug. I will not be needing a Windows version installed on the NUC, and I already own a 24" LED Screen left over from the use of a tower case, that is still glaring at me off to my right.

Anyone aware of a decent NUC that is not bare-bones? Needs to be under $500 NZD (New Zealand) and new.

Cheers,

Enoch :=)

[Enoch]

Hi,

I just came across the following mini pc: Beelink MINI S12 Pro selling for under $500 NZD with 3 year warrantee.

Beelink MINI S12 Pro Assembled Mini PC N100 16GB M.2 500GB SSD - 3 Year Warranty

Manufacturer Code: MINI S12 Pro

No Operating system.

Would this be a suitable unit for running Commodore OS Vision?

Cheers,

Enoch :=)

[LeoNigro]

Anything with Intel graphics would usually work like a charm, however the newer boards like N100(similar to the hardware you specified) which are typically used in NUCs these days have issues with COS2, that will be resolved with COS3 coming out quite soon.
I know I keep saying that, but I'm even more eager to get it out as you getting it .
It definitely won't go on forever as it needs to be ready for the next shipment of C64xs, regardless of whether I think its 100% with perhaps some features left for updates. I am testing COS3 on N100 hardware in my VIC-20x and its running great. So I'm fairly confident the aforementioned NUC would be suitable for COS3 when it is released next month(?).

nVidia and AMD graphics are hit and miss, but compatibility could also improve with COS3.
Linux compatible wifi and bluetooth will always need to be a consideration.

Please note, that this is actually a "Commodore 64x Hardware" forum discussing issues and hardware appropriate for a C64x, and not really supposed to be about alternatives.
But carry on.

@Damonh
The hardware sounds cool but without knowing the motherboard manufacturer it is hard to ascertain if it would actually fit.
One little thing in the wrong place (and considering such hardware isn't exactly cheap) and you're going to have a bad time.
I personally would recommend sticking to the C64x hardware options on the MyRetroComputer site as, to my knowledge, they are being fulfilled by mini-ITX.com who have at least a decade of experience with the form factor.
Indeed, perhaps it would be worth purchasing such a board from mini-itx.com, if you already have a C64x case as they can guide you through any issues.

[Enoch]

Thanks Leo, for the info. I just reread the specs for the NUC and the CPU speed is a bit on the low side at 800MHz. If this spec is too low I will look for alternatives, including the C64X. I do not have a C64X case as I only recently found out about the new updated Commodore system.

Any idea of the price point of the new C64X? Taking into note that I am in New Zealand and NZ Customs will take a chunk of money for anything above $1000 NZD?

I could consider putting a bare-bones system together as long as it is fairly straight forward.

Cheers,

Enoch :=)

[wiisoldier]

Just a personal view here, with "thanks" to all previous posts. Like Leo, I also create Linux installers / versions for some Commodore OS. Doing so, is a huge task and is compounded by every event of new hardware and software.
COS2 was built for the existing hardware "at that time", however many things have changed in both HW and SW.
Leo is just one person creating this in his free-time, as are many other creators. Most, like me, have limited access to every HW option for testing.
And here is the crux. If you have access to other hardware, and are able to test COS2 (and later COS3) on it, that will benefit Leo greatly. If you have extra knowledge to help rebuild COS (2/3) to work with other hardware, I am sure that he will take that on board too.
I am expecting great changes on COS3, and I think Leo will not let me down. Creating the new installer in an N100 machine, should provide compatability among many new processors. Good luck to him and all that sail the COS ship.