iKOOLCORE R1, Smallest Mini PC with 4 x Intel i226-V 2.5G NICs

Recently, iKOOLCORE R1 was opened to pre-orders worldwide on 19th, Jan. We can discovered more details about the smallest mini pc with its dimensions of 75 x 75 x 48mm.

Overview of iKOOLCORE R1

Developed by Chinese homelab enthusiast Jackeroo in partnership with a Chinese electronics company based in Shenzhen, the Mini PC measures just 75 x 75 x 48mm, small enough to fit in a pocket or easily tucked under a desk behind a display. Available with a choice of processor between Intel Celeron N5105 and Pentium Silver N6005, the LPDDR4 4233Ghz memory is on-board design, running at 2933Ghz due to processor support, 8GB/16GB optional, the memory chipset is from SAMSUNG, single chipset for 8GB, 16GB for dual channel. The R1 has an HDMI 2.0 port that supports 3840x2160@60Hz display output with audio, one USB-C Gen1 port, two USB-A 3.1 Gen1 ports and a microSD card reader (bootable). Most noticeable are the 4 x Intel i226-V 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet network ports, so the R1 can be seen as a router/firewall for home and some office use.

Surprisingly, this little iKOOLCORE R1 has a built-in copper-tube cooler and a ball-bearing silent fan for better heat dissipation and great performance. The system also has an extra USB-C port that's only used to supply power behind the HDMI port. What makes the design even cleverer is that the R1 is powered via the C port and supports both DC and PD protocols, meaning you can use your GaN charger to get the R1 working. This is a very clever design.

 

Specification

• Model:
  

  Model

  iKOOLCORE R1

• Processor:
  

  CPU	Intel Celeron N5105/ Pentium Silver N6005 (N5105:Quad core/Quad thread, 4MB L3 cache, 2.0 GHz with burst up to 2.9 GHz； N6005: Quad core/Quad thread, 4MB L3 cache, 2.0 Ghz with burst up to 3.3 Ghz)
  GPU	Intel® UHD Graphics 24EU for N5105, 32EU for N6005
  AES-NI	Support
  VT-X	Support
  VT-D	Support

• Memory and Storage

  RAM	Onboard, non-upgradable, 8GB/16GB, LPDDR4 4233 GHz, SAMSUNG
  Storage	1 x M.2 2242 NVMe Slot, 1 x TF Card Reader(Bootable)

• External I/O

  Networking	4 x Intel i226-V 2.5Gbps Ethernet jacks
  USB	2 x USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A, 1 x USB3.2 Gen1 Type-C
  External Storage	1 x MicroSD card slot, bootable
  Display	1 x HDMI 2.0, Support 3840 x 2160@60Hz
  Power	1 x USB-C Power Input, 12V DC or 20V PD Power
  Power Indicator	1 x Power LED(Blue)
  Reset Botton	1 x Reset Botton

• Internal I/O

  SSD	1 x M.2 2242 NVMe , max support 2TB
  CPU Fan Header	1 x 3 pin CPU Fan Header

• Chassis

  Chassis Description	CNC, Aluminum, Gray
  Dimensions	75 x 75 x 48 mm
  Mounting Options	Desktop, VESA
  Weight	270g
  Shipping Weight	800g
  Package Size	22 cm x 15 cm x 11 cm

• Approvals

  Certificates

  EC, FCC, RoHS (learn more)

• Package

  

iKOOLCORE R1 Design

Unlike many of the ugly, black and thick industrial controllers customers can buy on Aliexpress, the R1 has a unique design that allows it to have the ultimate compact size with a high level of IO port expansion.

 

Software:

Based on Intel's X86 architecture, iKOOLCORE R1 runs Windows 10/11 OS and can run dedicated routing systems such as OpenWRT, pfsense, OPNSense and Linux distributions such as Ubuntu 22.xx. R1 also supports virtualisation technology, compatible with VMware ESXi, PVE, Docker applications, other virtual platform systems, etc.

Price and Availability

The iKOOLCORE R1 was launched in CHINA in Dec, 2022 and now the global website opens for sale. The price is as below.

Model	Configuration	Price
Basic Barebones	N5105/N6005 Processor +8GB+No NVMe SSD	$199/$229
Beginner Edition	5105/N6005 Processor +8GB+128GB NVMe SSD	$229/$259
AIO High Version	N5105/N6005 Processor+16GB+512GB NVMe SSD	$329/$359

Note that: Due to the extremely small size of the whole unit, the R1 uses an M.2 2242 NVME protocol SSD and the drive is PCIe 3.0 x 2(can use higher speed SSD), so the best advice is to buy the configuration with the drive, as SSDs of this size are not very available on Amazon.

Support

Users can chat and communicate in following official groups.

• iKOOLCORE Official Users Community

Updated news

In December 2022, the iKOOLCORE R1 was released in mainland China as a beta testing version, and the manufacturer has now made the following product changes based on feedback from mainland users. Get the latest news on Facebook Page.

This is a very important and useful piece of information for consumers at the point of purchase. Here is a more detailed description of the part of the improvement:

• Bottom metal parts: Aesthetically enhanced design, now is honeycomb design.
• Power button: Aesthetically enhanced design.
• Active cooling fan: Upgrade to a copper tube heatsink and ball-bearing silent fan to improve cooling capacity while reducing noise.
• Aluminium casing: Optimises cooling airflow by changing from one side to both sides.
• Bracket: Optimised design to ensure component integrity wherever possible.

Please Note: The XCY-X66 on Aliexpress is not an official model and is not eligible for iKOOLCORE service.