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The Asus Tinker System 3N is a small, fanless computer with a rugged design and a set of ports and expansion options that position it as a system that can be used in industrial settings, among other places.
While I don’t normally give a lot of thought to industrial PCs, this model stands out in that it’s built around an Asus Tinker Board 3 series single-board computer, which is part of a line of Tinker Board products that are basically the Asus answer to Raspberry Pi’s computers. It’s a compact system that can be used by hobbyists, educators, or for commercial applications.
There are actually a few different single-board computers in the Tinker Board 3 Series: a credit card-sized Tinker Board 3 and a slightly larger Tinker Board 3N with more ports and expansion options. It’s the latter that Asus has tapped for use in the Tinker System 3N, which is basically a single-board PC squeezed into a small aluminum chassis with passive cooling, a few extra ports, and an area that can be used for customizations such as I/O cables or expansion boards.
Each member of the Tinker Board 3 family has the same processor though: a Rockchip RK3566 processor featuring four ARM Cortex-A55 CPU cores, Mali-G52 graphics, and an NPU that delivers up to 1 TOPS of AI performance.
Available with 2GB, 4GB, or 8GB of storage, the Tinker Board 3N and/or Tinker System 3N are also available with up to 64GB of eMMC flash storage and feature 16MB of PI flash and a microSD card reader.
Ports include:
- 1 x HDMI
- 2 x Gigabit Ethernet
- 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C OTG
- 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A
- 1 x 3.5mm audio
Asus introduced the Tinker Board 3N last year, but the company has just launched the new Tinker System 3N, which the company says is “optimized for industrial use” with a MIL-STD-810H tested chassis that can withstand shocks, resilience, and temperatures ranging from -40 to 60°C.
The Tinker System 3N is also available with up to four optional COM ports, and features an M.2 2230 PCIe 2.0 x1/USB 2.0 E Key slot for an optional WiFi & Bluetooth module and support for an M.2 PCIe 3.0 x1/USB 3.0 B Key 3042/3052 cellular modem.
Since the Tinker System 3N is marketed as an industrial device though, I don’t expect it to be as cheap as other single-board PCs or mini PCs with similar processors. For example, the previous-gen Tinker Board 2S and Tinker System 2 currently sell for $160 and $200, respectively.