KODLIX GD41

KODLIX GD41 MINI PC With Intel Celeron N4100 8G DDR4 128G SSD

The Kodlix GD41 is based on the basic component that made the Kodlix GN41 so successful, the Celeron N4100. This processor offers 4 cores and 4 threads with 4 MB of cache memory and an Intel UHD 600 graphics circuit that offers a very sufficient service package for a pleasant family machine. Its video decoding capabilities, its processing speed, all these elements are without being extraordinary efficient enough to meet the needs of particular users under Windows 10 as well as under Linux.

Around this chip, the Kodlix GD41 offers enormous possibilities of evolution. With two SoDIMM DDR4 slots occupied by two Dual Channel strips. The brand delivers the device with 8 GB as standard but it will be possible to upgrade the system to a maximum of 32 GB. Intel indicates that the maximum RAM supported by the Celeron is 8 GB but practice has taught us that 16 GB solutions are also supported. However, I have never tried to drive 32 GB of RAM with this chip and… to tell you the truth, I don’t think it’s really useful for this type of processor.

The chassis offers three different storage solutions. An NVMe M.2 2242 PCIe slot with a default 128GB SSD. A second free M.2 2280 SATA 3.0 port that can accept the storage of your choice. And finally, a standard SATA 3 2.5″ slot to accept an SSD or hard drive. This evolutivity is facilitated by a large hatch easily accessible under the machine by removing two screws.

I have no idea about the possibilities offered by the BIOS to boot on one system or another, if it was possible we could use the Kodlix GD41 with several systems easily. Leaving the basic 128 GB under a multimedia oriented system, booting by default the machine to play movies or music. And by making a simple manipulation to use it like a classic PC with a more complete operating system. The machine is delivered by default with Windows 10 but the processor is perfectly recognized and exploited under Linux.

The connections are very interesting on this model. The Kodlix GD41 offers two RJ45 network ports in Gigabit format. It will thus be able to address two distinct and independent networks. The first, for example, will drive a NAS on an independent network while the second will connect to the Internet. A mini-server can be envisaged or a solution to seal your personal contents from a web access for example.

The rest of the connectors include an HDMI 2.0a output and a Mini DiplayPort but also a USB type-C output allowing the management of a video signal. These three outputs will allow you to drive UltraHD at 60Hz. The Intel UHD 600 graphics circuit is perfectly capable of driving this type of triple screen display, the possibility of mounting in random access memory to compensate for the needs of the graphics system which can take up to 8 GB of system memory. Hence the obvious interest of being able to easily upgrade to 16 GB of DDR4.

The USB Type-C port will allow other devices to be connected easily, but is backed up by three USB 3.0 ports on the front panel for easy access to a variety of accessories. Front panel that will also house the start button. On the side of the device is a 3.5mm jack port combining microphone input and headphone output as well as a MicroSDXC card reader. The case also features a Kensington Lock anti-theft port and is powered via a conventional power supply. The entire chassis measures 13.6 cm x 12 cm and is 4.6 cm thick. It also includes a module combining Wifi5 and Bluetooth 4.0.

Remains an unknown on this model, is it yes or no fanless? The previous Kodlix GN41 was in a thinner case. Here we have no information on the presence or not of an active fan. Usually this means that the machine is well equipped with a ventilation solution to cool the processor. That being said, the embedded chip remains a 6 watt TDP solution. Even if it is actively ventilated in this chassis, it shouldn’t be difficult to turn the case into a fanless solution easily by using for example a modified Arctic Alpine passive heatsink to fit the processor. It will probably require a bit of cutting the chassis a bit or even replacing it with another one, but it can be worth it for a living room integration.

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