ASUS VivoMini-V VC65R

$699; AS TESTED, $1,015 (BASED ON TI COMPUTERS MODEL USING A CRUCIAL MX300 275GB SSD) | WWW.ASUS.COM/AU Chunkier than most mini-PCs, but for good reason.

The VivoMini-V VC65R is an unassuming wolf in sheep’s clothing, in respect to the versatility of implementation provided by the modular design, which allows for multiple chassis configurations.

The options are numerous, starting with a slimmer dual 2.5-inch drive option. Next, the slightly larger solution featuring dual 2.5-inch drive support, plus optical drive, followed by a third option similar to the second, but with support for an additional dual 2.5-inch drive to replace the ODD. The third config facilitates the use of four 2.5-inch drives in this mini-PC — significant storage density potential within a small footprint is well within scope of this unit!

The sample we had in for testing was supplied by ASUS and featured a Samsung 750 Evo 120GB SSD for the operating system and a Seagate 1TB SSHD for general storage. It used that second chassis option and therefore included a DVD-RW, too — a Hitachi-LG Data Storage (HG-DT-ST) GUE1N DVD-RW.

Unlike the other miniPCs, the VC65R features a COM port. Some may scoff at this I/O inclusion, but for many industrial and commercial applications a COM port is essential for communicating with pre-existing, older hardware and specialty solutions. Additionally, the internally-embedded power supply removes potential trip hassles or external points of failure for the unit — another plus for commercial and industrial applications.

Overall, this is a neat bit of kit with a few tricks the competition can’t match.