Star Labs Unveils the Byte Mk II Mini Linux PC, Drops AMD for Intel CPU

The device is powered by a 1.00GHz quad-core Intel "Alder Lake" N200 processor with Turbo Boost.
Byte Mk II

UK-based Linux hardware vendor Star Labs unveiled today the Byte Mk II as the second generation of the company’s Open Source and Linux-powered mini computer.

The first generation Star Labs Byte mini PC was announced more than a year ago on April 2022 and it was powered by an AMD Ryzen 7 5800U Octo-Core processor with AMD Radeon graphics, supporting up to 64GB RAM and up to 6TB SSD storage.

The Byte Mk II is powered by a 1.00GHz quad-core Intel “Alder Lake” N200 processor with Turbo Boost up to 3.70GHz, 6MB smart cache, 6W TDP, 25W PL2, 4 cores, 4 threads, and Intel UHD graphics. It also comes with up to 16GB 3200MHz DDR4 RAM and up to 2TB M2 2280 SSD storage (expandable to up to 6TB).

The selling point of the Byte Mk II computer appears to be connectivity as the Linux-powered mini PC comes with no less than 11 ports, including four full-size USB-A 3.0 ports, one USB-C port for expansion, one full HDMI port, two RJ45 Ethernet ports, a Display Port, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and a 5.5mm power connector.

The Linux PC also features Intel 802.11ac Wi-Fi with up to 1.73 Gbps speed and Bluetooth 5.1. The device supports connecting up to two external displays with 4K (4096×2160) resolution at 60Hz.

Being a Linux-powered computer, the Star Labs Byte Mk II can come pre-installed with the latest versions of the Ubuntu, elementary OS, Linux Mint, Manjaro Linux, MX Linux, or Zorin OS distributions. The chassis is made of polycarbonate and nickel, and the device uses the Coreboot and TianoCore EDK II open-source firmware.

If you’re in the market for a quiet mini Linux PC, you can configure and pre-order the Byte Mk II right now from Star Labs’ online store. The price for this computer starts from $452.00 USD for the basic configuration with 8GB RAM and 480 SSD storage.

Image credits: Star Labs (edited by Marius Nestor)

Last updated 10 months ago

Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com