Kubuntu Focus NX Gen 3 Mini PC Out Now with Intel Arrow Lake CPUs
Kubuntu has updated its Focus NX mini PC range, now with Gen 3 versions that have Intel's new Core Ultra "Arrow Lake" mobile CPUs. These updated units give you a big boost in speed and come with Kubuntu OS already set up, plus some custom software tools.
Main Specs and Speed Boosts
The Focus NX Gen 3 shifts from the old 12th-gen Alder Lake chips to the new Intel Core Ultra types, like the Core Ultra 5 225H and the Core Ultra 7 255H. It looks like these systems are just Asus NUC 15 Pro Slim models tuned for Kubuntu.
Tests say the new chips are way faster:
- Single-Core Speed: Now up to 22% quicker.
- Multi-Core Speed: Now up to 50% quicker.
- Graphics Speed: The Arc GPU is about three times faster, which lets you use XeSS.
- AI Skills: The new SoCs have a 13 TOPS NPU for AI work made faster by hardware.
Parts and Links
The small metal case, size 117 x 112 x 37 mm, holds lots of cool parts and many ports.
Bits and Space
- RAM: Two SO-DIMM spots can hold up to 96 GB of DDR5-5600 memory.
- Space: Two M.2 slots, one for PCIe 5.0 and another for PCIe 4.0, giving up to 6 TB in total.
Plugs and Wireless
- 2 x Thunderbolt 4 ports
- 1 x USB-C 3.2 Gen2x2
- 3 x USB-A 3.2 Gen 2
- 1 x USB 2.0
- 2 x HDMI 2.1 video outputs
- 1 x 2.5 GbE Ethernet plug
- Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 link
Note, this unit doesn't have a special audio jack.
Software and Custom Touches
The key special thing about the Focus NX Gen 3 is the Kubuntu OS it comes with. This lets you start using it right away. It also has Kubuntu Focus Tools, which include:
- A way to go back to old system states for quick fixes.
- A welcome system to aid users moving from other OS.
- 1-click setups for picked apps.
- Tools to change power and fan levels.
Cost and When You Can Get It
The Kubuntu Focus NX Gen 3 is a high-end, ready-to-use system. Prices begin at $895 for the basic model with a Core Ultra 5 225H, 16GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD. The Core Ultra 7 255H model with same RAM and a 512GB SSD costs $1,090.
To compare, the basic Asus NUC 15 Pro Slim with a Core Ultra 7 255H starts at $684, but this price doesn't cover the OS, RAM, or space.
