Vorke V1 Mini PC, a little workhorse

I enjoy reviewing all kinds of DIY projects most, but small computers would come in second. Android devices interest me less, but Windows is a different story. So today, partly for that reason, I’m reviewing a small Windows 10 computer—and it’s definitely not the familiar Atom-based kind.
Inspection, tests, teardown, more tests, and conclusions—all after the jump.

About a month ago, a manager from one of the stores contacted me and asked me to review and test a small computer for them. I was interested in the subject, so I agreed.
A heads-up: there’ll be lots of photos of the internals, as well as tests focused on computers’ main enemy: overheating. I’ll also test it after a small modification, though calling it a modification is a bit of a stretch.

And not long ago, I received a package with the star of this review. Even the protective film on the box was still intact.
Apart from the name, the packaging only lists the processor model and memory capacity.


Specifications
Operating system: Windows 10
Processor: Intel Celeron Braswell J3160, 1.6 GHz (2.24 GHz in turbo mode)
Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 400
Memory: up to 8 GB, SODIMM DDR3L, 1 slot; 4 GB installed
SATA — 1 x SATA 3 Gbps + 1 x mSATA (64 GB SSD installed)
Internal interfaces — 1 x mPCIE
LAN — Gigabit LAN
WiFi — 2.4/5 GHz
Bluetooth 4.0
Display outputs: HDMI and VGA
External interfaces: 2x USB 3.0, 2x USB 2.0
Audio output — 3.5 mm jack
Dimensions: 153 x 153 x 38
Weight: 390 g

I had almost no complaints about the packaging, except that the power supply and cable were loose inside. The computer itself was protected quite well, with foam and thick cardboard around the case.


The package contents are fairly modest.
1. Computer with RAM, SSD, and WiFi installed
2. Power supply
3. Power cable
4. Hard drive adapter
5. Manual


The manual isn’t anything special, except for one thing: it even briefly explains how to install Ubuntu.


The power supply is quite compact, with a rated output of 12 V, 3 A.
Judging by its size, I had my doubts that this PSU would be up to the job, but it turned out to have plenty of headroom.
I haven’t taken it apart yet: the case is small, the plastic is thick, and it’s glued together pretty firmly.
They also included a power cable with a European plug. That’s a plus, since the connector on the power supply is less common than the standard computer power connector. Although this particular connector is very common on laptop power supplies.
And, of course, there’s an adapter for installing a hard drive, along with mounting hardware and some mysterious self-adhesive pads made of porous rubber.


The first photos showed that a protective film was stuck to the top of the computer.
There’s a reason for that: the top has a glossy finish. Personally, I’d have preferred a matte one. It might have looked less appealing at first, but it would have had a hundred-point advantage over the glossy finish in the long run. This shiny surface attracts dust like crazy.
Still, it looks nice. The case is very similar to one of PIPO’s computer models, specifically the X6S.


The case isn’t very large: 15 x 15 cm, and almost 4 cm tall.


Let's take a look at the computer from all sides.
On the front there's a MicroSD card slot, two USB 2.0 ports next to it, and a little IR receiver window farther to the right.
There are more ports on the back:
Power input, HDMI and VGA video outputs, an Ethernet port, and an audio output.

There is nothing on the left or right sides except ventilation holes. They're covered with a protective mesh, which is quite useful since the cooling is active.


There's a large power button on top, so it's impossible to miss. When the computer is on, the icon on the button glows white, but it's dim; I didn't even bother taking a photo because it wouldn't show up well.


There are large rubber feet on the bottom, so the computer barely slides around on the desk. Almost—because it's quite light.


The first time you turn it on, you're prompted to enter some basic settings: language, country, and so on.
But since the computer wasn't connected to the local network when I started it up, the settings weren't fully applied and the Russian language pack wasn't downloaded. All the better—I’ll explain below how to enable Russian if you run into the same situation.


The desktop will look familiar to many users of recent Windows versions.


Windows 10 Home is preinstalled, but not activated.
Once connected to the local network, it activated without any problems. I didn't find any third-party activation programs.


Initially, 48.7 GB of the 58.7 GB available is free, so Windows takes up just 10 GB.
But don't get your hopes up: as soon as Windows gets online, you'll have less space. Various updates and the recovery system quickly took up another 4 GB or so on mine.
Still, a 64 GB SSD is more than enough for most uses.


The drive is split into three partitions: a 100 MB system partition, a 58.7 GB main partition, and an 800 MB recovery partition.


I mentioned above that Russian wasn't enabled for me. Here's a quick guide to turning it on.
Maybe it would have happened automatically, but I had to do it myself.

During tests, I usually connect the monitor through an HDMI-to-VGA converter. This rarely caused any problems, apart from a slightly lower image quality.
But in this case, for some reason the computer refused to output my monitor's native resolution of 1920x1080, offering a maximum of 1680x1050.


Let's take a look at Device Manager. I've expanded the entries that are easiest to understand.


The computer has two network adapters: Intel Wi-Fi and a wired gigabit adapter from Realtek. There are quite a lot of settings, though most users won't need them.
Wi-Fi can operate on both bands: 2.4 and 5 GHz.


System information from CPU-Z. In the new version, the windows are smaller, and they've added a simple benchmark, which is nice.
The BIOS is AMI, standard for Chinese devices. I don't see much point in going into detail about it.


CPU-Z benchmark results compared with other processor models.


The computer has a solid-state drive made by Foresee. Lately, I keep coming across flash memory chips from this manufacturer, although I'd never even heard of the company before.
By the way, its temperature reading isn't just there for show; it seems to be quite accurate.


To rule out questions about RAM caching during the test right away, I ran it with an 8 GB file, twice the size of the memory.
493 MB/s read and 150 MB/s write.
The write speed could certainly be a bit higher, but since read operations are more frequent, it isn't that critical.


I don't see much point in testing the speed with other utilities, so I ran just one more test using the better-known CrystalDiskMark program.
1. SSD
2. 500 GB external hard drive connected via USB 3.0
3. Built-in card reader. Unfortunately, it's clearly connected to a USB 2.0 port, since the speed isn't very high, even though the test used a memory card with a maximum speed of around 90 MB/s.


Time to test how it works with a SATA drive.
Installing the drive is very simple. Turn the computer over. If you've removed the protective film, I recommend placing something soft underneath it.
Then find the only small screw, remove it, and turn the bottom section counterclockwise.
There are two marks next to the screw, indicating the open and closed positions; they help you see how far to turn it.


Remove the cover, and you'll see the hard drive bay inside.


The package includes a bracket and five screws: four large ones and one small one.
Position the bracket as shown in the photo and secure it with the four large screws.


Put the drive in place and tighten the remaining, fifth screw.
The drive fits quite tightly into the connector, so it's best to hold the connector to avoid tearing it off.
Don't get the wrong idea: the connector is soldered on well, but I'd hold it just to be safe.

That's it. Put the back cover on and secure it with the screw you removed earlier (it's the same as the hard drive mounting screw).


Of course, testing an SSD would have been more appropriate, but I tested a regular hard drive for two reasons:
1. The SSD is temporarily unavailable.
2. I think using a regular drive is a more realistic scenario than using an SSD.

110 MB/s read and 88 MB/s write. The speed is limited by the capabilities of the hard drive. As before, the test file is 8 GB.


For obvious reasons, CrystalDiskMark shows a more impressive result.


And now, a few standard benchmarks.
First, the classic 3DMark 2006. I wouldn't call the result impressive; it's roughly on par with the Atom X5-8500 processor.
On the plus side, the computer doesn't get hotter than 73 degrees.


This time I decided to cut down the list of performance tests, since I don't see much point in them. Next up is the Cinebench test.


I'll pay much closer attention to temperatures.
As you know, most mini PCs are prone to overheating, so I usually devote a separate section of my review to this. This review will be no exception.
I started testing gradually, using the OCCT utility.
First, a couple of standard “math” tests, i.e. with only the CPU core under load.

73 degrees after an hour of testing—an excellent result so far.


The Linpack test only managed to heat it up to 70 degrees.


This is a much heavier test. The CPU nearly reached the throttling point, but this kind of workload is very rare in everyday use. Even games usually put less load on it.
This test puts the graphics core under maximum load.

On computers with a discrete graphics card, this test isn't as effective and is intended for testing the power supply. But since this one has integrated graphics, it's ideal as a stress test for the cooling system.


A maximum of 86 degrees.


The next test is in the extreme category, since it puts both the graphics core and the CPU under sustained load at the same time. This almost never happens in real-world use, and sustained exposure is out of the question.
But after 5 minutes, I saw a message saying the software had shut down automatically due to overheating.




It turned out the program had an 85-degree temperature limit. I changed it to 90 (the throttling temperature) and ran the test again.
An hour-long test at maximum load.
By the way, the CPU ran in turbo mode in all the tests (2.24 GHz versus the stock 1.6 GHz).


Only under these conditions was I able to make the CPU automatically reduce its clock speed.


As more of an add-on, I ran a LinX test, mainly to assess performance. Interestingly, performance in 32-bit and 64-bit modes is almost the same, although I've seen cases where it differed several times over.
I wouldn't call the performance impressive; it's roughly on par with the Atom X5-8500 processor.


I'll pause testing here for now and move on to another regular feature of my reviews: the teardown.

The computer is fairly easy to take apart. The main thing is not to forget to remove the three screws marked with arrows in the photo before you start.
I didn't notice the top screw at first, which cost me time and frustration.
Once the screws are out, run some kind of plastic card around the perimeter to release the clips. That's it.


The top cover is connected to the rest of the unit by a cable, since the power button is located on top.


The LEDs all light up in the same color, even though six! wires run to the board. I couldn't figure out why there were so many, and didn't feel like investigating, but to me, half of them seem unnecessary :)


First impression: neat. I’d even say very neat.


People often ask why take something apart, and what you can possibly see besides bits of metal and chips that mean nothing to most people.
Let me explain. I don't always focus on the chips and bits of metal. I pay much more attention to the little details that most users usually don't notice, but that tell me far more about quality than tests do.
The thing is, manufacturers start by cutting corners on the little things: cable ties disappear, wire sleeving goes missing, and tape gets replaced with hot glue. Then they start saving on just about everything they can.

Here, I immediately noticed that the antenna connectors are secured with special adhesive-backed fabric tape. The same tape is wrapped around all the wires. It's a small detail, of course, but it told me quite a lot about the quality of the manufacturing.


Let's remove everything from the computer that can be removed. All the boards connect via connectors—another point for the designers.


The 4 GB of RAM is provided by a single Kingston module. I'll leave the question of whether it's genuine to the seller's conscience, especially since, as far as I know, memory from other manufacturers may also be installed.
The Wi-Fi/Bluetooth adapter is made by Intel. No questions there—Intel isn't a company I'd distrust.
The SSD is made by Foresee, as I mentioned earlier. It's the most basic kind, with no cache memory—just a controller and flash memory.


The controller is fairly well known: SM2246XT.
The flash memory is marked Foresee HFGD8U5A. I don't know who actually makes it; I suspect the company just packages the chips.


Since the front-panel board has quite a few interesting little components, let's take a quick look at it too :)
This board also has connectors for the cables, though they could have saved money by simply soldering the wires directly in.




1. There's not much interesting on the underside of the board: a couple of crystal resonators and passive components.
2. Actually, there is USB signal-line protection, which I rarely see even on top-tier brands.
3. Power is supplied separately to each port (and presumably each port has its own power protection too). I've never seen that anywhere else.
4. When I removed the board, I initially wondered why it had a USB hub, given that two USB ports on the motherboard header were already in use.
Later it became clear: this board needs three ports, so they added a USB hub.
5. The third port is needed by the card reader chip, a Realtek RTS5159.
6. I still haven't figured this part out at all. The computer has not only an IR receiver window, but an actual IR receiver as well. Unfortunately, I still haven't figured out how to use it in this device. I use an IR receiver based on URCR with Girder software, but I doubt this ancient program will be of any use.


I'll hide the rest of the teardown under a spoiler, since there are a lot of photos.

Then, of course, I put everything back together, but not completely. I decided to run a little experiment replacing the antennas.


First, a few words about why I ran this test.
The thing is, Wi-Fi reception here isn't very good. I could barely get a reliable signal from my access point, and trying to connect resulted in an error.
That's why I ran a comparison test with external antennas. One of them helped me out last time, in the TV box.

But this time I was disappointed: things were even worse with the external antennas. To be fair, they were just lying on the table. I think the results might have been different if I'd found a better position for them, but that's how it went.
So, the test. The router is in the opposite corner of the room (about 5–6 m away). The antennas don't have a direct line of sight, with obstacles like the TV, furniture, and so on in between.
External antennas on the left, internal ones on the right; the computer is facing the router with its rear panel.


And, for comparison, a test with the original antennas and the router about 1 m away.

I'd say the Wi-Fi is average. Fortunately, it's implemented as a separate module.
On the plus side, it also includes Bluetooth (not all adapters have both), and supports the 5 GHz band.
If the router is in the same room or an adjacent one, everything should be fine.


So, we've modified the computer, but forgot to test it again.
I'll skip the preliminary foreplay testing stages and get straight to the BDSM.

At maximum load, the monitoring software reported a temperature of 83 degrees after an hour-long test. Last time, it ended in throttling.


But for some reason, the log shows temperatures reaching 90 degrees.


Let's make the test more demanding by adding a hard drive as an extra source of heat.
Another one-hour test, and no throttling.
You can also see that the temperature drops sharply as soon as the load is removed, and the fan switches to its lowest speed in just 10–20 seconds.


The temperature rise was even more gradual this time, which is strange.


If you think things are really bad, here's the graph from a one-hour test with the processor fully loaded by Linpack, before the modification.


After that, I ran another test right away, this time with 3DMark. The maximum temperature here was just 68 degrees.


Power consumption measurements in various modes.
1. Computer off. It looks like the power supply has high standby power consumption.
2. Desktop.
3. Maximum possible load.
4. Maximum load + 500 GB hard drive.
There was a fifth photo too, but I had nowhere to put it. Power consumption during the LinX test was 11.5 W.


Thermal readings taken 50 minutes into the maximum-load test with the hard drive installed.
1. Temperature at the hottest spot: 36 degrees.
2. Power supply temperature: 36.4 degrees. I mentioned this at the very beginning of the review: the power supply is barely warm even after a long period at maximum load, so there is plenty of headroom for things like flash drives and hard drives.
3. Heat distribution inside the case. You can see where the cool air enters (at the top right of the case), as well as the desk warmed by the fan. In my opinion, the cooling system is very well designed.


I suspect the obvious questions are coming next: what about everyday use, games, or movies?
As for games, it's roughly on par with computers based on the Atom 8300–8500, so older games are fine. I don't recall having any particular problems with World of Tanks, either. Personally, I had no trouble playing my favorites, Far Cry 1 and 2. I'd have loved to play the latest Serious Sam, but it needs a proper (discrete) graphics card. The older versions are too old and won't run, and I just don't like Serious Sam 2.
Now, about movies. No problems here either. The screenshot shows CPU usage while playing a 4K movie from a flash drive at a bitrate of 100 Mbps. In my opinion, 8–12% is excellent.
Some readers may ask: how can that be, when I was not only watching it on a 1920×1080 monitor, but also in windowed mode? Here's why: the output resolution doesn't affect decoder load, since the 4K stream is decoded either way. Where it's displayed makes no difference.


The tests are done; time to sum things up.
Pros
Very good build quality, as I showed in the review.
Comes with a preinstalled, licensed copy of Windows 10, with no activation issues.
Two video outputs, HDMI+VGA, so you can set up a dual-monitor configuration.
No cooling issues; it’s hard to overheat this computer, even under heavy load.
WiFi 2.4/5 GHz + Bluetooth
Theoretically, it can be controlled with an IR remote (I was told the remote may be available for purchase).
Can accommodate a 2.5-inch hard drive.
RAM can be upgraded to 8 GB by replacing the memory module.
USB ports and HDMI output are protected.

Cons.
Active cooling, although the fan speed can be adjusted.
WiFi reception could be better.
You have to take the case apart to clean the fan, and it’s not very convenient to do so.
There’s only one memory slot. With two slots, the processor supports up to 16 GB, but with one, only 8 GB.
The top of the case shows fingerprints easily.

My opinion. I may get a pile of anonymous downvotes for this, but I’ll be honest: I liked the computer. By way of justification, here’s a link to 4pda, where the opinions of people who bought this computer are pretty much in line with mine. And here’s a mini-review from the CNX website.
While taking it apart, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was dealing with a device assembled in China to the specifications of a European brand. Maybe that’s down to the neat assembly, the well-thought-out design, or simply the overall manufacturing standards. I don’t know; my experience with branded devices just points that way.
In terms of performance, of course, this isn’t a very powerful device, and on paper it’s not much different from its Atom-based siblings; some even outperform it (for example, the Atom 8700). But on the plus side, it’s a fully-fledged computer that you can install Windows 7, 8, or Linux on if you want. I think the option to upgrade it by replacing the WiFi module or increasing the RAM/SSD capacity is an even bigger plus. I’ll also note that the processor heatsink doesn’t warp the board; I’ve seen that happen in similar passively cooled computers.

Of course, some readers will point out that there’s the Pipo X6S, which looks very similar.
Yes, it’s similar, but mostly on the outside. The PIPO’s advantages are its two network cards, external WiFi antenna, and ability to work as a router. That’s where the pros end and the cons begin:
1. Poorly designed cooling system.
2. Lower performance.
3. No VGA video output, and therefore no way to connect a second monitor.
4. Low SATA performance because it connects to the processor through a converter.
5. LAN is implemented using USB-LAN chips.
6. Windows 7 cannot be installed, though it’s sometimes preferable to 8 or 10.

This review turned out rather positive, so I should probably talk about the drawbacks separately.
Of course, it has its downsides too; I’d be surprised if it had none at all.
The active cooling system needs maintenance, and it also makes noise. It’s a shame the fan can’t be switched off completely. I tried the well-known SpeedFan utility, but it couldn’t do anything; fan speed control isn’t available.
The fan isn’t very loud at its lowest speed, but it will gradually get clogged with dust (the mesh over the ventilation openings helps somewhat), and it also has a limited service life. I wasn’t too happy with how it comes apart; it’s not very convenient. It would have been better if the manufacturer had designed it with easier disassembly in mind.
Active cooling is probably the biggest drawback.

The second drawback is mediocre WiFi reception over longer distances. On the other hand, it supports the 5 GHz band, which can help if there are lots of interfering access points on 2.4 GHz. Overall, I’d call this one a 50/50; a cable is more reliable either way.

That should be everything. As always, I’m looking forward to your questions, suggestions for tests, and just general discussion in the comments.

The product was provided by the store for review.