Hands-On Review of the Maxtang NX6412 Small-Format Computer — Virtualization Review

A hands-on review of the Maxtang NX6412 small format computer

VMware’s vExpert program is a global evangelism and advocacy program designed for people who have proven that they not only know VMware products, but are willing to share that knowledge and contribute to the community. .

Becoming a vExpert gives you access to private slack channels, private webinars, evaluation licenses for use in your home lab, and much more. This year, VMware teamed up with his NetApp and Cisco to prepare a nice giveaway for those who attended VMware Explore. Maxtang NX6412 small form factor computer. Compared to other T-shirts, I thought this was an impressive gift.

In this series, we will first look at the specifications, design and build quality of the NX6412. Next, we’ll see how well this low-cost device works as a thin client, KVM server, Docker server, and repository for edge device data.

Maxtang NX6412 Specifications
I wasn’t familiar with Maxtang until I got this device, so I had to do a bit of digging to find out more about it. Maxtang found that he is a Chinese company founded in 2009, specializing in the field of industrial computers, motherboards and embedded solutions.

Maxtang’s products are not sold on Amazon, but are available on AliExpress.

The NX6412 is a quiet (fanless) mini computer powered by the Intel Elkhart Lake Celeron J6412 processor. It has multiple USB ports and supports two HDMI displays. It has 2 SO-DIMM slots and 2 M.2 slots, and an external 12V DC power supply.

Max tongue specification
Below are the specifications of the Maxtang NX6412.

• Manufacturer: Maxtan
• Model: NX6412-B11
• Part Number: 52400-QG3800-00-RS
• MSRP: $226-$304 USD
• Form Factor: Small
• OS: None
• CPU: Intel Celeron J6412
  • quad core
  • 2GHz Burst 2.5GHz
  • 64 bit
• GPU: Intel UHD Graphics
• Memory: Dual channel SO-DIMM DDR4 up to 32 GB (sold separately)
• Storage: 1x M.2 2242/2280 SSD, SATA option (not included)
• Power supply: 12V, external power adapter
• Ports: 2xLAN, 2xUSB3.2, 2xUSB2.0, Type-C, SIM
• Video Port: 2xHDMI2.0
• Network Connection: 1 x 1GbE RJ45
• Physical size: 127mm x 127mm x 37mm
• Physical Weight: None
• Color: Silver
• Power consumption: 10W
• Noise Level: Quiet (no fan)
• Compliance Criteria: N/A
• Warranty: N/A

Unpacking and physical description
The device was in a cardboard box, sandwiched between two white foam blocks and wrapped in a plastic bag. The power supply was in a dedicated cardboard box. The device did not come with a warranty card or guide.

The front of the device has a power button/indicator, a Type-C port, two USB 3.2 ports, and a 3.5mm audio port.

SIM card slot on the right side.

There are no ports or slots on the left side.

On the back is a power connector, two HDMI ports, two USB 2.0 ports, and an RJ45 port.

The case is made of silver plastic. The top is metal with fins. It seems to be of high quality and should hold up in an office or home environment.

inside
I removed four screws on the bottom of the device to expose the motherboard so that I could add an SSD drive and RAM to the device. The motherboard seemed well made.

I put two 4GB MTA4ATF51264HZ PC4-3200 RAM modules and an HPPN L60474-001 M.2 SATA SSD into the device.

Conclusion
In this article, we’ve given you an overview of the Maxtang NX6412 specifications and explained what you plan to do with this device. On AliExpress, the device is listed for around $230. The 8GB of RAM and 128GB M.2 SSD drive I installed cost $25 and $30 respectively for a total of $285. The rest of this article about this device will walk you through the process of setting it up and using it as a VDI client and Docker server.