Logic Supply ML100G-30 Fanless Broadwell vPro Industrial NUC Review
by Ganesh T S on April 29, 2015 11:30 AM EST- Posted in
- Systems
- Intel
- Fanless
- NUC
- Industrial PC
- Passive Cooling
- Logic Supply
Introduction and Setup Impressions
Passively cooled computing systems carry many advantages. Most of these turn out to be very important for industrial and embedded applications. The low power nature of the Intel NUCs make them the ideal candidate for passive industrial computing platforms. We have already reviewed a number of industrial PCs from vendors such as Aleutia, Habey USA and Logic Supply. Logic Supply was one of the first vendors to come out with an off-the-shelf passively cooled NUC. We reviewed their Haswell NUC last year and came away impressed. Today, we have their recently launched ML100G-30 passively cooled Broadwell vPro PC in for review.
The characteristics of the Broadwell i5 NUC (based on the Core i5-5250U) are well known to AnandTech readers, but the ML100G-30 we are reviewing today comes with the vPro variant of the Broadwell-U i5, namely, the Core i5-5300U.
The full specifications of our Logic Supply ML100G-30 review configuration are summarized in the table below.
| Logic Supply ML100G-30 Specifications | |
| Processor | Intel Broadwell Core i5-5300U (2C/4T @ 2.3GHz (Turbo 2.90 GHz), 14nm, 3 MB L2, 15W) |
| Memory | 1x 8GB DDR3L 1600 MHz |
| Graphics | Intel HD Graphics 5500 300 MHz / 900 MHz (Turbo) |
| Disk Drive(s) | 128 GB Transcend M.2 SSD |
| Networking | 1x Gigabit Ethernet, 2x2 802.11ac |
| Audio | Capable of 5.1/7.1 digital output with HD audio bitstreaming (mini-DP) |
| Operating System | Retail unit is barebones, but we installed Windows 8.1 Pro x64 |
| Pricing (As configured) | $919 |
| Full Specifications | ML100G-30 Specifications |
The Logic Supply ML100G-30 kit doesn't come with any pre-installed OS. The drivers and supporting software are available on their product support page. In addition to the main unit, the other components of the package include a 65 W (19V @ 3.42A) adapter, a US power cord, two 2.4 GHz / 5 GHz antennae for the Wi-Fi feature, adhesive rubber feet for the unit's base and a cable management tie along with some screws (probably for the wall mount / VESA mount - which is supported, but not included in our review package)
The gallery below takes us around the hardware in the unit.
In the table below, we have an overview of the various systems that we are comparing the Logic Supply ML100G-30 against. Note that they may not belong to the same market segment. Of particular interest are the Logic Supply Core ML320 and the Zotac ZBOX CI540 - both of them are passively cooled U-series UCFF PCs. The relevant configuration details of the machines are provided so that readers have an understanding of why some benchmark numbers are skewed for or against the Logic Supply ML100G-30 when we come to those sections.
| Comparative PC Configurations | ||
| Aspect | Logic Supply ML100G-30 | |
| CPU | Intel Core i5-5300U | Intel Core i5-5300U |
| GPU | Intel HD Graphics 5500 (Broadwell-U GT2) | Intel HD Graphics 5500 (Broadwell-U GT2) |
| RAM | Transcend TS1GSK64WSH 11-11-11-28 @ 1600 MHz 1x8 GB |
Transcend TS1GSK64WSH 11-11-11-28 @ 1600 MHz 1x8 GB |
| Storage | Transcend TS128GMTS800 (128 GB; M.2 Type 2280 SATA 6 Gb/s; 20nm; MLC) |
Transcend TS128GMTS800 (128 GB; M.2 Type 2280 SATA 6 Gb/s; 20nm; MLC) |
| Wi-Fi | Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7260 (2x2 802.11ac - 867 Mbps) |
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7260 (2x2 802.11ac - 867 Mbps) |
| Price (in USD, when built) | $914 | $914 |
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Flunk - Wednesday, April 29, 2015 - link
Sometimes, but not now. Right now they're second notch.Jorgisven - Wednesday, April 29, 2015 - link
Given that NUC is an Intel branded product, I'd think seeing AMD in a NUC unlikely. You can get a Brix from Gigabyte that supports AMD options, or the Sapphire Edge. These have done alright, but nothing extraordinary, due to equivalent pricing, but less than equivalent performance. Still functional, but not a great value proposition.der - Wednesday, April 29, 2015 - link
noiceUplink10 - Wednesday, April 29, 2015 - link
What is the most ironic is that this 365/24/7 unit does not come with secondary/redundant ethernet port in case the one fails. I am of the opinion that at least two ports should be on every motherboards from 120$ miniPCs and 70$ motherboards to this one. Some may disagree about that but nobody can disagree about 2 ports in industrial grade NUC.As for HTPC, you have two mDP ports and that is sufficient. If monitor manufacturers do not want to implement future (proof) standard it is their own mistake.
And this is not a barebone because you cannot order it without memory stick.
DarekLogic - Wednesday, April 29, 2015 - link
Darek here from Logic Supply. One of the other models in the ML100 Series, the ML100G-10 (http://www.logicsupply.com/ml100g-10/) does offer Dual LAN. We're also exploring other emerging motherboard options to enable additional dual NIC models.Ammaross - Wednesday, April 29, 2015 - link
Darek, thanks for clarifying. When researching to buy Industrial PCs, it seems you have to dig to find options with dual NICs and is not readily available (findable) on most manufacture's sites.Ammaross - Wednesday, April 29, 2015 - link
Unfortunately, the ML100G-10 is only Bay Trail, and thus not the most ideal solution. :(Uplink10 - Wednesday, April 29, 2015 - link
I like hearing that because dual NIC models are wanted and second one can enable a secondary route in case the first one fails.Ammaross - Wednesday, April 29, 2015 - link
"What is the most ironic is that this 365/24/7 unit does not come with secondary/redundant ethernet port in case the one fails"The dual nic isn't in case one of the nics fail on the device, but in case one of the >>Switches<< fails (or needs to be rebooted/serviced/etc). If a NIC dies on the board, the other one will likely be affected too (since they usually would use the same NIC controller and work like a dual-port add-in NIC).
cjs150 - Wednesday, April 29, 2015 - link
Two points;1. When a manufacturer comes onto the forum, with all the potential to be flamed, I believe they should be complimented and encourage. So well done Logic supply
2. If the model has a mini DP port, surely a simple miniDP to HDMI adapter would be sufficient to allow it to run as an HTPC.
To be fair to Logic Supply HTPC use is not the market (I think) of the model they supplied. Tranquil PC make nice (but pricey) fanless cases for HTPC use