Ayaneo is officially selling its retro mini PC, the AM01, outside of its crowdfunding campaign via its website. The AM01 mini PC is reminiscent of the Macintosh Classic and is available in multiple configurations. The AM01 is much smaller than the Macintosh Classic, but it's packed with features and can be purchased with a memory configuration of between 8 and 32GB and primary SSD storage options of up to 1TB.
Ayaneo updated its AM01 mini PC a few weeks ago with the Ryzen 7 5800U variant. The AMD Ryzen 7 5800U is an older CPU — launched in 2021 — and is based on the Zen 3 architecture featuring on-chip Radeon Vega 8 graphics. Only time will tell if the company will provide a newer version of this retro-looking mini PC with updated CPUs.
The AM01 mini PC offers a 2280 M.2 port using PCIe 3.0 bandwidth and an SATA port for secondary storage, dual DDR4 SO-DIMM ports, and CPU options of Ryzen 3 3200U, Ryzen 7 5700U, or Ryzen 7 5800U (listed in specs but not currently sold on the site). It's cooled by a 35-watt fan with an aluminum heatsink with four copper heat pipes. Its dimensions are 5.2 x 5.2 x 2.38 inches (132 x 132 x 60.5mm), and it has plenty of I/O options.
The pricing is fairly attractive, with the highest-spec options retailing at $449 including shipping, though customs charges may vary depending on country. Also, you may not receive full warranty support, depending on country. There are, of course, other mini PCs to consider — the main selling point of the AM01 is its Macintosh-themed design. If you're just looking for a mini PC, Asus' NUCs are a local option.
That said, if Ayaneo's successful Indiegogo campaign proved anything, it's that users are willing to pay for a fun retro design despite potential trade-offs — nostalgia is always a great way to get people to buy something.
