Pepper Jobs GLK-UC2X is a new mini PC of which today we present in our review, a model that as we will see you have very good design and specifications. This compact computer allows you to mount a disk in M.2 format and also two DDR4 SODIMM RAM modules, by default it is sold with a 4GB module in its basic version with Windows 10 Pro installed and registered. This miniPC has as a complementary option the new W10 Gyro control that is designed for this product and to control Windows 10. Let’s see how it is defended in the following detailed review.
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PRODUCT DETAILS
Description
The Pepper Jobs GLK-UC2X mini PC is presented in a plastic box, at the top we have the logo of Pepper Jobs in relief, in the upper perimeter we have an air outlet slot. On the front we have a status LED, on one side we have an air outlet for the internal fan, Kensington lock and reset for the BIOS. On one side we have the power button and three USB 3.0 ports, one of them USB 3.1 Type-C 10Gbps (Analogix ANX7447), in the rear area we have the other connectors. In the rear area stands out its USB Type-C port that allows 4K video output (not audio) and also electrical charge for compatible monitors.
- Materials: Plastic.
- Interfaces: 1x USB 3.0 Type-C / 1x USB 3.1 Type-C 10Gbps video + power / 2x USB 3.0 / HDMI 2.0a / miniDP / Jack audio in-out
- Accessories: Adapter DC 12V 3A EU-UK-EEUU / HDMI Cable / Manual in English
If we look at the lower area we find four rubber feet to avoid slides in addition to two trap doors that give access to the two SODIMM DDR4 2400 MHz modules up to 8GB and M.2 SATA3 disk in 2280 or 2260 format, we have a pre-mounted Wifi ac + BT module. In the back we have three threads that can not allow to mount the mini PC in a VESA support that does not come by default.
START UP
System and user experience
We start the Pepper Jobs GLK-UC2X by pressing the power button on the box, as indicated by the specifications we have Windows 10 Pro 64bit properly activated, we check the list of devices and note that all have their drivers installed correctly. The Windows 10 Pro system moves smoothly and we can run the basic applications without problems, with the 4GB of RAM installed as standard we have enough for tasks such as browsing, office suites or multimedia.
- OS Version installed: Windows 10 Pro 64bit.
- Software pre-installed: Kodi and Intel driver support assistant tool.
- Tutorials mini PC: Control the mini PC with your Smartphone / Install Windows 10 / Migrate Windows to SSD
Support, BIOS and other OS
The Pepper Jobs has its own website with contact mail where we can go if we have any problems with the product. We can access the BIOS by pressing ESC, it has a classic AMI BIOS with many special options, a product that allows us to configure important points for industrial use or in the field of digital signage.
This model is fully compatible with Ubuntu, we can check it from a USB boot drive, all the devices are detected and we can use the hardware without problems. With LibreELEC the boot hangs on the detection of hardware although perhaps a little research can be solved.
HARDWARE TEST
Storage, RAM and Ports
We perform speed tests eMMC 5.1 storage installed by default, we also tested the 4GB of RAM that comes standard that can be expanded to 8GB in Dual Channel configuration, we also check the speed and functionality of their ports.
- USB ports: We have USB Type-C 3.1 10Gbps with video output, but not audio and we also have three other USB 3.0.
- Video and audio ouputs: HDMI 2.0a + miniDP + USB 3.1 Type-C 10Gpbs with resolutions support up to 4K@60fps without HDR.
We check the speed of the integrated eMMc memory and it gives us excellent performance figures within that category, if we want to improve speeds we can install an additional SATA3 M.2 disk.
- Tutorials mini PC: Install Windows 10 / Migrate Windows to a SSD
We have installed a module of 4 GB of DDR4 SODIMM RAM that works at 2400MHz in Single Channel mode but we can also install 8GB of RAM working in Dual Channel where we have some better figures, although it does not directly affect the overall performance.
- Dual channel is better for video HW decode or gaming, take this is consideration if you use plan to playback 4K high bitrate files.
Electric consumption, temperature and noise
Checking the consumption on the Pepper Jobs GLK-UC2X we can see performance of the Intel Celeron N4100 processor with 6W TDP it has low figures as usual in these models and we can see that we remain at a contained level even in the highest performance scenarios.
We perform our thermal and acoustic tests on the Pepper Jobs GLK-UC2X Mini PC, as we see the ventilation system behaves in an outstanding way and we do not have high temperatures. This model has an internal blower that regulates speed on demand ,at low speeds is inaudible and maximum is audible but not annoying.
- Measuring temperature: 25ºC
- Noise: Min. 2500 rpm = 12 db / Max. 4350 rpm = 30 db
In our review we make several types of tests to check the performance in each use scenario, with this data we can make an idea of the overall real performance that the system will have during its working life.
- Continuous extreme performance: 69ºC Max. / CPU 1.97 GHz / NO thermal throlling and NO limited CPU
- Overclock: Changing the TDP to 12W we can maintain 2.3 GHz without problems.
- Performance in games: LOL 62ºC / CPU 1.6 GHz average
- External temperature: 35ºC on a side
Wifi, Ethernet and Bluetooth
Inside the mini PC Pepper Jobs GLK-UC2X has installed a wireless adapter Wifi Intel 3165NGW AC de Dual Band with Bluetooth with which we connect to an ASUS RT-AC1200G+ Router, a mid-range device. We perform tests on the use of streaming using the iPerf measurement tool to see the maximum performance of each network adapter.
- Wifi speed results: Correct speeds for this network adapters.
- Scope Wifi: At a distance of 5 meters with a wall we have a signal of 42 dBm, a very poor result.
- Bluetooth: Works correctly and connects without problems
- We recommend reading our Tutorial SAMBA on Android networks if we are going to use files from our network PC
PERFORMANCE TEST
Processor
The Pepper Jobs GLK-UC2X mini PC integrates an Intel Celeron N4100 processor with four cores and four threads running between 1.1 and 2.4 GHz and an Intel HD Graphics 600 GPU up to 700 MHz with 12 EU. This chip has set by default at 10 W TDP (we can chage it to 12 W), with this level of consumption we can see quite good results because as we see the CPU has no limitation since it has unlocked the TDP and integrates a good ventilation system. As we can see, the system defends itself correctly, beating other similar Celeron models in its category.
Benchmarks
Games
Performing our benchmark test in games on the Pepper Jobs GLK-UC2X we can see the results, the values are classic in line with this type of product of this type, the Intel HD Graphics GPU 600 is perfectly valid for simple games such as we can find in Android phones by downloading them from the Microsoft Store. Also indie titles in 2D or current games with light 3D load like LOL, the emulators are also feasible but at the most we stayed in some simple Game Cube or Wii titles.
- GTA V / Overwath / Fortnite, low settings, 720p resolution and no VSync.
- LOL / CS:GO, ow settings, 1080p resolution and no VSync.
*On models with powerful discrete GPU settings in medium and 1080p resolution
With the Pepper Jobs GLK-UC2X we have performed a performance test with the game League of legends (LOL) which is quite light and we can play at 43fps, DOTA 2 is more demanding and we usually have 10fps less. We also do a special test with CS:GO and we see that we stay at 26fps in 1080p, only if we lower the resolution to 720p we can play minimally at 23fps but it is not recommended.
VIDEO AND AUDIO TESTS
Video playback test
Testing the video playback in the Pepper Jobs GLK-UC2X mini PC with the integrated IIntel HD Graphics 600 we use the VPU with hardware support for the HEVC codec and for VP9, in this processor we have support for 10bit color video and also HDR although we can reproduce it in basic color quality since Gemini Lake does not have HDR with native support. This mini PC is perfectly valid as a multimedia system to use KODI or PLEX.
- Devices: Triple monitor with HDMI 2.0a + miniDP + USB Type-C 10Gbps (Video only) up to 4K@60fps resolutions.
- Image settings: Image quality settings available from Intel control panel.
- Tutorials: Playback 4K videos with HEVC and VP9 seamlessly / Install KODI with add-ons / LibreELEC operating system for PC
Video results
| H.264 / VC-1 | Result |
| BBB – H.264 8bit – Simple@L1 – 1080p@25fps – 7 Mbps | Correct |
| Samsung Oceanic Life – H.264 8bit – High@L5.1 – 1080p@30fps – 40 Mbps | Correct |
| Timelapse – H.264 8bit – High@L5.1 – 4K@24fps – 43 Mbps | Correct |
| Anime – H.264 10bit – High 10@L5.1 – 1080p@24fps – 10 Mbps | Correct |
| MKV – VC-1 – Advance@L3 – 1080p@24fps – 17 Mbps | Correct |
| H.265 / VP9 SDR | |
| Tears of steel – HEVC 8bit – Main@L6.2@Main – 1080p@24fps – 17 Mbps | Correct |
| Samsung UHD Dubai – HEVC 10bit – Main 10@L5.2@Main – 4K@24fps – 51 Mbps | Correct |
| Anime – HEVC 10bit – Main 10@L4@Main – 1080p@24fps – 21 Mbps | Correct |
| Eye of the Storm – VP9 – 4K@24fps – 14 Mbps | Correct |
| H.265 / VP9 HDR | |
| Life of Pi HDR10 – HEVC 10bit – Main 10@L5.1@High – 4K@24fps – 45 Mbps | Correct |
| LG Demo – Dolby Vision – HEVC 12bit – Main 10@L5@Main – 4K@24fps – 30 Mbps | Correct |
| Planet Earth II – HDR HLG 10bit – Main 10@L5@High – 4K@25fps – 31 Mbps | Little frameskip |
| The world in HDR – VP9 Profile 2 10bit – 4K@60fps – 20 Mbps | Frameskip |
| Peru 8K HDR – VP9 Profile 2 10bit – 8K@60fps – 20 Mbps | Frameskip |
| MAX BITRATE | |
| Jellyfish – HEVC 10bit – Main 10@L6.1@High – 4K@30fps – Test up to 400 Mbps | 100 Mbps = 12,5 MB/s |
- * The maximum bitrate depends on the internal storage, usb port, Ethernet adapter or wifi used, we have used the fastest available, see Hardware tests section of this same review to have more information and have consider the limitations of SAMBA Networks.
Audio playback test
Testing the Pepper Jobs GLK-UC2X using a Yamaha RXV-577 AV receiver we check that the miniPC supports DD and DTS 7.1 pass through, is curious because the default hardware only supports stereo and does not have licenses for DD or DTS formats. We recommend, as always, to update all the drivers with Windows Update to the latest before connecting the device to our AV receiver.
- Devices: HDMI with Intel HD audio up to 7.1 / Audio jack with Realtek up to stereo / No integrated microphone
- Configuration tutorial: Basic concepts and configuration for multichannel audio on Windows and Android
Audio test results
| Format | DD / DTS 5.1 | DD+ / DTS MA | DD True / DTS HR | DD Atmos / DTS X |
| HDMI | OK / OK | OK / OK | OK / OK | OK / Core* |
| SPDIF | – | – | – | – |
- PCM – Stereo only doing downmix from DD or DTS
- Core – Only the core of the format is played back with what we passed to the Dolby / DTS base system
* Our AV receiver does not support these native formats but we verify that it is played back to 7.1
Streaming services
We perform performance tests on the Pepper Jobs GLK-UC2X mini PC in the most popular streaming services such as Youtube, Netflix, HBO, Amazon Prime Video and others with their native apps or using the most compatible browser. You can consult our guides where we explain in detail all the best known streaming services, how to configure them and what requirements are necessary to see content in HD or 4K quality
- Performance: Has hardware acceleration for VP9 4K codec on Youtube.
- Tutorial: Add-on for Chrome to force h.264 if we have problems with VP9.
| Streaming service | Video / Audio | Result | Manual |
| Youtube | 4K60 (2160p) / 5.1 | OK | – |
| Netflix | FullHD (1080p) / 5.1 | OK | Netflix for PC |
| HBO | FullHD (1080p) / Stereo | OK | – |
| Amazon Prime Video | HD (720p) / Stereo | OK | Amazon Prime video for PC |
CONCLUSIONS
Score
Opinion
Once analyzed the mini PC Pepper Jobs GLK-UC2X we can say that we are facing a very well designed computer computer in all its aspects. A product aimed at demanding users, the universe of digital signage thanks to triple video output and the professional field thanks to its options of remote ignition and system recovery with automatic ignition. We can also expand your RAM with two SODIMM DDR4 modules or install an M.2 disk that allows us to increase internal storage and also the speed of the system in daily use.
As we have seen the performance of Pepper Jobs GLK-UC2X is not limited,we have unlocked the TDP and an efficient ventilation system that allows maximum squeezing of the processor. On the other hand as a complement we have the option to combine it with the Fly Mouse W10 Gyro remote that we have seen in a separate review, a command that allows you to easily handle the Windows 10 environment that is installed by default in this small computer.
In general the Pepper Jobs GLK-UC2X is a well designed and efficient mini PC that can fit in a multitude of projects or in the budget of demanding users. As an alternative you can compare this product with our recommended models.
WHERE TO BUY
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Pepper Jobs GLK-UC2X _
0.00
Pros
- Triple video output
- Many power-on options
- Efficient and silent
- Clean and compact design
- Expandable in RAM and SSD
Cons
- High price
- No SPDIF
