MeLE Quieter DL Fanless N100 Mini PC and MeLE's Whole N100 Range

Two ports change what a small box can do. One can face the internet and one the home network, which is the minimum for a router. Or one can sit on a signage network and the other on the office LAN, a common split in retail and education.

• Light routing and VPN: OpenWrt, a WireGuard endpoint or Pi-hole with a separate management port.
• Digital signage: content from one network, remote control from the other.
• Thin client or kiosk: Linux with a local display and an isolated uplink.

Memory is the constraint. 4GB runs Windows 11 Home and HD video, as MeLE states, but leaves little room for many browser tabs. Linux, OpenWrt or a single-purpose app suits it better than a busy desktop.

For a full router with 2.5GbE on every port, a four-port appliance is the stronger tool; see four-port N100 firewall boxes.

MeLE aims at business buyers as much as home users, and the features show it. The PCG02 and Quieter DL support Wake-on-LAN, PXE boot, RTC wake and auto power-on after a power cut, the settings a signage or kiosk install needs. Both add a Kensington lock slot.

Some models come in two editions.

• Business Grade: the PCG02 Business Grade specifies high-endurance TLC eMMC rated for 2,500 program/erase cycles, aimed at 24/7 signage.
• SE Grade: a second edition of the PCG02 and the Quieter 4C with the same N100 and headline configuration.

Memory choice happens at purchase. LPDDR5 cannot be swapped later, so a 4GB PCG02 stays a 4GB PCG02. For Windows desktop use, 8GB is the practical floor on the stick and 16GB is the version of the Quieter 4C to buy.

MeLE's boxes also take power over USB-C with PD 3.0. The Quieter 4C and Overclock 4C accept 12V to 20V at 36W or more, so a good laptop charger or a USB-C monitor can run them. That is one cable fewer on a desk and one brick fewer in a bag.

For the wider fanless market, including industrial N100s with serial ports, see silent N100 boxes and how they handle heat.

MeLE quotes an upper limit of 3,940MB/s for that slot, about four times what a single-lane slot allows. In practice the gain shows in large file copies, VM disk images and game installs, not in booting Windows or opening a browser.

• Worth it for: Proxmox with several VMs, photo libraries, local video editing scratch space.
• Irrelevant for: office work, streaming, Home Assistant, where the SSD idles.
• Supported drives: M.2 2280 NVMe up to 4TB, or M.2 SATA up to 2TB.

The trade-off is the fan. The Overclock 4C is the only MeLE N100 with active cooling, which lets it hold higher clocks under long loads in a Red Dot-awarded ultra-slim case. It carries 16GB of DDR4-3200 and 512GB, two HDMI 2.0 ports, a full-function USB-C port for a third screen and power input, and gigabit Ethernet.

At the other end, the eMMC in the PCG02 and Quieter DL tops out near 400MB/s by the standard. Fine for Windows and office apps, slow for large installs. Treat it as a boot drive and keep media on microSD, a USB SSD or the network.

It is not a toy build. A full-function USB-C port with DisplayPort 1.4 drives a second 4K@60Hz screen and takes PD 3.0 power, and a 10Gbps USB 3.2 Gen2 port handles a fast external drive. Gigabit Ethernet, dual-band Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth 5.1 cover networking.

Versions differ in memory, storage and Windows edition.

1. 8GB and 128GB, Windows 11 Pro: the default Business Grade configuration.
2. 8GB and 256GB, Windows 11 Pro: the same with twice the eMMC.
3. 4GB and 128GB, Windows 11 Home: for signage and single apps only.
4. PCG02 Pro and SE Grade editions: 8GB and 128GB with the same N100.

Passive cooling works through grooved top and bottom surfaces, and MeLE lists 55–70°C on the surface under load. Hang it on the included VESA mount behind a monitor, or use a short HDMI extender so it does not bake against the back of a TV.

Best uses: meeting-room PCs, digital signage, a travel desktop or a Windows box on a TV. It also runs Home Assistant OS, a role weighed up in N100 against Raspberry Pi 5.

Two HDMI ports and a full-function USB-C port run three 4K@60Hz displays at once. The USB-C port also takes PD 3.0 power from 12V to 20V at a minimum of 36W, and carries data. Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth 5.1 handle wireless; a microSD slot takes cards up to 2TB, and the internal slot takes NVMe or SATA SSDs up to 4TB.

LPDDR5-4800 matters for more than capacity. It gives the N100's 24 graphics units more bandwidth than the DDR4-3200 in most budget boxes, which helps on a triple-screen desktop. The catch is permanence: buy the 16GB version, because the 8GB and 128GB Business Grade version cannot be upgraded later.

• Choose the Quieter 4C for a silent office or studio desk with two or three screens.
• Choose the PCG02 for a TV, a meeting room or a bag.
• Choose the Quieter DL for a fanless box on two networks.
• Choose the Overclock 4C for fast NVMe storage and sustained speed, fan included.

Against fan-cooled rivals such as the Beelink Mini S12 Pro, the Quieter 4C gives up SO-DIMM upgrades and 2.5GbE in exchange for total silence and a third screen.