Computers have become an essential digital product for most people, and they are used for various purposes both in offices and homes. Some people prefer to buy separate parts and assemble their desktop computers themselves. However, the ease of using a desktop computer depends on the configuration of its mainframe. As for laptops, many users face difficulties finding space to use them. Mini PCs can be an excellent solution as they are compact and can be connected to other peripherals such as monitors and webcams. They can be hidden out of sight or placed under a desk or behind a monitor. Despite their small size, mini PC products have the same features and software compatibility as traditional PCs.
Also read: Xiaomi Mini Host released: It is a top-end mini PC, starting at 2,799 yuan ($402)
So we can write down that the key advantage of mini PCs is the smaller form factor compared to traditional desktop computers while still providing similar processing power and features. This makes them an attractive option for those short on space or who want a more compact computer setup.
What you should pay attention to
Regarding features, many mini PCs are equipped with the latest processors, graphics cards, and memory, making them capable of handling demanding tasks such as video editing or gaming. They also come in various configurations, allowing users to choose the specs that best suit their needs and budget.
Moreover, the rise of remote work and online learning has also made mini PCs become more popular as they are portable. They are also energy-efficient, which can save on electricity bills in the long run.
As you can see, there are really many spheres where mini PCs can be useful. But there are many brands and products in the market. So for an average buyer, it’s a Herculean task to pick the right product that will meet all of their needs and won’t cost an arm and a leg.
Zero Moment SER6 Pro VEST
The Zero Moment SER6 Pro VEST is a mini computer host with an AMD R7 7735HS processor, making it a powerful device despite its small size. The host’s metal body, processed with a CNC trimming process, has a cloth cover plate on top and high-gloss acrylic panels on the front end. Its compact size makes it perfect for small desktop spaces, and it only weighs about 500g, making it easy to carry in a backpack. The host has various interfaces, including a CLR CMOS hole, two USB 3.0 interfaces, a full-featured USB 4.0 interface, a 3.5mm audio interface, and a red power supply button. The USB4.0 interface supports 40Gbps data transmission and protocol power supply PD3.0 100W, which makes it perfect for use in multiple scenarios, such as in offices or at home.
On the back of the fuselage of the Zero Moment SER6 Pro VEST, you can find a range of useful ports, including a lightning-fast LAN port (2.5G), a high-speed USB 3.0 port, and a USB 2.0 port. Additionally, two HDMI ports supporting 4K resolution and a DC power port are available. Thanks to the HDMI and front USB4.0 interfaces, this mini PC can easily connect to up to three monitors at once, allowing for efficient multitasking in the office.
The machine’s top cover is removable and interchangeable, with options for both black and gray breathable and splash-proof fabrics that help prevent dust buildup while promoting effective heat dissipation. The machine features a dual-fan design, with one fan dedicated to cooling the CPU.
Performance
The Zero Moment SER6 Pro VEST interior is compact yet powerful, with high-end brand components such as Crucial 16GB*2 DDR5 4800MHz memory sticks and a Micron M.22280 NVMe 512GB solid-state drive that can be expanded up to 2TB. The host runs on the lightning-fast Windows 11 Professional Edition operating system and boots up quickly.
The standout feature of the Zero Moment SER6 Pro VEST is its powerful AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS processor, based on the Zen3 architecture and featuring 8 cores and 16 threads. With a turbo frequency of 4.75GHz and TDP up to 54W, this processor is a high-frequency vest version of the previous generation 6800H, delivering impressive performance for demanding tasks.
Also, the host is equipped with a core display based on RDAN2 architecture: Radeon 680M, 12 cores, 2200MHz frequency. Although it is a core display card, it is slightly more powerful than the MX550 independent display. Its sequential read speed is 4335MB/s, and the sequential write speed is 1831MB/s; it is relatively fast for loading games, copying files, and running the system.
Overall, the Zero Moment SER6 Pro VEST is a mini host with strong overall performance. Not only can it be used for office work, but it can also run most 3A games smoothly. It is particularly suitable for small rooms and small desktop environments. In addition, users can also choose the barebone version and match the appropriate hard drive box and memory themselves, and the price will be lower.
ACEMAGICIAN AMR5
The ACEMAGICIAN AMR5 Mini PC is a small computer that is ideal for gaming. It has an AMD Ryzen 5 5600U CPU that can run up to 4.2 GHz, 16GB of DDR4 RAM, a 512GB NVMe SSD, and a Windows 11 operating system pre-installed. The Mini PC has a variety of connectivity ports, including a 4K HDMI port, DisplayPort, USB-C, WiFi 6, and Bluetooth 5.2.
The Mini PC is compact and stands vertically, unlike many others that lie horizontally. It has connectivity ports on both the front and back, with vents on the sides. On the front of the Mini PC is a removable cover on the right side that uses magnets to attach to the frame. This cover gives access to the memory and data storage drive slots. At the top of the front panel are a logo and a power/mode selector, which also acts as a power button when pressed from the front.
On the front, from top to bottom, there is a power/mode button/knob, an audio/headphone out, 2 USB-A ports, and a USB-C port. On the back, from top to bottom, there are 2 USB-A ports, 1 DisplayPort, 1 HDMI port, 1 Ethernet port, and the power socket. At the top of the Mini PC is a backlit logo with colored LEDs and a mode selector/power button. Additionally, air vents on each side of the Mini PC are also backlit with LEDs.
What else
Starting with the ACEMAGICIAN AMR5 Mini PC was a breeze. All I had to do was connect my keyboard, mouse, and monitor, and it was good to go. I should note that I used a wireless keyboard and mouse with a dongle, and they worked perfectly fine, even during the initial Windows 11 user setup. As someone interested in video and photo editing, I decided to run an online benchmark test first. The results were impressive. I also used Adobe Premiere Pro 2022 to render a 146GB Pro-Res file and convert it to 1080p HD, which took only about 18 minutes, making it an excellent choice for a mini PC.
This ACEMAGICIAN AMR5 Mini PC offers three operation modes: Silent, Work, and Game. The selector knob’s LED changes color based on the mode selected. Additionally, it features good connectivity options, including WiFi 6, gigabit ethernet, and a variety of ports, making it a versatile option for gaming, work, education, and more.
Overall, I love this mini PC. It is well-built, with an attractive case and LEDs that add to its aesthetic appeal. The design also offers great connectivity options, ensuring fast connections to any network.
Mini IT11
The size of the Mini IT11 is only 0.6L, but it comes with interfaces, including 2 Thunderbolt 4, 3 USB3.2 Gen2, 1 HDMI2.0, 1 Mini DP1.4, 1 Gigabit Ethernet, 1 SDXC card slot, 1 3.5mm audio, and 1 DC-in power port.
Unlike the two Thunderbolt 4 ports used by the Intel NUC 12 and Xiaomi Mini host to share the 40Gbps data bandwidth, the Mini IT11’s two Thunderbolt 4 ports each share a 40Gbps transfer bandwidth.
With Thunderbolt 4 interface and Mini DP1.4 interface both supporting video output up to 8K@60Hz or 4K@120Hz, and HDMI 2.0 interface supporting 4K@60Hz, Mini IT11 can realize four-screen different display output, greatly improving the office environment and productivity efficiency. In addition, you can use this mini host with an external Thunderbolt graphics expansion dock.
Performance
The Core i7-11390H processor in the GEEKOM Mini IT11 belongs to the Intel 11th Generation Tiger Lake family. It has 4 CPU cores, 8 processing threads, a maximum turbo boost up to 5.0 GHz, and a 12 MB Intel cache. The integrated core graphics card is Iris Xe Graphics with 96 execution units, which can deliver graphics performance equivalent to entry-level discrete graphics cards such as GeForce MX350 and GTX750 TI.
The Mini IT11 can not only handle everyday office tasks, stock trading, web browsing, and audio-visual playback but can also maintain high efficiency when running Adobe Photoshop, Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve, and other large-scale content creation productivity software. The Intel Iris Xe Graphics Core display has excellent audio and video encoding and decoding support, so Mini IT11 can not only play 8K@60fps and 4K@120fps local and online videos smoothly but also edit and produce videos more efficiently compared to AMD-based mini-hosts.
In terms of gaming, the Mini IT11 can smoothly run large-scale games such as “League of Legends,” “World War Tanks” and “PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds” at 1080P and medium and low special effects settings. Users can connect the Mini Host to an external discrete graphics card via the Thunderbolt 4 interface to run AAA games requiring higher 3D graphics performance.
