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Ports and connectivity are another area where we look at what's on offer - and how it compares with rival devices. Not everyone will need Thunderbolt 4, but we expect to see adequate slots on a mini PC to increase functionality and flexibility. The external layout of this machine is best described as idiosyncratic since it’s the first NUC we’ve seen with no ports at all on the front, no power button and only an activity LED. As such, selecting a mini PC is no easy task. First, we had to filter them based on size. We started from the tiniest ones, the thumb drive-sized PCs, up to the palm-sized devices, then moving to the TV-box-sized machines. In each size jump, we looked for the usage scenarios for each based on the capabilities of the CPU and amount of RAM and included ports, then we weeded out the ones with sub-par specs; this removed several dozen entries with the same Celeron CPUs and low RAM.
Build quality is good, although we would have had no objections to using more premium materials. There can be no complaints concerning the variety of ports. A sufficient number of USB and two HDMI ports come as standard and are should be enough for most users. More shouldn't be expected of the built-in SSD due to its SATA connectivity. However, this model is faster than a typical hard drive and 512 GB is a generous amount of storage. If a mini PC is best, consider how you'll be using your machine. In addition to general computer usage, Mini PCs have been used as media servers, games emulators, and much more. The UHD Graphics with only 24 Execution Units is very poor at just 750MHz, and many of the more challenging tests resulted in slideshows where the PC would take longer than a second to render a single frame. The NucBox K1 leverages the excellent performance offered by the Ryzen 7 6800H processor and its integrated Radeon 680M GPU to outstanding effect.GMKtec has a reputation for making good quality small systems that won’t break the bank, and the NucBox M2 is a prime example of precisely that. If you don't know the hotkey for your computer, you can look and see if a message comes up during POST, telling you what key to press or you can try hitting one of the 12 function keys, the DEL key, the Enter key or the ESC key since it is always one of those. You may have to try a few times to determine which one it is. In our research, DEL and F2 were, by far, the most common. BIOS Keys by Manufacturer
Price is always a consideration. Depending on how you use it, the most expensive mini PC you can buy may not offer genuine value for money. We've curated a selection of mini PCs here, from premium machines to the cheapest mini PC with great performance. Even with that modest silicon, the U59 performs well at basic tasks and has potential as a small office machine or for embedded applications. For 8GB customers, the RAM can be upgraded to 16GB, along with the M.2 SATA storage. There is also a bay inside for a 2.5-inch drive for even more storage options. USB port confusion aside, this is a capable mini system that covers many of the typical roles these devices are used, but inexpensively. With its size and power, we found it ideal for conferencing rooms, but it could easily be used as a replacement desktop PC, media server, or firewall, to mention just a few. The highlights of this design are its metal case, easy access to the interior and relatively straightforward upgrades to memory and storage. It even has a spare M.2 2042 slot for adding additional space above that available through the main M.2 2280 slot. If your computer can't load an operating system, because it doesn't detect a bootable drive, it will usually pause, beep and give you the option to enter the BIOS, which it will often call "setup."
Verdict - A good, but not perfect mini PC
We explore the internal specs of each device, and how they compare with some of the other best mini PCs on the market. As part of this process, we also assess the upgradability of the device - from the options on offer to the ease of creating your perfect mini PC. This includes benchmarking performance of the CPU, GPU, and RAM. We're not necessarily looking for the most powerful mini PC. But we want to see suitable performance relative to a range of uses and budgets.
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