Generation Ex
MINI PC | £353 from GMKtec www.snipca.com/49068
We did a double-take when we first looked at the specification of this machine – a PC with an Intel Core i9 processor for just £354? Take a closer look, however, and you’ll note that it’s an i9-11900H. That’s an 11th-generation chip, three stages behind the very latest 14th-generation units.
Our review model was kitted out with 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. By changing the components on GMKtec’s website you can also opt for a barebones model without RAM or storage (£299) or improve things with 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD (£393). The latter is probably worth the extra £40, but it wasn’t the version we were sent for review so we weren’t able to test it.
It’s instructive to see how this configuration, with its older Core i9 processor, compares with PCs containing more modern components. The i9-11900H chip has eight cores, while the Core i5-13500H – a 13th-generation processor found in the £393 Chuwi CoreBox 5th (reviewed in Issue 674) – has 12 cores.
When pushed to its limits, an individual performance core in the i9 runs 28-per-cent faster than one in the newer i5. However, test the cores as a whole, and the CoreBox is 60-percent quicker.
This is reflected in Windows performance benchmark tests, which measure the CoreBox as 28-per-cent faster than the NucBox.
The difference becomes more pronounced if you carry out graphic work or games, because the graphics hardware in processors has improved significantly in the past few generations. We still wouldn’t recommend a mini PC for gaming, but it’s an absolute no-go on the NucBox M4.
Spend more and you’ll get more bang for your buck. Our current favourite mini PC, the Minisforum UM780XTX (see page 32), may be just over twice the price at £729, but it’s also twice as fast in processor benchmarks, and well over four times faster in graphics tests.
What we like about the NucBox M4 is its case. It has a larger footprint (when laid flat), and looks more like a classic desktop PC – the kind you used to have on your desk with the monitor sitting on top. However, it will also stand vertically (pictured left) if you prefer.
It’s well equipped with ports, with one USB-C and two USB 3.0 on the front. On the back there’s four more USB 3.0, two Ethernet sockets, an HDMI port and a DisplayPort.
SPECIFICATIONS
8-core Intel Core i9-11900H processor • 16GB RAM • Intel UHD graphics • 512GB SSD
