MINI PC | £250 from Amazon www.snipca.com/49205
Trick or treat?
Chinese manufacturer Acemagic positions its S1 as an entry-level mini PC for home and office users. With its compact design, 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD, it’s meant to be used for everyday Windows tasks.
Its standout feature is its 1.9in LCD screen (pictured right). By default, this displays the time and date, along with data about the processor, memory and cooling system. While this isn’t a ‘must have’ feature, it’s definitely welcome. You can delve into the display’s installed app and customise what it shows, but in essence it’s all about monitoring your system, so don’t expect too many frills.
When it comes to levels of performance, the S1’s Intel Processor N95 is a basic chip even by the standards of other 12th-generation units. It can handle simple tasks with relative ease, but it’s restricted by its meagre four cores, so isn’t built for intensive graphical work or gaming.
In single-core tests it ran at around half the speed of our current favourite mini PC, the Minisforum Tiger UM780XTX (£729 from www.snipca. com/48917 – see page 32), which isn’t bad for a machine that’s well under half the price. In multi-core tasks, however, the S1 lagged well behind, running at only 20 per cent of the speed of the Tiger. You can use this PC to check your email, run office software and the like, but it can’t be relied on for anything more demanding.
The S1’s small case features magnetic detachable panels that ensure upgrades and repairs are easy to carry out. The single RAM socket is occupied by the supplied 16GB module, so if you want to upgrade to the maximum 64GB, you’ll need to replace it entirely. There’s better news on the storage-upgrade front, with a second empty M.2 SSD slot to accompany the supplied 512GB SSD.
Where the S1 leaves much to be desired is with its port selection. On the plus side there are are two HDMI sockets, meaning you can connect two 4K monitors should you wish, but only four USB ports (two USB 3.0 and two USB 2.0, and no USB-C) is disappointing.
Networking is surprisingly well catered for, however, with Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2 built in. It even has two Ethernet ports (pictured left), though most people won’t use a second one and we’d have preferred a USB-C port or two.
SPECIFICATIONS
4-core Intel Processor N95 • 16GB RAM • Intel UHD graphics • 512GB SSD • 1.9in LCD display • Wi-Fi 6 • Bluetooth 5.2 • 2x Gigabit Ethernet ports •
