The Acemagician AMR5 Mini PC was a concept that I first bumped into on Kickstarter, but it has since grown into something big from that platform. The base model used a lower specification AMD processor, but it has since been refreshed into a retail product that packs an AMD Ryzen 5 series CPU and other proprietary hardware.
And one thing you’ll notice with the Acemagician Mini PC is that it doesn’t use the typical Intel NUC enclosure model as you’d find in, let’s say the Beelink SEi12, instead; Acemagician opts for a unique free-standing form factor that is designed to stand on its own in front of a desk or beside a TV unit.
Like all other mini systems, even with the miniature stature, the Acemagician AMR5 is reasonably powerful, roping in a six-core and twelve-thread CPU, an integrated AMD Radeon GPU, and lots of preinstalled RAM. As to how this Mini PC performs in real-world use, that can be controlled by the owner via the rotating power button that selects ‘Silent’, ‘Auto’, or ‘Performance’ modes. Simply said, you finally have a small PC that puts the power in your hands.
About the Acemagician AMR5 PC
Having identified that the AMR5 arrives in a different design unlike its peers, we once again have to point out that it offers unique designs from aesthetics to functionality. First, the company bills the AMR5 as a ‘gaming Mini PC’ that offers variable power and diverse interfaces under the hood. From experience, we expected at least a dedicated GPU, maybe an RTX 3050 here for this Mini PC to drive most modern titles.
We’ve seen Mini PCs like the MINISFORUM Neptune Series HX99G (AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX processor, AMD Radeon RX 6600 GPU) which easily competes with your typical desktop PC in delivering high frame rates on modern AAA titles, and you’re paying top-dollar for that power. However, as priced and designed, the AMR5 Mini PC is only delivering passable gameplay and can only compare with the likes of the GEEKOM Mini IT11 PC at its very best.
That said, the Ace Magician mini gaming PC boasts a decent spec sheet, which makes it a good value as a daily use PC – for both productivity and entertainment. It arrives with an AMD Ryzen 5 5600U APU with integrated AMD Radeon graphics soldered on the processor, 16GB DDR4-2666 SODIMM memory, and a 512GB SATA III solid-state drive. The tiny chassis is cooled by an all-copper cooling fan with three exhaust fans that keep the system cooled.
Acemagician AMR5 Specs
Here is the Acemagican AMR5 configuration in this review:
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5600U
- Graphics: Radeon Graphics
- RAM: 16GB DDR4 RAM (Expandable to 64GB)
- Storage: M.2 2280 512GB NVMe SSD
- Ports: 3x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C (10Mbit), 1x HDMI 2.0, 1x DisplayPort 1.4, 1x universal audio jack
- Connectivity: Dual-Band WiFi 6, 1x Gigabit LAN adapter, Bluetooth 5.1
- Size: 132.9 x 156.1 x 71.8 mm (W x D x H)
- OS installed: Licensed Windows 11 Pro.
- Accessories: PSU Adapter12V/3A, HDMI cable
Design
The design on this Mini PC makes it stand out from the classic NUC designs we’ve seen out there. The AMR looks gorgeous and is designed to sit on the desk, a move from the square NUCs that can be mounted onto the back of a TV or monitor.
The Acemagician Mini gaming PC is designed to stand upright and not be placed on its side.
The good thing with this design is that because of the wedge shape, the entire thing is reasonably stable and less likely to be toppled over by the cabling.
Due to this layout, all the ports are on the front and back, with three USB ports on the front and another one on the rear, along with an audio jack. On the back, there are two USB ports and HDMI, DisplayPort, and Gigabit Ethernet.
What’s missing in matters of connectivity is an SD Card slot, and except for the USB-C port, all the available USB ports are only USB 3.2 Gen 1. With that limitation, it means the hardware inside lacks PCIe that would support upgrades down the line.
Moving on, the AMR5 Mini PC has some design elements that make it irresistible and a bit more colorful than the typical Mini PC. On both sides of the case, the machine features RGB LED lights that cycle through a rainbow color scheme that breathes through small triangular holes in the case. More light sources come from the power button and the Acemagician logo on the spine of the case. In addition to the conventional press of the “On/Off” power button, the switch features some attractive twist that enables it to be a rotating three-way switch.
When rotated to the left, the power button goes blue, signaling a power-saving mode. Twisted to the right, the light illuminates red, indicating maximum performance mode. Then, left in the middle position, it indicates green for balanced operation.
Power-saving modes are useful in laptops, and not being a laptop might seem unnecessary, but using these modes reduces the fan noise, especially in the performance setting.
Upgradability
For most of the NUCs we’ve reviewed before, it’s possible to get inside with a screwdriver and upgrade some features, but with the AMR5 everything is toolless. One side of the machine has a cover that’s held in place by some small plastic lugs and a few magnets. You just pop them off to access both the M.2 slots (x2) and the DDR4 SODIMM modules (x2), hardware that you should only tinker with when the power is off.
The decision to include dual M.2 ports is great since it allows you to transfer from one M.2 to another without having access to any other hardware or reinstalling the OS. The model we’re reviewing comes with both SODIMM memory slots occupied (2 x 8GB modules), but these can be swapped with larger capacities if required.
Practically, the Ace Magician AMR5 isn’t suffocated by the usual trappings of a Mini PC, and it has some potential to grow into something bigger, but it’s far from being your gaming hub.
Performance
The Acemagician AMR5 arrives with a solid feature set, far more capable than most NUC systems that use Intel N5095 or N5105 processors. Under the hood, it packs AMD’s Ryzen 5 5600U processor with integrated graphics, 16GB RAM, and 512GB SSD. The Ryzen 5 is as powerful as any desktop processor, thanks to 6-cores and twelve threads.
In CineBench23, it garners 7,476 points for multi-core performance and this elevates it above every Intel mini PC design we’ve reviewed in the past year, even those running Intel 11th Gen chips. However, on single-core tests, it lags a little behind machines using the Intel Core i7-119G7 and Core i5-11320H.
The main difference comes with respect to the computing power since the Radeon Vega integrated GPU can’t beat those Intel-based platforms that use Iris Xe class GPUs. We just wish AMD would bring the GPU in this package up a notch higher, it would easily outperform 11th Gen mobile parts using the Ryzen 5.
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As with all SFF, the AMR5 uses a cheaper NVMe but the model used here isn’t saddled with an Intel p660, like the Geekom Mini IT11, but the one used here still can’t achieve 2,000MB/s writes or 3,000MB/s reads.
As configured, we like many things about the AMR5 and a few we’d wish to change. For machines, the best part is how easily it can be upgraded and that it comes with two PCIe 3.0 x4 M.2 makes it even more interesting. On the flip side, we just wish the choice of USB was better, the 3.0 variety feels a bit tight, but there’s still one port with some potential for adding external storage to share.
Also, we wish there was a way to control or at least disable the light show, but for the asking price, the AMR5 is still a fantastic machine, even if it doesn’t quite meet the threshold needed for gaming.
Should you buy the Acemagician AMR5 Mini PC?
The Acemagician AMR5 Mini Gaming PC is a likable piece of equipment that punches above its price to deliver lots of useful features including dual M.2 slots, plenty of RAM, and the potential to attach external drives.
While it has GPU limitations, it still offers more power than most low-specification desktops or cheaper NUCs. It’s especially a good choice for those looking for small builds with just enough power to play lots of older games. Additionally, some AAA is playable through cloud gaming with little CPU overhead.
While the AMR5 might not be as small as a NUC system, it’s still small enough to easily carry around and will be sufficient for large amounts of slides, videos, and images.
For the stylish design, reasonable price, and lots of power for productivity tasks, the Acemagician AMR5 Mini Gaming PC is easily the Mini PC to beat this year – provided you don’t mind the RGB lighting on the case. It comes highly recommended over most NUC systems.
Last update on 2024-06-13 at 07:36 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
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