ASUS PN50 Barebone Mini PC (AMD Ryzen 3 4300U, 2 x SO-DIMM DDR4 3200 MHz, M.2 SATA/PCIe/NVMe, 2.5 Inch HDD/SSD Bay, Intel AX200 Wi-Fi 6, No OS), Black

Unfortunately, at the time of reviewing, we were unable to locate or have a model shipped to us for testing. As such, and excited to test the new line of Ryzen CPU/GPU combos on these mini computer models, I went with a modest 500$ budget approach to help land one for benchmarking. I must say, now looking back, it's the right choice for the price point at this time of writing (mid April, 2021). Intel has multiple lines of UHD and Iris graphic models for mini PC's, but the graphic horsepower for the price point, is nowhere close to these new Ryzen models now rolling out (4300U, 4500U, 4700U, and 4800U). More incredible, is the leap in power across all of these options, even vs. the older generation of much larger and more powerful Ryzens.On our 500$ budget, and due to availability, we were able to locate and purchase one of the 4300's in the new Asus PN50 models, as well as purchase Crucial's very afforable line of P2 SSD's, and 16GB of speedy 3200MHZ ram. That's not bad at all considering they are only now rolling off the showroom floor and becoming available. On this smaller model, the comparison's were unbeatable vs. the older, and intel variants for the price point (nothing came close). On the same budget, the only availability on a similar 500$ budget from Intel, would at best, net you a Iris Plus Graphics 655, which is far less capable than even the entry point modern Ryzen chips. This little box, and it's new entry chip, was able to outperform the more popular model 3550h, and even the 3750h in many regards, while also giving the older dreadnought Ryzen 2700, a run for it's money overall (8 Core/16 Thread chip). Simply, outstanding performance for even the entry level 4300U models.A lot of this, is down to AMD pushing far higher clocks on the newest generation CPU's which one might expect (4GHZ in some cases), while also greatly improving on the older generation of Ryzen graphics through expanded libraries, and a serious overclock that comes standard (1300mhz in this case, Vega 5, which really shines with weighed against the 300-1100mhz Intel Iris 655 models), allowing even the Quad-Core 4300 to perform brilliantly. One of the many concern's regarding these onboard graphics and all-in-models, is overheating. I'm happy to say, the new architecture of the Ryzen chips, is also impressive in this regard. The newer line of chips (4300-4800), manages to lower the power consumption drastically, while also improve on the heat dissipation and max temperatures the GPU can run from the previous entries. While there are a levee of popular entries at this time (Beelink GTR 5 and 7 for example, which contain the 3550h, and 3750h chips respectively), are both outperformed in clock speed, power consumption, and heat management. To give an example, we were able to emulate both Wii U, and PS3 Titles at full speed, while staying at a very modest 50-55C even under load.As a budget entry point to compact gaming, the ASUS PN50 find's a nice niche between the price point of the more popular Beelink GTR series, while also offering more horsepower in even the base 4300 model. The form factor is nice, compact, and feels well made overall. The only downside, and this is just personal preference, is the outer casing is a sight less impressive than the all aluminum sporting Beelink series, but definitely offers a wide array of ports and component options. Overall, a wonderful budget friendly introduction to Mini-PC's, with plenty of power for casual gaming.

Asus PN50 with Ryzen 5 4500u 6 core/6 threadBought one of these to replace an ageing desktop (Intel, i5) computer. For a while, I had considered getting an Intel Nuc, but lack of supply/availaibility encouraged me to look at other mini-pc options, and I am very pleased that I did. I have been a Linux user for some years now (Ubuntu and now Mint 20-2), and I am pleased to say that everything installed with no problems whatsoever, not that I was expecting any!I added 16GB of memory (2x8GB Kingston KVR32S22S8/8 3200 Mhz), a new Nvme 500GB SSD as my primary drive (Crucial P5 500 GB CT500P5SSD8 ), and repurposed my 'old' Samsung Evo 860 500GB SSD as my secondary drive. Assembly was quick, a bit fiddly as there is only limited space inside, but not too much of a problem.Installing from a 'live' Linux USB was fast and I had my new computer put together and up and running with all its old backup files and settings in less than an hour. It is fast, small, and very quiet (not even aware of any fan noise). I am not interested in playing games, so whether it is good at gaming is somewhat irrelevant for me. The graphics, videos, Youtube, video conferencing etc are all a breeze. Compared to my old 3.0 Ghz PC (with its decent graphics card), everything is faster, seems far smoother, and responsive, and it does not even get warm with multiple programs running. It takes up very little desk space and with its Vega mount sits neatly on the back of my monitor.I would definitely recommend one of these little boxes, especially for anyone looking to get away from MS and Apple and wanting to install Linux

Great little machine, does web browsing and streaming movies seamlessly. The fan is quiet when on low load, but on heavy load, expect some mid range whine which is very noticable, especially if placed next to you on the desk.This machine is bearbone, so you MUST purchase storage and ram. I went for 16GB Ballistix Crucial ram, and 1TB M.2 Samsung and 2TB Samsung SSD Evo. I would strongly consider more storage to avoid connecting external drives in future. However, if storage is not an issue, go with a 120gb M.2 for the Operating System.What wasn't clear is whether this had Bluetooth and WiFi. Well, I can confirm it has both. However, when installing Windows 10 Pro 64bit, it does not give the option to connect to a router to go on the internet, but it does give the option to connect via ethernet cable. Luckily I had a WiFi dongle on hand so managed to download the necessary drivers to enable the WiFi and Bluetooth (more of that below). This goes the same for wireless keyboards and mouse, you'll need wired ones first then connect the wireless devices.What you'll need:Ram (16GB would suffice, 3200 speed)M.2 2280 SSD (120gb or more)Small screwdriverHDMI or displayport cableWired mouse and keyboardUSB stick for OS (I used Windows 10 Pro 64 bit)Activation key for OS (if required)To install the above components, I'd recommend going to YouTube search for "How to Build an ASUS PN50 Mini PC and Install Windows 10". This gives an easy tutorial for installing and creating the OS on the USB Stick. The enclosed instructions I found weren't that helpful.I had a major issue when Windows was finally installed. I have a dell ultrawide monitor, and I had no option to change the resolution, it was stuck on the lowest res. Having downloaded the DELL drivers to no avail with default to the windows display adapter, I did the following 3 steps:1. Check for Windows Update. Install all updates as required by Windows.2. Google "Asus pn50 download drivers". I downloaded all the drivers offered, it is here that you can download the Wifi and Bluetooth drivers to enable it on the machine. It also has drivers for the memory card reader and BIOS updates.3. AMD Catalyst Driver for Windows. Google this, and download the driver for your OS. This is a display driver for the Asus device.Downloading the above drivers fixed the display issues for me. It displays on a 38inch 3840 x 1600 without a sweat. Lovely.If you are installing a 2.5 inch SSD, then remember to use disk management to format it first when Windows OS has been installed. The SSD is housed on the top section of the case which is a great use of the limited space as I did have a little doubt where it would go. Great design Asus.The unsightly HDMI logo on the front I believe is a sticker which can removed.In summary, its solidly built, feels premium even though it's plastic, and is a great desktop/laptop replacement. It comes with Vesa mounts, so for those who have the fittings behind the monitor, you can hang the PC there out of sight. It's small enough to place on any desk without compromising space. Highly recommended.