NAB6 Lite Mini PC Core i5-12600H(12C/16T, up to 4.5 GHz) Mini Computer 16GB RAM + 500GB SSD, 2xHDMI + 2xUSB-C 4K@60Hz Outputs, 2x2.5G LAN, 4xUSB3.2, Intel Iris Xe Graphics Desktop Computer

I bought a MINISFORUM Venus Series NAB9 Mini PC 12TH Gen Core i9-12900HK on sale. It has dual HDMI and a 2.5" SATA drive bay. It even came with Windows 11 Pro. Set up was easy, but I used a wired mouse and keyboard for the start-up. The pop open case is great and the unit is completely silent.

I had a home media server that needed an upgrade since the GPU couldn't decode AV1 video, and I wanted to start using that format. I was going to buy a new video card that supported AV1, but I heard about how well the newer Intel iGPUs handled decoding AV1 and other formats. I thought it would be great to buy a mini PC for less than a video card and have a mini PC that used much less electricity than the PC it was to replace (or even just the video card). I know I could have bought an even less expensive PC with an Intel N100 for my needs, but since I often repurpose PCs, I wanted something that could be a capable home PC. I was impressed with this PC from the moment I unboxed it. Everything was packaged nicely and the PC felt sturdy. I saw the sticker on top of the PC case showing how to open the lid. That is a nice feature, but I didn't like the sticker and removed it. I thought it would come off easily like the plastic that came on a new cell phone screen, but it didn't and I suspect they didn't intend for it to be removed. They used some serious glue and it left a sticky residue that did not come off with rubbing alcohol. I guess I will need to buy something else more capable of removing the residue. I fired up the PC, configured Windows, made sure Windows was activated, and made a backup with Clonezilla. I was disappointed that this PC came with Home Edition when all of my other mini PCs came with Windows Professional, but I didn't care too much since I was going to wipe it out and install Ubuntu MATE. ***Windows Home Edition will be an issue if you need this for an office environment and need Remote Desktop.*** There were some errors reported when installing Ubuntu MATE, but I don't know what they were and there were no issues afterward. I also have experienced these errors during installation with other PCs and virtual machines, so I think it is common. I did not notice any hardware not functioning properly, though I didn't try using Bluetooth or WiFi. I have a home network with a mix of 1Gb, 2.5Gb, and 10Gb, so I was pleased to see this PC had 2.5Gb connectivity. It actually has two ethernet ports with 2.5Gb and not 1Gb and 2.5Gb like another I owned. I have played with link aggregation in the past, but I didn't want to deal with that. A single 2.5Gb connection will be just fine for my needs. My home internet is also limited to 1Gb, so I could max out my connection to the outside world and still have plenty of network speed for the internal network, though that will never happen. Ubuntu ran like a dream on this PC and I was shocked at how quiet this PC was when the CPU was at 100% for an extended period of time. I kept the CPU at close to 100% and RAM use around 80% for a few hours. This has the quietest CPU fan of any mini PC I have owned (and I have owned a few). Once indexing all the media was over, this PC was near silent. I couldn't hear it with the ambient noise in a rather quiet house. I had first tested configuring a media server on a lower power mini PC since I am not a Linux expert. That test PC did well at streaming, but the library menu was slow. The weak CPU and low amount of RAM were likely the culprits. I would scroll through the library and it would pause and then cover art or movie posters would slowly load. That was not the case with the MINISFORUM NAB6. This thing was just as fast as the full-size PC it had replaced with an Intel i7-8700K, 64GB of RAM, and an NVIDIA P2000 GPU. I had a friend test it remotely and he said it was like using it on the local network. Since I specifically chose this PC for the GPU, I chose the Intel i5-12600H since it has a slightly more powerful iGPU than the i5-12450H. Will it ever make a difference for my use? I have no idea, but I wanted bit more GPU power without bumping up to an Intel i7. This iGPU could handle multiple streams at once and do something my NVIDIA P2000 GPU couldn't, decode videos in the AV1 format. I played two 4K videos at once and had them transcode the video down to 720p. The GPU was handling the video with ease and the CPU had no issue dealing with the audio. I really need to see how many transcodes I can have going at once, but I haven't had the time. I will update this review if I get around to it. If you need a new PC for office or school work, this mini PC should work well while consuming less space and electricity than a full-size PC. I cannot tell you how it would handle editing video or using power hungry software like Photoshop, but I would tend to recommend something much more powerful for that. I can tell you this PC will work great as a media server, but I cannot say how many streams it could push out over the internet. I did not try that because it was not how I would be using it.

This mini PC is a beast for the money. Very nice speed and even a Handbrake transcode can't get the fan to make much noise. The eject mechanism for the lid to get to the memory/disks is genius. There are a couple of issues (but not worth taking any stars away for) - the bluetooth driver is a pain - neither Minisforum or Microsoft have a version that works, the driver pack is useless for that. Snappy Driver Installer fixed it. The other thing is the obnoxiously bright blue power LED. Otherwise, this is a great value.

Hesitant to buy a no name brand from China. After three months of use, I’m thrilled to report that this system is performing flawlessly. While the ultimate test of endurance lies ahead, it’s currently handling my demanding workload with ease. Here’s what stands out: Robust Multitasking: With 100 tabs open, multiple programs, streaming, and gaming, this machine doesn’t break a sweat. Impressive performance even under heavy demands. Space-Saving Form Factor: The compact design is a winner. It doesn’t hog space on my desk. Having three monitors adds to productivity without clutter. Windows 11 Pro Upgrade: Upgrading to Windows 11 Pro was a breeze. No hiccups or headaches. Efficient Power Consumption: Surprisingly, it’s not as power-hungry as a full-sized laptop or desktop. Runs quietly and stays cool during resource-intensive tasks. In summary, this system combines performance, space efficiency, and quiet operation. So far, so good!

The size is amazing considering it's power. It offers all the ports needed to complete the entire system. The cost is very affordable for what you receive.