Windows 10, acceptable performance from a computer that costs a low-end phone.

Introductory

I can't do it, but when such a tiny machine comes into my hands, I always think that it would have been good if 10 had been like this a year ago. I mean, it's so strong because tiny machines were, of course, there. At that time, the HTPC madness was raging, everybody had to have a PC next to the TV, somehow the games run away and watching movies, listening to music. To do this, we built machines as large as a home theater amplifier, or even larger ones, if they had the strength.

It is strange to think that the number of times the machines at that time can be multiplied by a small, soundless, and last but not least penny machine. The computer in this article came to me for a test, so I only used it for a few days, but until then I was working. I wrote an article, there was a little Excel and Word, I took pictures, scaled them up, so I had everyday tasks. During this time, a lot of low-end, very cheap mini PCs could be used.

Packaging and exterior

The ACEPC AK7 Mini PC came in a small box for the size of the computer. Simple graphics and some typical features await us on the black cardboard. At the bottom of the box are the main configuration data, processor type, memory and mass storage.

Opening the box in an anti-static bag we immediately look at the machine, and we find the accessories underneath the thinner cardboard underneath. The manufacturer did not overdo the supplied stuff, we only found one external power supply and one HDMI cable along with the English installation guide. Anyone who has seen a computer and Windows 10 knows not much about the description, so we can leave it in the box.

The computer looks surprisingly confident. The metal house is golden, just like the logo on the roof. The house is matted, so it doesn't collect fingerprints at all. The lid is a white, slightly milky glass-like plastic. I had a little hope that after a switch on, a light will be illuminated, let's say blue light, but there is nothing like that. The only thing that gives light on the machine is a tiny blue LED at the front of the house.

The front and rear of the engine compartment are located on the right side and rear of the control unit. To the right is the power button, next to a card reader, then two USB 3.0 and one USB 2.0 port. The front connector is the back of the power supply, with a USB 2.0 gate followed by two HDMI sockets. Then there is an Ethernet connector and a microphone input. That's all, but that's not at all. For mini PCs, for example, they often save you the USB gates, which is a problem, as we are now connecting everything via USB. That is, the 4 USB, two of which are USB 3.0 serious gifts, is a great red dot for the ACEPC AK7 Mini PC.

There is nothing at the bottom of the machine or nothing outside the four rubber feet. They are not big, but they are soft enough not to slip on the desk.

Overall, I value the look good. Looks good, maybe just the gold color is a bit, because it's not elegant, it seems like a bazaar. But the white cover really looks good.

I haven't written about the dimensions yet. The machine is, of course, small to call it a mini PC. The height of the machine room without the rubber pack is only 2,2 centimeters and the edge length is 12 centimeters. Its weight is just 4 Deca, so it's really lightweight.

Hardware

I have to say, this machine will not be popular because of "muscles". Passive cooling and the tiny engine room do not allow you to put heavy hardware into it. The processor came from Intel, in the form of an Apollo J3455 Celeron processor. It wasn't a fresh piece at the end of 2016, so it's been slow to build machines for a year and a half. This is an ultra low (10 W TDP) energy consuming process which operates in the range of 1,5 to 2,3 GHz depending on the load. The 14 nanometer bandwidth solution has received an 2 MB cache, along with the integrated memory controller for DDR3 or DDR4 memory, up to 8 GB. The prociba integrated graphics accelerator is an Intel HD Graphics 500 that can operate between the clock between 250 and 750 Mhz.

The ACEPC AK7 Mini PC also has Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity. The former is a two-channel solution supporting n standards, that is, we can use 2,4 and 5 GHz networks as well. There is a gigabit wired network connection through the RJ45 port. The computer features 4 GB DDR3 memory and 64 GB eMMC storage.

Use and experience

Let's start by finding a pre-installed Windows 10 Home operating system on your machine, which is of course legal. After installation, we need to select the user interface language, but fortunately English is available so there is no problem with this. Windows 10 Home is exactly the same as the usual desktop version, it's easy to set up, give your wifi password if you don't plug your UTP cable into your ass, click through everything, and then get started.

As I wrote up, the machine's cooling is passive, so no sound at all. However, fortunately, it does not heat up when I did not run heavier tests than the lid was hotter than my hand.

As I wrote in the introduction, I used the machine for work. The reason for this was not only that I didn't have much time to play, but also that it wasn't designed to run games. I do not say that it is completely unsuitable for this task, as PC Mark 10 knew nearly 1300 points, and 3D had lost 22 a thousand points in Ice Storm and then 3000 in Cloud Gate. In real games, FHD resolution, and with low or medium settings, scratched the 40 fps under Word of Tanks, and I could enjoy the Minecraft around 30 fps. Let's say these are not very combative values, but the truth is that older 3D games run on such a powerful machine.

At the end, another important moment. There's an 4K logo on the computer box, and I was very curious to really get that resolution. Well, I have to reassure everyone that 4K hasn't even hit him. He took the obstacle loosely, so in this respect he also went to the fifth place.

Conclusion

From now on, I think it is clear that this machine is designed for those who want to use Windows 10 on TV, or those who are not looking for a graphical workstation, but a simple, inexpensive solution to do the job or do office work. For them, this machine will be perfect.

For me, it was enough for most of my daily tasks, not dashed, there was no annoying waiting for the web pages to load, so I did the work together without dropping and dropping. The only case when I had to switch back to my regular desktop was a graphic work that I needed to know about Photoshop.

It is very important that the ACEPC AK7 Mini PC is barely larger than an average Android boxing box. If you start from this, your performance will be very high, especially if you see the price at the end of the article. In addition to the machine, you only need a monitor, a keyboard + mouse combo and work or fun.

In the introduction I wrote that the price of a computer is the price of a low-end phone. You can guess from this that the price pencil is not too thick for the price tag. We currently have to pay 150 dollars, which is roughly 43 thousand forints, for which we receive the free Priority Line delivery free of customs and VAT. It's not a lot of money, but a complete, instant-on-the-go Windows 10 Home system that is small, silent and consumes less than a conventional filament burner.

If you want one for yourself, you can find it here: ACEPC AK7 Mini PC - 4 + 64 GB