2 hours ago
5
pros and cons
Pros
- A genuinely whisper-quiet Windows 11 Pro mini PC.
- Comes with a three-year warranty, beating the contention that mostly offers a year.
- Easy to upgrade the RAM and M.2 retention drive.
Cons
- No USB-C ports bounds outer enlargement possibilities.
- Only azygous RAM and M.2 slots, truthful immoderate upgrading means having to propulsion distant immoderate is already successful the system.
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I cognize dozens of radical for whom the Mac Mini was the gateway gadget that made them power from big, clunky Windows systems to a tiny container that you could tuck successful the country of a table oregon fell down a show (or, arsenic was much often the case, down a heap of wiring).
All you needed was a display, a keyboard, and a mouse, and you were acceptable to acquisition computing without needing a elephantine beige container successful your life.
But things person moved on, and present you tin get Windows PCs that dwarf adjacent the Mac Mini. These PCs are mostly spinoffs of the Intel NUC (Next Unit of Computing) systems, but they've present taken connected a beingness of their ain acknowledgment to respective makers jumping connected the bandwagon.
Blackview, a institution amended known for its rugged smartphones, has besides been making immoderate awesome mini PCs lately, and the new, updated MP20 mini PC continues this legacy.
Lightweight, but packs a punch
The MP20 is simply a lightweight, palm-sized machine that weighs 265 grams, measures conscionable nether 4 inches square, and is lone 1.4 inches thick, but inactive packs a immense punch. These small-form-factor PCs are mostly measured successful liters, and this 1 is 0.326 liters (a shadiness little than a tin of Coke).
Unlike Apple's Mac Mini, which is machined from a billet of aluminum, the MP20 is made of plastic. Yes, adjacent that copper ringing astir the borderline that looks similar it could beryllium a heatsink -- it's plastic.
Decent tech, albeit a fewer years aged present wrong the Blackview MP20.
On the beforehand are a brace of USB-A 3.2 (10Gbps) ports, a 3.5 mm audio jack, and the on/off button; connected the backmost are a brace of USB-A 2.0 ports, an HDMI 2.0 and DisplayPort for hooking up displays (you tin connect each of these to abstracted 4K@60Hz displays), a gigabit Ethernet port, a Kensington fastener slot, and a DC input larboard for power.
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That's right, nary USB-C ports. Some mightiness consciousness this is simply a letdown, but I don't spot these mini PCs arsenic the benignant of instrumentality you link to a clump of peripherals. It benignant of defeats the intent of having a PC that you tin tuck down a display.
In the container is simply a metallic sheet that allows the MP20 to beryllium attached to the VESA screw points connected the backmost of a show oregon TV, oregon that tin beryllium utilized to unafraid the mini PC to a partition oregon desk.
Old tech inside, but it does the job
On the wrong of the MP20 is an energy-conscious quad-core AMD Ryzen 3 3300U processor that tin hum on astatine 2.1 GHz and boost to 3.5 GHz erstwhile needed. Tucked wrong the processor bundle is an integrated Radeon Vega 6 GPU, which means there's nary request for a abstracted graphics card.
The silicon package, which dates backmost to 2019, isn't going to triumph immoderate benchmark bragging rights oregon tally AAA games oregon high-end video editing software, but it's cleanable for mundane tasks specified arsenic web browsing, media playback, oregon usage arsenic a media center.
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The CPU/GPU bundle includes 16GB of DDR4 RAM (expandable to 32GB) and 512GB of retention connected an M.2 thrust (upgradable to 2TB). To upgrade the system, each you person to bash is popular the rubber feet disconnected the bottommost of the unit, unscrew the 4 screws (leave the statement unsocial -- determination are nary screws hidden nether it), and past cautiously pry disconnected the top.
After that, region the integrative "copper" bit, and you're into the system.
Getting into the Blackview MP20 was casual enough. Note however that "copper" heatsink is conscionable integrative trim.
This is much than capable powerfulness to tally the Windows 11 Pro operating strategy smoothly, arsenic good arsenic applications specified arsenic Google Chrome (I opened up a mates of twelve tabs without immoderate issue), and productivity tools similar Microsoft Office oregon CapCut.
I benchmarked the strategy utilizing Cinebench R23 and got scores of astir 3,300 for multi-core and 870 for single-core, putting it successful the debased midrange.
Only 1 RAM and M.2 slot limits upgrading to swapping retired parts.
But, again, that's by plan due to the fact that you can't cram a monolithic CPU into a tiny bundle without moving into each sorts of thermal issues. With this system, Blackview has managed to get distant with a azygous cooling instrumentality to support the strategy astatine highest show temperature, and the instrumentality ne'er becomes noticeable. According to the spec sheet, this instrumentality ne'er gets supra 35 dB, which is astir arsenic quiescent arsenic a room oregon a brushed whisper.
What tin you bash with a mini PC similar this?
So, what tin you bash with this tiny PC? You could usage it arsenic a general-purpose home/office system. It makes a large media halfway utilizing bundle like Kodi or Plex (both of which tally large connected this system). You tin connect it to a projector successful a league room, oregon -- and this is what I chose to bash -- acceptable it up arsenic a idiosyncratic unreality retention strategy utilizing the assemblage mentation of ownCloud, a determination that takes maine 1 measurement person to breaking escaped of the tyranny of iCloud and Dropbox.
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And that's the constituent of these mini PCs. They're a spot similar Raspberry Pi computers for radical who privation a afloat operating strategy -- a tiny strategy that's large for mundane tasks, oregon that tin beryllium acceptable up to bash a circumstantial job. Using a mini PC isn't the cheapest mode to bash this, but it's overmuch easier to commencement with a afloat functional Windows 11-based strategy than to instrumentality a little trodden way similar the Raspberry Pi.
ZDNET's buying advice
The Blackview MP20 is simply a coagulated mini PC, arsenic agelong arsenic you're alert of the limitations of small-form-factor systems. You're not going to get the bestest, fastest processors and GPUs; instead, you're going to get a strategy that's built to tally chill and quiescent and grip basal tasks. And this is what you get here.
The basal configuration is good for astir applications, but it'd beryllium bully to beryllium capable to upgrade the RAM and retention successful a meaningful way. The lone downside present is that there's lone 1 RAM and M.2 slot, truthful immoderate upgrades impact throwing distant whatever's already successful the PC.
The mini PC besides comes attached to a 12V/2.5A powerfulness supply, which is simply a setup I similar a batch due to the fact that I find that mini PCs with built-in powerfulness supplies endure a batch from vigor buildup, and that is simply a nonaccomplishment point. Here, the powerfulness proviso is downstream, and if it does neglect (or you conscionable request a spare for immoderate reason), you tin pick 1 up for astir $10.
Another triumph for the MP20 is the warranty. I'm utilized to seeing these mini PCs travel with a one-year warranty, but Blackview has bucked the inclination and is offering 3 years of warranty sum connected this unit. I anticipation to spot different manufacturers bash the same.
The $599 terms tag is connected the precocious side, but these mini PCs are inactive commanding a premium.
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