Acemagic M1 review: A mini PC with big-time power

Price When Reviewed

$600

Best Prices Today: Acemagic M1

Acemagic M1: The specs

• Processor: Intel Core i9-13900HK, 14 cores (6 Performance 8 Efficiency), 20 threads, base 2.6/1.9 GHz (P/E), turbo as much as 5.4 GHz, 24 MB L3 cache
• Graphics: Intel Iris Xe
• Memory: 32 GB DDR4-3200 (2 × 16 GB SO-DIMM from the producer Kinsotin), dual-channel, expandable as much as 64 GB
• Internal storage: 1 TB NVMe SSD Biwin M350 (PCIe 4.0 x4), a further M.2-2280 slot is on the market (expandable as much as 4 TB)
• Front connections: 1 × USB4 Type-C (40 Gbit/s, DP 1.4, PD output), 2 × USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, 1 × 3.5 mm audio, energy button
• Rear connections: 4 × USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, 1 × 2.5 Gbit/s RJ45 LAN, 1 × HDMI 2.0, 1 × DisplayPort 1.4, 1 × DC-In
• Connectivity: 1 × 2.5 Gbit/s LAN (Realtek RTL8125), Wi-Fi 6E (MediaTek MT7922), Bluetooth 5.2
• Operating system: Windows 11 Pro (64 bit)
• Power: exterior 19 V energy provide unit with 6.3 A (approx. 120 watts)
• Dimensions: 128.2 × 128.2 × 41 mm (W × D × H), 1.18lbs

The producer Acemagic is understood for offering compact, highly effective mini PCs that mix desktop efficiency and ease of use with a horny price-performance ratio. On Amazon, Acemagic provides a number of fashions within the entry-level to mid-range section, usually with good rankings for value, options, and easy plug-and-play set up. Let’s see if the M1 can show itself to be a great worth in our evaluation.

Acemagic M1: Design

As quickly as you open the field, it turns into clear the place the journey is heading: as a lot pocket book {hardware} as attainable in as little quantity as attainable. The mini PC itself, the pleasingly compact 120 watt energy provide unit, an HDMI cable, VESA mount with screws and a short fast begin information are included within the field. In precept, the setup is so simple as with a pocket book dock: join the facility, join it to a show through HDMI/DP or USB-C, plug within the peripherals, and swap it on.

With its housing, the Acemagic M1 with Intel Core i9-13900HK is extra visually interesting than the customarily angular barebones from traditional PC producers. The flat, sq. housing measures 128.2 × 128.2 × 41 millimeters and weighs round 1.18lbs. This implies that the pc disappears effortlessly underneath a monitor or on a VESA mount behind the show. The M1 is just barely bigger than the Sapphire Edge AI 370.

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The high is solely printed with the Acemagic brand. The rounded edges give the machine a a lot much less “gaming box” look within the workplace than you’d count on from an i9 system. The chassis is fabricated from plastic on the skin and a steel core on the within. Although this construction reduces the burden, it doesn’t make the floor look fairly as high-quality because the milled aluminum blocks of a Geekom A9 Max or Minisforum AI X1 Pro.

A USB-C port (USB4), two USB-A ports, the mixed 3.5 mm jack and the facility button are positioned on the entrance. The association is properly thought out: headphones, a USB stick, or an exterior SSD may be plugged in rapidly with out the desk changing into cluttered with cables.

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At the rear, the M1 provides the remainder of the ports: 4 extra USB-A sockets, 2.5 Gbit/s Ethernet, HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort 1.4 and the DC enter. Large air flow slots are positioned on the perimeters. The laptop is clearly designed to be operated horizontally – subsequently, anti-tilt rubber toes are solely out there on the underside.

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In follow, the pc stays comparatively silent in idle mode, and in regular workplace operation the working noise disappears behind any regular ambient quantity. Under extended full load, the fan revs up and is then audible, however not shrill – extra like the everyday hissing noise of a compact pocket book cooler.

Acemagic M1: Features

The centrepiece of the system is Intel’s Core i9-13900HK – a cell high-end chip with 14 cores and 20 threads primarily based on Raptor Lake (Intel 7), which reaches as much as 5.4 GHz in Turbo mode. It was launched in the beginning of January 2023 and is subsequently not the youngest member of the i9 sequence. Nevertheless, it nonetheless ranks within the higher class in follow – extra on this later.

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In our configuration, it’s flanked by 32GB DDR4-3200 in dual-channel mode and a 1TB NVMe SSD (Biwin M350).

Christoph Hoffmann

It’s thrilling that Acemagic accommodates two M.2 slots regardless of the compact 128 mm design: each in 2280 format – each help NVMe storage with as much as 4 TB capability.

Mentioned on this article

Sapphire Edge AI 370

Read our review

The mixture of 32GB RAM and 1TB SSD is adequate for typical workplace and improvement workloads. Those who keep giant media databases, for instance, can merely add a second SSD with out an exterior housing – though entry is considerably extra fiddly than with mini PCs with a magnetic lid such because the Sapphire Edge AI 370 as a result of housing design.

When it involves connections, the M1 is surprisingly beneficiant: six USB-A ports (two of them with 10 Gbit/s), a USB4 port with as much as 40 Gbit/s and DisplayPort Alt mode, plus HDMI 2.0 and DisplayPort 1.4. In complete, three 4K screens may be operated in parallel – a state of affairs that’s fairly lifelike in follow, for instance for artistic professionals or within the software program improvement surroundings.

On the community aspect, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2, and a 2.5 Gbit/s LAN port can be found. This places the M1 barely behind the newest AI mini PCs with Wi-Fi 7 and twin 2.5 Gbit LAN, however provides greater than sufficient reserves for typical desktop use.

A direct comparability with units such because the Geekom IT15 or Geekom A9 Max clearly exhibits the distinction in focuses: While these fashions shine with DDR5 RAM and partially built-in NPU, particularly with AI PC options and ample upgradeability, the Acemagic M1 depends on a traditional PC idea with a deal with CPU efficiency and plenty of ports at a relatively reasonable value.

For skilled AI workloads and most future-proofing, fans are higher off choosing the brand new HX-370 programs with Radeon 890M, whereas the M1 is well adequate for on a regular basis workplace and inventive work.

Acemagic M1: Operating system

The Acemagic M1 is equipped with Windows 11 Pro, which is mechanically activated on-line after the primary begin. The primary setup is accomplished in a couple of minutes; we then replace the system from Windows model 24H2 to 25H2.

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Before the benchmarks start, we set up all the newest Intel drivers for the Iris Xe graphics and the chipset (Intel Alder Lake-P) to make sure that the mini PC runs underneath optimum situations and that each one elements can develop their full efficiency.

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Acemagic M1: Performance

The Intel i9-13900HK is formally two CPU generations behind the present Core Ultra chips and Ryzen AI SoCs, however that is solely noticeable at sure factors in on a regular basis use. In the PCMark 10 overall score, the M1 achieves 6,288 factors, with 11,097 factors in Essentials and 7,966 factors within the Productivity class. In Digital Content Creation, the M1 is barely decrease at 7,633 factors, however nonetheless clearly in an space the place workplace, browser multitasking, mild picture modifying and Full HD video modifying run utterly unproblematically. For comparability: a Geekom IT15 with Core Ultra 9 285H achieves 8,341 factors, the Geekom A9 Max with Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 achieves 7,976 factors – the M1 is subsequently round 20 to 25 per cent behind, with out dropping noticeably in typical workplace workloads.

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The 3DMark CPU profile confirms this impression. With 6,172 factors at most threads and 1,082 factors within the single thread, the i9 within the M1 virtually reaches the single-core efficiency of present HX-370 programs, that are round 1,160 factors, however falls properly in need of their 8,300 to 8,800 factors within the multi-core scaling. In follow, which means that interactive purposes, compilation instances, and scripts proceed to learn from the excessive peak efficiency of a single processor core, whereas lengthy rendering jobs or 4K transcoding merely run sooner on the brand new AI chips – in exams with 30-minute 4K materials, a Core Ultra 9 285H typically solely encodes for half so long as the 13900HK within the M1.

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Graphically, the Iris Xe graphics used right here is within the midfield of the present iGPU panorama. With 1,467 factors in 3DMark Time Spy (1,283 graphics factors and 7,960 CPU factors) and 863 factors or 6.4 FPS in Steel Nomad Light, it’s clear that we’re coping with a machine that maxes out with eSports titles and informal video games, not a substitute for an RTX or RX GPU.

Measurements on mini PCs with Radeon 890M – corresponding to Minisforum AI X1 Pro or Sapphire Edge AI 370 – present a GPU efficiency that’s round 30 to 40 % increased with 3,500 to 3,700 time-spy factors and over 3,000 factors in Steel Nomad Light; Intel’s Arc graphics within the Geekom IT15 even tops this with 4,244 time-spy factors. If you’re aiming for present AAA titles with excessive settings, it’s subsequently higher to make use of a system with a Radeon 890M or a mini PC with a devoted GPU; nevertheless, the M1 is adequate for 1080p eSports in medium presets.

The classification of the AI efficiency is fascinating. Geekbench AI Pro certifies the M1 with 2,740 factors (Single Precision), 1,085 factors (Half Precision) and 5,213 factors within the Quantised check. This places it properly beneath the values of recent AI platforms: Minisforum AI X1 Pro with Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 achieves round 7,007 factors within the Quantised rating, the Sapphire Edge AI 370 is at 6,616 factors, a Geekom IT15 with Core Ultra 9 285H even at 8,005 factors.

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The cause is easy: The 13900HK doesn’t have a devoted NPU, all AI workloads run through CPU and GPU. This remains to be adequate for infrequent picture upscaling jobs, transcription or native language fashions within the low-parameter vary, however anybody who works with AI workloads each day can be extra environment friendly with a present Ryzen AI or Core Ultra system.

The SSD efficiency decided by CrystalDiskMark is strong, however not spectacular, at 3,425 MB/s learn and 3,284 MB/s write. These values are roughly on a par with a great PCIe 3.0 SSD and clearly beneath the 5,000 to 6,000 MB/s that we measured in mini PCs such because the Geekom IT15, A9 Max, or Sapphire Edge AI 370.

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Subjectively, that is hardly noticeable: Windows begins up rapidly, giant purposes corresponding to Visual Studio or Lightroom load quick sufficient, however undertaking folders with hundreds of small recordsdata nonetheless really feel a contact extra responsive on a number of the different rivals talked about.

Is the Acemagic M1 value it?

All in all, the Acemagic M1 with i9-13900HK is a traditional old-school efficiency mini PC: glorious single-core efficiency, very respectable multi-core efficiency, a usable iGPU for on a regular basis 3D and media acceleration, however no specialised AI {hardware} and its SSD values are just under the high-end degree.

It clearly loses out to the newest mini PCs with Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 or Core Ultra 9 285H in artificial benchmarks, however comes shut sufficient in on a regular basis workplace and inventive work. The additional efficiency of its rivals ought to solely be related for heavy customers {and professional} AI workloads. Otherwise the M1 is a greater than succesful day-to-day or work mini PC.