Alliwava H90 Pro review: This mini PC nails small, quiet, and powerful

Best Prices Today: Alliwava H90 Pro

Alliwava H90 Pro: The specs

• CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 8745HS, 8 cores / 16 threads, 3.8 to 4.9 GHz, Zen 4 structure, 35 watt TDP, 4 nm manufacturing
• GPU: AMD Radeon 780M, 12 compute items, as much as 2,600 MHz, shared reminiscence
• Memory: 32GB DDR5-4800, dual-channel, 2× SO-DIMM, expandable as much as 256 GB in line with the producer
• Mass storage: 1 TB NVMe SSD, M.2-2280, PCIe-NVMe
• Cooling: Vapor chamber cooling system (MSC 2.0) with quiet fan and SSD heatsink, mud safety air inlets
• Video outputs: 1 × HDMI (2.1), 1 × DisplayPort (1.4) plus further DisplayPort/Alt mode through USB-C; as much as three displays in parallel operation, DP as much as 8K @ 60 Hz
• USB: 1 × USB 2.0, 3 × USB 3.x Gen1, 1 × USB 3.2 Gen2×2 (20 GB/s), incl. USB-C
• Connectivity: 2 × 2.5 Gbit LAN (Realtek RTL8125), Wi-Fi 6E (MediaTek MT7922), Bluetooth 5.2
• Operating system: Windows 11 Pro pre-installed, automated activation when linked to the web
• Dimensions: 52 × 130 × 127.5 mm (H × W × D)
• Weight: approx. 360 g (0.8lbs)

More and extra producers which are nonetheless comparatively unknown are getting into the mini PC market. Alliwava is a small provider of mini PCs that – not like well-known manufacturers – intentionally focuses on a price-to-performance-orientated market section. Instead of pricey flagship fashions with NPU, Thunderbolt docking, or premium gaming design, Alliwava focuses on strong {hardware} in compact circumstances, good worth for cash, and sensible options appropriate for on a regular basis use. In our assessment we put it to the check to see if it lives as much as these requirements.

Alliwava H90 Pro: Design

After unpacking and the primary impressions, the H90 Pro instantly seems to be like a typical IT favourite: sufficiently small to vanish behind the monitor, however with port format and cooling which are extra harking back to a full-blown desktop.

The H90 Pro has a easy, purposeful look: aluminium tray on the backside, plastic lid in carbon have a look at the highest, plus perforations on the perimeters for air flow.

Christoph Hoffmann

At round 13 × 13 × 5.2 centimeters and round 360 grams (0.8 lbs), the housing stays very compact. At the identical time, Alliwava accommodates a fully-fledged AMD Zen 4 platform with Ryzen 7 8745HS and Radeon 780M – all at avenue costs of lower than $700.

The entrance is clearly structured: a number of USB ports, an audio socket and a discreetly illuminated energy button. This makes the mini PC inconspicuous sufficient for the workplace with out showing low cost.

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It will get thrilling once you look beneath the hood: Alliwava makes use of a newly designed metallic body with a vapor chamber and MSC 2.0 cooling system, plus dust-protected air inlets on the underside and sides. This is something however a matter after all on this measurement class. In apply, the cooling design ends in very quiet operation – even beneath load.

Compared to gadgets such because the Minisforum AI X1 Pro or Geekom A9 Max, the H90 Pro is visibly extra compact. These fashions additionally depend on highly effective CPUs (Ryzen AI 9 HX 370), however require bigger circumstances with considerably extra quantity. The Sapphire Edge AI 370 undercuts the H90 Pro as soon as once more by way of top, however Alliwava’s cooling idea is extra accessible – with out magnetic lids or a rotated board, however with an easily-to-get-to inside and standardized elements.

Alliwava H90 Pro: Processor, GPU, RAM, and SSD

The H90 Pro is surprisingly absolutely geared up. The centerpiece is the AMD Ryzen 7 8745HS (8C/16T, 3.8-4.9 GHz, 35 watts TDP) primarily based on the Zen 4 structure, mixed with the built-in Radeon 780M (12 CUs, as much as 2,600 MHz). There can be 32GB DDR5-4800 in twin channel (2 × SO-DIMM, upgradeable to 256GB) from Kingbank Technology and a 1 TB NVMe SSD (M.2 2280, PCIe NVMe, Gen4 in line with the producer, in apply extra within the Gen3 efficiency vary).

Crystal Disk Info identifies the interior SSD as 1 TB NVMe PCI3 3.0 x4 – regardless of the producer.

The connectivity is among the clear plus factors: A complete of 5 USB ports can be found (together with a 20 GB/s port), plus an HDMI port, two DisplayPort outputs and two 2.5 Gbit LANs. Alliwava itself advertises triple show assist through HDMI 2.1, DP 1.4 and USB-C, together with 8K at 60 Hz through DisplayPort – a element that we particularly admire.

Christoph Hoffmann

The H90 Pro depends on twin 2.5 GbE (Realtek RTL8125) and Wi-Fi 6E (MediaTek MT7922) for the community. Bluetooth 5.0 can be obtainable.

Alliwava H90 Pro: Operating system

The Alliwava H90 Pro comes with Windows 11 Pro pre-installed, which is activated when there’s an energetic web connection. The working system on our check system was nonetheless Windows 11 23H2 – launch date 31 October 2023 – so a serious replace to Windows 11 25H2 was obligatory in a number of steps instantly after setup. This is typical for smaller producers who don’t replace their pictures commonly.

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After the replace, Windows runs stably and easily. We downloaded the AMD drivers for the Radeon graphics card and the chipset from the Internet and put in them.

Christoph Hoffmann

A very good level is that Alliwava doesn’t set up any bloatware or undesirable further software program.

The system’s efficiency harmonizes nicely with Windows 11: The Ryzen 7 8745HS, the 32GB RAM, and the NVMe SSD guarantee a really easy person expertise. Boot occasions stay brief, applications open rapidly and there aren’t any noticeable delays even with many browser tabs or Office applications working on the identical time.

For typical eventualities – workplace work, net functions, media playback, residence workplace, even gentle picture and video enhancing – the H90 Pro presents a remarkably easy expertise beneath Windows 11. Once the mini PC has been correctly up to date after unpacking, you get a secure, quick, and unproblematic system that leaves little to be desired in on a regular basis use.

Alliwave H90 Pro: Performance

The Ryzen 7 8745HS belongs to the Hawk Point household and is basically a Zen 4 chip with eight cores, 16 threads, and as much as 4.9 GHz increase. The built-in Radeon 780M shares the DDR5 reminiscence with the CPU and scales strongly with the RAM clock and energy funds. In the H90 Pro, the processor works with relatively conservative energy limits; the full consumption beneath full load stays at round 60 to 80 watts and is clearly average in on a regular basis use.

With its efficiency scores, the H90 Pro ranks fairly nicely within the discipline of present Ryzen 7 mini PCs – with a transparent give attention to workplace and all-round productiveness duties, however barely slower gaming efficiency.

PCMark 10 with 6,209 factors reveals a system that effortlessly covers typical workplace, net, and collaboration workloads. Essentials (9,380 factors) and Productivity (8,864 factors) are on a par with well-configured 8745HS or 7840HS compact PCs. The Digital Content Creation part with 7,456 factors signifies that photograph workflows, easy 4K enhancing tasks, or streaming setups run easily with out getting into the area of devoted GPUs.

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The 3DMark CPU profile with 5,486 factors with most threads, 5,238 factors with 16 threads and 4,418 with 8 threads reveals a cleanly scaling multi-core efficiency. As anticipated, the hole to the single-thread rating (890 factors) is obvious and confirms that the 8745HS works as a traditional 8-core all-rounder: excessive multi-thread efficiency for compilation, virtualization, or parallel workloads, with out coming near the highest of the HX-370 or Core Ultra high fashions from our checks. These normally provide 15-30 p.c extra reserves in artificial checks, however are considerably dearer.

Christoph Hoffmann

The GPU efficiency is thrilling. A Time Spy rating of two,446 factors with 2,186 graphics factors and 7,549 CPU factors is barely beneath typical 780M techniques with a extra aggressive configuration. Many 7840HS or 8845HS mini-PCs with quick LPDDR5X RAM are nearer to 3,000-3,300 factors. The Radeon 780M can’t absolutely realise its potential as a result of Alliwava leaves the RAM at 4,800 MT/s and operates the APU with average energy limits.

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In apply, this implies: Full HD gaming on medium settings runs stably in lots of titles, however present AAA video games or WQHD/4K stay clearly within the “best-effort” vary.

3DMark’s Steel Nomad Light with 2,027 factors and 15 FPS reveals precisely this identical image: playable in average presets, clearly GPU-limited within the tougher variants. Solar Bay with 10,295 factors emphasises that the iGPU is kind of highly effective by mobile-APU requirements, however doesn’t compete with discrete mid-range graphics playing cards.

Geekbench AI Pro is fascinating: 3,617 (Single Precision), 1,566 (Half Precision) and 7,371 quantized are strong values for a pure CPU/GPU answer. However, in direct comparability to NPU-based techniques – such because the Ryzen AI HX 370 mini PCs or the Intel Core Ultra 9 within the Geekom IT15 – the H90 Pro lacks the devoted AI unit, that means that AI workloads require extra power and computing time. For traditional desktop AI (native LLMs, picture technology in average decision), the mix of Zen 4 cores and 780M continues to be ample so long as you don’t count on most throughput charges.

Christoph Hoffmann

In phrases of mass storage, CrystalDiskMark delivers values within the higher PCIe 3.0 section with round 3,569 MB/s learn and 3,102 MB/s write. High-end Gen 4 SSDs theoretically obtain twice as a lot, however the distinction is hardly noticeable in on a regular basis use (booting, loading apps, mission workflows).

Christoph Hoffmann

Is the Alliwava H90 Pro value it?

All in all, the H90 Pro is positioned between traditional 5800U/5825U workplace containers and the present AI flagships with HX-370 or Core Ultra 9 by way of efficiency. The mini PC from Alliwava is powerful in on a regular basis and productiveness duties and (nonetheless) ample for gentle gaming and content material creation, however lacks an AI accelerator and received’t break any information for iGPU efficiency.