Overview
Traditionally, Minix has released much lower power N100/N150 type miniPCs. The N512 is one of their first devices using a more powerful cpu. In this case, the N512 is running the Intel i5-12600H, a great 12th gen chip that has 4 performance cores and 8 efficiency cores.
Specifications
| CPU | Intel i5-12600H (4P, 8E cores) |
| RAM | 16gb DDR5-5600 memory |
| SSD | 512GB Kingston PCIE 4.0 |
| Connectivity | (2) 2.5Gbps realtek ethernet, Wi-fi 6 |
| Ports | (2) HDMI, (1) USB-C 3.2 gen 2, (1) TB4, (4) USB-A, (1) 3.5mm audio, (1) USB-C PD power port with GAN charger. |
The dual 2.5Gbe ethernet in particular make this machine a nice option to use as a power PFSense router or file server. The GAN charger is also a nice touch to use as a small power supply. It also uses a brand name SSD and Kingston RAM. Note that the RAM came as a single 16gb DDR5 chip so it isn’t using dual channel out of the box, but you can add a 2nd.
The primary SSD slot is PCIE 4.0, and a secondary slot is available for more storage though only PCIE 3.0.
Benchmarks
Intel has always done a good job with single threaded performance.
The 8 efficiency cores contribute to the 8k+ multi-core score.
Cinebench R23: 1594 ST / 10,092 MT
JetStream2 javascript/web performance was very solid. This is especially important as more and more desktop apps run Electron.
Speedometer 3.0 browser score
Respectable SSD speeds for a small 512gb drive. These numbers aren’t quite as good as high end PCIE 4.0 drives that reach 4000-7000MB/s, but are still good numbers for productivity usage. It’s also a brand name Kingston SSD, not a generic drive like seen in Minix’s N100 models.
Power, thermals, and noise
The N512 does a good job at keeping the cpu well cooled and at reasonable power levels.
- Idle power: ~11w
- Power under load: ~70w
- Temperature under heavy load: 84c
- Noise: ~30db@ idle; ~44db under load at around 1 foot
The N512 has reasonable idle power ratings and keeps temperatures under control. The fan noise is a mixed bag, however. While at idle or under low loads, it is a very quiet machine. Under peak loads however, the fan noise is fairly loud compared to competitors.
N512 Strengths
- Good value for a miniPC with performance cores
- Well built case/chassis
- Dual ethernet 2.5Gbe ports
- Brand name DDR5 RAM and Kingston SSD
- USB-C PD GAN charger included
N512 Could be Improved
- Fan noise under max loads is quite loud on this device
- Wi-fi and bluetooth range is weak. Stick with ethernet or USB RF dongles. Wi-fi is also only wi-fi 6. I use ethernet and an RF keyboard so these weren’t issues for me personally.
- Intel i5-12600h cpu performance is good, but the igpu can’t keep up with AMD ryzen mobile cpus
- 2nd PCIE slot is 3.0 not 4.0
Overall the N512 would act as a great productivity machine or file server with its 4 performance cores, 8 efficiency cores, and intel quick sync options. For the money it’s a nice machine vs. the more expensive gaming miniPCs that use the 680m or 780m igpus. For the next revisions I’d like to see Minix quiet down the fans under load a bit more, and possibly bring back the external antennas like they have on their z100-0db or z100-aero machines that had such good range.
Buy the Minix N512 at amazon here.
