I purchased this after my 5-year-old PC couldn’t turn on, and I tried a tablet and a PC stick before but things did not work out. I needed a small and energy saving PC to do the office things; so I was searching for many mini PCs that run Windows. I’m not a big fan of gaming so I just need a mini PC that can perform web browsing and office apps with a small portion of price. This ACEPC AK1 Mini PC caught my attention because:
Price: It was under $200. I mentioned above; I did not want to hurt my pocket. I remembered that I spent over $400 for a Celeron CPU tower years ago, but now it is just under 200 bucks with a palm size.
Design: The size is very small; I can carry it with one hand easily. The box came with a VESA mounting plate but not the screws, I had to buy the screws online. Since it features a fan inside, so it is very cool and I did not even feel the heat when I placed my hand on it for a while. Even though it had a fan, but it is very quiet, I need to come closer to hear the noise. The build quality is strong, solid, and durable. Another plus is its simple to upgrade and assemble.
Connectivity: It features a lot of ports (1x LAN, 2x USB 3.0, 2x USB 2.0, 1x HDMI, 1x 3.5 mm, and 1x Micro SD slot). I love to expand and upgrade my PC rather pay everything up front because I am cheap, that’s why I hate buying Apple products. This PC came with a 2.5” HDD bay, a mSATA SSD port, and a Micro SD slot; that’s a lot of space to upgrade later. Luckily, I had a spare HDD drive from my dead laptop and it’s still functional. I am waiting for a mSATA SSD and a Micro SD card on sale to get one.
Performance: The specs was enough to run some office jobs. I did not expect a lot from a Celeron CPU, and 4 GB of memory PC. I need to clarify this: this PC is not strong at all, but it is decent for its price. The boot time was only 20 seconds (attached video). I watched 4k YouTube videos with no such problems like lagging or crashing. Microsoft Office was quick and smooth, no problem at all. Light photo retouching was a bit lagging but still ok. It can handle small and simple online games.
Finally, this is a cost-efficient mini PC for simple jobs such as office apps, home entertainment, or learning. However, if you are looking for a PC to handle fast fps games or media editing, this PC is definitely not for you. It is worth to try if you are a minimalist or just need a small PC to do daily simple tasks, and more importantly, I think this minicomputer is the best choice with its price segment at this moment. Just under $200.
