Most mini PCs generally try to get by with the essentials – CPU, RAM and a single storage drive – while barebones systems start off with even less. It is, therefore, rare to see a tiny Windows computer that is as internally well equipped as the VivoMini.
Specifically, we’re using the VM65N-G072Z model; the VivoMini family has about as many different configurations as a Rubik’s Cube, starting with the Intel Celeron-based UN45 and scaling all the way up to our VM65N spec. This sits very close to the top of the line, with a dual-core Intel Core i5-7200U, 8GB of RAM, both a 128GB SSD and a 1TB hard disk, and even a dedicated graphics chip, Nvidia’s GeForce 930M.
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Asus VivoMini review: Power
This GPU is, like the CPU, a relatively low-power laptop component, and a far cry from the proper desktop-grade parts of the Zotac Magnus ER51060. This, however, is an awful lot cheaper, not to mention far more compact, and still puts up a very competitive performance in our 4K benchmarks. Its multitasking score of 14 is unfortunate (despite active cooling from a fan, we wouldn’t be surprised if there was some throttling going on), but its image score of 81 and video score of 56 point towards a system that can at least handle some low-end media editing, as well as the basic stuff such as browsing and word processing. Overall, the VivoMini scored 39, handily beating rivals such as the MSI Cubi 3 Silent.
Out of curiosity, we also ran the 1080p version of our benchmarks, which the VivoMini sailed through: 206 in the image test, 182 in the video test and 186 in the multitasking test. That’s twice the performance of the Intel Compute Stick, fittingly, at a little less than twice the price. It’s also interesting to see that the VivoMini’s multitasking weakness disappears in this less demanding test, its score becoming much more proportional to the image and video-encoding segments.
The GeForce 930M also makes Asus’ mini PC an adequate tool for light gaming. Running Dirt: Showdown at 720p, the VivoMini produced 43fps with the High quality preset and 51fps with the Low quality preset. It should be noted that the HP Elite Slice achieved a single extra frame on Low settings, despite using integrated graphics, but at High settings – which is where we’d rather be – the VivoMini wins out over everything else.
Asus VivoMini review: Storage
The VivoMini has excellent storage: the 128GB SSD allows for speedy operation of Windows, as well as a few choice applications, and its lack of capacity is compensated for with a hefty 1TB hard disk. Most mini PCs, even more expensive ones such as the Elite Slice, make do with a single SSD, but we strongly recommend a larger backup like this HDD if you want it as your main PC.
What’s more, you can swap it out for a larger drive if you do ever run out of space. Opening up the VivoMini is child’s play: simply flip a release switch on the back, slide off the top cover, and you’re in. Admittedly, the extent to which you can upgrade and customise this PC is slightly more limited than, say, the Cubi 3 Silent – you can only really reach the hard disk and the SO-DIMM memory slots, both of which are located in their own little self-contained compartments. We get the impression that tinkering with the VivoMini’s innards is meant to be a last resort, rather than something that’s encouraged as it would be with a barebones system.
Asus has squeezed in a fine selection of ports. As well as four USB 3 ports, there are another two faster USB 3.1 connectors, and dual display support is possible thanks to both HDMI and DisplayPort outputs. Gigabit Ethernet provides a wired alternative to the built-in 802.11ac Wi-Fi, and the full-sized SD card reader could be great for photographers and amateur filmmakers (as long as their editing needs aren’t too demanding, considering the PC’s benchmark scores).
There’s even an optical S/PDIF out, below the separate 3.5mm microphone and headphone jacks. Support for high-end audio hardware is exceedingly rare among PCs at this price, even larger desktops, so the presence of this port is a very nice surprise.
We wouldn’t consider it a fault, knowing how much is inside, but the VivoMini does have a large footprint for a mini PC: at 52 x 190 x1 90mm, it’s both taller and wider than an Elite Slice, and takes up a lot more desk real estate than a Cubi 3 Silent. It’s not a bad looker, though, especially with Asus’s signature swirl pattern on top jazzing the whole thing up a tad. It’s also light enough – weighing 1.2kg – that if you invest in a VESA mounting kit and affix it to the holes on the bottom, you can have it attached to the back of a monitor, on the underside of a desk or vertically on a wall.
Asus VivoMini review: Verdict
It would have been easy to look at the VivoMini’s 4K multitasking score and be put off, but otherwise this is beyond a doubt a very well-balanced mini PC. It’s great value, has enough processing power for home office use (and enough graphics power for occasional 720p gaming), has plenty of storage and doesn’t need any extra barebones-style installations. Unless you’re willing to pay a few hundred pounds more for superior horsepower, this is the best of the mini PC bunch.