MINISFORUM NAB6 Lite Mini PC Core i5-12600H(12C/16T, up to 4.5 GHz) Mini Computer 16GB RAM + 500GB SSD, 2xHDMI + 2xUSB-C 4K@60Hz Outputs, 2x2.5G LAN, 4xUSB3.2, Intel Iris Xe Graphics Desktop Computer

I had a home media server that needed an upgrade since the GPU couldn't decode AV1 video, and I wanted to start using that format. I was going to buy a new video card that supported AV1, but I heard about how well the newer Intel iGPUs handled decoding AV1 and other formats. I thought it would be great to buy a mini PC for less than a video card and have a mini PC that used much less electricity than the PC it was to replace (or even just the video card). I know I could have bought an even less expensive PC with an Intel N100 for my needs, but since I often repurpose PCs, I wanted something that could be a capable home PC. I was impressed with this PC from the moment I unboxed it. Everything was packaged nicely and the PC felt sturdy. I saw the sticker on top of the PC case showing how to open the lid. That is a nice feature, but I didn't like the sticker and removed it. I thought it would come off easily like the plastic that came on a new cell phone screen, but it didn't and I suspect they didn't intend for it to be removed. They used some serious glue and it left a sticky residue that did not come off with rubbing alcohol. I guess I will need to buy something else more capable of removing the residue. I fired up the PC, configured Windows, made sure Windows was activated, and made a backup with Clonezilla. I was disappointed that this PC came with Home Edition when all of my other mini PCs came with Windows Professional, but I didn't care too much since I was going to wipe it out and install Ubuntu MATE. ***Windows Home Edition will be an issue if you need this for an office environment and need Remote Desktop.*** There were some errors reported when installing Ubuntu MATE, but I don't know what they were and there were no issues afterward. I also have experienced these errors during installation with other PCs and virtual machines, so I think it is common. I did not notice any hardware not functioning properly, though I didn't try using Bluetooth or WiFi. I have a home network with a mix of 1Gb, 2.5Gb, and 10Gb, so I was pleased to see this PC had 2.5Gb connectivity. It actually has two ethernet ports with 2.5Gb and not 1Gb and 2.5Gb like another I owned. I have played with link aggregation in the past, but I didn't want to deal with that. A single 2.5Gb connection will be just fine for my needs. My home internet is also limited to 1Gb, so I could max out my connection to the outside world and still have plenty of network speed for the internal network, though that will never happen. Ubuntu ran like a dream on this PC and I was shocked at how quiet this PC was when the CPU was at 100% for an extended period of time. I kept the CPU at close to 100% and RAM use around 80% for a few hours. This has the quietest CPU fan of any mini PC I have owned (and I have owned a few). Once indexing all the media was over, this PC was near silent. I couldn't hear it with the ambient noise in a rather quiet house. I had first tested configuring a media server on a lower power mini PC since I am not a Linux expert. That test PC did well at streaming, but the library menu was slow. The weak CPU and low amount of RAM were likely the culprits. I would scroll through the library and it would pause and then cover art or movie posters would slowly load. That was not the case with the MINISFORUM NAB6. This thing was just as fast as the full-size PC it had replaced with an Intel i7-8700K, 64GB of RAM, and an NVIDIA P2000 GPU. I had a friend test it remotely and he said it was like using it on the local network. Since I specifically chose this PC for the GPU, I chose the Intel i5-12600H since it has a slightly more powerful iGPU than the i5-12450H. Will it ever make a difference for my use? I have no idea, but I wanted bit more GPU power without bumping up to an Intel i7. This iGPU could handle multiple streams at once and do something my NVIDIA P2000 GPU couldn't, decode videos in the AV1 format. I played two 4K videos at once and had them transcode the video down to 720p. The GPU was handling the video with ease and the CPU had no issue dealing with the audio. I really need to see how many transcodes I can have going at once, but I haven't had the time. I will update this review if I get around to it. If you need a new PC for office or school work, this mini PC should work well while consuming less space and electricity than a full-size PC. I cannot tell you how it would handle editing video or using power hungry software like Photoshop, but I would tend to recommend something much more powerful for that. I can tell you this PC will work great as a media server, but I cannot say how many streams it could push out over the internet. I did not try that because it was not how I would be using it.

Love it! I'm using it to run an opnsense firewall and it's been running great! My last mini PC from another brand didn't last very long. I've been pleased with minisforum thus far and hope I get longer life from this unit.

I am an IT professional and have had my own business since 1999. I ordered a unit based on a review from a trusted web site. Unit worked for two weeks then wouldn't power up. I had to pay $85 to ship to their tech support center, a residential address in a neighborhood in CA. The company address is in Hong Kong. I received the replacement unit and it worked for a week and then wouldn't detect the M.2 hard drive. At this point I was upset. Tech support told me I had to purchase a replacement hard drive myself. I did, and it made no difference. At this point I was very upset. Tech support no longer responded to my inquiries. Not a US based company so no legal option. If you roll the dice beware that this is not a big US company that will go to great lengths to make sure you are a satisfied customer. You get two shots, and if you get a lemon both times your out of luck. Caveat Emptor is the word of the day when trying to get a bargain by using these little boutique outfits. I've learned my lesson. Like they tell gamblers, don't bet more than you can afford to lose.

Satisfied very much!

Hesitant to buy a no name brand from China. After three months of use, I’m thrilled to report that this system is performing flawlessly. While the ultimate test of endurance lies ahead, it’s currently handling my demanding workload with ease. Here’s what stands out: Robust Multitasking: With 100 tabs open, multiple programs, streaming, and gaming, this machine doesn’t break a sweat. Impressive performance even under heavy demands. Space-Saving Form Factor: The compact design is a winner. It doesn’t hog space on my desk. Having three monitors adds to productivity without clutter. Windows 11 Pro Upgrade: Upgrading to Windows 11 Pro was a breeze. No hiccups or headaches. Efficient Power Consumption: Surprisingly, it’s not as power-hungry as a full-sized laptop or desktop. Runs quietly and stays cool during resource-intensive tasks. In summary, this system combines performance, space efficiency, and quiet operation. So far, so good!

I bought the bare bones one and purchased my own ram and hard drive. Works great except it gets to hot and stutters. I leave the top sitting at an angle to show for air flow since the top holds the HDD

This is a very powerful computer in a very compact size. I can run several virtual machines simultaneously and also use it to edit videos and other intensive tasks. I put a 2 TB SSD and 64GB RAM into my bare bones kit, and now I have a powerful little system that has actually replaced my desktop and laptop computers. When traveling, I am always near an electrical outlet so I don't need a laptop battery. I just carry a keyboard, mouse, and portable LCD screen in my case, along with this little guy, and now I can take system anywhere. If you are doing processor intensive work and you worry about internal temperatures, setting this system on a small fan blowing up into the air vents in the bottom of the case solves that problem. For most work, the built in small fan is more than adequate. But I did find that when I was doing some very intensive processor work, the extra cooling was an added boost. But overall, I got a more powerful system, in a much smaller footprint, than a comparable desktop computer and I saved money over a comparable laptop. Also, Minisforums Tech Support has been great to work with if I ever had a problem or question.

This mini PC is a beast for the money. Very nice speed and even a Handbrake transcode can't get the fan to make much noise. The eject mechanism for the lid to get to the memory/disks is genius. There are a couple of issues (but not worth taking any stars away for) - the bluetooth driver is a pain - neither Minisforum or Microsoft have a version that works, the driver pack is useless for that. Snappy Driver Installer fixed it. The other thing is the obnoxiously bright blue power LED. Otherwise, this is a great value.