Review on 💻 GMK Nuc Box S: Mini PC Windows 10, Intel J4125 2.7GHz, 8GB DDR4, 256GB SSD, HDMI, USB 3.0, Bluetooth 5.1, 2.4G/5G WiFi - Powerful and Compact by Dan Sturm

Wow. I'm a fan of small form factor PCs and have been playing with RPis and Intel NUCs for years, but the GMK NUC Box S Intel J4125 - 8GB DDR4 256GB SSD is a whole different beast. 2 inches tall) the GMK is definitely the smallest SFF I've seen. In fact, it's bigger than a small microcontroller in one package. Most of the space is actually taken up by the HDMI, USB-A x 2, and USB-C (power only) ports on the back. The outside also has a power button, a power LED, and a TF slot. It's SO small. As it's also very light, be surprised if the weight of your cables leading to the device causes it to run all over your desk. Over time I'll just attach it to the back of the monitor with square velcro. In terms of operation, it does not differ from a "normal" PC. The main problem you might encounter is the general lack of USB ports. With only 2 USB-A ports, you'll probably want to use a USB hub (there are some monitors with built-in USB hubs, or you can purchase a standalone hub), or you can just use a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse. . Since BT 5 is built-in, using BT peripherals (keyboard, mouse, headset) is a good way to avoid cable clutter. If you mount the GMK on the back of your monitor, you can even get a 1ft thin HDMI cable and look unobtrusive. In terms of performance, this device can be evaluated on a curve. In the past, these types of devices were either cheap and slow (like the Atom-based SFF) or expensive (like the i5 and i7 NUC). At $219 (with a $30 coupon at the time of this review), GNK is definitely cheap, but actually not that slow. Various design options show interest in making the most of the available power, from placing soldered RAM in two channels, to using a true M.2 SATA SSD instead of eMMC, to using an active cooling solution for Celeron. And they seem to be focusing on what matters most while cutting costs in other areas -- Wi-Fi is a legacy 802.11ac single-stream solution (although I think it could be replaced) and that Housing is an inconspicuous plastic box. . Together, the NGK handles light loads with ease. I downloaded the Windows 20H2 update to the machine (it comes with 2004) and was prepared for the machine to be updated forever. To my surprise, it updated about as fast as the Ryzen 3 laptop I was using at the same time. Office tasks, surfing the Internet, video conferencing and distance learning are done quickly and efficiently on this device. Obviously, you probably won't be doing 3D modeling, AI programming, or 3D gaming on this device, but it's good enough for everything else. It is even suitable for use on HTPC as it easily handles video decoding and 4K full screen videos. It should be noted that the fan makes noise when it is doing its job. This is simply unavoidable when it comes to a small diameter fan. However, if you put it behind a monitor, you hardly hear anything. I also appreciate that GNK didn't just rely on thermal management and passive cooling. While it's entirely possible that an all-aluminum chassis would have allowed them to passively cool the CPU effectively, that would also have resulted in a significant price premium. These types of machines (at least in the sub-$1,000 range) typically rely on integrated CPU graphics since they don't have separate GPUs. The UHD 600 graphics integrated into the GNK CPU is good for 2D Windows tasks (like video), but completely unsuitable even for most casual games. If you need it, the next step is an AMD Ryzen 3xxx APU with Vega graphics, but you'll pay at least a few hundred dollars more for one of these small form factor devices. So who needs GNK? In fact, this is the smallest of the SFFs, but larger SFFs have already been installed to control the VESA holes. With that in mind, I think GNK is a good choice for anyone who needs a near-footprint PC - maybe an HTPC, retail POS, or signage. It's also a great option for something like a family computer or kitchen computer. At the moment I have my velcro on the back of the monitor on my workbench, but I might switch mine to a retro PC build. recommended