ACE Magician AMR5 Mini PC 2023 REVIEW

AMR5 Mini PC provides high-performance computing in a small, lightweight form factor.

I’m typically a Mac user but that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy using a PC every now and then. It is, in fact, a good practice for me to have a PC on-hand for work. My issue is that I don’t like a lot of desk space being used up. I live in my workspace and hate to see it cluttered. That’s when I looked at Mini PCs as an option. The AMR5-AMD Ryzen 5 5600U from Ace Magician ended up being a great option for an alternate workstation for me.

About AMR5 Mini PC

The AMR5 is a multifunctional PC marketed towards gaming. It has three operation modes — silent, auto, and performance — that can easily be enabled by its mechanical knob. The PC is powered by AMD Ryzen 5 5600U with Radeon Graphics (2.3Ghz). It has 16GB of RAM and comes with Windows 11 Pro pre-installed.

The computer is compact and thanks to its magnetic case, the internal parts can be accessed for maintenance purposes. The Mini PC has an advanced cooling module that provides efficient heat dissipation, which is backed up with a high-speed cooling fan. In addition to it unique form, the AMR5 PC also has three different RGB lighting effects that can enhance your workspace or gaming experience.

SPECS

• Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 5600U with Radeon Graphics // 2.3 GHz (Max Boost Clock can up to 4.2GHz)
• Installed RAM: 16.0 GB (15.4 GB Usable)
• Storage: 512GB SSD
• System Type: 64-bit operating system, x64-based processor
• Windows 11 Pro
• Version: 22H2
• 6 Cores, 12 Threads, 16 MB Cache
• 10 x I/O Ports
  • 3.5mm audio port
  • USB-A 3.0 x 4 → Data port: 5Gbps
  • USB-C x 1 → Data port: 10Gbps+, Display port: 4K 60Hz
  • DisplayPort x 1 → 4K 60Hz
  • HDMI 2.0 x 1 → 4K 60Hz
  • Gigabit Ethernet → 1Gbps
• WiFi 6
• Bluetooth 5.2
• Weight: 3.27 pounds
• Dimensions:‎ 5.23 x 2.83 x 6.15 inches

MODES

• Silent mode → power is reduced 10-15W and the fan sound as low as 38db. Ideal for quiet streaming or light work.
• Auto mode → suitable for medium work or entertainment projects, the mini pc power is setting as 15-20W, improve your work efficiency
• Performance mode → Use up to 20-25W to glide thru the toughest and most intense game graphics and upgrade your gaming experience

Pricing & Availability

The list price for the AMR5 AMD Ryzen 5 5600U is $509.99 from acemagicians.com and $499.99 on Amazon. At the time of publishing, this Mini PC is being offered at 14% off on Amazon. Users can also get this model of Mini PC with 32GB of RAM for around $579.

User Experience

The AMR5 Mini PC ships in a really nice retail box and comes with an HDMI cable, power adapter, and a user manual. Getting started with it is super easy. I already had an external monitor, keyboard, and mouse set-up with my existing workstation so I just connected the AMR5 to those devices. After I powered the PC on, I went through the standard Windows set-up process. Right away, I noticed how peppy the unit was. It was incredibly responsive to any commands and within just a few minutes, the AMR5 was up and running.

I was shocked at exactly how small the PC was when I removed it from the box. I have it sitting next to an 11-inch MacBook Air that is stored in a vertical laptop stand. It looks enormous next to the Mini PC. It’s very lightweight and it fits perfectly into a little space I have beneath one of my shelf speakers. I love that some of the ports are accessible on the front panel of the PC, while the others are tucked behind it.

One of the more unique physical features of the AMR5 is the Mode Knob. While you have the option of setting the Silent, Auto, or Performance modes in the system settings of the computer, ACE Magician makes it really easy to switch between modes with this knob. I used it a few times while testing and was impressed with how seamless the experience seemed to be.

Performance

The specs of the AMR5 Mini PC suggest that it’s a good mid-range PC. With 16GB of built-in RAM, it’s equipped to handle most applications but with only 512GB of solid state storage, it’s a little limited to be a true gaming PC. Most modern games take up a lot of hard drive space. With that in mind, I feel that this computer could be for games or for productivity, but not for both. I ran several benchmarking tests including Cinebench, Novabench, and Geekbench to determine what kind of performance someone could expect from this unit. The screenshots are included below.

Pros & Cons

After using the AMR5 Mini PC for some time I identified some pros and cons that might help others decide if they want to add this computer to their workstation. In addition to the list below, I read that other users had really good luck when contacting support for issues they had. I also read that some units have WiFi problems after a short period of use.

Pros

• Very responsive
• Worked well with external devices
• Ran smoothly with Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Chrome, and Microsoft Office
• Never had any issues with the PC running slow
• RGB lighting effects are a nice decorative touch
• Super compact and quiet

Cons

• The fans can be loud if running on Performance Mode
• Shouldn’t be marketed as a ‘gaming PC’; works for gaming, but more multipurpose

Conclusion

The ACE Magician AMR5 Mini PC is an impressive piece of hardware that offers a great combination of power and portability. Despite its small size, it has all the features you would expect from a full-sized desktop system. It is lightweight, energy efficient, and can be used for many purposes.

For more information, visit acemagicians.com, Facebook, and Instagram.