f fast integrated graphics are not popular in desktop computers (because it's easier to buy some kind of used Nevidia, anyway the PCIe slot is empty), then in Mini-PCs, which are practically laptops with a different layout and without a screen/keyboard/battery, this concept is the juice. Because even on an old Xeon with a Chinese motherboard soldered on the knee, you are unlikely to assemble a sensible desktop for a price that beats all competitions. Let present the very fully playful Ninkear M8 Mini-PC.
Ninkear M7 Mini-PC Design
The Ninkear M8 Mini-PC is a compact mini-PC that can easily fit on any desk or even behind a monitor without taking up extra space. The design of the device is laconic and modern: the case is made of durable plastic with a matte finish, which makes it resistant to scratches and fingerprints.
The dimensions of this stylish "box" are 130x128x52 mm, and the weight is only about 500 grams.
Externally, the M8 resembles a miniature game console or Mac mini. There are no LED backlights, backlights, or any type of game patterns — the design is minimalistic. The fact that we have a mini PC not from Apple is betrayed only by the convex lines on the top cover, the bright orange power button of the device and the letter on the logo.
Now about the connectors, On the front, there are two USB Type-A 3.2 Gen2, USB Type-C 3.2 Gen2 connectors (and it is full and supports power), a microphone and headphone jack, a power button and a hidden reset button.
But on the back panel there are the following connectors: DC for powering the device, one HDMI 2.1 port and DisplayPort 1.4 are responsible for displaying images from the nettop. For data transfer, there are as many as two LAN ports (with a speed of up to 2.5 gigabits per second each), one USB Type-A 3.2 Gen 2 and one slower USB Type-A 2.0 for some flash drives with light files or keyboard/mouse.
As for wireless communication "on board", the Ninkear M8 has Wi-Fi 6 (MediaTek MT7922, in theory, gigabit over the air will squeeze out without difficulty, and the maximum supports up to 2.4 Gbps connection with the router, well, in fact, it can squeeze out 1.8 Gbps in line of sight ideally) and Bluetooth 5.2.
There is nothing interesting at the bottom - a circular ledge-stand, on which technical information, a fabric overlay and holes for ventilation are placed.
As in many other nettops, the charger here is in the form of a bundled DC adapter instead of some GaN with USB-C. In the nettop it is not as infuriating as in the laptop: here you connect the power supply once, install the nettop - and that's it, for years we all forgot about this issue.
There is no VESA mount in the box (although this is the norm, but it happens in some mini PCs), but the HDMI cable 1 meter long is in place.
Ninkear M8 Mini-PC Performance
The heart of the Ninkear M8 is the AMD Ryzen 7 8745HS processor based on the Zen 4 architecture. It is an 8-core chip with 16 threads and a base frequency of 3800 MHz, but support for Turbo Core technology in ideal conditions allows automatic overclocking to 4900 MHz.
Its main highlight is a fairly powerful integrated Radeon 780M graphics (in fact, GTX 1050 Ti in terms of performance, only with a processor in one case), and the size of the L3 cache is 16 MB. The maximum TDP of the processor, in theory, is 54 watts, but... Okay, let's talk about this in more detail below.
First, the integrated graphon allows you to run modern games from three years ago at medium settings - for example, Fifa EA Sports FC 25 at medium settings at 1080p, Cyberpunk 2077 at 1080p at 30-40 FPS, or lighter titles like Valorant at 60+ FPS. You can play Counter-Strike 2, or World of Tanks on medium settings at 70-90 fps without any problems. The nettop will pull all sorts of undemanding strategies like "Civilization", and Forza Horizon 5 at medium in 1080p at 60-70 frames per second. Not bad enough.
But, of course, in Oblivion Remasteres, Stalker 2, Indiana Jones with RTX, Kingdom Come Deliverance II or Battlefield 6, this graphics will not take out. In short, this is not yet the performance of a cheap gaming laptop with an RTX 3050, but at the same time it is much more cheerful than any other built-in graphics not only in laptops, but also in most desktop processors (except for some Ryzen with the G index, which no one buys due to the slots cut to 8 lines for a discrete graphics card for the future, if you put such a processor with a desktop computer).
And now, the nuances. Let's start with the good stuff:
The SSD is normal. Although it is a non-name, although it is PCIe 3.0, it is terabyte and in general it turns decently (it seems to be a renamed Fanxiang on the Maxio controller MAP1202A, which is quite good), as for a bundled drive. This is not some kind of Goldenfir from Alik, at least there is quality back and forth.
Everything is tossing and turning, subjectively, at a normal speed - at the level of the same laptops for 50-60 thousand rubles. In Windows - about the same as with the Core i5-12400F or with the Ryzen 7 5700X, in games - it seems to be also fine, but...
The nettop is very quiet, after desktops and laptops it will seem almost silent to you even under load. It is very comfortable to work with it at night.
Here are the photos showing how it looks from inside:
And now to the minuses:
The RAM here is with a frequency of 4800 MHz. On the one hand, it would seem "what the hell with it - but there are 32 gigabytes of RAM at once!". And we agree - what the hell with it if you take this mini PC not for gaming. And for games, RAM is crucial, because it is also video memory (for those who do not understand - if the RTX 4060 has 8 GB of its own personal video memory, then the built-in has to "bite off" this memory from the RAM of a mini-computer/laptop, and not fast enough RAM drops the speed very significantly).
In principle, even so, the netbook pulls games well, but if it were DDR5-5600, and not DDR5-4800, the performance in games would be 15-20% higher. It's just us, finding fault – it's not all bad, simple and not as good as possible. Therefore, many people prefer to buy mini-computers without RAM and SSDs in order to immediately buy good options instead of "some from the factory, which the manufacturer found in wholesale purchases inexpensively".
Much more importantly, although the nettop is quiet, the processor heats up a lot in return, up to 95-97 degrees under load. And drops the speed from the standard 45 W to 24 W. Because the bundled thermal paste is lousy (with some MX-6 you can remove 7 degrees from the processor without any problems). Well, the cooling here is end-to-end
After replacing the thermal paste (important) and replacing the RAM with DDR5-5600, the Ninkear M8 nettop will go for all the money. But yes, it looks like smearing with Movil and pulling nuts on Zhiguli after buying. You can do none of this at all if you play rarely or old games, but it would be desirable.
Competitors
Beelink SER8
First, the Beelink SER8, on an identical Ryzen 7 8745HS is integrated with a 32/1TB memory configuration. It is sold on Russian one of most famous platform Ozone right now for about 47,000 rubles, the equivalent of $580 USD which is almost ten thousand rubles more expensive than Ninkear. There is already an all-aluminum case (and even more "slanting" for the Mac mini) and more USB ports.
Of the significant advantages, Beelink has better cooling. If the Ninkear heats up to 92-97 degrees (mostly to 95) in the stress test, then the SER8 fits into 80 degrees of temperature at maximum loads. True, the noise is also furious in this mode of operation.
On the other hand, the processor also stokes a stable 55 watts, while the Ninkear does not squeeze out even in moderate loads over 40 watts.
And the RAM here is as sensible as possible right out of the box - immediately Crucial, immediately 5600 MHz, all indicators are normal. And the SSD immediately PCIe 4.0.
In short, 10 thousand rubles difference is 10 thousand rubles difference, but here everything is done wisely, no fuss with selling RAM, replacing thermal paste and picking at the BIOS in an attempt to increase TDP is required here. And if you don't want to do all these manipulations, and games on the net are important to you (if they are not important, then do not overpay and take something on the Core i3-1215U for the Internet or on the Ryzen 6800U/Core i5-12450H for intensive work), then it is easier to take this option right away.
Junibox Office Station
By the way, here's an alternative if you don't need games on a mini-computer at all, but you already need fast work. There is an option with Junibox Office Station, which in the version with 32 GB of RAM and 1000 GB of SSD is sold on the same Ozon Global for 40 thousand rubles. And there is an option for 32 thousand with 16/512 GB.
Processor – Intel Core i5-12450H (8 cores, 12 threads, up to 4.4 GHz, 35-45W TDP) with Intel UHD Graphics. The processor does not heat up above 70 degrees under high load, the RAM is quite cheap - DDR4-3200, but if you don't play games, then it makes almost no difference. SSD NVMe PCIe 3.0.
On the good side, there is a VESA mount (which means you can immediately hang it behind the monitor) and licensed Windows 11 Pro out of the box. To spin browsers, open large documents in Microsoft Office, sometimes photoshop jpeg photos is normal, quite an option.
Findings
Damn, how can we tell you... It turns out to be a "blank" computer, a "seedling" computer, which needs to be "finalized with a file" to a fully operational state.
Yes, quiet. Yes, fast enough not to break down in Windows. Yes, even out of the box some games pull tolerably.
But it gets very hot, which is why the processor loses performance, and the bundled RAM slows down the performance of good built-in graphics by 15-20%. That is, for work, and for games it is desirable to sell and buy normal DDR5-5600 dies, so that the games work as intended (lol, Nvidia's slogan) on the integrated Radeon 780M graphics initially. And change the thermal paste. In short, you will have a fuss with this model, but partly, probably, this is why it is cheaper by 10+ thousand rubles in Russia market for example and even at best price from our global market platforms than competitors with similar speed.
It's like buying a soldered RTX 3070m or RTX 4080m in a desktop computer — cool and profitable in its own way, but it's hardly worth recommending to everyone.
However, the 3070m "out of the box" will not immediately work without "dancing with tambourines" (or, as the new generation says, "perdoling"), but the Ninkear M8 will. Just not to their full potential...
Conlusion
Bottom line: if you need a gaming mini PC, while you can replace the thermal paste yourself, increase the TDP of the processor in the BIOS (well, try it) and sell/buy new RAM - take it. If you can't, pay an additional from competitors' models, in which everything is already made "from the crop". And if you don't need games on the nettop, but need a powerful processor for work, take mini-computers based on the Core i5-12450H processor - it will be cheaper, and there will be no difference in processor performance, if we compare it with Ryzen with a powerful built-in that sags due to overheating from 45 to 24 watts, in work tasks between this Intel and the 8745HS.