The Ninkear M7 Mini PC is a sure eye-catcher for those looking for a compact yet powerful computer with upgradability. Unlike most mini PCs, where expansion is limited, the M7 offers a second M.2 drive and add an extra bar of RAM, noticeably improving the overall performance of the system. The device is made in a stylish case that fits perfectly into the workspace, and the set of ports covers all the main scenarios: from connecting peripherals to working with multiple monitors.
Specifications
Packaging and Accessories
- The mini PC itself;
- Power Supply – 19V, 3420mA, 65W;
- Monitor mounting bar with screw kit;
- Accompanying documentation;
- HDMI cable;
A stylish metal box of almost square shape. The main interface is displayed on the back of the case, and on the front there are only two USB ports and a bright power button. On the sides there is a perforation for heat dissipation. At the bottom there are four screws that fasten the case, and two screw holes, where the adapter bar for mounting on the monitor under the VESA 75x75 mount is screwed.
Disassembly
By removing the four screws and lifting the lid, you get access to the DDR4 3200MHz Faspeed N4-16G-PAD RAM, as well as the M.2 Faspeed P8 M.2 2280 storage and the second M.2 slot. Next to it is a dual-band Wi-Fi module RTL8852BE and a removable battery for BIOS power.
The main feature of this model is that the installed AMD Ryzen 5 7430U processor supports up to 64 Gb of RAM, while in dual-channel mode. Here one bar is installed for only 16 Gb and works in single-channel mode, thereby underestimating performance.
Testing
In today's realities, the installed processor can easily perform a standard set of office tasks, and the video core allows you to play undemanding games. This configuration is more than enough for an office PC or for a child to perform school tasks.
In Cinebench R23, the result is 1291 single core pts/5943 multi core pts. In another program, PassMark 3832 and CPU Mark 15486.
For fun, we compared this processor to the N150 model found in the Ninkear N10 Pro mini PC. The Ryzen 5 7430U processor outperforms it by almost three times in tests.
Ryzen 5 7430U N150
| PassMark | 3832 | 1469 |
| CPU Mark | 15486 | 5937 |
All settings are factory locked to TPD 45W. By setting it to 54W and turning on Smart Shift Control, you can increase performance, but at the expense of temperature.
For example, in CPU-Z at 54 W, we get the values of 596 and 4248 parrots at a peak temperature of 95°C. This is quite a lot and is a critical temperature, and it is probably better to use it for a short time for certain purposes or upgrade cooling. Also, do not forget about the power supply. Its specifications say about 65 watts. When running the test in AIDA or OSST, the power consumption begins to exceed these values, up to 80-85 W, which activates the power supply overload protection.
If you set the TPD to the factory value of 45 watts, you get a result of 543 and 3492 parrots at a temperature of 83°C.
| 54 W | 596 | 4248 |
| 45 W | 543 | 3492 |
It turns out that you can get a performance boost at the expense of temperature. Everyone decides for themselves where to stop, but it's good that the manufacturer provides such an opportunity in flexible processor settings. You can also choose a TPD up to 10 watts.
Mini PC data from CPU-Z.
The videos are played perfectly with a resolution in 4K format. We tested it on various test videos, which load the processor on average up to 20%, the maximum that I saw was 35%. If you take test videos in 8K format, the processor cannot cope. Of course, not only the resolution affects the download, but also the video encoding, its bitrate, and so on. In short, 4K video with HEVC encoding and a bitrate of about 80 Mb/s can be played back without any problems.
The processor is sorted out, now with the memory. The factory memory operates at a frequency of 3200 MHz and timings of 22-22-22-52. We must say right away that we did not have the same second memory stick, and we did not want to work in pairs with RAM running at 2666 MHz, only separately. Of course, if you suffer for a long time, then something can still work out, but, at least, with the timings set in automatic mode, and experiments in manual mode, they did not bring results. As they say, the lack of results is also a result, and the manufacturer gives you a chance to play with the settings.
It is very convenient that the BIOS battery is not soldered and is located on the connector, which had to be disconnected each time to reset the BIOS to factory settings when the timings were set incorrectly. Unfortunately, there is no separate toggle switch or button for this task on the board.
The RAM shows a maximum read and write speed of about 24000 MB/S. The memory works in single-channel mode at 3200 MHz.
We wondered how the computer would behave with two RAM bars, and we found this information in another review of this model. When installing the second memory stick, the speed from 24000 MB/S rose to reading 35500 MB/S and writing 45000 MB/S. A noticeable increase in speed, which, of course, will raise the overall performance of the system.
The installed drive operates at a read speed of 3600 MB/S and a write speed of 3100 MB/S. We get 4.8 GB/S and 4 GB/S. Therefore, if you want to install a faster drive in this Mini-PC, then this action will be a waste of money.
The second slot uses the same bus as the first PCIe Gen3x4. This is a huge plus, so you can buy a second drive with speeds not higher than 3.5 GB/S.
Working with two drives has a certain nuance, which slightly reduces the speed of reading and writing. If you connect the second M.2 drive, then for some reason the speed decreases on the first and second, we would not say that this is critical, but the fact is a fact. The speed dropped from 3600 and 3100 MB/S to 3100 and 2900 MB/S. In the second slot, a drive with speeds of 4 GB/S is installed, resulting in 3500 and 2700 MB/S.
As a result, if you expand the memory or replace it, the best option would be to buy an M.2 drive with speeds of 3-3.5 GB/S.
About USB ports. The two front ports have the 3.2 Gen 2 standard and speeds up to 10 Gbps. Two USB ports on the back of version 2.0. It follows that high-speed USB flash drives and portable drives should be connected only to the front panel, and on the back side - peripherals in the form of printers, mice, etc.
Wi-Fi testing using the iperf program obtained the following results:
- 2.4 GHz — about 110 Mbps. Connection speed — 286 Mbps.
- 5 GHz — about 270 Mbps. Connection speed — 1200 Mbps.
- LAN connection — 945 Mbit/s. Connection speed — 1000 Mbps
In general, the speeds show good results, and this is provided that the second computer was connected directly by cable to the Netis NX62 router and all devices were in the same room. Such speeds reveal the potential of the classic tariff plan of 100 Mbps.
For interest, we went to the farthest room of the house, where there are already four brick walls between the router and the mini-PC with a total distance of about 7 meters. We are talking about the frequency of 5 GHz, since 2.4 GHz under such conditions the speed was at the level of 10 Mbps. So, we got the result for the incoming speed of 86 Mbps, but the outgoing speed was already reduced by almost half and amounted to only 40 Mbps.
The noise level in idle mode of the Mini-PC sound meter cannot pick up and fixes the background noise in the apartment of about 19 dB. In the stress test, the noise level rises to 24 dB from a distance of 10 centimeters. If you move the sound level meter at a distance of one meter, the level fluctuates around 20 dB. In simple words, the cooling is so quiet that it's almost inaudible, especially if the mini PC is under a desk or behind a monitor. For the first one, we even wondered if the cooling system was working.
The average power consumption is about 40 watts, in idle mode - about 15-20 watts.
During the stress test in the room at a room temperature of about 23°C, the average temperature in the case was 40°C. The maximum temperature was 50°C. If you run the stress test for a long time, the temperatures rose to 45°C average and the maximum temperature to 57°C.
According to the sensors on the M.2 storage device, the idle temperature is 40°C, and during the stress test it rose briefly to 70°C. Average values are about 60°C. We think the installation of a low-profile heatsink instead of a thin sticker will change the temperature dynamics of the M.2 storage device in a positive direction.
The processor heats up to 83°C in short-term tests and up to 87°C in long-term tests. The temperature rises to almost peak 95°C with a TPD of 54 W.
In-Game Testing
Playing around with the graphics settings and resolutions, we got the following results:
- GTA 5 – 25-30 FPS low parameters.
- GTA Vice City Deluxe - 30 fps at the expense of graphics and low resolution.
- CS2 - 30 fps at HD resolution with more or less graphics.
- CS 1.6 - 30 fps at 2K resolution, at HD about 100 fps.
- PUBG – about 20 FPS at minimum settings.
- NFS Underground 2 — 30 fps at above average graphics. At low resolution and 60 FPS graphics.
- World Of Tanks — 60 FPS at low graphics settings.
In simple words, the built-in graphics of Vega 7 pulls most of the games that were released in 2015-2020 and earlier in 720, 1080p.
You need to understand that this is a non-playable horse and you can forget about the new products, but you can complete the most difficult mission with a helicopter in GTA or online with friends to defeat the map on hold in Warcraft 3 without any problems. Of course, by installing a second RAM slot, it will be possible to slightly increase performance.
BIOS
You can explore all the BIOS settings yourself in the video below. There are a lot of settings, the most important thing is that you can adjust the CPU TPD, timings and RAM frequency, as well as allocate RAM for the video card. You can get to the BIOS settings by pressing the DEL key when starting the computer.
Conclusion
This mini PC combines high performance for everyday tasks, decent upgrade potential, and a stylish metal case. It handles office work and a large number of open tabs without any problems, while remaining virtually silent. The ability to expand RAM up to 64 GB and install a second drive makes the device even more versatile. Triple monitor support is a clear plus, although having only one Type-C port and using USB 2.0 on the back panel can be considered a disadvantage. Otherwise, it is a reliable "office horse" with the prospect and even the ability to run undemanding games. A nice bonus is the already installed licensed Windows 11 OS.