[ This ARTICLE is an official contribution from our official partner https://www.ixbt.com/ All copyrights are fully recognized. Any reproduction or use, in whole or in part, is strictly prohibited without prior written authorization from the author ]
As mini PCs continue to gain popularity, they are increasingly becoming a practical alternative to traditional desktop computers. Their compact design, energy efficiency, and quiet operation make them ideal for both home and office environments. Despite their small footprint, modern mini PCs can easily handle everyday productivity tasks, multimedia consumption, and even light professional workloads. They also save valuable desk space while requiring minimal maintenance. A good example of this new generation of compact computers is the Ninkear M7, which is powered by the AMD Ryzen 5 7430U processor.
Ninkear M7 Main Specifications:
- Model name – Ninkear M7
- CPU – 7nm AMD Ryzen 5 7430U (6cores/12threads up to 4.3GHz, 15W TDP)
- Graphics - Radeon Graphics (Radeon RX Vega 7)
- System Memory – 16GB DDR4 3200MHz SODIMM
- Internal Storage – Faspeed P8 M.2 NMVe 512GB SSD + additional M2 NVME 2242 slot
- External interfaces – Gigabit LAN (RJ45), 2*HDMI, 2*USB 2.0, 2*USB 3.2, USB Type-C, miniJack 3.5mm
- Wireless Interfaces – WIFI 6 802.11ax (2.4/5.0 GHz) + BT 5.2 Wi-Fi 6 802.11ax
- Power Supply – 19V/3.4A (DC Port 5mm)
- Operating System – Windows 11 Pro 64 bit
- Dimensions – 116x107x36 mm
Ninkear M7 Packaging and configuration:
The Ninkear M7 is delivered in a well-presented magnific cardboard box. Inside the package, users will find the mini PC, a 19V/3.4A AC power adapter with a 5 mm DC connector, an HDMI cable, a VESA mounting kit for flexible installation, and the accompanying documentation.
The included power supply appears to utilize traditional silicon-based components.
Ninkear M7 Design
The Ninkear M7 PC comes in a stylish metal chassis with a branded logo. The device looks elegant and modern, making it a great addition to any workspace.
The main connectivity ports are located on the rear panel. They include a DC power input, two HDMI outputs, a 3.5 mm audio jack, a LAN (RJ-45) port, two USB-A ports, and a USB Type-C port.
On the front panel, there are two high-speed USB 3.2 Gen 2 connectors with 10Gbps bandwidth and a power button:
On the side ends there are only ventilation grilles for air intake:
If needed, you can use a VESA mount to attach the nettop to the back of a monitor.
Ninkear M7 Dimensions:
The evolution of compact mini PCs continues to impress. The previous N10 model was among the most compact on the market, equipped with an Intel N100 processor that requires minimal cooling. In contrast, the M7 features a more powerful AMD Ryzen 5 7430U, which generates more heat and therefore requires a more robust cooling system. Despite this, the dimensions of the M7 remain very compact at just 116 × 107 × 36 mm.
Overall, the size of the Ninkear M7 Mini PC is comparable to that of a power bank. Here is another visual comparison of its dimensions:
However, its performance is often higher than that of many home desktop systems from seven years ago.
Ninkear M7 Processor:
This model is powered by a hexa-core AMD Ryzen 5 7430U processor, with a maximum boost frequency of up to 4.3 GHz.
It was announced in late 2023 and is designed for lightweight laptops. It features six cores (12 threads) based on the Zen 3 microarchitecture, with operating frequencies ranging from 2.3 GHz (base) to 4.3 GHz (boost). The chip is manufactured using 7 nm process technology and has a 15 W TDP. It also integrates a Radeon Vega 7 graphics unit (Radeon Graphics) with 7 compute units clocked up to 1.8 GHz.
Despite its branding as part of the 7000 series, this processor's architecture is actually based on the previous 5000 series. This reflects AMD's updated mobile processor naming scheme, which groups several generations under the 7000 series designation. As a result, processors based on different architectures—from Zen 2 through Zen 4—are all included within the same series, which can make identification less straightforward. AMD has provided documentation outlining these naming conventions and classification changes.
According to this scheme, the first digit indicates the year of the processor generation, the second represents the product segment, and the third reflects the underlying architecture. In this case, the processor is based on Zen 3. As a result, the key factor when selecting a model is no longer the first digit, as it was in earlier naming schemes, but rather the third digit, which indicates the architecture.
Without going into further detail, it can be noted that the processor under review is broadly comparable to the AMD Ryzen 5 5625U, released in 2022, but with slightly higher clock frequencies. Interestingly, this level of naming complexity is not present in AMD's desktop processor lineup, which remains more straightforward.
Ninkear M7 RAM
One stick of 16GB DDR4 3200MHz Faspeed N4-16G-PAD RAM is installed on board:
According to AMD's specifications, the integrated dual-channel memory controller supports DDR4-3200 and energy-efficient LPDDR4-4266 memory. In this configuration, however, the system operates in single-channel mode, resulting in reduced memory bandwidth.
Why the manufacturer did not use two 8 GB modules to enable dual-channel operation remains unclear. In addition, the installed memory has relatively high timings of 22-22-22-52.
As a result, the bandwidth is low and the memory subsystem is a bottleneck, and for AMD this has always been critical:
Installing a second identical RAM module would improve overall performance by enabling dual-channel operation. In addition, based on the markings of the K4A8G045WB-BCPB chips, the system appears to use Samsung memory. As a result, it may be possible to manually reduce the timings through the BIOS.
Ninkear M7 Capacity
The Ninkear M7 Mini PC has a Faspeed P8 M.2 NMVe SSD in 2280 format:
It is based on the bufferless MAP1202-F1C controller and judging by the report of the utility Flash_ID the respected comrade vlo, TLC Hynix memory:
CDI Service Utility Report:
SSD speeds are good, test run in CrystalDiskMark 9.0.1:
For memory expansion, there is an additional slot for installing an M2 NMVe SSD in 2242 format. Unfortunately, the widespread 2.5" drives are not supported due to the lack of any connectors for connection, as well as mounting points to the case. But this is not surprising, given the compact dimensions.
Network interfaces:
The CDtech CDW-C9852BE-00 combo module, based on the RTL8852BE-CG chip with support for dual-band Wi-Fi 6 802.11ax and Bluetooth 5.2, is responsible for network functions:
Bandwidth was measured between two nettops (Hystou and Ninkear). For a wired connection, the bandwidth is around 940 Mbps, for a Wi-Fi connection around 72 Mbps:
Wirelessly, the limiting element is a similar Hystou combo, which cuts a third of the speed. Unfortunately, I don't have a normal router.
Expansion Ports:
The Ninkear M7 Mini PC has four blue USB ports with 9 pins, but only the front two are full USB 3.2 Gen 2 and provide up to 10Gbps. When using the LM-912 container (USB 3.2 Gen 2 -> PCIe 3.0 x2 bridge) and the Kingston A2000 500GB NVMe drive, the speeds are as follows:
The rear ports are regular USB 2.0 for connecting peripherals.
BIOS settings:
The AMI BIOS with many settings is responsible for the operation of all devices on board:
You can change most of the parameters, however, some important ones are located in atypical places. Among the most interesting are the settings of the heat package and RAM timings:
Fortunately, you can experiment, since there is a CMOS power connector on the board, pulling it out you can reset the settings to factory settings.
Operating System:
The Ninkear M7 Mini PC comes with Windows 11 Pro (version 24H2) pre-installed:
The interface works smoothly, without freezes and freezes. Everything is perfectly configured, there are no missing drivers:
Summary information in the AIDA64 utility:
Ninkear M7 Mini PC Test:
The Ninkear M7 Mini PC is a mid-range model designed for office work and multimedia use. Although it features a "new" 7000-series processor, it is essentially a rebranded Ryzen 5 5625U with Radeon Vega 7 graphics, which is suitable mainly for older or less demanding games.
For office productivity, it offers solid performance: handling text processing, professional photo editing, video encoding, and media playback without issues. The six performance cores (12 threads) provide ample capability for everyday workloads. Compared to my Hystou system with an Intel i5-7200U (2 cores / 4 threads, up to 3.1 GHz), the difference is clearly significant. Even video encoding, including AV1, remains manageable on the M7.
In synthetic benchmarks, the results are largely as expected. The built-in CPU-Z 2.16 x64 performance test recorded a score of 590 (single-thread) and 3570 (multi-thread).
For comparison, the Ninkear N10 with the Intel N100 (4/4) processor showed 373/1278, the Hystou with the Intel i5-7200U (2/4) 340/930.
A couple more tests of the speed of WinRAR 5.50 and 7Zip archivers, which load the system quite well (CPU/memory):
The results of comprehensive benchmarks for evaluating the processor and the CINEBENCH video subsystem of different versions (R15 / R23 / 2024) were not at all encouraging:
The reason for this is the limited thermal package. At the beginning of the test, the CPU frequency stabilizes at around 3.1 GHz with a power draw of approximately 25 W. However, after 3–4 minutes, it drops to the base frequency of 2.3 GHz, with the TDP decreasing to around 15 W.
A similar behavior is observed under full system load during the AIDA64 stress test, where all components are pushed to their limits.
After 4 minutes, the frequency decreases, although the CPU temperature is far in the green zone:
With an increase in TDP to 35W, temperatures rise to 80°C in just a minute, the cooling system for such a heat package is weak:
As for multimedia performance, CPU usage remains low when playing high-resolution video content. A 10-bit test video, "Sony_4K_HDR_Camp.mp4" encoded in H.265 (HEVC) and sourced from IXBT.com, plays smoothly using hardware decoding, with CPU utilization not exceeding 15%.
4K videos in the "heavy" AV1 format also do not load the processor much, which is good news:
But 8K videos in AV1 and VP9 format are no longer up to the nettop:
Not everything is smooth with games either. The built-in graphics of the Radeon RX Vega 7 are only capable of pulling out games from five years ago. My favorites (Mafia, Half-Life 2, S.T.A.L.K.E.R, Metro 2033) run without any problems, everything "flies" in 2D:
Half-Life 2 at high settings produces more than 100FPS in open spaces, at maximum settings with all effects enabled - quite a comfortable 60FPS:
Two to three year old games on minimum settings will also go. For example, 2023's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III shows 30-35FPS:
Relatively recent games such as Cyberpunk 2077 or S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2 will no longer be able to handle the built-in Vega 7 even at the minimum graphics settings. For such games, you need to look towards a full-fledged Ryzen 7000 series with Zen 4 architecture and a built-in 760M-780M, or at least Zen 3+.
Ninkear Cooling System:
The Ninkear M7 Mini PC has a cooling system with two heat pipes and a single turbine that pushes air through a heatsink:
The system is quite massive and easily copes with 15-20W, but no more. Since it is installed in the upper part of the case, it is necessary to remove the bottom panel for its maintenance:
The fan is mounted with Velcro and three screws:
Despite the tight layout, the nettop has easy access to all elements of the device for a possible subsequent upgrade of the system, as well as resetting the BIOS settings in case of freezing:
In normal operation, the cooling system performs very well. Under light processor loads, the fan is virtually inaudible. At maximum load, the noise level increases slightly, but from a distance of about one meter, it blends into the typical ambient background noise.
While the system is not completely silent like the Hystou FMP03B with its passive cooling design, it is significantly quieter than a typical desktop PC, which often generates noticeable fan noise under load. Personally, after eight years of using fanless mini PCs, we experienced no discomfort while working with the Ninkear M7.
Conclusion:
The Ninkear M7 Mini PC is a compelling option for everyday computing. Its hexa-core AMD Ryzen 5 7430U processor delivers more than enough performance for office work, web browsing, multimedia consumption, and light content creation. The conservative 15 W power envelope also helps keep temperatures under control and allows the cooling system to operate quietly.