[Test] Asus Mini PC VivoMini UN68U – A powerful little machine for office automation |Specs | Price

Introduction

Hi all!

The world of Mini-PCs is not necessarily happy with big high-performance towers and it must be said that they generally have a much more interesting performance / price ratio. Despite everything and depending on the case, if space is really limited, if you want a small machine that can be easily transported, etc., this type of product can become interesting.

[Test] Asus ROG Strix X470-F Gaming & AMD Ryzen 5 2600X

Today we go to Asus with its VivoMini UN68U model, available in 3 versions for the general public with a similar base but storage options as well as the addition or not of the operating system. Prices range from € 439 for the “Barebone” version, therefore without memory, without operating system or storage, € 749 for a version with 8 GB of memory and a PCIe SSD of 256 as well as Windows 10. The latest version and that of the test is at 719 € equipped with 8 GB of memory, 1 TB of 2.5 ″ hard drive, a 128 GB M.2 SSD and Windows 10.
As we can see the prices are higher, as usual for this type of machine, let’s see what this gives in practice!

Characteristics

As I was telling you, we are here facing a machine that takes up very little space, a square of 13.1 cm on the side and 5.2 cm in height, it is still difficult to make it smaller (a bit bigger than the Brix of at Gigabyte).

Inside the beast we still have a processor which on paper should be rather nice, the Intel Core i5 8250U! In fact, this is an 8th generation Intel Core processor, equipped with 4 cores with hyperthreading, therefore the equivalent of the “old” Core i7s. The base frequency and during heavy loads is 1.6 Ghz but can go up to 3.4 Ghz as needed when the load is on a core. The maximum TDP meanwhile will not exceed 25 Watts, so little heat release, which is still rather logical in a small box like the VivoMini UN68U.

The graphics part is entrusted to the GPU integrated into the processor, namely an Intel HD Graphics 620 which is not a lightning war far from it but will allow office use without the slightest problem. After that you can always try some small games like League of Legens for example or a small CS: Go but not much more.

There are also 2 slots for 2400 MHz SO-DIM DDR4 memory accepting a maximum of 32 GB, 8 GB are installed as standard with the test model. Storage is entrusted to a 1TB 2.5 ″ mechanical hard drive as well as a 128 GB Sata M.2 SSD, so there is plenty to do with a Windows 10 Home installed directly on the SSD.
The connection is also complete, with 2 USB 3.1 Gen 2 ports, 2 USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports, an HDMI port, a DisplayPort port and everything that goes with it. It is clear that there is nothing here to worry about at the level of any peripherals to be connected. On the other hand, the only thing to deplore and for a current machine is not to have a Type-C connector.

Unpacking and bundle

The box could not be more sober, black with only the asus logo and a mention of the 3 years warranty. At least the marketing has not struck too strongly here, we are still entitled to the little slogan “In search of incredible”. Everything is solid and will certainly not be afraid of transport, as long as no one jumps on it with both feet of course 😉

In the box we find a whole small world well taken in a cardboard mold, transport should not be a problem.

In the bundle there is a whole assortment of various and varied manuals as well as the power supply and its power cord, as well as a VESA plate (to put behind a screen for example) and its screws. Here we have everything you need to use the VivoMini.