Minisforum AtomMan X7 Ti review
When it comes to ultra-compact gaming performance, the AtomMan X7 TI from Minisforum is something of an enigma. On the one hand, it features Intel's current top-tier mobile chip, the Core Ultra 9 185H, joined at the hip with what can rightly be considered a step-change in the company's integrated graphics processors. Intel Iris Xe is dead: long live Intel ARC.
In many games, it proves to be a highly competent APU double-act, capable of matching and even trouncing AMD Ryzen/Radeon duets in some situations.
On the other, there seems to be no rhyme or reason as to which games it will flatter, which it will not, and which will be subjected to an Uzi-spray of 1%-low stutters, rendering them unplayable. It's baffling. But let's take a step back for a moment and look at the whole package.
The AtomMan X7 Ti is a touch larger than most of its mini-PC stablemates, but only a touch. You can bag it preloaded with 32 GB DDR5 and a 1 TB M.2 drive, or opt for the barebones version. That's the better deal here, as it'll save you a couple of hundred on the unit cost in order to shop around for cheaper RAM and storage.
CPU: Intel Core Ultra 9 185H
iGPU: Intel ARC
Memory: 0GB/32GB DDR5 5600
Storage: 0TB/1TB PCI-E Gen4 M.2 SSD
Wireless: Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.3
I/O: 2x USB4C Thunderbolt, 2x USB 3.2, 1x USB 2.0, SD card reader, 3.5mm audio, 2x 5G LAN, 1x HDMI 2.1, 2x DP 2.0
Price: £829/$849 fully loaded, £649/$669 barebones
The case features a tidy design with a glossy 4-inch touchscreen adorning the top (which becomes the face, if you choose to use the thoughtfully-supplied vertical aluminium stand). The screen displays comprehensive hardware-monitoring for the CPU, GPU, RAM, storage, network traffic, and fan, enabling you to adjust the screen brightness and system volume, switch the display language, enumerate all the devices you have plugged into it, and alter the screen layout. It also allows you to flip between the machine's three performance modes of energy-saving (54 W), balanced
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