There are n’t many clip where I just arrest and stare at a personal computer , but that ’s exactly what the Tecno Megamini G1 made me do . It ’s impossibly small , litter with RGB , and despite pack laptop hardware , delivers performance that can match thebest play desktops . Most impressively of all , it pull off a custom liquid state - cool loop inside the 5.6 - liter chassis . And surprisingly , it goes far beyond being a gimmick .
The PC get along from Tecno , and it ’s presently genu - deep in aKickstarter campaignthat ’s raise near to $ 700,000 . This is one of the most unparalleled PCs I ’ve see , let alone test , and it wangle to exceed my carrying out expectations . As telling as all that sounds , I have some reserve about recommending it give the high price and some issues with the PC ’s software in its current commonwealth .
Specs and pricing
There are only two constellation available for the Megamini G1 . Both come with an RTX 4060 and 32 GB of memory , but the storage capacity and C.P.U. are different . The cheaper of the two models comes with the 10 - core Core i7 - 13620H processor from Intel , which fall with six public presentation cores , four Efficient cores , and a boost clock speed of 4.9GHz . For this configuration , which is complete with 1 TB of memory board , you ’ll spend $ 1,699 , or $ 1,599 if you secure a unit of measurement during the Kickstarter campaign .
The more expensive model comes with the 14 - essence Core i9 - 13900H , which has the same number of public presentation heart and soul but twice the number of Efficient cores . It also has a higher clock speed at 5.4GHz , and this form comes with 2 TB of storage . This configuration will run you $ 1,899 , and once again , you could save $ 100 if you pluck up a whole during the Kickstarter .
These are laptop components , and without a keyboard , trackpad , exhibit , and battery under the lens hood , Tecno is institutionalize a premium . For representative , theHP Omen Transcend 14comes with a Modern Intel central processing unit and an RTX 4060 , and you’re able to pick it up for around $ 1,300 at the time of piece of writing . That laptop even includes an 2.8 K OLED exhibit . The Megamini G1 is profligate than its components would suggest , as I ’ll get into later , but there ’s no denying that the cost is mellow .
For the desktop comparing , the closest thing you ’ll find to the Megamini G1 is theAsus ROG NUC 970 , which comes in at $ 1,629 for an RTX 4060 . The Megamini G1 is n’t awful expensive if you conceive the little signifier factor it ’s render , and that its singular temperature reduction answer really works . Still , a clump of the Leontyne Price is going toward the 5.6 - liter size of the PC , and if all you ’re after is performance , you may get something much more powerful for less money .
Build quality and design
The Megamini G1 look harebrained . cover whatever substance of insane you cogitate fits substantially — you’re able to see the photos — but there ’s no doubting that this is a striking design . This may be a mini PC , but it never sacrifice RGB style in its construction . This could be a much modest microcomputer , but there ’s something entrancing about calculate at the empty space between its clear plastic panels , almost like you ’re staring at something shut up at bottom of a display case .
It ’s not for everyone , certainly not , but there ’s not another PC that looks like the Megamini G1 — even theCorsair One i500looks like a square design by comparison . The center of attending inside the PC are the four tubes connecting the CPU block to the other parts of the liquid - cooling loop , immediately showcasing whythisPC is different from others . watch the liquid spin up and keep on to move through the tubes while you ’re working or gaming is a delight .
Each of the three plastic side panels is string with a diffuse stratum of RGB lighting , cycling through the spectrum of colours uncommitted along with the sole 120 mm fan . Two angled quintet at the top provide air channels into the PC , which are lit up with two scant strips shining with a diffuse teal color . If rainbow rat is n’t for you — I in person compass the look — I have bad news program ; you ca n’t aline the RGB inflammation or the top light strip . What you see is what you get .
Branding is slapped on well-nigh every surface on this thing , too . You have the Tecno logo on the top , both side , front , and even on the mightiness button , and that ’s ignore the G1 badges on each side of the causa . The feeling come together , so I do n’t think the branding is distracting , but it ’s clear Tecno wants everyone who sees this personal computer to jazz where it came from .
Outside of intention , the embrasure selection here is unmatched , even by full - sized column . There are more ports here than what you ’ll discover on theLenovo Legion Tower 5i — a midtower PC with a motherboard similar to a full ATX design . Up front , you get four USB - A ports , split evenly between USB 3.2 Gen 2 and Gen 1 , along with a 3.5 mm headphone sea dog . On the left hand , you get a full - size Coyote State card reader . Around the back , you get two 10Gbps Type - C ports with sustenance for DisplayPort Alt mode , 2.5 Gb Ethernet , a USB 2.0 and a USB 3.0 Type - A port , and an Oculink connexion forexternal GPUs .
You also get two HDMI port , but they ’re only HDMI 2.0 . Considering there is n’t a DisplayPort connection to come down back on , the deficiency of HDMI 2.1 really bite here . Still , the massive regalia of ports has me light-green with envy as I see at the pitiful port excerption onmy mini - ITX PC .
Driver troubles
I really do love the look and carrying into action of the Tecno Megamini G1 , and I ’d have to , because there ’s no elbow room I ’d put up with the rough-and-tumble this background put me through otherwise . Youshouldn’thave to go through what I did when trying to set up this PC . I distrust driver work is on-going , and hopefully everything will be press out before the PC launches in November . I still want to make you mindful of the state of the driver for this microcomputer as it stands now .
Out of the box seat , the microcomputer would interlace itself to 768p , even after I instal every graphics driver and Windows update . After an 60 minutes or two of troubleshooting , I decided a fresh Windows 11 install would be dear — it certainly would n’t be the first metre I ’ve reinstalled Windows — and view the stark lack of clump software , I was n’t upset about disturb the out of box experience .
That was a misapprehension . After go through the Windows instalment appendage half a dozen times , I last gave up on baffle everything work by rights . In particular , the PC does n’t recognise the Wi - Fi or Bluetooth card , nor the audio card , so Windows was n’t able to grab drivers for those gimmick . Tecno send over a driver packet , and everything is working right now .
Elsewhere , I ’m not as confident in fix . There ’s a complete lack of software on the system , so you ca n’t adjust your fan curved shape or change magnate modes . Thankfully , the power modes in Windows still mold . In accession , the display on the front of the gimmick does n’t work most of the clock time . It would pick up proper CPU and GPU utilization , but it has systematically said I ’m using 11 % of 70 GB of RAM since I unbox the equipment . Obviously that ’s haywire . And , looking at some other review of the Megamini G1 , it seem like I ’m not alone in that issue .
Tecno says that it ’s working on update for some of these issues now . For example , you could change power modes by press theF7key during startup , but it contrive on furthering optimizing power modes as the release draw near . In an email station to me , Tecno said the chase : “ The last products on the market will come fully optimized , require no manual updates from consumers and drug user . ”
Performance
This is a desktop using laptop ingredient , so comparing are n’t easy to make when looking at carrying into action . I had originally planned on bedevil in the ROG Nuc 970 and a few gaming laptop , but after seeing the performance of the Megamini G1 , the more accurate comparison is to full - sized desktop .
A straightaway look at my productivity bench mark above prove why . Although the Megamini G1 is n’t leading everywhere , it compete surprisingly well against the Lenovo Legion Tower 5i andHP Omen 40L , both of which are using background - class component in midtower case . The Megamini G1 advance in CPU functioning in Geekbench 6 , and it swap gust in Cinebench R24 . In genuine applications , it managed to beat both the Lenovo and Asus machines in Premiere Pro , despite load down weak hardware on composition .
If you needed any convincing that thermals wreak a significant part in performance , the Megamini G1 is a testament to that fact . The CPU performance on display here punches far above its system of weights class , match midrange desktop component part and often beating newer , more muscular Intel fluid central processing unit . That ’s the index of liquid chilling .
This is a gaming background , though , and gambling is n’t as rose-cheeked . you’re able to get a taste of that in 3DMark below . The Megamini G1 is understandably behind the ROG Nuc 970 , and it takes a drubbing compared to the desktop - course of instruction RTX 4060 Ti inside the Omen 40L. That should n’t derive as a jolt . The glasses of the Megamini G1 are behind both of the other machines , so it make sentiency that it would go after .
Similarly , in actual games , the Megamini G1 is behind , but not by much . It ’s shockingly nigh to the RTX 4070 Mobile River GPU inside the Asus ROG Nuc 970 , and it even manages to get close to a desktop RTX 4060 in the Legion Tower 5i . The clear success here is the Omen 40L , but the fact that the Megamini G1 is even in the same conversation is a will to how much performance it ’s able to squeeze out of the ironware indoors .
This is a powerful PC , and it ’s astonishingly quiet ease up how much performance it ’s able to pump out . However , there is no fashion to ensure the rooter , so you ’ll have to settle for the auto getting louder as you throw more demanding workloads at it . A third - party app likeFan Controlcan help you there .
I ’ll take higher fan disturbance for the operation and thermal here , though . Even in a multi - core run of Cinebench R24 , the CPU hovered around 60 stage Celsius , allowing it to in reality exceed its maximum hike clock speed — my measuring tools describe 104 % exercise . It might be easy to stick your nose up at liquidity cooling in peregrine devices like theLenovo Legion 9i , but the outcome do n’t lie here . The Megamini G1 is absolutely faster because of its cooling solution .
A powerful novelty
The Megamini G1 is a fallal . It ’s an expensive novelty , sure enough , but a novelty still . It ’s low , it ’s splattered with RGB , and aspects like software program financial backing take a back seat to esthetics . What ’s shocking is that the gimmick still manages to save on carrying into action , often deliver outcome that are far above what the hardware in spite of appearance would hint .
Although the Leontyne Price is high , it ’s not out of short letter with other modest form factor choice , and even more so considering the alien cooling answer . My main reservation come down to software reenforcement and the HDMI 2.0 ports . This by all odds calls for HDMI 2.1 in a metre when upscaling and frame multiplication are so prevalent , and the complete lack of software sticks out when you ’re care with peregrine component .
If do n’t heed monkey with tech , the Megamini G1 is remarkable . For everyone else , it ’s skillful for a look , but not as a daily companion .
