I tested the AceMagic K1, and this compact mini PC offers decent performance for office and light creative tasks, as long as you don’t push it too hard

TechRadar Verdict

The AceMagic K1 is an entry-level mini PC that delivers with older, tried-and-tested components and technology that are ideal for everyday tasks, with the Intel Core i5-12600H at its heart. But it doesn’t push the boundaries in terms of technology or performance. This processor and the mid-spec RAM and SSD are more than enough to handle Word, Excel, PowerPoint, web browsing, streaming, and light photo editing, although if you want to edit anything more than 1080p video or play the latest games, you’ll see the system start to struggle. This is also one of the most compact machines I’ve used, and while plastic, the silver casing gives it a premium look with plenty of upgrade potential if you need to venture into multimedia editing.

Pros

• +Decent everyday performance
• +Triple 4K display support
• +Expandable to 64GB RAM and 4TB storage

Cons

• -16GB RAM in a single channel
• -Iris Xe graphics
• -Internal upgrade access is fiddly

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AceMagic K1: 30-second review

The AceMagic K1 is a compact mini PC with a stylish silver metallic finish and ultra compact square form factor that should find a place easily enough in any desktop.

Lifting the K1 out of the packaging, despite its quality, the all-plastic body is immediately apparent, although it does have a decent weight for its size, and everything feels solid and well put together. At this price point, I didn’t expect a metal case, and the silver finish does a good job of initially fooling you that this is a premium styled model.

The port layout is split between front and rear. On the front, you get two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports running at 10 Gbps, a USB-C port for display and data, and a 3.5mm audio jack. The rear offers four USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports at 5 Gbps, HDMI and DisplayPort outputs, and a single Gigabit Ethernet port. The rear ports sit just above the exhaust vent, which means some care is needed with cable management to avoid obstructing airflow through the machine.

Due to the small size, mounting the K1 on the back of your monitor utilising the VESA would be the best solution and also free up desk space. While there is a decent amount of ports, it’s a shame that aside from the USB-C on the front, there are no additional options on the rear, opting for older USB Type-A instead.

Inside the machine is an Intel Core i5-12600H; this CPU isn’t the latest Intel technology, but it has a proven track record and is a step above the Intel N150-equipped machines that still seem to be available.

In my review unit, it came equipped with a single 16GB DDR4 stick, which essentially means single-channel operation. This is worth mentioning as, through the test, I did find the GPU performance limiting, and a second matched 16GB module should improve memory bandwidth and GPU performance, and the 32GB dual-channel configuration is the better starting point if the budget allows.

Running Windows 11 Pro and then loading Microsoft Office applications, the K1 was fast and handling all Office programs was well within its abilities. Word, Excel, and PowerPoint all loaded and ran well, able to handle everyday work without issues. Through the test, I was able to lay out large PowerPoint presentations with embedded images and video, and all was easily handled by the machine.

Taking a look at some creative applications and Lightroom Classic took a little longer to open than I am used to on more powerful machines, but once loaded, it ran well enough for cataloguing and basic editing of files from the Canon EOS R5 C. Using Adobe Bridge showed the first real signs of the GPU starting to struggle, with noticeable lag rendering thumbnails from a folder of more than 500 images.

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