Industry observers note that intel Core i7-14650HX / 32GB RAM / 1TB SSD / Triple 4K.
The report highlights that but if you hunt around, you can still find decent prices, at least in the context of the worst market I’ve ever seen. Case in point: Acemagic is offering a mini PC with a Core i7 processor, 32GB of RAM, and 1TB of storage for just $549 with a coupon— use code M5FAN50 at checkout! The state of PC prices right now… sucks.
Industry observers note that but despite being a bit long in the tooth, those parts are still powerful. The Intel Core i7-14650HX is a 16-core beast with a max frequency of 5.2GHz, which can outrun most of the mid-range laptops on the market today. And even though it’s older DDR4, the 32GB of RAM means you’ll have plenty of room for multitasking, all the better to take advantage of triple monitor capacity. This Matrix Mini M5 is pretty typical of mini PC designs, with a 128mm (5-inch) square body that can be mounted to the back of a monitor, and it’s using laptop parts.
In a fresh development, and since you can open up this mini PC and upgrade those components, there’s a case to be made that you could buy this one and get a lot more than the sum of its parts. For context on the aforementioned sad state of the PC industry, the 32GB memory and 1TB Gen 4 storage alone in this mini PC would cost you about $350 to $400 at today’s prices.
Industry observers note that you get USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 on the front, two USB-A plus a headphone jack, and around back are four more USB-A ports. (There are full-sized desktops with fewer USB ports, so consider that a win.) The only real downside to this setup is that the integrated UHD graphics won’t be able to handle the most recent platform releases—but now I’m just being a choosing beggar. I like the easy access to ports, too.
As part of the ongoing story, that brings the $999 price down to $549, a price worth pining for. The deal is still in stock and the coupon code still works as of this writing. This is a great deal, made even better if you add on the coupon code M5FAN50 (spotted by SlickDeals posters) to take an additional $50 off.
The report highlights that on PCWorld he's the resident keyboard nut, always using a fresh one for a review and building a fresh mechanical board or expanding his desktop "battlestation" in his off hours. Michael's previous bylines include Android Police, Digital Trends, Wired, Lifehacker, and How-To Geek, and he's covered events like CES and Mobile Worldwide scene Congress live. Michael lives in Pennsylvania where he's always looking forward to his next kayaking trip. Michael is a 15-year veteran of technology journalism, covering everything from Apple to ZTE.