Prime Members: Ace Magician Mini Desktop PC: Ryzen 7 5800U, 16GB DDR4, 512GB SSD

gathermewool

Sep 24, 2024 3:20 PM

1.8K Comments

Joined Sep 2018

gathermewoolSep 24, 2024 3:20 PM

1.8K Comments

I know this is a laptop APU with integrated graphics, but would something like this be able to play older games like Civ 5/6 with at least mid settings? I figure RAM might be an issue later in game of each, right?

Sorry if this is a dumb question. I've been wondering for a while and never posted the question. Smilie

BillP8096

Sep 24, 2024 4:13 PM

53 Comments

Joined Dec 2013

BillP8096Sep 24, 2024 4:13 PM

53 Comments

Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank

I have had many hardware issues with Ace Magician products. Of the 8 or so purchased, half have failed within 1 year and most within two months. Customer service is awful, and they make you jump through so many hoops to get a repair or replacement.

The price is very attractive, but there is a reason these are so inexpensive.

2

5

SDSummerDay

Sep 24, 2024 4:46 PM

5.3K Comments

Joined Dec 2009

SDSummerDaySep 24, 2024 4:46 PM

5.3K Comments

Quote from gathermewool

:

I know this is a laptop APU with integrated graphics, but would something like this be able to play older games like Civ 5/6 with at least mid settings? I figure RAM might be an issue later in game of each, right?

Sorry if this is a dumb question. I've been wondering for a while and never posted the question. Smilie

you want to spent a bit more and get the 7000 series, the 780M is quite a bit faster. 8000 series is the same as 7000 series with the added AI stuff.
and if you can wait, the 890M on 9000 series (which is about to be released) is much faster than 780M, it is on the level of GTX 1070 if you wonder how it performs.

Last edited by seanleeforever September 24, 2024 at 09:51 AM.

2

JayZak

Sep 24, 2024 7:29 PM

236 Comments

Joined Nov 2016

JayZakSep 24, 2024 7:29 PM

236 Comments

Quote from max1001

:

It's a freaking minipc meant for office usage, why the hell are you comparing GPU performance.

Not gonna lie, the question of whether I can shove a GPU onto this machine did come across my mind XD.

1

gathermewool

Sep 24, 2024 7:30 PM

1.8K Comments

Joined Sep 2018

gathermewoolSep 24, 2024 7:30 PM

1.8K Comments

Quote from seanleeforever

:

you want to spent a bit more and get the 7000 series, the 780M is quite a bit faster. 8000 series is the same as 7000 series with the added AI stuff.
and if you can wait, the 890M on 9000 series (which is about to be released) is much faster than 780M, it is on the level of GTX 1070 if you wonder how it performs.

That's not bad at all, thanks and rep'd. I can wait a bit, but my setup is very old and if I need a replacement in a pinch I'm preparing myself to NOT have to spend a grand on a light gaming machine for older games.

My current rig is a Dell XPS with a 1st-gen (Nehalem) i7-920, 12GB of DDR-3 and a few upgrades, including SSDs and a 1070 ti. I'm able to play games like Fallout 4 pretty well, and obviously games like Civ5/6 are no problem, except late in game for large maps, but that's not the GPUs problem.

Last edited by gathermewool September 24, 2024 at 12:32 PM.

metlfan2003

Sep 24, 2024 8:16 PM

923 Comments

Joined Apr 2005

metlfan2003Sep 24, 2024 8:16 PM

923 Comments

Quote from elefante72

:

You can get the Beelink for the same price ($269) or less with this processor/. The only difference is the Beelink has a 5800H which is about 10-12% faster. Beelink IMHO is more mainstream and doesn't have the checkered past of Ace but that is 100% personal opinion. I purchased the SER5 Max for my kid for college and it is fast and no issues. You can mild game on it, but there are newer miniPC which approach more usable so I would not say this is the target. Also FWIW Plex now supports AMD GPU so if you want to avoid the Intel gen 13/14 issues you can do this and also hardware transcode.

Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CF1Y4Z8T?th=1

I also managed to snag the Beelink SER5 Max last year after Christmas for $275 after stacking a coupon code with a Lightning Deal promo.My primary use was to have a dedicated emulation box with dual boot capability into Windows 11 for lightweight HTPC use. It's worked perfectly for that purpose: with Batocera linux booting off a 2TB 2.5" SATA SSD in the expansion bay and Win11 booting from a 512GB NVME on the mainboard.

Emulation wise, it'll do everything up to and including 1080P (docked mode) Switch games, and even upscaled 1080P PS3 games with no issues. In Windows, I usually just do browsing and some media streaming from my Plex box, and it handles that well. Considering the size and how easily it fits in my entertainment center, it's done everything I need without breaking a sweat. I even picked up a second power supply off eBay so I can easily move it between the living room and bedroom.

The SER5 Max I picked up had 32GB DDR4, a Crucial branded NVME, and the (slightly) more powerful 5800H for basically the same price as this model. That was also last year, so I'd expect there's probably even better deals to be had on the Beelink models almost a year later. I noticed the Ace Magician can be powered off USB C, and also has a second NIC port, so maybe that's important for somebody to have vs the Beelink.

1

elefante72

Sep 24, 2024 9:05 PM

2.5K Comments

Joined Feb 2014

elefante72Sep 24, 2024 9:05 PM

2.5K Comments

Quote from metlfan2003

:

I also managed to snag the Beelink SER5 Max last year after Christmas for $275 after stacking a coupon code with a Lightning Deal promo.My primary use was to have a dedicated emulation box with dual boot capability into Windows 11 for lightweight HTPC use. It's worked perfectly for that purpose: with Batocera linux booting off a 2TB 2.5" SATA SSD in the expansion bay and Win11 booting from a 512GB NVME on the mainboard.

Emulation wise, it'll do everything up to and including 1080P (docked mode) Switch games, and even upscaled 1080P PS3 games with no issues. In Windows, I usually just do browsing and some media streaming from my Plex box, and it handles that well. Considering the size and how easily it fits in my entertainment center, it's done everything I need without breaking a sweat. I even picked up a second power supply off eBay so I can easily move it between the living room and bedroom.

The SER5 Max I picked up had 32GB DDR4, a Crucial branded NVME, and the (slightly) more powerful 5800H for basically the same price as this model. That was also last year, so I'd expect there's probably even better deals to be had on the Beelink models almost a year later. I noticed the Ace Magician can be powered off USB C, and also has a second NIC port, so maybe that's important for somebody to have vs the Beelink.

Thanks I have the same exact one, I did not know you could do reasonable game emulation with this, so repped. Mine also had "name brand" components before the US clamped down.

JayuyaSlick

Sep 24, 2024 11:49 PM

59 Comments

Joined Jul 2014

JayuyaSlickSep 24, 2024 11:49 PM

59 Comments

This doesn't seem like that good of a deal. A year ago I got my daughter something similarly spiced for $199.99. the biggest difference is it has a 5600U instead of 5800U. Seems like in a year an extra $70 (35% const increase) should be buying you a lot more than ~10% performance.

2

Onepagebook

Sep 25, 2024 12:48 AM

175 Comments

Joined Aug 2019

OnepagebookSep 25, 2024 12:48 AM

175 Comments

Quote from ZoobyGainz

:

I have one of these, one of the only Mini PCs around this price point that have Type C power.

These have had bad rep in the past for having shady software installed. As you should with all Mini PCs, install your own OS.
https://www.windowscentral.com/ha...i-pc-brand

Thank you so much for this. Some of the most useful help I've ever gotten on slick deals

2

OrangeStag2904

Sep 25, 2024 3:53 AM

270 Comments

Joined Nov 2018

OrangeStag2904Sep 25, 2024 3:53 AM

270 Comments

Quote from gathermewool

:

I know this is a laptop APU with integrated graphics, but would something like this be able to play older games like Civ 5/6 with at least mid settings? I figure RAM might be an issue later in game of each, right?

Sorry if this is a dumb question. I've been wondering for a while and never posted the question. Smilie

Vega architecture was launch back in 2017. unless the game is from back in 2014 or so, dont expect to play it in mid settings...

OrangeStag2904

Sep 25, 2024 3:57 AM

270 Comments

Joined Nov 2018

OrangeStag2904Sep 25, 2024 3:57 AM

270 Comments

Quote from JayuyaSlick

:

This doesn't seem like that good of a deal. A year ago I got my daughter something similarly spiced for $199.99. the biggest difference is it has a 5600U instead of 5800U. Seems like in a year an extra $70 (35% const increase) should be buying you a lot more than ~10% performance.

inflation my friend... inflation... what i could have gotten at McD for $2 last year, it is about $3 now...

2

DealsAllTheWay

Sep 25, 2024 5:56 AM

6.1K Comments

Joined Feb 2005

DealsAllTheWaySep 25, 2024 5:56 AM

6.1K Comments

Windows 11 professional?

chichiruh21

Sep 25, 2024 7:28 AM

69 Comments

Joined Feb 2016

chichiruh21Sep 25, 2024 7:28 AM

69 Comments

Beware of this some amazon reviews says it has malware

CyanCrown295

Sep 25, 2024 12:34 PM

380 Comments

Joined Sep 2019

CyanCrown295Sep 25, 2024 12:34 PM

380 Comments

Quote from max1001

:

It's a freaking minipc meant for office usage, why the hell are you comparing GPU performance.

Or HTPC. Or gaming at low settings. Or setting up as a NAS. Or running tasks in the background 24/7. There's a lot you can do with a mini pc that isn't just office work.

4

1

db999md

Sep 25, 2024 6:59 PM

492 Comments

Joined Nov 2014

db999mdSep 25, 2024 6:59 PM

492 Comments

Would appear that a i5 8500t off lease corporate mini PC would perform the same except for GPU correct?

Prime Members: Ace Magician Mini Desktop PC: Ryzen 7 5800U, 16GB DDR4, 512GB SSD

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