There is no denying that personal computers in a miniature form factor, although not market leaders in sales volumes, still have a steady demand from users who value compact size and low power consumption. The listed advantages directly lead to the disadvantages of such products, such as limited upgrade capabilities or performance restrictions. The latter is sufficient for everyday tasks but may not be enough for running specific professional applications and, of course, resource-intensive 3D games. As a result, miniature PCs perform well both as a home entertainment center and as an office "workhorse." The benchmark in this category of devices is considered to be the Intel NUC, which was introduced back in 2012 and continues to develop successfully to this day. Since then, many worthy implementations of this concept have appeared on the market from both Intel itself and its numerous competitors, such as ASUSTek or MSI. Alongside A-brand products, users can also consider models from numerous manufacturers from China, but in this case, logistics issues fall on the buyers' shoulders, and technical support and warranty service, as a rule, leave much to be desired. The company Brain, which has been operating in the Ukrainian IT market for more than 20 years, took on the solution to these problems, resulting in the creation of the Vinga brand in 2015, which offers products with a good price-quality ratio and the possibility of full warranty service in one of the 16 service centers of Brain, but without overpaying for the "name." Vinga products are already familiar to our readers from reviews of the eponymous power supplies, cases, and cooling systems. In addition, the brand's assortment includes peripherals, network equipment, consumables for office equipment, as well as laptops and personal computers. Among the latter are economical ultra-compact models, such as the Vinga Mini PC V650, to which we dedicate today's review.

The product that arrived in our test lab with the article number V65010510U.161T is based on the energy-efficient Intel Core i7-10510u processor, equipped with 16 GB of RAM and a 1 TB solid-state drive. Note that other configurations are available to buyers: from barebone kits for self-assembly to ready-to-use devices with pre-installed Microsoft Windows 10 Home or Pro OS. We will discuss all the features of the novelty during the review, but for now, let's take a look at the specifications of the Vinga Mini PC V650.

Package Contents

The device comes in a medium-sized cardboard box. There are no complaints about the quality of materials and printing, nor about the design: it is strict and unobtrusive, executed in calm dark tones. The front side features the brand name and model name, as well as an image of the Vinga Mini PC V650.

The original manufacturer, Shenzhen Elebao Technology Co., Ltd from China, is indicated on the back, along with the contacts of importers in Ukraine and EU countries. Additionally, the back surface lists some of the features of the novelty, such as Bluetooth 4.0 support, the ability to mount on a VESA bracket, and a "reliable case."

The contents of the box are arranged in foam polyurethane boxes, and the set of accessories is enclosed in a separate cardboard box. By the way, the list of additional accessories consists of:

• a metal adapter plate for mounting the device on a VESA bracket and a set of screws;
• a network adapter ADS-40SI-19-3 with an output voltage of 19 V and a power of 40 W;
• a power cord with a CEE 7/4 plug;
• paper documentation "User Manual" and "User Guide";
• a SATA cable for connecting a 2.5" drive and a set of mounting screws.

Design

The miniature PC is housed in a solid metal case made from an aluminum alloy. Its matte metallic khaki surface not only looks great but is also very practical in terms of visibility of dust and fingerprints. The weight of the novelty is 650 g with dimensions of 128x128x38 mm, which is comparable to the "canonical" Intel NUC with their dimensions of 115x111x51 mm. A polished chamfer runs around the perimeter of the case, serving purely aesthetic functions.

At the bottom of the case, there are six rows of large ventilation holes, covered inside with a fine mesh to protect against dust. Four rubber feet are located at the corners, and a factory plastic sticker is visible in the center, with a pair of holes on either side for mounting a VESA adapter plate. Another sticker — this time paper — carries information about the product's article number, serial number, and production date.

While the Intel NUC and their analogs have a removable bottom part of the case, the Vinga Mini PC V650 — on the contrary, has a removable top cover, which serves as a chassis for installing a 2.5" drive. Recall that for its operation, the package includes a corresponding SATA cable and four screws with M3 thread.

On the front panel of the device, there are two USB3.2 ports and two USB 2.0 ports, a combined analog audio jack, LED indicators for disk subsystem activity and power presence, as well as a large metal power button.

On the rear surface of the case, there is a connector for connecting an external power supply, an RJ-45 network socket, two USB3.2 ports, digital video outputs HDMI and DisplayPort — both supporting 4K image output, as well as a USB 3.2 Type-C connector. The latter does not have image output functionality and does not support the Thunderbolt protocol.

The design of the side edges of the Vinga Mini PC V650 is identical: their central part is occupied by a black plastic insert, and below is a row of ventilation holes. Initially, we assumed that these inserts played a purely decorative role, but later it became clear that they serve for the operation of wireless network antennas, which otherwise could not function in a solid metal case.

Inside the case is a motherboard with a pair of SO-DIMM slots, capable of accommodating up to 32 GB of RAM. In our case, they were occupied by an Exceleram E416269SD RAM kit, consisting of two DDR4-2667 modules with a capacity of 8 GB each. In addition, the system board is equipped with two M.2 ports for installing a wireless network adapter and a 2280 format SSD with a SATA 6 Gbps or PCI Express 3.0 x4 interface. The first is a budget solution Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 3165 with support for Bluetooth 4.2 and Wi-Fi standards IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n+ac at speeds up to 433 Mbps, while the storage function is performed by a Leven JP600 with a capacity of 1024 GB. This SSD is based on a four-channel SM2263XT controller, which lacks a DRAM buffer but can use RAM to store the address translation table thanks to HMB (Host Memory Buffer) technology. The flash memory chips used are eight 64-layer TLC NAND-flash Micron chips with a capacity of 128 GB each.

The Realtek controller is responsible for supporting the Gigabit Ethernet wired network, and analog sound output is provided via the Realtek ACL269 HD audio codec. On the reverse side of the motherboard is a cooling system consisting of a copper base with a heatsink and a radial fan, which, unfortunately, is not equipped with a rotation speed sensor.

Under the cooler is an energy-efficient Intel Core i7-10510u processor, which belongs to the tenth generation with the code name Comet Lake. Manufactured using 14-nm lithography, this CPU is equipped with four computing cores, which, thanks to Hyper-Threading technology, can process up to eight software threads. Architecturally, the Core i7-10510u traces back to the Intel Skylake processors introduced in 2015. Each of the computing cores is equipped with L1 and L2 cache memory with a total volume of 64 KB and 256 KB, respectively, supporting SIMD instructions SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX, AVX2.0, FMA3, as well as AES encryption acceleration. The total L3 cache for all cores is 8 MB, and the CPU components communicate with each other via a ring bus, to which a dual-channel RAM controller supporting DDR4-2666, LPDDR3-2133, LPDDR4-2933 standards, and an integrated Intel UHD Graphics core are connected. The thermal package of the Core i7-10510u is set at 15 W, the standard clock frequency is 1800 MHz, which can dynamically increase to 4900 MHz thanks to Turbo Boost technology. In the case of the Vinga Mini PC V650, the manufacturer increased the TDP to 25 W, which allowed maintaining the frequency under load on all cores at the level of 2300 MHz, and when running single-threaded applications, the processor accelerated to 4400 MHz and above.

 

As for the integrated UHD Graphics card, this solution belongs to the ninth generation of Intel graphics cores, consisting of 24 execution units, which operate at a frequency of up to 1150 MHz inclusive. The video accelerator supports API DirectX 12, OpenGL 4.2, and is compatible with Intel Clear Video HD technology, designed to improve image quality. The Intel Quick Sync block provides hardware acceleration for processing HVEC and VP-9 video streams in resolutions up to 8K inclusive.

Frankly speaking, the graphics subsystem of Comet Lake has not changed since Intel processors of the 7th generation, its performance in demanding 3D games is clearly insufficient, whereas the multimedia capabilities of Intel UHD Graphics are at a fairly high level. However, performance tests lie ahead, which will dot the "i's", but for now, let's take a look at the UEFI setup menu capabilities.

UEFI Setup

The firmware of the Vinga Mini PC V650 is based on the UEFI microcode from AMI, but unlike many modern products, the setup menu does not have a graphical mode. However, for this class of devices, this is not so important, as most users never change the UEFI Setup parameters. Upon entering the setup menu, users are presented with the Main tab, which displays information about the version of the control microcode, the installed CPU, and the RAM subsystem, as well as setting the date and time. Amusingly, the manufacturer left the System Manufacturer and Product Name parameters at their default values.

The Advanced tab focuses on CPU management, system logic, and additional controllers, as well as peripheral device settings.

In the CPU Configuration subsection, the specification of the central processor is displayed, and its numerous but obscure settings are concentrated. Unfortunately, the menu is poorly structured, and necessary parameters often have to be found by trial and error.

The next submenu — Trusted Computing — was a real surprise for us. Nowhere in the Vinga Mini PC V650 specification is there any mention of support for the eponymous technology for generating and storing encryption keys, but its presence can increase the attractiveness of the novelty in the eyes of system administrators.

The Chipset tab is used to configure the system logic of the graphics core, with the latter's parameters located in the Graphics Configuration subsection.

 

Finally, the Security section is responsible for security parameters, the Boot menu is intended for setting up the boot process, while the Save & Exit tab has a place for resetting UEFI settings to factory defaults and forcing the selection of a boot device at the next power-on.

Attentive readers will surely notice that the Vinga Mini PC V650 firmware lacks hardware monitoring and fan control functions, there are no RAM subsystem settings, and no utility for updating the control microcode. As for the bundled software, as mentioned at the beginning of the review, our model V65010510U.161T does not come with an operating system, which means that the purchase and installation of system and application software are entirely the responsibility of the buyers. There is a link on the manufacturer's website to download a driver archive, however, Microsoft Windows 10 users need not worry: the operating system automatically downloaded and installed all the necessary components via Windows Update.

Test Results

For testing the Vinga Mini PC V650, we installed the Microsoft Windows 10 Pro 64-bit version 2004 operating system on the regular SSD with all the drivers and updates relevant at that time. No modifications to the OS and firmware aimed at increasing performance were made.

Before starting tests in synthetic benchmarks and application programs, we measured the RAM bandwidth. Cache & Memory Benchmark from the AIDA64 information and diagnostic utility helped us with this.

The results were quite decent, not only due to the high frequency of 2666 MHz RAM but also due to the rather aggressive timings of 10-10-10-28-1T set by the system board.

Then we ran the PCMark 10 version 2.1.2506 test suite, which allows assessing performance in typical user scenarios and productivity when working with Microsoft software products.

In both synthetic scenarios and when working with office software, the novelty showed excellent performance, sufficient for any everyday tasks.

The next test is the cross-platform Geekbench 5, widely used for integrated assessment and system comparison.

The single-threaded performance of the Vinga Mini PC V650 is very high due to the aggressive work of Turbo Boost technology, whereas when all cores are loaded, the thermal package limitation of the Intel Core i7-10510U processor becomes apparent. As for the performance of the integrated graphics core in non-graphics calculations, its level can be characterized as average, after all, Intel UHD Graphics is quite old.

Testing in application tasks such as data compression in 7-Zip, 3D rendering in Cinebench R20, or high-definition video encoding using the H.265 encoder showed that the novelty can handle even very resource-intensive tasks, which does not exclude the use of the Vinga Mini PC V650 in a professional environment.

Before moving on to tests in 3D games, we evaluated the productivity of the miniature PC in the popular synthetic test 3DMark.

It goes without saying that low results in this discipline were not a surprise, the performance of the Intel UHD Graphics accelerator is below average, so it would be naive to demand high fps in modern projects. To confirm this hypothesis, we tested the performance of the miniature PC in popular esports disciplines CS:GO, DotA 2, and World of Tanks at a resolution of 1920x1080 with low image quality settings.

The device successfully coped with the task in two out of three cases, and only in the online shooter Counter Strike: Global Offensive was the frame rate below the comfortable threshold even at minimum settings.

Disk Subsystem Performance

As mentioned earlier, the test product is equipped with a Leven JP600 solid-state drive with a capacity of 1024 GB. Like all SSDs based on TLC flash memory, this drive has an SLC buffer, the volume of which is about 133 GB or 13% of the capacity. Within this space, the linear write speed is more than 1500 Mbps, but outside the SLC buffer, performance drops sharply — up to 300 Mbps, and the last 150 GB are written at a speed of ~200 Mbps.

However, scenarios where you need to write more than 130 GB of data at high speed in everyday use are extremely rare, and within the SLC buffer, the speed characteristics of the Leven JP600 are quite acceptable. To confirm these words, here are the results in the AS SSD Benchmark:

As you can see, the SSD handles both linear loads and reading data in 4K blocks well, whereas in small block write operations, the absence of a DRAM buffer lets the drive down, resulting in performance figures far from record-breaking. As for mixed read and write operations, such as copying a data array within the SSD, the results correspond to budget DRAM-less models, which, in general, the Leven JP600 is.

Noise Level, Power Consumption

To check the efficiency of the Vinga Mini PC V650 cooling system, we measured the temperature of the central processor at idle and under maximum load, which was created by running the System Stability Test AIDA64.

Immediately after starting the stress test, the temperature of the computing cores rose to 74–75°C, after which it stabilized at ~70°C and remained at this level until the end of testing. At the same time, the frequency of the computing cores varied around 2300 MHz, the TDP parameter did not exceed 25 W, and no clock skipping mode was observed. It should be noted that the room was at +21°C, but even in summer heat, the cooling system's efficiency should be sufficient for any usage scenario.

As for the noise level, the UNI-T UT352 device was used for its assessment. Testing was conducted at night in a residential room with a background noise level of 34 dBA.

Before commenting on the measurement results, it should be noted that the novelty does not have fan speed control. However, the cooling system's algorithm is configured so that the turbine does not turn on at idle, and in this case, the device remains completely silent. With moderate use, the noise level rises to an acceptable 38.7 dBA, and at maximum load, the fan starts to make noticeable noise, as confirmed by the device readings at 42.4 dBA. However, such behavior is typical for all similar products, and even the reference Intel NUCs are no exception.

Continuing our acquaintance with the Vinga Mini PC V650, a household wattmeter was used to assess its power consumption "from the socket."

At idle, the system consumption was only 7.5 W, whereas with simultaneous load on the computing and graphics subsystems, energy costs increased to 28 W, and with intensive use of only the CPU — up to 29.8 W. With such a level of consumption, questions arise about the load on the bundled power supply, which operates at 75% of its nominal power. Such a reserve may not be enough when connecting peripherals, so if there are powerful consumers, it is best to get an active USB hub.

Overclocking

Our current narrative about the novelty would be incomplete without mentioning its overclocking capabilities! Yes, the Vinga Mini PC V650 allows you to increase performance by managing the thermal package limit of the central processor. Due to the absence of relevant options in the UEFI Setup, we used the Intel Extreme Tuning Utility (Intel XTU), which, although not officially supporting the Comet Lake-U platform, has instructions available online on how to bypass this limitation. As a result of simple manipulations with extracting the installation package and launching it from the command line with the parameter "DISABLEPLATFORMCHECK=1", the Intel XTU program was successfully installed and subsequently demonstrated its full functionality. The parameters of interest to us, Turbo Boost Power Max and Turbo Boost Short Power Max, are located on the Advanced Tuning – All Control tab. Their synchronous increase pushes the TDP to the set limit, but the parameters can be managed separately by limiting the Turbo Boost Short Power Max duration with the Turbo Boost Power Time Window interval. We tried different options, but the best results were achieved by simultaneously raising Turbo Boost Power Max and Turbo Boost Short Power Max to 35 W.

At the same time, the average frequency of processor cores under intensive load increased from 2400 MHz to 2700–2800 MHz, and the total power consumption of the system increased to 37.8 W. The CPU temperature was 76–79°C with an unchanged noise level, indicating an excellent reserve of the cooling system's durability.

The most dividends from increasing the TDP are gained where the power of all computing cores is utilized, and in our case, the increase was almost 20%. As for single-threaded load, the effect was much more modest — 7%, and a similar increase can be expected in tasks that intensively use the graphics core, including 3D games. However, before starting overclocking experiments, we recommend replacing the standard 40-watt power adapter with a higher power model, as it is possible that even better results can be achieved after this.

Conclusions

In our opinion, the Vinga Mini PC V650 fully justified the expectations placed on it, however, a picky buyer accustomed to using Intel NUC may notice some imbalance in its consumer characteristics. On one hand, the device has a nice and practical all-metal case and decent expansion capabilities, including TPM support, as well as a productive Intel Comet Lake-U platform, whose performance was considered a benchmark just a year ago. Undeniable advantages also include the possibility of increasing performance by raising TDP limits, which may appeal to overclocking enthusiasts. On the other hand, the Vinga Mini PC V650 is equipped with an outdated wireless network module supporting Wi-Fi 5 at a speed of only 433 Mbps, while competitors offer compatibility with Wi-Fi 6, and the included 40 W network adapter is barely enough for normal operation. However, the inconvenient setup menu is hardly a drawback, as it is more of a rule than an exception in this class. As for the V65010510U.161T model, we had no complaints about the choice of components: the Exceleram E416269SD RAM kit pleased with stable operation with low timings, and the Leven JP600 solid-state drive showed decent performance for a budget SSD based on TLC flash memory — at the level of GoodRAM PX500 NVMe PCIe Gen 3 x4 SSD, which has a similar hardware configuration. The retail price of the V65010510U.161T product at the time of writing the review was 20932 UAH or about 750 dollars, and for DIY enthusiasts, Vinga offers the V65010510U model without RAM and storage for 14668 UAH or $525. The prices seem quite justified, but in this price range, there are strong competitors based on the latest Intel processors, including six-core ones, as well as on energy-efficient AMD Renoir, against which the novelty has a chance only if the price is attractive.

Link to the original review - overclockers.ua