Thunderobot Mix Review: First RTX 40 Series GPU Gaming Mini PC

In the ever-evolving landscape of gaming technology, enthusiasts are constantly on the lookout for the next breakthrough that seamlessly blends power and compactness. The Thunderobot MIX Mini PC emerges as a promising contender, marking a significant milestone in the realm of Mini PCs capable of handling AAA gaming masterpieces. What sets this device apart is its pioneering integration of a 40-series graphics card, a groundbreaking feature that has stirred anticipation and curiosity among gamers even before its official release. The buzz surrounding the Thunderobot MIX has not gone unnoticed, with a surge of inquiries flooding in prior to its launch.

Today, we embark on a comprehensive exploration as we delve into the realms of performance, design, and functionality to present an in-depth review of the Thunderobot MIX Mini PC, specifically focusing on the i7-13620H+RTX 4060 version. Join us as we unravel the capabilities of this compact powerhouse that promises to redefine the gaming experience on a Mini PC scale.

Appearance

Let’s take a look at the appearance first, the Thunderobot MIX Mini PC boasts a remarkably compact design. In fact, it's so diminutive that when laid flat, it occupies just half the space of a standard notebook. Surpassing the modest proportions of a typical desktop computer, this pint-sized powerhouse measures a mere 1.7 liters in body capacity. With dimensions of 26cm in length, 16.5cm in width, and 4.2cm in thickness, the MIX Mini PC fits snugly into the palm of your hand, allowing for effortless one-handed handling.

The Thunderobot MIX Mini PC stands out not only for its compact dimensions but also for its feather-light weight. Weighing in at a mere 830g, its impressively lightweight design is a remarkable achievement, representing just one-third of the weight of a typical gaming notebook. Even with the included stand, the total weight remains exceptionally low at 875g. This combination of compactness and minimal weight makes the Thunderobot MIX Mini PC a portable and versatile computing solution for users on the go, offering a powerful performance without the burden of excessive weight.

The upper left corner of the front of the Thunderobot MIX Mini PC is a light gradient logo, and the lower right corner adopts a cut-off design. On the cut-off corner is a power button with a new blue light bar. Whether it is placed horizontally or vertically, it can be easily turned on.

There is a large air inlet in the middle of the back of the product, and the right side is a dedicated compartment for the hard drive. If necessary, you can disassemble and replace the hard drive. There are 4 round foot pads at the four corners of the fuselage. With the included vertical stand, you can You can freely choose the placement direction according to the usage scenario.

The two sides of the product are designed with a linen texture and are also two air inlets, which can increase the air intake during heat dissipation. The air outlets are located above the fuselage, and there is a new blue lightsaber light bar at the bottom of the fuselage. The interfaces are also distributed on both sides of the fuselage. On the left side are the 2-in-1 headphone jack, USB 3.2 A port, RJ45 network cable interface, and keyhole.

Located on the right side of the Thunderobot MIX Mini PC are a versatile array of connectivity options, catering to diverse user needs. The inclusion of a USB 3.2 port C ensures high-speed data transfer, while the USB 3.2 port A provides additional connectivity for various devices. The HDMI 2.1 interface enhances the visual experience, supporting advanced display technologies. The power input interface ensures seamless power supply.

Notably, the Port C boasts multifunctionality, supporting 100W PD fast charging input, DP 1.4 video output, and 15W power supply output. This Mini PC further elevates its display capabilities by enabling HDMI 2.1+ USB-C to DP 1.4 dual display output. To enhance connectivity further, a USB-A one-to-four HUB is included, ensuring a comprehensive range of interfaces for an optimal user experience.

Performance testing

Compact in size and feather-light in its build, the next paramount consideration for all lies in the robustness of its performance. In the rigorous performance evaluation, we meticulously configured the system to game mode, optimized the power supply for peak performance, updated the BIOS to version C1.03, the EC version to C4.0, and ensured that the driver version was meticulously set to 536.99. The convergence of these settings provided an ideal environment for a thorough examination of the device's capabilities and effectiveness during intensive tasks.

The Thunderobot MIX Gaming Mini PC boasts an impressive CPU configuration, featuring the latest i7-13620H processor. This cutting-edge CPU is designed with 6 performance cores and an additional 4 energy efficiency cores, culminating in a total of 10 cores and 16 threads. With a turbo frequency reaching 4.9GHz, this processor ensures a high level of computational power for gaming and multitasking. While the specifications exhibit similarities to the preceding i7-12650H, noteworthy improvements are found in the elevated frequency. To better evaluate its performance, let's delve into the benchmark scores and witness the capabilities of this powerhouse in action.

Multi-core running scores are greatly affected by power consumption. In single rounds of R20 and R23, the i7-13620H with an instantaneous power consumption of 80W and a stable power consumption of 65W has little advantage over the i7-12650H with an instantaneous power consumption of 115W and a stable power consumption of 60W. Large, and in the 10-minute R23, the i7-13620H ran 10.8% higher, which is a clear advantage.

The performance of the single-core running score exhibits a marginal influence from power consumption. Across the R20, R23, and 10-minute R23 benchmarks, the i7-13620H demonstrates enhancements of 2.9%, 3.8%, and 4%, respectively, in comparison to the i7-12650H. On average, there is an overall improvement of 3.6% for the i7-13620H, underscoring its efficiency and effectiveness in these specific testing scenarios.

The Thunderobot MIX gaming Mini PC boasts an impressive GPU in the form of a mobile RTX 4060 graphics card, setting a power consumption standard of 95W. Notably, this marks the pioneering integration of a 40-series graphics card into a Mini PC, signaling a significant advancement in compact gaming hardware. Now, let's delve into the performance benchmarks and running scores to gauge the prowess of this cutting-edge graphics solution.

In 3Dmark's various graphics card scores, the 95W RTX 4060 demonstrates a noteworthy performance edge over its 140W counterpart, the RTX 3060. Specifically, the 95W variant exhibits an impressive 12%, 17.8%, 13.8%, and 8.4% superiority across various benchmark categories, culminating in an average performance boost of 13%. Notably, despite operating at a lower power consumption, the 95W RTX 4060 falls behind the 140W RTX 4060 by 5.8%, 4.1%, 7%, and 4.1%, averaging a 5.2% performance deficit. Achieving 95% of the performance with only two-thirds of the power consumption is a formidable feat, particularly for a compact form factor such as that found in a Mini PC.

The device is equipped with a robust 16GB dual-channel Hynix LPDDR5 onboard memory, delivering impressive performance metrics. In the AIDA64 memory and cache test, the memory exhibited commendable read speeds at 58073MB/s, efficient write speeds reaching 74576MB/s, and a swift copy speed of 65475MB/s. Additionally, the memory latency demonstrated notable responsiveness, clocking in at 92.3ns. Overall, the memory's performance is certainly noteworthy, showcasing a solid combination of speed and efficiency.

The hard drive uses a 512G PCIE 4.0 solid-state drive. In the CrystalDiskMark read and write test, the sequential read speed of this hard drive was 4724MB/s and the write speed was 2433MB/s. It is a relatively conventional PCIE 4.0 hard drive.

Finally, let’s take a look at the running scores of the new version of Master Lu. The Thunderobot MIX game Mini PC processor scored 680,000 points, the graphics card scored 390,000 points, and the total score was 1.52 million points, beating 90% of users across the country.

The Thunderobot MIX gaming Mini PC exhibits an impressive overall performance, showcasing its competitiveness in comparison to current mainstream gaming laptops. Despite its compact size, the disparity in performance is minimal, highlighting its efficiency and capability. Remarkably, the Thunderobot MIX manages to deliver comparable power while boasting a significantly reduced weight and volume—less than half that of traditional gaming laptops. This combination of high performance and compact design positions the Thunderobot MIX as a compelling choice for gamers seeking a powerful yet portable gaming solution.

Productivity Test

Let’s look at the productivity test again, selecting ZERO 2022 equipped with i7-12700H + 140W full-blooded RTX 3060 and i5-13500H + 140W full-blooded RTX 4060 911 Optimus Prime for comparison. Both comparison machines are 16G single-channel DDR5 memory.

In the modern office test PCMark 10 Extended, compared with ZERO 2022, the Thunderobot MIX gaming Mini PC has 9.3% and 11.4% lower common basic functions and productivity respectively. The difference mainly comes from the CPU. The i7-12700H with 14 cores and 20 threads is still lower than the ZERO 2022. The i7-13620H with 10 cores and 16 threads is much better. Digital content creation and gaming are 2.5% and 9.1% higher respectively, and the total score is 2.7% lower. Compared with the 911 Optimus Prime, the scores are 7%, 0.3% and 0.3% lower respectively. 8.2%, 3.9%, the total score is 4.9% lower.

In the Adobe CC 2022 benchmark test, the Thunderobot MIX gaming Mini PC exhibited slightly lower performance scores for Photoshop (Ps) and Premiere Pro (Pr), registering 2.2% and 13.1% deficits compared to the results of ZERO 2022. This disparity is primarily attributed to differences in CPU capabilities. However, when juxtaposed with the 911 Optimus Prime, the Thunderobot MIX gaming Mini PC showcased notable improvements, boasting 5.9% and 4% higher scores, respectively. The notable advantage in this case can be primarily attributed to the utilization of dual-channel memory, highlighting the impactful role that memory configuration plays in enhancing overall system performance.

Finally, there is the SPECviewperf 2020 benchmark test, which mainly tests GPU performance, which covers commonly used modeling and rendering software such as 3dsmax, maya, and solidworks. Notably, the Thunderobot MIX Game Mini PC outshines its counterpart, ZERO 2022, by 1.4%, 6.4%, 7.1%, 59.1%, and 4.8% in the specified software applications, showcasing a remarkable performance edge. On average, the Thunderobot MIX Game Mini PC exhibits superiority, with percentages ranging from 1.2% to 26.3%, and an overall average surpassing ZERO 2022 by 16%. Conversely, when compared to the 911 Optimus Prime, the Thunderobot MIX Game Mini PC falls short, recording percentages 1.2% to 8.7% lower across individual applications and a 3.1% average performance deficit. These benchmark differentials highlight the nuanced strengths and weaknesses of the Thunderobot MIX Game Mini PC in relation to its peers.

Overall, the productivity performance of the Thunderobot MIX gaming Mini PC is still very good. It is not much different from the gaming notebook equipped with i5-13500H+140W full-blooded RTX 4060. It even has advantages in some scenes, such as regular photos/videos. Editing, modeling and rendering can be done easily. Of course, if you want to use it as a professional productivity tool, it is recommended to choose the i9-13900H version, which will give you a better experience.

Gaming Test

In the game testing session, the comparison items we chose are still ZERO 2022 and 911 Optimus Prime, mainly looking at the average frame number performance of the three machines at a resolution of 2560*1440.

In the realm of "Cyberpunk 2077," the Thunderobot MIX Game Mini PC showcases its prowess, especially under the light pursuit super and ultra presets. Averaging an impressive 44 frames and 55 frames, respectively, this performance was notably 14% higher than the ZERO 2022 on average. The advantage becomes even more apparent when frame generation is initiated, soaring to an impressive 68.5%. Contrasting with the 911 Optimus Prime, the Thunderobot MIX Game Mini PC exhibits a slight dip, standing 5.3% lower without frame generation and a mere 1.4% lower with frame generation enabled, highlighting a negligible difference of just 1 frame.

At the default high image quality setting in "Shadow of the Tomb Raider," the Thunderobot MIX Game Mini PC exhibited varying frame rates across different combinations of ray tracing and DLSS. Averaging at 129 frames, 101 frames, 93 frames, and 66 frames in distinct settings, it outperformed the ZERO 2022 by 17.3%, 11%, 47.6%, and 26.9%, respectively. The noticeable disparity in frame numbers underscores the impact of different configurations. In comparison to the 911 Optimus Prime, the Thunderobot MIX gaming Mini PC demonstrated a slight disadvantage, registering an average 3.4% lower frame rate, with a narrow gap of 2-5 frames. These results highlight the nuanced performance nuances based on settings and showcase the Thunderobot MIX's competitive edge over the ZERO 2022 while maintaining a close race with the 911 Optimus Prime.

In the quality-focused preset of "Red Dead Redemption 2," the Thunderobot MIX game Mini PC demonstrated an average frame rate of 59 frames. However, upon activating DLSS quality, the frame rate soared to 71 frames, marking an impressive 11.1% improvement compared to the average frame rate of the ZERO 2022 and surpassing that of the 911 Optimus Prime by 5.1%. Despite being slightly lower, with a difference of only 3-4 frames, the enhanced performance with DLSS quality showcased the Thunderobot MIX's prowess in delivering a smoother and more immersive gaming experience.

Under both the ultra-high and high presets in "Forza Horizon 4," the Thunderobot MIX Game Mini PC demonstrated impressive performance, averaging 149 frames and 178 frames, respectively. This places it 10.7% above the average of ZERO 2022, showcasing its superior graphical capabilities. Moreover, the Thunderobot MIX's performance is only marginally 1.2% lower than the average of 911 Optimus Prime, with a negligible difference of merely 2 frames. This signifies the Thunderobot MIX as a robust gaming system, delivering a competitive edge in rendering high-quality graphics for an immersive gaming experience.

In "Bright Memory: Infinite," the default ray tracing setting is configured to high. When employing DLSS with performance, quality, and off settings, the Thunderobot MIX game Mini PC consistently achieves frame rates of 69, 45, and 24, respectively. These figures showcase a notable 22.7% improvement on average when compared to the ZERO 2022 and 911 Engine. In contrast, the Tianzhu setting demonstrates a marginal 3.7% decrease on average, resulting in a slight gap of 1-2 frames between the Thunderobot MIX and its counterparts.

"Metro: Exodus", in Ultra quality, the Thunderobot MIX game Mini PC has an average of 56 frames. After turning on ray tracing, the frame rate drops to 44 frames. After turning on DLSS, the frame rate increases to 52 frames, which is 8.3% higher than the average of ZERO 2022. , which is 5.5% lower on average than the 911 Optimus Prime, with a gap of 3-4 frames.

After actual measurement, the average frame number performance of the Thunderobot MIX game Mini PC in the game is still not very different from that of a game notebook equipped with i5-13500H + 140W full-blooded RTX 4060. It is basically within 5 frames, and it can also play at 2.5K resolution. Play AAA masterpieces. Compared with gaming notebooks equipped with i7-12700H + 140W full-blooded RTX 3060, the Thunderobot MIX gaming Mini PC is more than 10% ahead on average. When paired with DLSS 3, the lead will be further expanded.

Heat Dissipation Test

In terms of heat dissipation, the Thunderobot MIX gaming Mini PC is equipped with 4 8mm + 1 6mm heat pipes, a total of 5 heat pipes, 2 5V high-voltage turbo fans, 129 0.15mm ultra-thin aluminum cooling fins, three air inlets and one air outlet. , for a Mini PC, it is already a very luxurious cooling configuration. So how does such a powerful cooling configuration actually perform? We verify it through a copy machine test.

Using AIDA 64 single-copy FPU, the CPU power consumption of the Thunderobot MIX game Mini PC will first rush to about 80W, continue for 1 and a half minutes, then fall back to 65W and remain stable. After 30 minutes of single-copy, the CPU power consumption is still stable at 65W, and the temperature is 92 Degree, frequency 3411.7MHz.

Using Furmark to single-copy the GPU for 30 minutes, with the default resolution and anti-aliasing turned off, the GPU power consumption of the Thunderobot MIX game Mini PC was stable at 95W, the temperature was 73.8 degrees, and the frequency was 2040MHz.

Using AIDA 64+Furmark dual copy for 30 minutes, the CPU power consumption of the Thunderobot MIX game Mini PC is stable at 45W, the temperature is 87 degrees, and the frequency is 2853MHz; the GPU power consumption is stable at 95W, the temperature is 79.7 degrees, the frequency is 2025MHz, and the total power consumption of CPU + GPU 140W.

At this time, the machine noise is completely within the acceptable range, much less than the noise of a conventional gaming laptop when fully loaded.

Over Verdict

Overall, the Thunderobot MIX gaming Mini PC stands out as a high-performance device that nearly rivals mainstream gaming laptops. What sets it apart, however, is its compact size, reduced weight, and diminished noise levels in comparison to its laptop counterparts. This marks a notable departure from earlier Mini PC models, as the Thunderobot MIX not only excels in office settings but also effortlessly handles gaming and productivity tasks. This expanded practicality makes it an attractive option for users seeking a versatile Mini PC experience.

Moreover, the inclusion of 40-series graphics cards in the Thunderobot MIX gaming Mini PC broadens the spectrum of choices for both desktop and notebook users. Particularly beneficial for those who prefer a smaller desktop setup or are accustomed to utilizing external monitors with laptops, the Thunderobot MIX emerges as a commendable alternative. Its adaptability caters to a diverse user base, offering flexibility in configuring a setup that aligns with individual preferences and requirements.

For those interested in acquiring the Thunderobot MIX gaming Mini PC, the i7-13620H+RTX 4060 variant is currently available on MinixPC for $1,399.00. Additional options include the i9-13900H+RTX 4060 and i9-13900H+RTX 4070 versions, providing users with the freedom to select a configuration that best suits their specific needs and preferences.