Review: GMK’s NucBox2 is a powerful compact mini PC
GMK rose through the pandemic with its launch of the NucBox Mini PC. It’s surprisingly capable for such a compact size, but there’s only so much the quad-core Intel Celeron can handle, which is where the GMK NucBox2 comes into play.
Like the NucBox, this mini PC is compact and will easily mount to the rear of your monitor for a clean workstation, but that’s about where the similarities end as this is a whole different beast. Instead of a mere Celeron CPU, GMK opted for a laptop-grade Intel Core i5-8259U, which not only has hyperthreading for eight cores but can also boost to 3.80GHz.
We’re taking a look at the NucBox2 today to see if it’s worth considering for work (and play).
Compact workhorse
GMK NucBox2 Mini PC
Pros
- Compact design
- Good-performing 8th Gen Intel CPU
- Strong port selection
- Upgradable internals
Cons
- Desktop performance isn’t the best
- No Wi-Fi 6 or Bluetooth 5
GMK NucBox2 Mini PC: Price and availability
Source: Rich Edmonds / Windows Central
GMK NucBox2 Mini PC: Specifications
Source: Rich Edmonds / Windows Central
Category | GMK NucBox2 | GMK NucBox |
---|---|---|
Type | Small form factor | Small form factor |
CPU | 8th Intel Core i5-8259U Quad-core 2.30GHz to 3.80GHz |
Intel Celeron J4125 Quad-core 2.00GHz to 2.70GHz |
OS | Windows 10 Home | Windows 10 Home |
RAM | 8GB DDR4 | 8GB DDR4 |
GPU | Intel UHD 655 | Intel UHD 600 |
Storage | 256GB SATA M.2 SSD | 128GB SATA M.2 SSD 256GB SATA M.2 SSD 512GB SATA M.2 SSD |
LAN | Intel AC-7265 Wi-Fi 5 (Bluetooth 4.2) | Intel AC-9461 Wi-Fi 5 (Bluetooth 5.1) |
Ports | 4x USB-A 3.0 1x USB-C 2x HDMI 2.0 1x Gigabit Ethernet microSD reader 3.5mm audio jack |
2x USB-A 3.0 ports 1x USB-C (DC input) 1x HDMI microSD reader 3.5mm audio jack |
Dimensions | 4.33 x 4.92 x 1.96 inches (110mm x 125mm x 50mm) |
2.4 x 2.4 x 1.6 inches (62mm x 62mm x 42mm) |
GMK NucBox2 Mini PC: What I like
GMK’s NucBox2 is perfectly priced and specced for a home office.
And this is a compact PC, coming in at 110mm x 125mm x 50mm and weighs in at 426 grams. You can easily carry this PC around in a bag, which allows you to mount the NucBox2 on the rear of a monitor using VESA support — GMK includes all the necessary VESA brackets too. To help cool everything, there’s a single fan that sucks in cool air from underneath the PC.
For ports, there’s plenty of connectivity present to hook up all your accessories. On the rear are a power connector, two HDMI 2.0 ports, two USB-A 3.0 ports, and a single 1Gb LAN port. The front panel is where you’ll find the power button, USB-C port, two further USB-A 3.0 ports, and a 3.5mm audio jack.
Windows 10 Home is installed on a 256GB PCIe NVMe SSD. It’s possible to quickly get inside the NucBox2 by removing a few screws hidden away by the four rubber feet. It’s here where RAM or a new SSD can be installed. In synthetic tests, the PC performed admirably for the compact size. If the NucBox isn’t quite capable enough, the NucBox2 certainly has more guts.
Category | GMK NucBox | GMK NucBox2 | Minisforum U850 |
---|---|---|---|
CrystalDiskMark | 441MB/s read 333MB/s write |
2,190MB/s read 1,297MB/s write |
2,542MB/s read 1,271MB/s write |
PCMark 10 | 1,572 | 4,076 | 2,819 |
Geekbench 5 | 434 (single-core) 1,318 (multi-core) |
962 (single-core) 3,123 (multi-core) |
666 (single-core) 1,884 (multi-core) |
GMK NucBox2 Mini PC: What I don’t like
Source: Rich Edmonds / Windows Central
It’s a shame since the smaller NucBox has the Intel AC-9461 with Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth 5.1.
GMK NucBox2 Mini PC: Competition
Source: Rich Edmonds / Windows Central
The PN51 from ASUS comes equipped with the choice of an AMD Ryzen 5 5300U, Ryzen 5 5500U, or Ryzen 7 5700U CPU. These aren’t Zen 3 processors, but they offer great graphics performance with integrated AMD Radeon Vega cores. This compact PC can be kitted out with plenty of RAM and speedy SSD storage space.
One shouldn’t discount the Minisforum U850 Mini PC from the recommendation list, which actually comes with a newer Intel laptop processor, the Intel i5-10210U. It also has Wi-Fi 6, plenty of ports, and upgradable RAM and storage. The price is a little steep, however, coming in at $659.
Should you buy the GMK NucBox2 Mini PC?
Source: Rich Edmonds / Windows Central
You should buy this if …
- You’re on a tighter budget
- You want a small form factor PC
- You need a small PC for general productivity
- You want to create your own router
You shouldn’t buy this if …
- You need to do intense tasks
- You want to play games at high resolutions
- You want a high-performance PC
There’s so much to like about the GMK NucBox2. It has a very capable processor that’s ideal for working (and playing) from home. It has VESA support for mounting the device to the rear of a monitor to clear up desk space. It’s possible to upgrade the RAM and SSD to make this a compact workhorse for productivity.
GMK even includes the necessary VESA mounting brackets and a SATA cable for a 2.5-inch SSD, allowing one to expand the capacity of the PC without relying on external storage. It’s just a shame about the lack of Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5, but these are small annoyances that most home PC users probably won’t notice.
If you’re working from home or are wanting to create a clean office environment, the NucBox2 is a solid Windows 10 PC that won’t be awful for completing tasks throughout the workday. It’s easy to buy a cheap mini PC that doesn’t have enough performance, but that’s not the case with the NucBox2. It left me mightily impressed and is one of the best mini PCs and NUCs.
Compact workhorse
GMK NucBox2 Mini PC
The bigger and much better NucBox
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