Introduction
Powered by Intel Pentium Silver J5005 processor with integrated Intel UHD Graphics 605, licensed Windows 10 Pro (64-bit) pre-installed, loaded with 4GB DDR4 memory and 64GB eMMC 5.1 internal storage. Yes, this is MINIX NEO J50C-4 mini PC that provides the functionality of a desktop computer but in a sleek, super-compact enclosure. Support triple-display (HDMI, Mini DP & USB-C) up to 4K @ 60Hz. And it is expandable with extra 2280 M.2 and SODIMM slots. How does it perform? Let’s find out together…
Special Thanks
This review is possible thanks to below companies. Be sure to check them out too…
- MINIX for this MINIX NEO J50C-4 and MINIX NEO N42C-4 Mini PC
Package Content
MINIX NEO J50C-4 comes well protected as usual just like other MINIX products. Most of the accessories are the same if you purchased MINIX mini PC previously. Yes, there are product brochure, multi-language user guide, 3A power adaptor with changeable plug (US, UK & EU), HDMI cable, S/PDIF digital optical audio adapter, extra 4 round anti-skid pads and several screws as spare.
Build Quality & Design
Outlook and build quality are basically the same as NEO N42C-4. Excellent thanks to sturdy plastic housing. Ultra-compact in size. There is a fan insides the mini PC and multiple holes on both left and right for air to flow. Yes, it’s a mini powerful house for sure. As for design, there is a multicolour LED status light indicator in front. 3 USB 3.0 ports and power button on the left. And Kensington lock and reset button on the right. At back, there are microphone & headphone jack (combined) with S/PDIF support, Mini DisplayPort, HDMI, RJ-45 Gigabit Ethernet, USB-C and DC input. Finally, 4 round anti-skid pads at the bottom. Don’t forget the useful VESA mount for easy mounting, removing cable clutter from the desk. As usual, do refer to below photos for details.
Hardware
Intel Pentium Silver J5005 (Gemini Lake) is the one that powers MINIX NEO J50C-4. Low power consumption at 10W TDP only. Below Hardware Info (HWiNFO) should give you more idea about this mini PC. As you can see, it is using Intel HD Graphics 605 GPU. Loaded with 4GB of Kingston DDR4 RAM. Supports 802.11ac dual band Wi-Fi (2.4GHz/5.0GHz), Bluetooth 4.1 and Gigabit Ethernet.
Once opened the bottom cover, you can add additional 2280 M.2 SSD and memory module (16GB maximum size = 2 x 8GB supported).
And here is the motherboard. Yes, this is the heat sink with a fan that keeps J50C-4 cool while processing heavy stuff. J5005 CPU and SanDisk 64GB eMMC should be under the heat sink.
Software
Yeah, genuine Microsoft Windows 10 Pro 64bit is pre-installed. You will be greeted by Cortana, the personal assistant for Windows 10 to get Windows setup for the very first time. It comes with Windows 10 version 1809. You can upgrade to version 1903 easily thanks to large 64GB internal storage. MINIX also provides multiple OS images at their forum. Use that if you have a lot of machines to deploy. NEO J50C-4 with Windows 10 Pro is great for business as a thin client solution. A lot of advantages compare to normal Home edition.
Benchmark
Let’s have a closer look on Intel Pentium Silver J5005 CPU with integrated Intel UHD Graphics 605 GPU. Below synthetic benchmarks will give you some ideas on how does it perform. In short, it is much faster than previous model N42C-4 with N4200.
Getting 2024 in PCMark 10 thanks to performing CPU.
3D performance does improve a bit. But a huge improvement in physics test with compare to HD Graphics 505.
64GB SanDisk eMMC performs well in CrystalDiskMark test too. Rest assures that it can handle casual daily operation. If speed and size are not enough, you can always install SSD later.
J50C-4 passed connectivity tests with flying colours. Easily getting 942 Mbit/s on LAN test in iPerf3. Up to 353 Mbit/s on 5GHz connection. Wireless range performance is excellent as well even with built-in antenna. Same apply to Bluetooth range.
Performance Result
MINIX NEO J50C-4 replaced my old desktop PC with Intel Core2 Extreme quad-core processor QX9650 (the best Intel CPU back then). It performs better and consumes much lesser electric power as well. It consumes around 4.6W only during idle. And up to 15.6W when fully loaded on heavy processing stuff like video editing (QX9650 consumes around 140W by the way). Yet J5005 is faster than QX9650 in Adobe Premiere Pro video encoding task. Furthermore, it handles 4K videos smoothly while the old one can’t even play 4K video at all. In short, J50C-4 performs well as Multi-Purpose PC for both home and office. Don’t forget the useful triple display outputs that great for multi-tasking.
J50C-4 is warmer when compare to N42C-4 as J5005 uses more power and perform better too. As you can see, it reaches up to 83°C when 100% loaded by running CPU stress testing with Prime95 for an hour. But rest assures that it remains quiet even with fan spinning then. By the way, you can control fan speed in the BIOS if you found it’s still too noisy.
You can turn NEO J50C-4 into a home theater PC (HTPC) too. Play 4K Ultra HD 3840 x 2160 H265 60fps smoothly with Kodi media player. 10Bit HEVC, VP9 video formats are supported. Up to 4K 60p. Yes, it can play basically most of the video codecs in the market. Jellyfish video at 140 Mbps 3840×2160 HEVC is playable smoothly. 400 Mbps one has slightly frame skip by the way. And lastly, it does not support HDR output (playable though). Do take note…
Games console for casual 3D gaming? Yes, why not? You can play a lot of casual 3D games in Microsoft Store smoothly. As for desktop PC title games, they are still playable on normal / lower graphics settings. NEO J50C-4 will turn into a gaming console in your living room by just adding a gamepad. As for streaming, Moonlight (NVIDIA GameStream) has virtually no latency at all. Yes, you can play PC games on the bigger TV screen now.
Advantages
- Excellent overall performer
- Licensed Windows 10 Pro included
- Expandable RAM & storage
- Outstanding wireless range & Ethernet performance
- Triple display outputs with VESA mount
- 3 USB 3.0 + USB-C ports
- Perfect performance on GameStream
- Excellent build quality
Limitations
- No HDR output
Conclusion
Plan to buy a PC for your home or office usage? Be sure to check out MINIX NEO J50C-4 Mini PC. Enjoy excellent performance with low power usage. Suitable for both home entertainment and office work. Don’t forget that it comes with Windows 10 Pro pre-installed and has triple display outputs. RAM and storage are expandable for future upgrade. Wait no more and get yours at Amazon.
