AcePC Picobox Lite Review: Best Home Theater Mini PC For Your Needs And Budget
Today’s test is powered by an Intel Core processor, perfect for office computing and simple home theater setup AcePC Picobox Lite (currently $59 off, code at the end of the article) is equipped with an Intel Jasper Lake Celeron N5095, which is enough to run some basic office stuff. Besides that, it has two HDMI ports, which means it can pick up two screens simultaneously. Let’s take the test!
Highlights: Great addition to any home theater setup
If you’re building a professional home theater setup, you might want to consider adding a mini PC to your home theater. Also, thanks to its small size, the Picobox Lite can be hidden behind your TV. It runs Windows 11 Pro, which means you can easily switch between streaming services like Netflix, Disley+, Roku, and Hulu and browse the web. Furthermore, you can play casual games on the Picobox Lite with a gaming controller.
The downside to mini PCs is that you have to keep plugging and unplugging them, while a home theater PC only needs to be connected once.
HTPC Test：The DXVA checker confirms that the UHD Graphics GPU effectively decodes video formats up to 4K, ensuring seamless online streaming experiences with Picobox Lite. I’ve enjoyed numerous UHD Blu-ray movies on this device. Additionally, YouTube’s 4K/60FPS videos play smoothly in Chrome, utilizing either the CPU or GPU. Nevertheless, I’ve observed occasional frame skips when playing 8K/60FPS videos due to the mini PC’s lack of 8K output support.
Picobox Lite Specifications:
Processor: Intel Jasper Lake Celeron N5095
CPU: 4 cores, 4 threads, 2.0-2.9 GHz
GPU: Intel UHD Graphics
OS: Windows 11 Pro 64-bit
RAM: 8GB DDR4 2400MHz (Optional upgrade to 16GB RAM and a 512GB SSD) Storage: 256GB
Network: WiFi 5 + Bluetooth 4.2 / Gigabit Ethernet
Ports:
2x USB 2.0
2x USB 3.0
2x HDMI 2.0
3.5mm audio jack
Accessories:
12V-2.5A DC adapter
1x HDMI Cable (1m & 0.25m)
User Manual
VESA Mount
Dimensions: 122 mm x 122 mm x 22 mm
Weight: 277g
PicoBox Lite: Unboxing
The Packaging is small and neat, like a wrapped gift box, perfect for giving.
The packaging is nice and simple. Inside the box, you will find a mini PC, a VESA mount bracket, a 12-watt power adapter, a HDMI cable, a bag of screws, and a user manual.
PicoBox Lite: Design
Upon opening the package, I was surprised to find that it was smaller than I had anticipated, only slightly larger than an iPhone. What amazed me even more was its slimness, measuring just 2cm. It’s incredibly compact and lightweight, with an aluminum alloy shell that feels sturdy, complemented by acrylic plastic top. Weighing only 277g, it’s nearly as light as the iPhone 12 Pro Max (226g). Its diminutive size makes it virtually imperceptible in your bag, adding no extra bulk thanks to its lightweight build and compact design.
In terms of connectivity, we find a pin port on the side that resets the BIOS if user settings are wrong. There are two USB 3.0 Gen ports, a USB 2.0 port, two HDMI 2.0 ports, a 2.5 Gbit LAN port, and a 12V-2.5A DC adapter.I also found an audio jack and a type-C connector for a wide range of connections.
Thanks to these ports, the Picobox Lite supports two synchronized 4K displays, which is impressive. At this point, you should be able to edit and stream 4K videos easily.
PicoBox Lite: Disassemble
To start, I removed the four screws from the bottom panel. This proved to be quite challenging as the structure required pushing from the bottom to the top. The top cover was also attached to the body by two delicate wires, so disassembling it was tricky. After some careful maneuvering, I found it advisable to avoid disassembling the machine unless absolutely necessary.
Upon disassembling the machine, I discovered that the LPDDR4 memory stick is soldered onto the motherboard, rendering it non-upgradable. With only one memory slot available, dual-channel memory configuration isn’t feasible to enhance the mini PC’s performance. However, there is an M.2 2280 interface, supporting storage drives of up to 256GB for potential upgrades. Unfortunately, the M.2 2280 interface only supports SATA3 standard SSDs; faster NVMe SSDs are incompatible with this interface.
PicoBox Lite：Performance Test
Powered by the Intel Celeron N5095 chip, Picobox lite has a typical Thermal Design Power of 15 W. 4 CPU cores and 4 processing threads run at 2 GHz (Turbo 2.9 GHz), and there’s an integrated UHD GPU that runs at 650MHz. And SoC
N5095, you’ll find it in many entry-level laptops. Definitely not a powerhouse, but should be fine for most people’s everyday computing needs.
CPU Benchmarks：
We initiate our comprehensive benchmarking with Geekbench 5, providing scores for both single-core and multi-core processors.
Geekbench 5’s CPU Test evaluates the overall power of the device’s processor, indicating its performance in general tasks. Picobox Lite achieved 645 in CPU single-core, 2017 in multi-core, and 2117 in OpenCL in Geekbench 5, demonstrating its capability to manage day-to-day tasks and multiple browsers simultaneously while maintaining a smooth experience.
In the test of Cinebench R20. the Picobox Lite achieved 234 in single-core and 787 in multi-core performance. I tested its capabilities with Photoshop image editing and daily video editing tasks. While it handles these tasks well, simultaneous heavy workloads may cause occasional lag on this machine.
Note: Cinebench R20 is a useful tool for evaluating laptop CPU rendering capabilities, offering customization for different thread configurations.
In 3DMark, Picobox Lite attained scores of 2356 in Sky Diver, 606 in Fire Strike, and 206 in Time Spy. These results suggest that the performance of Picobox Lite is subpar for gaming purposes. However, it should suffice for playing simple or casual games, as well as games from the Microsoft Store
Here’s my final thought:
On AcePC’s official website, the Picobox Lite is priced at $159.99 for 8GB RAM & 256G SSD (16GB of RAM & 512GB SSD optional), and $209.99 for 16GB & 500GB. It has a compact design, decent internal hardware, and plenty of I/Os. You can also use this mini PC for creative tasks and some gaming in addition to basic office tasks. PicoBox Lite may be the best choice for those looking for a decent mini PC at an affordable price.
