ACEMagician ACE-CK10-8259U mini PC review - quiet office PC with space for up to three SSDs
The Chinese system manufacturer Minipc Union distributes the brands ACEMagician, NiPoGi and Kamuri amongst others, which we already got to know in some of our tests. The ACEMagician ACE-CK10-8259U relies on an Intel Core i5-8259U as an SoC. The SoC has 4 cores and 8 threads and copes relatively well with workload in everyday use - this we can already tease at this point. The SoC is supported by 16 GB of LPDDR3 RAM, which can't be expanded. Our test sample's SSD is a 512 GB model. The manufacturer currently charges around $400 for the test device, which also includes Windows 11 Professional.
The mini PC comes in a compact package which includes a 65-watt power supply and a VESA mount - this means you can attach the device to a monitor. An overview of potential rivals can be found in the following table.
Possible competitors compared
Rating | Date | Model | Weight | Height | Best Price |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
73.4 % | 04/2023 | ACEMagician ACE-CK10-8259U i5-8259U, Iris Plus Graphics 655 | 449 g | 50 mm | |
01/2022 | Morefine S500+ R9 5900HX, Vega 8 | 697 g | 40 mm | ||
02/2022 | Minisforum EliteMini TH50 i5-11320H, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | 763 g | 55.5 mm | ||
09/2022 | Minipc Union Ace Magician AMR5 R5 5600U, Vega 7 | 628 g | 72 mm | ||
09/2022 | Minipc Union Ace Magician TK11-A0 i5-1135G7, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | 586 g | 53 mm | ||
70.9 % | 12/2022 | Minipc Union NiPoGi CK10 - 10810U i7-10810U, UHD Graphics 620 | 468 g | 50 mm | |
68.2 % | 03/2023 | Minipc Union NiPoGi GK3PLUS - N95 N95, UHD Graphics 24EUs (Alder Lake-N) | 381 g | 47 mm |
The ACEMagician ACE-CK10-8259U in detail
Case
The ACEMagician ACE-CK10-8259U is identical in construction to the NiPoGi CK10. Both models feature the same case, which is mainly made of plastic. The device comes in a relatively inconspicuous matte gray color. This is good, because glossy surfaces have a tendency to scratch quite quickly. Its 13.7 x 12.5 centimeter footprint is smaller than that of its competitors. However, its build height, which measured pretty much exactly five centimeters in our test sample, ended up being a bit on the taller side. As for ACEMagician's choice of materials, the NiPoGi CK10 is mostly plastic. The manufacturer has chosen to forgo an additional metal frame for stability. The implied fingerprint scanner on the upper side seemingly doesn't work on our test device. It seems that the manufacturer has used the device's case for further configuration options.
Connectivity
In terms of external ports, we were able to see the same ports on the ACEMagician ACE-CK10-8259U as on the NiPoGi CK10. We counted a total of five USB interfaces, which should be more than sufficient for most users. The USB ports are divided into 4 USB Type-A ports and 1 USB Type-C port. However, the latter is just a normal data port and, as a result, doesn't offer Thunderbolt support. Displays can be connected to the device via the HDMI ports on the back. In addition, the ACEMagician ACE-CK10-8259U has a VGA port, which is no longer widely used these days.
Communication
The ACEMagician CK10 is equipped with a Wi-Fi module from Realtek. However, the wireless module didn't work all too reliably in our test, which meant that our test sample came in at the bottom of our list. An identical module was also used in the NiPoGi CK10, which showed a similar result. An Asus ROG Rapture GT-AXE11000 was used as a test router for this test. Alternatively, the ACEMagician ACE-CK10-8259U also features an Ethernet port. Here, up to 1 GBit/s is possible.
Accessories
Next to the device itself, our package came with a 65-watt power adapter and a VESA mounting plate including all the necessary screws. Furthermore, the scope of delivery included an HDMI cable and a connection cable for a 2.5-inch storage medium, which can be installed internally.
Maintenance
An upgrade should not be necessary for the time being due to the mini PC's preconfigured base configuration including RAM and SSD. Since its working memory can't be replaced anyway, the only option would be to install additional SSDs. The bottom of the device can easily be removed to do so. The top can also be opened - the panel is only held in place by a few plastic clips. The CPU fan is hidden underneath.
Performance
The ACEMagician ACE-CK10-8259U is an Intel Core i5-8259U SoC that has already been on the market for quite a few years. Consequently, this SoC will have a hard time competing against current native 4-cores. Nevertheless, the ACEMagician ACE-CK10-8259U, together with its 16 GB of RAM and its 512 GB SSD, offers solid performance and could definitely be considered for use as an office device.
Testing conditions
We left the system in its delivered state for all performance tests. We didn't change the SoC's power limits. Nevertheless, the BIOS offers the possibility to change these values.
Processor
The Intel Core i5-8259U is part of the Coffee Lake series and features four native processing cores with a total of 8 threads. Its power consumption is limited to 40 and 28 watts respectively. In our test, we saw a performance equivalent to that of the NiPoGi CK10, which should actually have the faster CPU of the two thanks to its Intel Core i7-10810U. Compared to the Tiger Lake series' 4 cores, our test sample could simply not keep up. Its lack of IPC, which comes with the newer CPU architecture, proved to be quite noticeable in the benchmark results.
Furthermore, the ACEMagician ACE-CK10-8259U is forced to make do with slower LPDDR3 RAM, which explains its comparatively poor performance in the memory benchmarks.
More processor benchmarks can be found here.
* ... smaller is better
AIDA64: FP32 Ray-Trace | FPU Julia | CPU SHA3 | CPU Queen | FPU SinJulia | FPU Mandel | CPU AES | CPU ZLib | FP64 Ray-Trace | CPU PhotoWorxx
The ACEMagician ACE-CK10-8259U in the Cinebench R15 multi loop
The built-in fan didn't struggle to keep the Intel Core i5-8259U under control. In summary, we could actually even observe a slightly better result than that of the NiPoGi CK10 with a native 6-core processor. Even so, the manufacturer has also decided to run the SoC very conservatively in terms of power limits. With an average of 621 points, its performance was extremely stable across all 50 runs.
System performance
The installed SoC's age also became apparent in the system benchmarks. The newer models were significantly faster here. Only the NiPoGi GK3PLUS could be beaten. It is based on a very frugal Intel N95, which scored points thanks to its efficiency. Subjectively evaluated, we were positively surprised by its pure system performance in everyday tasks. The supposedly inferior and outdated SoC performed well and smooth work was possible at all times.
AIDA64 / Memory Copy | |
Minisforum EliteMini TH50 | |
Average Intel Core i5-8259U (37992 - 49395, n=4) | |
Average of class Mini PC (6481 - 70620, n=97, last 2 years) | |
Morefine S500+ | |
ACEMagician ACE-CK10-8259U | |
Minipc Union Ace Magician TK11-A0 | |
Minipc Union Ace Magician AMR5 | |
Minipc Union NiPoGi CK10 - 10810U | |
Minipc Union NiPoGi GK3PLUS - N95 |
AIDA64 / Memory Read | |
Morefine S500+ | |
Minisforum EliteMini TH50 | |
Average of class Mini PC (6914 - 71285, n=97, last 2 years) | |
Minipc Union Ace Magician TK11-A0 | |
Minipc Union Ace Magician AMR5 | |
Average Intel Core i5-8259U (35415 - 39382, n=4) | |
ACEMagician ACE-CK10-8259U | |
Minipc Union NiPoGi CK10 - 10810U | |
Minipc Union NiPoGi GK3PLUS - N95 |
AIDA64 / Memory Write | |
Minisforum EliteMini TH50 | |
Average Intel Core i5-8259U (43598 - 51980, n=4) | |
Average of class Mini PC (6862 - 89318, n=97, last 2 years) | |
ACEMagician ACE-CK10-8259U | |
Morefine S500+ | |
Minipc Union Ace Magician TK11-A0 | |
Minipc Union Ace Magician AMR5 | |
Minipc Union NiPoGi CK10 - 10810U | |
Minipc Union NiPoGi GK3PLUS - N95 |
AIDA64 / Memory Latency | |
Minipc Union NiPoGi GK3PLUS - N95 | |
Minisforum EliteMini TH50 | |
Minipc Union Ace Magician AMR5 | |
Average of class Mini PC (44.9 - 154.6, n=97, last 2 years) | |
Morefine S500+ | |
Minipc Union Ace Magician TK11-A0 | |
ACEMagician ACE-CK10-8259U | |
Minipc Union NiPoGi CK10 - 10810U | |
Average Intel Core i5-8259U (55.2 - 60.3, n=4) |
* ... smaller is better
DPC latency
LatencyMon already showed us increased latencies when opening several tabs using Edge browser. These latencies did not increase further when playing the 4K YouTube test video. We couldn't see any dropped frames and the iGPU of the Intel Core i5-8259U was utilized at up to about 60%.
DPC Latencies / LatencyMon - interrupt to process latency (max), Web, Youtube, Prime95 | |
Minipc Union NiPoGi CK10 - 10810U, Intel Core i7-10810U | |
Minipc Union NiPoGi GK3PLUS - N95, Intel Processor N95 | |
ACEMagician ACE-CK10-8259U, Intel Core i5-8259U | |
Morefine S500+, AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX | |
Minipc Union Ace Magician AMR5, AMD Ryzen 5 5600U | |
Minipc Union Ace Magician TK11-A0, Intel Core i5-1135G7 | |
Minisforum EliteMini TH50, Intel Core i5-11320H |
* ... smaller is better
Storage devices
Our test sample is equipped with an SSD with 512 GB of storage, of which we know no further details. The installed SSD uses the M.2-2280 interface and offers SATA speed, which could be seen in the results. Its disadvantage compared to the faster NVMe SSDs became clearly visible. Nevertheless, we were able to observe a relatively good 4K read performance in our test, which proved to be an advantage when loading many small files. The installed SSD is equipped with a small cooler. This seems to be effective, as the SSD's continuous performance stayed very constant. In total, the ACEMagician ACE-CK10-8259U can be equipped with up to three SSDs (2x M.2-2280, 1x 2.5-inch).
For further comparisons and benchmarks, take a look at our comparison table.
* ... smaller is better
Reading continuous performance: DiskSpd Read Loop, Queue Depth 8
Graphics card
Due to its age, the Intel Iris Plus 655 isn't used very often these days. This model performed surprisingly well compared to the Intel UHD Graphics 620 in the NiPoGi CK10. Due to its dual-channel RAM, its maximum performance was able to be attained in our test sample. However, the Intel Iris Plus 655 isn't quite able to live up to the newer SoCs with Intel Iris Xe IGPU.
More Intel Iris Plus 655 benchmarks can be found here.
Unigine Valley 1.0 | |
1920x1080 Extreme HD DirectX AA:x8 | |
Minisforum EliteMini TH50 | |
Morefine S500+ | |
Minipc Union Ace Magician TK11-A0 | |
Minipc Union Ace Magician AMR5 | |
ACEMagician ACE-CK10-8259U | |
Minipc Union NiPoGi GK3PLUS - N95 | |
Minipc Union NiPoGi CK10 - 10810U | |
1920x1080 Extreme HD Preset OpenGL AA:x8 | |
Minisforum EliteMini TH50 | |
Minipc Union Ace Magician TK11-A0 | |
Morefine S500+ | |
Minipc Union Ace Magician AMR5 | |
ACEMagician ACE-CK10-8259U | |
Minipc Union NiPoGi GK3PLUS - N95 |
3DMark 05 Standard | 22740 points | |
3DMark 06 Standard Score | 18594 points | |
3DMark Vantage P Result | 12481 points | |
3DMark 11 Performance | 3182 points | |
3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score | 74401 points | |
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score | 11788 points | |
3DMark Fire Strike Score | 1850 points | |
3DMark Fire Strike Extreme Score | 893 points | |
3DMark Time Spy Score | 720 points | |
Help |
Gaming performance
The Intel Iris Plus 655 was almost always overwhelmed when trying to play up-to-date games. Even older games could only be played in 720p and with the lowest details - if at all. At best, the iGPU mastered the simplest casual games in native resolution.
For further comparisons and benchmarks, take a look at our GPU games list.
low | med. | high | ultra | |
GTA V (2015) | 57 | 51.2 | 14.3 | 5.18 |
The Witcher 3 (2015) | 27.9 | 17.8 | 10.1 | |
Dota 2 Reborn (2015) | 86.8 | 77.9 | 34.5 | 28.1 |
Final Fantasy XV Benchmark (2018) | 18.1 | 9.73 | 6.55 | |
X-Plane 11.11 (2018) | 26.8 | 18.4 | 16 | |
Far Cry 5 (2018) | 22 | 11 | 10 | 9 |
Strange Brigade (2018) | 41.4 | 17.6 | 16.9 | 14.5 |
Shadow of the Tomb Raider (2018) | 23.5 | 11 | 10.1 | |
Far Cry New Dawn (2019) | 21 | 11 | 10 | 9 |
Metro Exodus (2019) | 20.1 | 10.1 | 7.41 | |
Borderlands 3 (2019) | 22.5 | 10.4 | 6.65 | |
F1 2020 (2020) | 40.7 | 19.1 | 14.5 | 9.64 |
F1 2021 (2021) | 44.6 | 21.6 | 16.4 | 10.2 |
Emissions - quiet and efficient
Noise emissions
Its cooling unit was able to keep the SoC under control easily and without causing any annoying noise. In idle mode, the ACEMagician ACE-CK10-8259U was mostly silent. Even under load, we noted only 33.6 dB(A) at maximum load. This meant that our test sample shared first place with the NiPoGi CK10. That didn't surprise us, since both models are based on similar foundations. Compared to the rest of the contenders, the ACEMagician ACE-CK10-8259U operated very quietly at all times. At over 50 dB(A), the AMR5 from the same manufacturer was considerably louder.
Noise Level
Idle |
| 29.7 / 29.8 / 29.8 dB(A) |
Load |
| 33.5 / 33.6 dB(A) |
| ||
30 dB silent 40 dB(A) audible 50 dB(A) loud |
||
min: , med: , max: Earthworks M23R, Arta (15 cm distance) environment noise: 29.6 dB(A) |
ACEMagician ACE-CK10-8259U i5-8259U, Iris Plus Graphics 655 | Morefine S500+ R9 5900HX, Vega 8 | Minisforum EliteMini TH50 i5-11320H, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | Minipc Union Ace Magician AMR5 R5 5600U, Vega 7 | Minipc Union Ace Magician TK11-A0 i5-1135G7, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | Minipc Union NiPoGi CK10 - 10810U i7-10810U, UHD Graphics 620 | Minipc Union NiPoGi GK3PLUS - N95 N95, UHD Graphics 24EUs (Alder Lake-N) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Noise | -12% | -8% | -22% | -8% | 0% | -7% | |
off / environment * | 29.6 | 30.1 -2% | 30.2 -2% | 30.5 -3% | 30.28 -2% | 30.4 -3% | 30.4 -3% |
Idle Minimum * | 29.7 | 30.8 -4% | 31.5 -6% | 31.82 -7% | 30.8 -4% | 31 -4% | |
Idle Average * | 29.8 | 33.15 -11% | 32.1 -8% | 32.6 -9% | 32.27 -8% | 30.9 -4% | 31.1 -4% |
Idle Maximum * | 29.8 | 32.9 -10% | 33.8 -13% | 33.17 -11% | 30.9 -4% | 31.8 -7% | |
Load Average * | 33.5 | 33.9 -1% | 49.3 -47% | 35.82 -7% | 31 7% | 33.3 1% | |
Load Maximum * | 33.6 | 41.63 -24% | 41.4 -23% | 50.9 -51% | 37.1 -10% | 31 8% | 42.5 -26% |
* ... smaller is better
Temperature
The ACEMagician ACE-CK10-8259U's case only heated up to a small extent. We were also only able to measure a maximum temperature of 88 °C when the SoC was under load. Its maximum power limit of 40 watts was reached without any problems and the 28-watt limit of the PL1 was applied in due course. However, the SoC was then still able to work with an average clock rate of 2.5 GHz.
Power consumption
All-in-all, the ACEMagician ACE-CK10-8259U delivered good power consumption results, even though the other contenders performed much better in idle mode. However, the recorded energy consumption of 8 to 13 watts was still well within a good level. Under load, we observed a maximum of 55.9 watts, which the 65-watt power supply was able to manage well.
Off / Standby | 0.4 / 0.8 Watt |
Idle | 8.1 / 8.4 / 13.8 Watt |
Load |
43.1 / 55.9 Watt |
ACEMagician ACE-CK10-8259U i5-8259U, Iris Plus Graphics 655 | Morefine S500+ R9 5900HX, Vega 8 | Minipc Union Ace Magician AMR5 R5 5600U, Vega 7 | Minipc Union Ace Magician TK11-A0 i5-1135G7, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | Minipc Union NiPoGi CK10 - 10810U i7-10810U, UHD Graphics 620 | Minipc Union NiPoGi GK3PLUS - N95 N95, UHD Graphics 24EUs (Alder Lake-N) | Average Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655 | Average of class Mini PC | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Power Consumption | -5% | 5% | 26% | 39% | 39% | 8% | -28% | |
Idle Minimum * | 8.1 | 8.1 -0% | 8.4 -4% | 3.4 58% | 4.8 41% | 6.1 25% | 5.96 ? 26% | 9.8 ? -21% |
Idle Average * | 8.4 | 8.4 -0% | 8.7 -4% | 5.7 32% | 4.9 42% | 6.9 18% | 8.44 ? -0% | 11.7 ? -39% |
Idle Maximum * | 13.8 | 11.9 14% | 9.3 33% | 7 49% | 5.5 60% | 8.9 36% | 10.6 ? 23% | 14.7 ? -7% |
Load Average * | 43.1 | 47.1 -9% | 46.4 -8% | 36.5 15% | 23 47% | 20 54% | 46.5 ? -8% | 51.9 ? -20% |
Load Maximum * | 55.9 | 72.9 -30% | 52 7% | 68 -22% | 54 3% | 21.1 62% | 56.2 ? -1% | 86 ? -54% |
* ... smaller is better
Power consumption with external monitor
Pros
Cons
Verdict - Quiet and compact office PC
The ACEMagician ACE-CK10-8259U is a small office PC made from solid components. At the end of the day, the Intel Core i5-8259U's performance is still totally sufficient for everyday use. Apart from that, the SoC often found itself ranking below the more modern 4-cores. In a direct comparison with the NiPoGi CK10, which is similarly equipped with an Intel Core i7-10810U, our test sample could still stand on its own two feet. At times, the 6-core processor's performance could even be surpassed. This surprised us and also reflected how our own subjective impressions come to be during our test phase. The system was fast and you never really had the feeling that you were working with older hardware.
There isn't much to complain about on the connectivity side either. There are more than enough USB ports, including Type-C. Only the lack of an SD card reader is disappointing - you have to compensate for this by using an adapter. In our opinion, its Wi-Fi performance is worthy of criticism. Here, the ACEMagician ACE-CK10-8259U clearly fell short of our expectations.
The ACEMagician ACE-CK10-8259U is a great device for working at home. The supposed older SoC offers exceptional performance in regular everyday use.
Primarily, the ACEMagician ACE-CK10-8259U is best suited for simple working-from-home use. The system works very quietly at all times and requires little energy. However, you can sometimes find good alternatives which offer more modern equipment, such as the Ace Magician TK11-A0 - and in the same price range, too. But the Minisforum EliteMini TH50 is also worth a look when it comes to simple office use.
Prices and availability
You can currently purchase the version of the ACEMagician ACE-CK10-8259U with an Intel Core i7-10810U on Amazon for $379.
Transparency
The present review sample was given to the author by the manufacturer free of charge for the purposes of review. There was no third-party influence on this review, nor did the manufacturer receive a copy of this review before publication. There was no obligation to publish this review.
ACEMagician ACE-CK10-8259U
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04/09/2023 v7
Sebastian Bade