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GMK NucBox 3 review: Fanless Windows 11 HTPC

Compact and silent, but at what cost? The Celeron J4125 may be getting a bit old, but its low power requirements can allow for both a slimmer chassis profile and fanless design to be attractive for HTPC users. Unfortunately, performance isn't where we would like it to be even for undemanding HTPC loads.
Left: GMK NucBox 3, Right: Beelink U59
Left: GMK NucBox 3, Right: Beelink U59

Unlike the tiny NucBox S or more traditional NucBox 2, the NucBox 3 is a fanless design utilizing the same Celeron J4125 processor that powers the original NucBox S. The system was made for HTPC environments and other low-power applications where silent operation takes precedence over raw performance.

Note that the NucBox 3 isn't necessarily better or faster than the NucBox 2 or NucBox S despite what the naming convention may suggest. Instead, the NucBox 3 has different advantages and disadvantages from its two siblings that may appeal to different users. They may, however, share similar materials.

Competitors to the NucBox 3 include other fanless mini PCs such as the Zotac CI Nano series or the Chuwi GBox. The unit with 8 GB DDR4 RAM and 256 GB SSD storage currently retails for about $269 USD on Amazon (or $219 after coupon) or $309 through the manufacturer.

More GMK reviews:

GMK NucBox 3
Processor
Intel Celeron J4125 4 x 2 - 2.7 GHz, 25 W PL2 / Short Burst, 10 W PL1 / Sustained, Gemini Lake Refresh
Graphics adapter
Intel UHD Graphics 600, DDR4, 26.20.100.6708
Memory
8 GB 
, DDR4-2666, Single-channel only
Storage
Soundcard
Intel Gemini Lake SoC - High Definition Audio Controller
Connections
4 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 1 HDMI, 1 DisplayPort, Audio Connections: 3.5 mm earphones, Card Reader: MicroSD
Networking
Realtek RTL8168/8111 Gigabit-LAN (10/100/1000MBit/s), Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7265 (a/b/g/h/n = Wi-Fi 4/ac = Wi-Fi 5/), Bluetooth 4.2
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 32.5 x 128 x 128 ( = 1.28 x 5.04 x 5.04 in)
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 11 Home
Additional features
12 Months Warranty, fanless
Weight
410 g ( = 14.46 oz / 0.9 pounds), Power Supply: 153 g ( = 5.4 oz / 0.34 pounds)
Price
309 USD
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Potential Competitors in Comparison

Rating
Date
Model
Weight
Height
Size
Resolution
Best Price
02/2022
GMK NucBox 3
Celeron J4125, UHD Graphics 600
410 g32.5 mmx
07/2020
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC
Celeron J4115, UHD Graphics 600
129 g43 mmx
04/2021
Intel NUC11TNKi5
i5-1135G7, Iris Xe G7 80EUs
504 g37 mmx
11/2018
Intel NUC8i7BE
i7-8559U, Iris Plus Graphics 655
683 g51 mmx
12/2021
Beelink GTI 11
i5-1135G7, Iris Xe G7 80EUs
638 g39 mmx
11/2021
Beelink U59
Celeron N5095, UHD Graphics (Jasper Lake 16 EU)
329 g42 mmx

Case

The materials and overall shape of the NucBox 3 are similar to the NucBox 2 even if their dimensions are different. The top of the unit, for example, continues to be glossy fiberglass while the edges and corners are matte. Chassis rigidity is satisfactory, but expect fingerprints, dust, and scratches to build up on the glossy top very quickly.

Size Comparison

168 mm / 6.61 inch 120 mm / 4.72 inch 39 mm / 1.535 inch 638 g1.407 lbs115 mm / 4.53 inch 111 mm / 4.37 inch 51 mm / 2.01 inch 683 g1.506 lbs124 mm / 4.88 inch 113 mm / 4.45 inch 42 mm / 1.654 inch 329 g0.725 lbs128 mm / 5.04 inch 128 mm / 5.04 inch 32.5 mm / 1.28 inch 410 g0.904 lbs117 mm / 4.61 inch 112 mm / 4.41 inch 37 mm / 1.457 inch 504 g1.111 lbs61 mm / 2.4 inch 61 mm / 2.4 inch 43 mm / 1.693 inch 129 g0.2844 lbs210 mm / 8.27 inch 148 mm / 5.83 inch 1 mm / 0.03937 inch 2.9 g0.00639 lbs

Connectivity

Port options are respectable save for the lack of a USB-C port. Additionally, the HDMI 1.4 port is limited to 4K at 30 Hz meaning it's highly recommended to use the DisplayPort instead if connecting 4K monitors.

Front: Power button, MicroSD reader, 3x USB-A 3.0
Front: Power button, MicroSD reader, 3x USB-A 3.0
Right: No ports
Right: No ports
Rear: Kensington Lock, AC adapter, USB-A 3.0, HDMI 1.4, DisplayPort (4K60), Gigabit RJ-45, 3.5 mm audio jack
Rear: Kensington Lock, AC adapter, USB-A 3.0, HDMI 1.4, DisplayPort (4K60), Gigabit RJ-45, 3.5 mm audio jack
Left: No ports
Left: No ports

SD Card Reader

SD Card Reader
average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs)
Intel NUC8i7BE
Intel Core i7-8559U (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 UHS-II)
69 MB/s +147%
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC
Intel Celeron J4115 (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 UHS-II)
66.9 MB/s +140%
GMK NucBox 3
Intel Celeron J4125 (AV Pro V60)
27.9 MB/s
maximum AS SSD Seq Read Test (1GB)
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC
Intel Celeron J4115 (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 UHS-II)
85.4 MB/s +3%
Intel NUC8i7BE
Intel Core i7-8559U (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 UHS-II)
85 MB/s +2%
GMK NucBox 3
Intel Celeron J4125 (AV Pro V60)
83.3 MB/s

Communication

Transmit speeds are slower than expected even for an older Intel 7265 WLAN module. Users will more than likely be streaming content to the unit instead of from the unit, however, and so the poor transmit speeds shouldn't be an issue for most applications. The gigabit RJ-45 port is always available for faster network performance if desired.

Networking
iperf3 transmit AX12
Intel NUC11TNKi5
Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201
1626 (1386min - 1677max) MBit/s +970%
Beelink GTI 11
Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201
1228 (1149min - 1287max) MBit/s +708%
Intel NUC8i7BE
Intel Wireless-AC 9560
553 MBit/s +264%
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC
Wireless AC-9461
339 (302min - 361max) MBit/s +123%
Beelink U59
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 3165
180 (157min - 201max) MBit/s +18%
GMK NucBox 3
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7265
152 (106min - 184max) MBit/s
iperf3 receive AX12
Intel NUC11TNKi5
Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201
1524 (1442min - 1571max) MBit/s +127%
Beelink GTI 11
Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201
1086 (810min - 1317max) MBit/s +62%
GMK NucBox 3
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7265
671 (648min - 684max) MBit/s
Intel NUC8i7BE
Intel Wireless-AC 9560
602 MBit/s -10%
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC
Wireless AC-9461
352 (344min - 357max) MBit/s -48%
Beelink U59
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 3165
346 (336min - 355max) MBit/s -48%
050100150200250300350400450500550600650Tooltip
GMK NucBox 3; iperf3 receive AX12; iperf 3.1.3: Ø670 (648-684)
GMK NucBox 3; iperf3 transmit AX12; iperf 3.1.3: Ø152 (106-184)

Maintenance

The bottom panel is secured by just one Philips screw for easy access to the single SODIMM slot and M.2 2280 SATA III bay. Dual-Channel RAM is not supported.

Accessories and Warranty

There are unfortunately no extras in the box other than the AC adapter and paperwork. A mounting bracket, for example, is not included whereas it is usually standard on competing mini PCs including those from Beelink.

Performance

Testing Conditions

Our unit was set to Performance mode prior to running any benchmarks below for the highest possible scores.

Processor

CPU performance is roughly 10 to 15 percent slower than the average PC in our database equipped with the exact same Celeron J4125 processor. The CPU is fortunately still ahead of any Atom CPU thus far by wide margins.

Cinebench R15 Multi Loop

050100150200250300350400450500550600650700750800850900Tooltip
GMK NucBox 3 Intel Celeron J4125: Ø203 (171.15-207.16)
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC Intel Celeron J4115: Ø253 (207.57-262.65)
Intel NUC11TNKi5 Intel Core i5-1135G7: Ø789 (772.57-794.38)
Intel NUC8i7BE Intel Core i7-8559U: Ø681 (671.37-798.44)
Beelink GTI 11 Intel Core i5-1135G7: Ø829 (822.06-915.5)
Beelink U59 Intel Celeron N5095: Ø377 (375.08-378.57)
Cinebench R20: CPU (Multi Core) | CPU (Single Core)
Cinebench R23: Multi Core | Single Core
Cinebench R15: CPU Multi 64Bit | CPU Single 64Bit
Blender: v2.79 BMW27 CPU
7-Zip 18.03: 7z b 4 | 7z b 4 -mmt1
Geekbench 5.5: Multi-Core | Single-Core
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2: 4k Preset
LibreOffice : 20 Documents To PDF
R Benchmark 2.5: Overall mean
Cinebench R20 / CPU (Multi Core)
Apple MacBook Pro 16 2021 M1 Pro
Apple M1 Pro
2721 Points +533%
Beelink GTI 11
Intel Core i5-1135G7
2163 Points +403%
Intel NUC8i7BE
Intel Core i7-8559U
1691 Points +293%
Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15ITL05 81X80074GE
Intel Core i3-1115G4
1071 Points +149%
Beelink U59
Intel Celeron N5095
844 Points +96%
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC
Intel Celeron J4115
590 Points +37%
Zotac ZBOX EDGE CI341
Intel Celeron N4100
546 Points +27%
Chuwi LarkBook CWI509
Intel Celeron N4120
490 Points +14%
Average Intel Celeron J4125
  (304 - 610, n=5)
449 Points +4%
GMK NucBox 3
Intel Celeron J4125
430 Points
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3 11IGL05
Intel Celeron N4020
316 Points -27%
Chuwi LapBook Plus
Intel Atom x7-E3950
272 Points -37%
Cinebench R20 / CPU (Single Core)
Beelink GTI 11
Intel Core i5-1135G7
520 Points +206%
Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15ITL05 81X80074GE
Intel Core i3-1115G4
505 Points +197%
Intel NUC8i7BE
Intel Core i7-8559U
466 Points +174%
Apple MacBook Pro 16 2021 M1 Pro
Apple M1 Pro
393 Points +131%
Beelink U59
Intel Celeron N5095
239 Points +41%
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3 11IGL05
Intel Celeron N4020
175 Points +3%
GMK NucBox 3
Intel Celeron J4125
170 Points
Average Intel Celeron J4125
  (155 - 174, n=5)
166.2 Points -2%
Chuwi LarkBook CWI509
Intel Celeron N4120
166 Points -2%
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC
Intel Celeron J4115
156 Points -8%
Zotac ZBOX EDGE CI341
Intel Celeron N4100
155 Points -9%
Chuwi LapBook Plus
Intel Atom x7-E3950
93 Points -45%
Cinebench R23 / Multi Core
Apple MacBook Pro 16 2021 M1 Pro
Apple M1 Pro
12370 Points +943%
Beelink GTI 11
Intel Core i5-1135G7
5597 (5425.4min - 5596.59max) Points +372%
Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15ITL05 81X80074GE
Intel Core i3-1115G4
2771 Points +134%
Beelink U59
Intel Celeron N5095
2219 (2211.53min - 2219.25max) Points +87%
Chuwi LarkBook CWI509
Intel Celeron N4120
1253 Points +6%
Average Intel Celeron J4125
  (860 - 1563, n=3)
1203 Points +1%
GMK NucBox 3
Intel Celeron J4125
1186 (1172.17min - 1186.25max) Points
Cinebench R23 / Single Core
Apple MacBook Pro 16 2021 M1 Pro
Apple M1 Pro
1534 Points +250%
Beelink GTI 11
Intel Core i5-1135G7
1356 Points +210%
Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15ITL05 81X80074GE
Intel Core i3-1115G4
1319 Points +201%
Beelink U59
Intel Celeron N5095
621 Points +42%
GMK NucBox 3
Intel Celeron J4125
438 Points
Average Intel Celeron J4125
  (392 - 446, n=3)
425 Points -3%
Cinebench R15 / CPU Multi 64Bit
Apple MacBook Pro 16 2021 M1 Pro
Apple M1 Pro
1690 (1675min - 1690max) Points +716%
Beelink GTI 11
Intel Core i5-1135G7
916 (822.06min - 915.5max) Points +343%
Intel NUC8i7BE
Intel Core i7-8559U
798 (671.37min - 798.44max) Points +286%
Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15ITL05 81X80074GE
Intel Core i3-1115G4
417 Points +101%
Beelink U59
Intel Celeron N5095
379 (375.08min - 378.57max) Points +83%
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC
Intel Celeron J4115
263 (207.57min - 262.65max) Points +27%
Zotac ZBOX EDGE CI341
Intel Celeron N4100
239 Points +15%
Chuwi LarkBook CWI509
Intel Celeron N4120
224 (216.74min - 224.4max) Points +8%
Average Intel Celeron J4125
  (148 - 271, n=5)
223 Points +8%
GMK NucBox 3
Intel Celeron J4125
207 (171.15min - 207.16max) Points
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3 11IGL05
Intel Celeron N4020
144.1 (131.27min - 145.38max) Points -30%
Chuwi LapBook Plus
Intel Atom x7-E3950
125 Points -40%
Cinebench R15 / CPU Single 64Bit
Apple MacBook Pro 16 2021 M1 Pro
Apple M1 Pro
209 Points +231%
Beelink GTI 11
Intel Core i5-1135G7
200 Points +217%
Intel NUC8i7BE
Intel Core i7-8559U
188 Points +198%
Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15ITL05 81X80074GE
Intel Core i3-1115G4
137 Points +117%
Beelink U59
Intel Celeron N5095
109 Points +73%
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3 11IGL05
Intel Celeron N4020
78.9 Points +25%
Chuwi LarkBook CWI509
Intel Celeron N4120
73.2 Points +16%
Average Intel Celeron J4125
  (63.1 - 79.1, n=5)
72.5 Points +15%
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC
Intel Celeron J4115
71.1 Points +13%
Zotac ZBOX EDGE CI341
Intel Celeron N4100
70 Points +11%
GMK NucBox 3
Intel Celeron J4125
63.1 Points
Chuwi LapBook Plus
Intel Atom x7-E3950
41 Points -35%
Blender / v2.79 BMW27 CPU
Chuwi LapBook Plus
Intel Atom x7-E3950
4564 Seconds * -51%
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3 11IGL05
Intel Celeron N4020
4064 Seconds * -34%
GMK NucBox 3
Intel Celeron J4125
3032 Seconds *
Average Intel Celeron J4125
  (2198 - 3860, n=5)
2772 Seconds * +9%
Zotac ZBOX EDGE CI341
Intel Celeron N4100
2490 Seconds * +18%
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC
Intel Celeron J4115
2380 Seconds * +22%
Beelink U59
Intel Celeron N5095
1516 Seconds * +50%
Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15ITL05 81X80074GE
Intel Core i3-1115G4
1087 Seconds * +64%
Intel NUC8i7BE
Intel Core i7-8559U
682 Seconds * +78%
Intel NUC8i7BE
Intel Core i7-8559U
650 Seconds * +79%
Beelink GTI 11
Intel Core i5-1135G7
551 Seconds * +82%
Apple MacBook Pro 16 2021 M1 Pro
Apple M1 Pro
183.3 Seconds * +94%
7-Zip 18.03 / 7z b 4
Intel NUC8i7BE
Intel Core i7-8559U
30570 MIPS +437%
Intel NUC8i7BE
Intel Core i7-8559U
22033 MIPS +287%
Beelink GTI 11
Intel Core i5-1135G7
24655 MIPS +333%
Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15ITL05 81X80074GE
Intel Core i3-1115G4
12793 MIPS +125%
Beelink U59
Intel Celeron N5095
11168 MIPS +96%
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC
Intel Celeron J4115
8098 MIPS +42%
Zotac ZBOX EDGE CI341
Intel Celeron N4100
7835 MIPS +38%
Average Intel Celeron J4125
  (5694 - 8399, n=5)
7248 MIPS +27%
Chuwi LarkBook CWI509
Intel Celeron N4120
7184 MIPS +26%
GMK NucBox 3
Intel Celeron J4125
5694 MIPS
Chuwi LapBook Plus
Intel Atom x7-E3950
4569 MIPS -20%
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3 11IGL05
Intel Celeron N4020
4498 MIPS -21%
7-Zip 18.03 / 7z b 4 -mmt1
Intel NUC8i7BE
Intel Core i7-8559U
6171 MIPS +176%
Intel NUC8i7BE
Intel Core i7-8559U
4826 MIPS +116%
Beelink GTI 11
Intel Core i5-1135G7
4852 MIPS +117%
Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15ITL05 81X80074GE
Intel Core i3-1115G4
4674 MIPS +109%
Beelink U59
Intel Celeron N5095
3111 MIPS +39%
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3 11IGL05
Intel Celeron N4020
2456 MIPS +10%
Average Intel Celeron J4125
  (2237 - 2444, n=5)
2358 MIPS +5%
Chuwi LarkBook CWI509
Intel Celeron N4120
2279 MIPS +2%
Zotac ZBOX EDGE CI341
Intel Celeron N4100
2240 MIPS 0%
GMK NucBox 3
Intel Celeron J4125
2237 MIPS
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC
Intel Celeron J4115
2215 MIPS -1%
Chuwi LapBook Plus
Intel Atom x7-E3950
1454 MIPS -35%
Geekbench 5.5 / Multi-Core
Apple MacBook Pro 16 2021 M1 Pro
Apple M1 Pro
12499 Points +943%
Beelink GTI 11
Intel Core i5-1135G7
5059 Points +322%
Intel NUC8i7BE
Intel Core i7-8559U
3660 Points +206%
Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15ITL05 81X80074GE
Intel Core i3-1115G4
2802 Points +134%
Chuwi LarkBook CWI509
Intel Celeron N4120
1505 Points +26%
Zotac ZBOX EDGE CI341
Intel Celeron N4100
1419 Points +18%
Zotac ZBOX EDGE CI341
Intel Celeron N4100
1416 Points +18%
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC
Intel Celeron J4115
1410 Points +18%
Average Intel Celeron J4125
  (1198 - 1512, n=5)
1367 Points +14%
GMK NucBox 3
Intel Celeron J4125
1198 Points
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3 11IGL05
Intel Celeron N4020
858 Points -28%
Geekbench 5.5 / Single-Core
Apple MacBook Pro 16 2021 M1 Pro
Apple M1 Pro
1768 Points +283%
Beelink GTI 11
Intel Core i5-1135G7
1415 Points +206%
Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15ITL05 81X80074GE
Intel Core i3-1115G4
1345 Points +191%
Intel NUC8i7BE
Intel Core i7-8559U
723 Points +56%
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3 11IGL05
Intel Celeron N4020
475 Points +3%
GMK NucBox 3
Intel Celeron J4125
462 Points
Average Intel Celeron J4125
  (435 - 466, n=5)
454 Points -2%
Chuwi LarkBook CWI509
Intel Celeron N4120
439 Points -5%
Zotac ZBOX EDGE CI341
Intel Celeron N4100
414 Points -10%
Zotac ZBOX EDGE CI341
Intel Celeron N4100
413 Points -11%
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC
Intel Celeron J4115
388 Points -16%
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2 / 4k Preset
Beelink GTI 11
Intel Core i5-1135G7
6.98 fps +454%
Intel NUC8i7BE
Intel Core i7-8559U
5.9 fps +368%
Intel NUC8i7BE
Intel Core i7-8559U
5.523 fps +338%
Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15ITL05 81X80074GE
Intel Core i3-1115G4
3.6 fps +186%
Beelink U59
Intel Celeron N5095
2.05 fps +63%
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC
Intel Celeron J4115
1.49 fps +18%
Zotac ZBOX EDGE CI341
Intel Celeron N4100
1.41 fps +12%
Average Intel Celeron J4125
  (0.95 - 1.61, n=5)
1.352 fps +7%
Chuwi LarkBook CWI509
Intel Celeron N4120
1.31 fps +4%
GMK NucBox 3
Intel Celeron J4125
1.26 fps
Chuwi LapBook Plus
Intel Atom x7-E3950
0.98 fps -22%
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3 11IGL05
Intel Celeron N4020
0.92 fps -27%
LibreOffice / 20 Documents To PDF
GMK NucBox 3
Intel Celeron J4125
159 s *
Zotac ZBOX EDGE CI341
Intel Celeron N4100
158 s * +1%
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC
Intel Celeron J4115
150 s * +6%
Average Intel Celeron J4125
  (124 - 168.4, n=5)
144.1 s * +9%
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3 11IGL05
Intel Celeron N4020
139 s * +13%
Chuwi LarkBook CWI509
Intel Celeron N4120
131 s * +18%
Beelink U59
Intel Celeron N5095
97 s * +39%
Beelink GTI 11
Intel Core i5-1135G7
54.5 s * +66%
Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15ITL05 81X80074GE
Intel Core i3-1115G4
42.8 s * +73%
R Benchmark 2.5 / Overall mean
Zotac ZBOX EDGE CI341
Intel Celeron N4100
1.756 sec * -15%
Chuwi LarkBook CWI509
Intel Celeron N4120
1.642 sec * -8%
Average Intel Celeron J4125
  (1.525 - 1.579, n=5)
1.56 sec * -2%
GMK NucBox 3
Intel Celeron J4125
1.525 sec *
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3 11IGL05
Intel Celeron N4020
1.511 sec * +1%
Beelink U59
Intel Celeron N5095
1.168 sec * +23%
Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15ITL05 81X80074GE
Intel Core i3-1115G4
0.643 sec * +58%
Intel NUC8i7BE
Intel Core i7-8559U
0.6275 sec * +59%
Beelink GTI 11
Intel Core i5-1135G7
0.627 sec * +59%

* ... smaller is better

Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64Bit
207 Points
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64Bit
8.17 fps
Cinebench R15 Ref. Match 64Bit
97.8 %
Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64Bit
63.1 Points
Help
Performance Rating
Beelink GTI 11
Intel Core i5-1135G7, Iris Xe G7 80EUs
98.7 pt
Intel NUC11TNKi5
Intel Core i5-1135G7, Iris Xe G7 80EUs
88.6 pt
Intel NUC8i7BE -1!
Intel Core i7-8559U, Iris Plus Graphics 655
76.7 pt
Beelink U59
Intel Celeron N5095, UHD Graphics (Jasper Lake 16 EU)
27.6 pt
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC
Intel Celeron J4115, UHD Graphics 600
21.9 pt
Average Intel Celeron J4125
 
20.8 pt
GMK NucBox 3
Intel Celeron J4125, UHD Graphics 600
18.2 pt
AIDA64 / FP32 Ray-Trace
Beelink GTI 11
Intel Core i5-1135G7, Iris Xe G7 80EUs
7627 KRay/s +951%
Intel NUC11TNKi5
Intel Core i5-1135G7, Iris Xe G7 80EUs
6699 KRay/s +823%
Intel NUC8i7BE
Intel Core i7-8559U, Iris Plus Graphics 655
5312 KRay/s +632%
Beelink U59
Intel Celeron N5095, UHD Graphics (Jasper Lake 16 EU)
1245 KRay/s +71%
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC
Intel Celeron J4115, UHD Graphics 600
986 KRay/s +36%
Average Intel Celeron J4125
  (726 - 1040, n=4)
906 KRay/s +25%
GMK NucBox 3
Intel Celeron J4125, UHD Graphics 600
726 KRay/s
AIDA64 / FPU Julia
Beelink GTI 11
Intel Core i5-1135G7, Iris Xe G7 80EUs
31613 Points +654%
Intel NUC11TNKi5
Intel Core i5-1135G7, Iris Xe G7 80EUs
27861 Points +565%
Intel NUC8i7BE
Intel Core i7-8559U, Iris Plus Graphics 655
26770 Points +539%
Beelink U59
Intel Celeron N5095, UHD Graphics (Jasper Lake 16 EU)
7466 Points +78%
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC
Intel Celeron J4115, UHD Graphics 600
6212 Points +48%
Average Intel Celeron J4125
  (4191 - 6611, n=4)
5612 Points +34%
GMK NucBox 3
Intel Celeron J4125, UHD Graphics 600
4191 Points
AIDA64 / CPU SHA3
Beelink GTI 11
Intel Core i5-1135G7, Iris Xe G7 80EUs
2171 MB/s +624%
Intel NUC11TNKi5
Intel Core i5-1135G7, Iris Xe G7 80EUs
1855 MB/s +518%
Beelink U59
Intel Celeron N5095, UHD Graphics (Jasper Lake 16 EU)
515 MB/s +72%
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC
Intel Celeron J4115, UHD Graphics 600
388 MB/s +29%
Average Intel Celeron J4125
  (300 - 417, n=4)
361 MB/s +20%
GMK NucBox 3
Intel Celeron J4125, UHD Graphics 600
300 MB/s
AIDA64 / CPU Queen
Intel NUC8i7BE
Intel Core i7-8559U, Iris Plus Graphics 655
50056 Points +154%
Beelink GTI 11
Intel Core i5-1135G7, Iris Xe G7 80EUs
46657 Points +136%
Intel NUC11TNKi5
Intel Core i5-1135G7, Iris Xe G7 80EUs
46536 Points +136%
Beelink U59
Intel Celeron N5095, UHD Graphics (Jasper Lake 16 EU)
21959 Points +11%
Average Intel Celeron J4125
  (19745 - 20042, n=4)
19960 Points +1%
GMK NucBox 3
Intel Celeron J4125, UHD Graphics 600
19745 Points
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC
Intel Celeron J4115, UHD Graphics 600
18793 Points -5%
AIDA64 / FPU SinJulia
Intel NUC8i7BE
Intel Core i7-8559U, Iris Plus Graphics 655
4677 Points +322%
Intel NUC11TNKi5
Intel Core i5-1135G7, Iris Xe G7 80EUs
4444 Points +301%
Beelink GTI 11
Intel Core i5-1135G7, Iris Xe G7 80EUs
4442 Points +301%
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC
Intel Celeron J4115, UHD Graphics 600
1177 Points +6%
Average Intel Celeron J4125
  (898 - 1263, n=4)
1118 Points +1%
GMK NucBox 3
Intel Celeron J4125, UHD Graphics 600
1107 Points
Beelink U59
Intel Celeron N5095, UHD Graphics (Jasper Lake 16 EU)
1003 Points -9%
AIDA64 / FPU Mandel
Beelink GTI 11
Intel Core i5-1135G7, Iris Xe G7 80EUs
18635 Points +735%
Intel NUC11TNKi5
Intel Core i5-1135G7, Iris Xe G7 80EUs
16937 Points +659%
Intel NUC8i7BE
Intel Core i7-8559U, Iris Plus Graphics 655
13435 Points +502%
Beelink U59
Intel Celeron N5095, UHD Graphics (Jasper Lake 16 EU)
3967 Points +78%
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC
Intel Celeron J4115, UHD Graphics 600
3375 Points +51%
Average Intel Celeron J4125
  (2231 - 3614, n=4)
2972 Points +33%
GMK NucBox 3
Intel Celeron J4125, UHD Graphics 600
2231 Points
AIDA64 / CPU AES
Beelink GTI 11
Intel Core i5-1135G7, Iris Xe G7 80EUs
67937 MB/s +720%
Intel NUC11TNKi5
Intel Core i5-1135G7, Iris Xe G7 80EUs
66724 MB/s +705%
Beelink U59
Intel Celeron N5095, UHD Graphics (Jasper Lake 16 EU)
19099 MB/s +130%
Intel NUC8i7BE
Intel Core i7-8559U, Iris Plus Graphics 655
18649 MB/s +125%
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC
Intel Celeron J4115, UHD Graphics 600
9864 MB/s +19%
Average Intel Celeron J4125
  (8288 - 10604, n=4)
9722 MB/s +17%
GMK NucBox 3
Intel Celeron J4125, UHD Graphics 600
8288 MB/s
AIDA64 / CPU ZLib
Intel NUC11TNKi5
Intel Core i5-1135G7, Iris Xe G7 80EUs
373 MB/s +255%
Beelink GTI 11
Intel Core i5-1135G7, Iris Xe G7 80EUs
370 MB/s +252%
Intel NUC8i7BE
Intel Core i7-8559U, Iris Plus Graphics 655
366 MB/s +249%
Beelink U59
Intel Celeron N5095, UHD Graphics (Jasper Lake 16 EU)
190 MB/s +81%
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC
Intel Celeron J4115, UHD Graphics 600
136 MB/s +30%
Average Intel Celeron J4125
  (105 - 137, n=4)
126.3 MB/s +20%
GMK NucBox 3
Intel Celeron J4125, UHD Graphics 600
105 MB/s
AIDA64 / FP64 Ray-Trace
Beelink GTI 11
Intel Core i5-1135G7, Iris Xe G7 80EUs
3864 KRay/s +856%
Intel NUC11TNKi5
Intel Core i5-1135G7, Iris Xe G7 80EUs
3628 KRay/s +798%
Intel NUC8i7BE
Intel Core i7-8559U, Iris Plus Graphics 655
2870 KRay/s +610%
Beelink U59
Intel Celeron N5095, UHD Graphics (Jasper Lake 16 EU)
676 KRay/s +67%
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC
Intel Celeron J4115, UHD Graphics 600
544 KRay/s +35%
Average Intel Celeron J4125
  (404 - 578, n=4)
508 KRay/s +26%
GMK NucBox 3
Intel Celeron J4125, UHD Graphics 600
404 KRay/s
AIDA64 / CPU PhotoWorxx
Beelink GTI 11
Intel Core i5-1135G7, Iris Xe G7 80EUs
31708 MPixel/s +411%
Intel NUC8i7BE
Intel Core i7-8559U, Iris Plus Graphics 655
20296 MPixel/s +227%
Intel NUC11TNKi5
Intel Core i5-1135G7, Iris Xe G7 80EUs
16877 MPixel/s +172%
Beelink U59
Intel Celeron N5095, UHD Graphics (Jasper Lake 16 EU)
9294 MPixel/s +50%
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC
Intel Celeron J4115, UHD Graphics 600
7204 MPixel/s +16%
Average Intel Celeron J4125
  (6210 - 6778, n=4)
6565 MPixel/s +6%
GMK NucBox 3
Intel Celeron J4125, UHD Graphics 600
6210 MPixel/s

System Performance

Windows 11 runs very slowly on the NucBox 3. Simple actions that are normally instantaneous on other PCs like opening file explorers, small files, or even clicking the Windows Start icon all have noticeable delays to them on the NucBox 3. We find the slow navigation to be tolerable for light browsing or word processing, but you're going to want something faster for any sort of active multitasking.

PCMark 10 / Score
Beelink GTI 11
Iris Xe G7 80EUs, i5-1135G7, Kingston SA2000M8500G
4952 Points +190%
Intel NUC8i7BE
Iris Plus Graphics 655, i7-8559U
4580 Points +168%
Intel NUC11TNKi5
Iris Xe G7 80EUs, i5-1135G7, Transcend M.2 SSD 430S TS512GMTS430S
4512 Points +164%
Beelink U59
UHD Graphics (Jasper Lake 16 EU), Celeron N5095, Silicon Motion AZW 512G NV428
2410 Points +41%
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC
UHD Graphics 600, Celeron J4115, 128 GB eMMC Flash
1803 Points +6%
Average Intel Celeron J4125, Intel UHD Graphics 600
  (1461 - 1898, n=5)
1741 Points +2%
GMK NucBox 3
UHD Graphics 600, Celeron J4125, Netac S535N8/256GYN
1707 Points
PCMark 10 / Essentials
Beelink GTI 11
Iris Xe G7 80EUs, i5-1135G7, Kingston SA2000M8500G
9893 Points +108%
Intel NUC11TNKi5
Iris Xe G7 80EUs, i5-1135G7, Transcend M.2 SSD 430S TS512GMTS430S
9000 Points +89%
Intel NUC8i7BE
Iris Plus Graphics 655, i7-8559U
8994 Points +89%
Beelink U59
UHD Graphics (Jasper Lake 16 EU), Celeron N5095, Silicon Motion AZW 512G NV428
5874 Points +24%
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC
UHD Graphics 600, Celeron J4115, 128 GB eMMC Flash
4837 Points +2%
GMK NucBox 3
UHD Graphics 600, Celeron J4125, Netac S535N8/256GYN
4754 Points
Average Intel Celeron J4125, Intel UHD Graphics 600
  (3998 - 4993, n=5)
4668 Points -2%
PCMark 10 / Productivity
Intel NUC8i7BE
Iris Plus Graphics 655, i7-8559U
7236 Points +145%
Beelink GTI 11
Iris Xe G7 80EUs, i5-1135G7, Kingston SA2000M8500G
6400 Points +116%
Intel NUC11TNKi5
Iris Xe G7 80EUs, i5-1135G7, Transcend M.2 SSD 430S TS512GMTS430S
6190 Points +109%
Beelink U59
UHD Graphics (Jasper Lake 16 EU), Celeron N5095, Silicon Motion AZW 512G NV428
3623 Points +22%
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC
UHD Graphics 600, Celeron J4115, 128 GB eMMC Flash
2969 Points 0%
GMK NucBox 3
UHD Graphics 600, Celeron J4125, Netac S535N8/256GYN
2958 Points
Average Intel Celeron J4125, Intel UHD Graphics 600
  (2697 - 3050, n=5)
2916 Points -1%
PCMark 10 / Digital Content Creation
Beelink GTI 11
Iris Xe G7 80EUs, i5-1135G7, Kingston SA2000M8500G
5206 Points +442%
Intel NUC11TNKi5
Iris Xe G7 80EUs, i5-1135G7, Transcend M.2 SSD 430S TS512GMTS430S
4474 Points +366%
Intel NUC8i7BE
Iris Plus Graphics 655, i7-8559U
4007 Points +317%
Beelink U59
UHD Graphics (Jasper Lake 16 EU), Celeron N5095, Silicon Motion AZW 512G NV428
1787 Points +86%
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC
UHD Graphics 600, Celeron J4115, 128 GB eMMC Flash
1110 Points +16%
Average Intel Celeron J4125, Intel UHD Graphics 600
  (786 - 1216, n=5)
1056 Points +10%
GMK NucBox 3
UHD Graphics 600, Celeron J4125, Netac S535N8/256GYN
960 Points
PCMark 10 Score
1707 points
Help
AIDA64 / Memory Copy
Intel NUC8i7BE
Intel Core i7-8559U, Iris Plus Graphics 655
65321 MB/s +413%
Beelink GTI 11
Intel Core i5-1135G7, Iris Xe G7 80EUs
40994 MB/s +222%
Beelink U59
Intel Celeron N5095, UHD Graphics (Jasper Lake 16 EU)
23009 MB/s +81%
Intel NUC11TNKi5
Intel Core i5-1135G7, Iris Xe G7 80EUs
22895 MB/s +80%
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC
Intel Celeron J4115, UHD Graphics 600
14768 MB/s +16%
Average Intel Celeron J4125
  (12604 - 13833, n=4)
13034 MB/s +2%
GMK NucBox 3
Intel Celeron J4125, UHD Graphics 600
12738 MB/s
AIDA64 / Memory Read
Beelink GTI 11
Intel Core i5-1135G7, Iris Xe G7 80EUs
46916 MB/s +373%
Intel NUC8i7BE
Intel Core i7-8559U, Iris Plus Graphics 655
45290 MB/s +356%
Intel NUC11TNKi5
Intel Core i5-1135G7, Iris Xe G7 80EUs
24947 MB/s +151%
Beelink U59
Intel Celeron N5095, UHD Graphics (Jasper Lake 16 EU)
16406 MB/s +65%
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC
Intel Celeron J4115, UHD Graphics 600
11884 MB/s +20%
Average Intel Celeron J4125
  (9928 - 10248, n=4)
10119 MB/s +2%
GMK NucBox 3
Intel Celeron J4125, UHD Graphics 600
9928 MB/s
AIDA64 / Memory Write
Intel NUC8i7BE
Intel Core i7-8559U, Iris Plus Graphics 655
55236 MB/s +432%
Beelink GTI 11
Intel Core i5-1135G7, Iris Xe G7 80EUs
46366 MB/s +347%
Beelink U59
Intel Celeron N5095, UHD Graphics (Jasper Lake 16 EU)
30499 MB/s +194%
Intel NUC11TNKi5
Intel Core i5-1135G7, Iris Xe G7 80EUs
23454 MB/s +126%
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC
Intel Celeron J4115, UHD Graphics 600
10716 MB/s +3%
Average Intel Celeron J4125
  (10347 - 10627, n=4)
10451 MB/s +1%
GMK NucBox 3
Intel Celeron J4125, UHD Graphics 600
10380 MB/s
AIDA64 / Memory Latency
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC
Intel Celeron J4115, UHD Graphics 600
103 ns * -19%
Intel NUC11TNKi5
Intel Core i5-1135G7, Iris Xe G7 80EUs
87.1 ns * -1%
GMK NucBox 3
Intel Celeron J4125, UHD Graphics 600
86.4 ns *
Average Intel Celeron J4125
  (73.2 - 93.2, n=4)
85.6 ns * +1%
Beelink GTI 11
Intel Core i5-1135G7, Iris Xe G7 80EUs
68.3 ns * +21%
Beelink U59
Intel Celeron N5095, UHD Graphics (Jasper Lake 16 EU)
60.2 ns * +30%
Intel NUC8i7BE
Intel Core i7-8559U, Iris Plus Graphics 655
48.9 ns * +43%

* ... smaller is better

DPC Latency

LatencyMon shows DPC issues when opening multiple browser tabs on our homepage. 4K video playback at 60 FPS is generally ok but not perfect as we're able to record 13 dropped frames during our minute-long video test. CPU and GPU utilization each hover at around 50 to 60 percent when under such conditions.

DPC Latencies / LatencyMon - interrupt to process latency (max), Web, Youtube, Prime95
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3 11IGL05
UHD Graphics 600, Celeron N4020, SanDisk DA4064
2421 μs * -27%
Chuwi LarkBook CWI509
UHD Graphics 600, Celeron N4120, Kingston RBUSNS8180DS3256GJ
2390 μs * -25%
GMK NucBox 3
UHD Graphics 600, Celeron J4125, Netac S535N8/256GYN
1913 μs *
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC
UHD Graphics 600, Celeron J4115, 128 GB eMMC Flash
766 μs * +60%
Beelink U59
UHD Graphics (Jasper Lake 16 EU), Celeron N5095, Silicon Motion AZW 512G NV428
765 μs * +60%
Intel NUC11TNKi5
Iris Xe G7 80EUs, i5-1135G7, Transcend M.2 SSD 430S TS512GMTS430S
525 μs * +73%
Beelink GTI 11
Iris Xe G7 80EUs, i5-1135G7, Kingston SA2000M8500G
278.2 μs * +85%

* ... smaller is better

Storage Devices

There is just one internal storage slot and it is compatible with M.2 SATA SSDs only. The 256 GB Netac drive on our unit would return mediocre read and write rates of around 300 to 500 MB/s each. The drive appears to have trouble maintaining its maximum performance for long periods when running DiskSpeed in a loop.

Netac S535N8/256GYN
CDM 5/6 Read Seq Q32T1: 497.6 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Write Seq Q32T1: 289.5 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Read 4K Q32T1: 102.8 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Write 4K Q32T1: 111.2 MB/s
CDM 5 Read Seq: 344.1 MB/s
CDM 5 Write Seq: 284.9 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Read 4K: 16.91 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Write 4K: 62.3 MB/s
Drive Performance Rating - Percent
Beelink GTI 11
Kingston SA2000M8500G
98 pt
Intel NUC11TNKi5
Transcend M.2 SSD 430S TS512GMTS430S
30.1 pt
Beelink U59
Silicon Motion AZW 512G NV428
22.3 pt
GMK NucBox 3
Netac S535N8/256GYN
15.9 pt
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC
128 GB eMMC Flash
8.8 pt
DiskSpd
seq read
Beelink GTI 11
Kingston SA2000M8500G
1392 (1389.99min - 1391.88max) MB/s +593%
Intel NUC11TNKi5
Transcend M.2 SSD 430S TS512GMTS430S
509 (505.62min - 509.19max) MB/s +153%
Beelink U59
Silicon Motion AZW 512G NV428
402 (394.68min - 401.6max) MB/s +100%
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC
128 GB eMMC Flash
314 (313.53min - 314.36max) MB/s +56%
GMK NucBox 3
Netac S535N8/256GYN
201 (166.09min - 201.1max) MB/s
seq write
Beelink GTI 11
Kingston SA2000M8500G
1810 (1639.55min - 1810.32max) MB/s +651%
Intel NUC11TNKi5
Transcend M.2 SSD 430S TS512GMTS430S
467 (462min - 467.13max) MB/s +94%
Beelink U59
Silicon Motion AZW 512G NV428
304 (291.46min - 304.28max) MB/s +26%
GMK NucBox 3
Netac S535N8/256GYN
241 (89.76min - 241.17max) MB/s
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC
128 GB eMMC Flash
101 (91.46min - 101.08max) MB/s -58%
seq q8 t1 read
Beelink GTI 11
Kingston SA2000M8500G
1699 (1607.68min - 1699.07max) MB/s +251%
Intel NUC11TNKi5
Transcend M.2 SSD 430S TS512GMTS430S
561 (469.24min - 560.5max) MB/s +16%
GMK NucBox 3
Netac S535N8/256GYN
484 (173.85min - 484.23max) MB/s
Beelink U59
Silicon Motion AZW 512G NV428
448 (407.08min - 448.01max) MB/s -7%
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC
128 GB eMMC Flash
316 (242.57min - 316.25max) MB/s -35%
seq q8 t1 write
Beelink GTI 11
Kingston SA2000M8500G
1873 (1713.16min - 1872.55max) MB/s +697%
Intel NUC11TNKi5
Transcend M.2 SSD 430S TS512GMTS430S
504 (500.38min - 503.53max) MB/s +114%
Beelink U59
Silicon Motion AZW 512G NV428
295 (288.36min - 294.82max) MB/s +26%
GMK NucBox 3
Netac S535N8/256GYN
235 (21.18min - 234.88max) MB/s
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC
128 GB eMMC Flash
101 (80.74min - 101.09max) MB/s -57%
4k q1 t1 read
Beelink GTI 11
Kingston SA2000M8500G
66 (65.66min - 66.02max) MB/s +776%
Intel NUC11TNKi5
Transcend M.2 SSD 430S TS512GMTS430S
21.6 (20.05min - 21.62max) MB/s +187%
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC
128 GB eMMC Flash
16.1 (15.92min - 16.08max) MB/s +114%
Beelink U59
Silicon Motion AZW 512G NV428
13 (11.34min - 13.03max) MB/s +73%
GMK NucBox 3
Netac S535N8/256GYN
7.53 (4.83min - 7.53max) MB/s
4k q1 t1 write
Beelink GTI 11
Kingston SA2000M8500G
223 (200.71min - 223.16max) MB/s +286%
GMK NucBox 3
Netac S535N8/256GYN
57.7 (45.42min - 57.74max) MB/s
Intel NUC11TNKi5
Transcend M.2 SSD 430S TS512GMTS430S
46.4 (45.57min - 46.37max) MB/s -20%
Beelink U59
Silicon Motion AZW 512G NV428
41.3 (26.85min - 41.32max) MB/s -28%
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC
128 GB eMMC Flash
24 (20.68min - 23.95max) MB/s -58%
4k q32 t16 read
Beelink GTI 11
Kingston SA2000M8500G
813 (810.85min - 813.32max) MB/s +823%
Intel NUC11TNKi5
Transcend M.2 SSD 430S TS512GMTS430S
285 (283.99min - 284.61max) MB/s +223%
Beelink U59
Silicon Motion AZW 512G NV428
136 (135.53min - 136max) MB/s +54%
GMK NucBox 3
Netac S535N8/256GYN
88.1 (46.77min - 88.09max) MB/s
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC
128 GB eMMC Flash
17.2 (17.09min - 17.15max) MB/s -80%
4k q32 t16 write
Beelink GTI 11
Kingston SA2000M8500G
1089 (1047.09min - 1088.53max) MB/s +564%
Intel NUC11TNKi5
Transcend M.2 SSD 430S TS512GMTS430S
330 (329.53min - 329.95max) MB/s +101%
GMK NucBox 3
Netac S535N8/256GYN
164 (0.14min - 163.91max) MB/s
Beelink U59
Silicon Motion AZW 512G NV428
113 (106.48min - 113.38max) MB/s -31%
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC
128 GB eMMC Flash
24 (20.16min - 24.01max) MB/s -85%
AS SSD
Score Total
Beelink GTI 11
Kingston SA2000M8500G
3013 Points +515%
Intel NUC11TNKi5
Transcend M.2 SSD 430S TS512GMTS430S
839 Points +71%
Beelink U59
Silicon Motion AZW 512G NV428
615 Points +26%
GMK NucBox 3
Netac S535N8/256GYN
490 Points
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC
128 GB eMMC Flash
142 Points -71%
Score Read
Beelink GTI 11
Kingston SA2000M8500G
1001 Points +563%
Intel NUC11TNKi5
Transcend M.2 SSD 430S TS512GMTS430S
304 Points +101%
Beelink U59
Silicon Motion AZW 512G NV428
198 Points +31%
GMK NucBox 3
Netac S535N8/256GYN
151 Points
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC
128 GB eMMC Flash
61 Points -60%
Score Write
Beelink GTI 11
Kingston SA2000M8500G
1486 Points +480%
Intel NUC11TNKi5
Transcend M.2 SSD 430S TS512GMTS430S
375 Points +46%
Beelink U59
Silicon Motion AZW 512G NV428
321 Points +25%
GMK NucBox 3
Netac S535N8/256GYN
256 Points
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC
128 GB eMMC Flash
52 Points -80%
Seq Read
Beelink GTI 11
Kingston SA2000M8500G
2006 MB/s +413%
Intel NUC11TNKi5
Transcend M.2 SSD 430S TS512GMTS430S
527 MB/s +35%
Beelink U59
Silicon Motion AZW 512G NV428
512 MB/s +31%
GMK NucBox 3
Netac S535N8/256GYN
391 MB/s
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC
128 GB eMMC Flash
286 MB/s -27%
Seq Write
Beelink GTI 11
Kingston SA2000M8500G
1904 MB/s +350%
Intel NUC11TNKi5
Transcend M.2 SSD 430S TS512GMTS430S
469 MB/s +11%
GMK NucBox 3
Netac S535N8/256GYN
423.2 MB/s
Beelink U59
Silicon Motion AZW 512G NV428
364.5 MB/s -14%
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC
128 GB eMMC Flash
106.9 MB/s -75%
4K Read
Beelink GTI 11
Kingston SA2000M8500G
60.9 MB/s +417%
Intel NUC11TNKi5
Transcend M.2 SSD 430S TS512GMTS430S
20.41 MB/s +73%
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC
128 GB eMMC Flash
15.22 MB/s +29%
GMK NucBox 3
Netac S535N8/256GYN
11.78 MB/s
Beelink U59
Silicon Motion AZW 512G NV428
10.74 MB/s -9%
4K Write
Beelink GTI 11
Kingston SA2000M8500G
203.7 MB/s +310%
GMK NucBox 3
Netac S535N8/256GYN
49.71 MB/s
Intel NUC11TNKi5
Transcend M.2 SSD 430S TS512GMTS430S
42.52 MB/s -14%
Beelink U59
Silicon Motion AZW 512G NV428
30.16 MB/s -39%
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC
128 GB eMMC Flash
21.59 MB/s -57%
4K-64 Read
Beelink GTI 11
Kingston SA2000M8500G
740 MB/s +637%
Intel NUC11TNKi5
Transcend M.2 SSD 430S TS512GMTS430S
231.4 MB/s +130%
Beelink U59
Silicon Motion AZW 512G NV428
135.7 MB/s +35%
GMK NucBox 3
Netac S535N8/256GYN
100.4 MB/s
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC
128 GB eMMC Flash
16.8 MB/s -83%
4K-64 Write
Beelink GTI 11
Kingston SA2000M8500G
1092 MB/s +567%
Intel NUC11TNKi5
Transcend M.2 SSD 430S TS512GMTS430S
285.3 MB/s +74%
Beelink U59
Silicon Motion AZW 512G NV428
254.3 MB/s +55%
GMK NucBox 3
Netac S535N8/256GYN
163.7 MB/s
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC
128 GB eMMC Flash
20.03 MB/s -88%
Access Time Read
GMK NucBox 3
Netac S535N8/256GYN
0.256 ms *
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC
128 GB eMMC Flash
0.254 ms * +1%
Beelink U59
Silicon Motion AZW 512G NV428
0.173 ms * +32%
Intel NUC11TNKi5
Transcend M.2 SSD 430S TS512GMTS430S
0.124 ms * +52%
Beelink GTI 11
Kingston SA2000M8500G
0.047 ms * +82%
Access Time Write
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC
128 GB eMMC Flash
0.406 ms * -9%
GMK NucBox 3
Netac S535N8/256GYN
0.374 ms *
Intel NUC11TNKi5
Transcend M.2 SSD 430S TS512GMTS430S
0.269 ms * +28%
Beelink U59
Silicon Motion AZW 512G NV428
0.174 ms * +53%
Beelink GTI 11
Kingston SA2000M8500G
0.083 ms * +78%

* ... smaller is better

Disk Throttling: DiskSpd Read Loop, Queue Depth 8

0102030405060708090100110120130140150160170Tooltip
GMK NucBox 3: Ø169.8 (126.04-172.6)

GPU Performance

Graphics performance is poor and unfit for any sort of gaming as the UHD Graphics 600 is much slower than the common UHD Graphics 620. The NucBox 3 is instead better for streaming purposes.

Cloud Gate
Cloud Gate
3DMark 11
3DMark 11
Fire Strike
Fire Strike
Time Spy
Time Spy
3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance GPU
Beelink GTI 11
Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 80EUs, Intel Core i5-1135G7
5566 Points +996%
Intel NUC8i7BE
Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655, Intel Core i7-8559U
3081 Points +506%
Zotac ZBox MI643
Intel UHD Graphics 620, Intel Core i5-10210U
1858 Points +266%
Beelink U59
Intel UHD Graphics (Jasper Lake 16 EU), Intel Celeron N5095
894 Points +76%
Chuwi LapBook Plus
Intel HD Graphics 505, Intel Atom x7-E3950
765 Points +51%
Chuwi LarkBook CWI509
Intel UHD Graphics 600, Intel Celeron N4120
606 Points +19%
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC
Intel UHD Graphics 600, Intel Celeron J4115
605 Points +19%
Zotac ZBOX EDGE CI341
Intel UHD Graphics 600, Intel Celeron N4100
593 Points +17%
Average Intel UHD Graphics 600
  (410 - 854, n=27)
558 Points +10%
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3 11IGL05
Intel UHD Graphics 600, Intel Celeron N4020
532 Points +5%
GMK NucBox 3
Intel UHD Graphics 600, Intel Celeron J4125
508 Points
3DMark
1280x720 Cloud Gate Standard Graphics
Beelink GTI 11
Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 80EUs, Intel Core i5-1135G7
25008 Points +919%
Intel NUC8i7BE
Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655, Intel Core i7-8559U
16698 Points +581%
Zotac ZBox MI643
Intel UHD Graphics 620, Intel Core i5-10210U
10077 Points +311%
Beelink U59
Intel UHD Graphics (Jasper Lake 16 EU), Intel Celeron N5095
5212 Points +112%
Chuwi LapBook Plus
Intel HD Graphics 505, Intel Atom x7-E3950
3997 Points +63%
Chuwi LarkBook CWI509
Intel UHD Graphics 600, Intel Celeron N4120
3932 Points +60%
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC
Intel UHD Graphics 600, Intel Celeron J4115
3882 Points +58%
Average Intel UHD Graphics 600
  (2346 - 4958, n=20)
3365 Points +37%
GMK NucBox 3
Intel UHD Graphics 600, Intel Celeron J4125
2453 Points
1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics
Beelink GTI 11
Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 80EUs, Intel Core i5-1135G7
4010 Points +961%
Intel NUC8i7BE
Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655, Intel Core i7-8559U
2260 Points +498%
Zotac ZBox MI643
Intel UHD Graphics 620, Intel Core i5-10210U
1283 Points +239%
Beelink U59
Intel UHD Graphics (Jasper Lake 16 EU), Intel Celeron N5095
679 Points +80%
Chuwi LarkBook CWI509
Intel UHD Graphics 600, Intel Celeron N4120
472 Points +25%
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC
Intel UHD Graphics 600, Intel Celeron J4115
453 Points +20%
Average Intel UHD Graphics 600
  (307 - 637, n=21)
421 Points +11%
GMK NucBox 3
Intel UHD Graphics 600, Intel Celeron J4125
378 Points
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3 11IGL05
Intel UHD Graphics 600, Intel Celeron N4020
372 Points -2%
2560x1440 Time Spy Graphics
Beelink GTI 11
Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 80EUs, Intel Core i5-1135G7
1281 Points +1156%
Intel NUC8i7BE
Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655, Intel Core i7-8559U
633 Points +521%
Zotac ZBox MI643
Intel UHD Graphics 620, Intel Core i5-10210U
403 Points +295%
Beelink U59
Intel UHD Graphics (Jasper Lake 16 EU), Intel Celeron N5095
182 Points +78%
Chuwi LapBook Plus
Intel HD Graphics 505, Intel Atom x7-E3950
142 Points +39%
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC
Intel UHD Graphics 600, Intel Celeron J4115
122 Points +20%
Chuwi LarkBook CWI509
Intel UHD Graphics 600, Intel Celeron N4120
120 Points +18%
Average Intel UHD Graphics 600
  (85 - 124, n=12)
107.5 Points +5%
GMK NucBox 3
Intel UHD Graphics 600, Intel Celeron J4125
102 Points
3DMark 11 Performance
578 points
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score
2405 points
3DMark Fire Strike Score
351 points
3DMark Time Spy Score
117 points
Help
low med. high ultra
Dota 2 Reborn (2015) 34.3 14.2 6.8 6.3
Final Fantasy XV Benchmark (2018) 4.13
X-Plane 11.11 (2018) 7.67 4.75 4.5

Emissions

Temperature

AC adapter after an hour of 100 percent CPU utilization
AC adapter after an hour of 100 percent CPU utilization

Surface temperatures are generally warmer than on most other mini PCs since the NucBox 3 has no internal fan. When running high loads for extended periods, the top surface can be as warm as 50 C compared to only 30 C on the Beelink GTR5. You'll want to be mindful of any items or books placed on top of the GMK mini PC.

System idle (front)
System idle (front)
System idle (back)
System idle (back)
Prime95 stress (front)
Prime95 stress (front)
Prime95 stress (back)
Prime95 stress (back)

Stress Test

The CPU stabilizes at 37 C when idling on desktop with no running applications. When running Prime95, CPU clock rates would boost to 1.7 GHz for a few minutes until eventually stabilizing at 1.4 GHz and 85 C. This core temperature under load is warmer than on most other mini PCs since our NucBox 3 is fanless. The higher-than-average CPU temperature would also explain the higher-than-average surface temperature noted above.

CPU package power would boost to 13 W during the start of the test before quickly stabilizing at the 8 to 9 W range.

System idle
System idle
Prime95 stress
Prime95 stress
Prime95 stress (after one hour)
Prime95 stress (after one hour)
CPU Clock (GHz) GPU Clock (MHz) Average CPU Temperature (°C)
System Idle -- -- 37
Prime95 Stress 1.4 -- 85

Energy Management

Power Consumption

As expected, the NucBox 3 is very power efficient and less demanding than many of its alternatives including the Beelink U59 or Chuwi LarkBox. Idling on desktop draws just 3 to 4 W while higher loads tend to average around 11 W. Consumption can spike up to 25 W when under extreme loads albeit for only a few seconds at most due to the limited Turbo Boost potential of the processor.

Prime95 stress would cause power consumption to spike to 19.3 W temporarily before falling and stabilizing at 10.5 W
Prime95 stress would cause power consumption to spike to 19.3 W temporarily before falling and stabilizing at 10.5 W
A maximum consumption of 25.4 W can be recorded when running Prime95 and FurMark simultaneously
A maximum consumption of 25.4 W can be recorded when running Prime95 and FurMark simultaneously
Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0.45 / 0.65 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 3 / 3.1 / 3.6 Watt
Load midlight 11.1 / 25.4 Watt
 color bar
Key: min: dark, med: mid, max: light        Metrahit Energy
Currently we use the Metrahit Energy, a professional single phase power quality and energy measurement digital multimeter, for our measurements. Find out more about it here. All of our test methods can be found here.
GMK NucBox 3
Celeron J4125, UHD Graphics 600, Netac S535N8/256GYN, , x,
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC
Celeron J4115, UHD Graphics 600, 128 GB eMMC Flash, , x,
Intel NUC11TNKi5
i5-1135G7, Iris Xe G7 80EUs, Transcend M.2 SSD 430S TS512GMTS430S, , x,
Intel NUC8i7BE
i7-8559U, Iris Plus Graphics 655, , , x,
Beelink GTI 11
i5-1135G7, Iris Xe G7 80EUs, Kingston SA2000M8500G, , x,
Beelink U59
Celeron N5095, UHD Graphics (Jasper Lake 16 EU), Silicon Motion AZW 512G NV428, , x,
Power Consumption
11%
-259%
-142%
-363%
-78%
Idle Minimum *
3
2.2
27%
11.5
-283%
2.7
10%
15.2
-407%
6.7
-123%
Idle Average *
3.1
2.6
16%
12.4
-300%
3.1
-0%
16
-416%
6.7
-116%
Idle Maximum *
3.6
3
17%
12.9
-258%
6.3
-75%
16
-344%
7.4
-106%
Load Average *
11.1
13.1
-18%
40.7
-267%
59.7
-438%
48.6
-338%
16
-44%
Load Maximum *
25.4
21.9
14%
73.5
-189%
78
-207%
104.3
-311%
25.6
-1%
Witcher 3 ultra *
43.9
47.2
53.8
13.1

* ... smaller is better

Power Consumption Witcher 3 / Stresstest

0510152025Tooltip
GMK NucBox 3: Ø10.9 (10.4-25.4)

Power Consumption external Monitor

012345678910111213141516171819Tooltip
GMK NucBox 3; Prime95 V2810 Stress (external Monitor): Ø10.5 (9.95-19.3)
GMK NucBox 3; Cinebench R15 Multi (external Monitor): Ø9.24 (8.88-15.3)
GMK NucBox 3; 1280x720 FurMark 1.19 GPU Stress Test (external Monitor): Ø10.8 (10.3-17.5)

Pros

+ RAM and SSD included (no barebones)
+ accessible RAM and M.2 2280 bays
+ very power efficient
+ slim design
+ fanless

Cons

- imperfect 4K video playback at 60 FPS
- top surface can become very warm
- no USB-C ports or microphone
- no VESA mounting brackets
- slow system performance

Verdict

In review: GMK NucBox 3. test unit provided by GMK
In review: GMK NucBox 3. test unit provided by GMK

On paper, a slim, inexpensive, and fanless HTPC with 4K video playback capabilities should be ideal for just about any home theater setup. The silent NucBox 3 has certainly nailed the low price and inconspicuous profile, but performance is barely sufficient if not lacking even for the most basic of HTPC tasks. The latency, frame skips, and extended loading times are tough sacrifices for a fanless PC. For "set it and forget it" scenarios, however, the slow performance will be less of an issue.

Its very low price is the most attractive aspect of the NucBox 3. Potential owners should be aware of the overall slow system performance that entails.

Fanless mini PCs with faster CPUs and performance are available such as the Zotac ZBox CI622 Nano with a 10th gen Intel Core i3 CPU. It'll cost a bit more, but it may be worth considering if you plan on using your HTPC frequently.

Price and Availability

The NucBox 3 is now widely available through Amazon or directly from GMK for $310 USD or less.

Pricecompare

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Reviews > GMK NucBox 3 review: Fanless Windows 11 HTPC
Allen Ngo, 2022-02-12 (Update: 2022-02-26)