Acemagic Tank 03 gaming PC review: Small mini PC with Intel Core i9-12900H and Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 GPU also masters current games
With the Acemagic Tank03, the manufacturer for the first time markets a powerful gaming PC that gives justice to its name. Combining an Intel Core i9-12900H with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop results in a very solid base to succeed as a gaming PC. In addition, in our equipment configuration the Tank03 also offers 32 GB of DDR5 RAM and a 1,024-GB SSD. The manufacturer fits all this into a stylish case that is significantly more compact than a regular desktop PC. On the other hand, this equipment also doesn't come cheap, and you have to pay around 2,000 Euros (~$2,155) for the top model that we evaluate in our test here. Alternatively, the Acemagic Tank03 can also be equipped with the Intel Core i7-12700H and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 Laptop or Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop. The most affordable model (Intel Core i7-12700H, Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060, 16 GB RAM, 1 TB SSD) is currently available for $1,399 from the inhouse shop of Acemagic.
As a special feature, the Acemagic Tank03 allows you to adjust the performance of the processor to three different levels. A dial in front allows you to select the Silent, Auto, or Performance mode. This significantly changes the processor performance as well as the fan noise, and we will keep distinguishing between the various performance modes in our test. In our comparison, the Acemagic Tank03 has to prove itself against the competitors from Minisforum, Intel, and also Zotac. You can find an overview of the comparison devices in the table below.
Possible Competitors in Comparison
Rating | Date | Model | Weight | Height | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 90.6 % v7 (old) | 11 / 2023 | Minisforum Neptune Series HX77G R7 7735HS, Radeon RX 6600M | 1.6 kg | 69.3 mm | |
| 88.4 % v7 (old) | 03 / 2023 | Intel NUC 12, NUC12SNKi72_Serpent Canyon i7-12700H, A770M | 2 kg | 60 mm | |
| 87.1 % v7 (old) | 09 / 2023 | Minisforum Neptune Series HN2673 i7-12650H, A730M | 1.7 kg | 66 mm | |
v7 (old) | 09 / 2022 | Minisforum NUCX i7 i7-11800H, GeForce RTX 3070 Laptop GPU | 2.4 kg | 393 mm | |
v (old) | 05 / 2022 | Zotac ZBOX Magnus EN173070C i7-11800H, GeForce RTX 3070 Laptop GPU | 1.8 kg | 62.2 mm | |
v (old) | 04 / 2022 | Intel Dragon Canyon NUC - RTX 3060 i9-12900, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 | 189 mm | ||
v (old) | 12 / 2021 | Intel Beast Canyon NUC i9-11900KB, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 | 189 mm | ||
v (old) | 06 / 2021 | Zotac Magnus One (ECM73070C) i7-10700, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 |
Acemagic Tank03 in Detail
Case - A small cube with a lot of plastic
The exterior of the Acemagic Tank03 differentiates itself significantly from many other mini PCs. This is also necessary because of the components being used needing a considerably larger cooling system. However, the manufacturer has still managed to squeeze the huge performance into a very compact case. We'll take a look at the limitations coming from this during the course of our test. The footprint turns out fairly small at 16 × 17.5 cm (6.3 x 6.9 in), and the height of the gaming cube also only measures barely 16 cm (6.3 in). The device itself brings slightly more than 2.1 kg (~4.6 lb) to the scale, but you also have to consider the huge 300-Watt power supply weighing another 1.1 kg (~2.4 lb). In terms of the materials, we see a mix of plastic and metal, with plastic clearly predominating. The Acemagic Tank03 includes two maintenance flaps on the sides that can be removed without needing any tools. Both of them have a metal surface that leave a high-quality haptic impression. This also goes for the overall impression offered by the device: all the surfaces show clean workmanship, and the material fits are excellent.
As a visual highlight, there is some RGB illumination in front around the performance selection dial. In later versions, this is supposed to also include a small display to show system information such as the temperatures.
Equipment
For its size, the Acemagic Tank03 offers a lot of external connections. Mini PCs often have to struggle with a lack of space due to their compact build. But with a total of seven USB ports, the gaming PC in mini format is excellently equipped. In addition, the manufacturer includes a Thunderbolt port, which is placed in front. Together with the two HDMI ports and the DisplayPort connection, you can run up to four external monitors simultaneously. There is even an SD card reader.
SD Card Reader
Acemagic includes an SD card reader in the Tank03. However, it is not suited for transferring larger amounts of data, and those who depend on this should use a USB adapter instead.
| SD Card Reader | |
| average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs) | |
| Intel Beast Canyon NUC (AV Pro SD microSD 128 GB V60) | |
| Intel Dragon Canyon NUC | |
| Geekom Mini IT12 (AV Pro SD microSD 128 GB V60) | |
| Average of class Mini PC (15.1 - 214, n=26, last 2 years) | |
| Zotac ZBOX Magnus EN173070C (AV Pro SD microSD 128 GB V60) | |
| Acemagic Tank03 (AV Pro SD microSD 128 GB V60) | |
| Geekom MiniAir 11 Special Edition (AV Pro SD microSD 128 GB V60) | |
| maximum AS SSD Seq Read Test (1GB) | |
| Intel Beast Canyon NUC (AV Pro SD microSD 128 GB V60) | |
| Intel Dragon Canyon NUC | |
| Geekom Mini IT12 (AV Pro SD microSD 128 GB V60) | |
| Average of class Mini PC (18.2 - 221, n=26, last 2 years) | |
| Zotac ZBOX Magnus EN173070C (AV Pro SD microSD 128 GB V60) | |
| Geekom MiniAir 11 Special Edition (AV Pro SD microSD 128 GB V60) | |
| Acemagic Tank03 (AV Pro SD microSD 128 GB V60) | |
Communication
The Acemagic Tank03 includes a WLAN module from Realtek (RTL8852BE). The model used is only able to use the 5-GHz frequency band at best and reaches acceptable results in our test. However, we kept encountering some sporadic losses in the connection that could only be remedied by a reboot. This problem happened repeatedly during the course of our test. For this reason, we decided to replace the WLAN module. By switching to the new Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX210 (costing about 20 Euros, ~$22), the problems were remedied. Since that model can also handle the faster 6-GHz frequencies, we also added the performance data here. But using the faster WLAN module won't have an effect on the overall evaluation, where we consider the performance of the included model. We ran all the WLAN tests using our Asus ROG Rapture GT-AXE11000 test router. For wireless network connections, the Acemagic Tank03 offers two ports, both of which allow speeds up to 2.5 Gbit/s.
Maintenance
The Acemagic Tank03 has two maintenance flaps, one on each side. They can be removed without using tools and offer direct access to the working memory and the storage solution. In our test unit, we find another available M.2 slot. If necessary, the WLAN module can be replaced. We also tried to take the device apart completely but were unsuccessful. Below the rubber feet are a total of eight screws, which we all removed. However, we were still unable to remove any other case elements. In order to avoid the risk of damage, we didn't try to take the device apart further. We are unable to understand, why the manufacturer doesn't give any direct access to the insides, since the device might need some cleaning, or the fans might need to be replaced after longer usage.
Performance - Intel Core i9-12900H with 14 cores and 20 threads
Our test configuration of the Acemagic Tank03 is based on the Intel Core i7-12900H, which is combined with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop graphics chip. This represents the top configuration of the Tank03 from Acemagic. Alternatively, the gaming PC is also available with an Intel Core i7-12700H and optionally also with a slightly lower 3D performance. In this regard, you can select between an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 Laptop or Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop. With this hardware, the Acemagic Tank03 is well-equipped to do justice to the gaming PC genre.
Test Conditions
For all the performance tests with this device, we use the "High Performance" Windows power profile. The only exceptions are the power consumption and noise measurements with changes according to our test criteria. In addition, the Acemagic Tank03 can run using three different performance modes: using the dial in front, you can select the Silent mode (35 watts), Auto (45 watts), or Performance (65 watts), and you can even switch between them while running. We ran all the CPU benchmarks below in all three modes in order to find out the performance differences.
Processor
The Intel Core i9-12900H is a mobile high-end SoC that is based on Intel's Alder Lake architecture. With a maximum power limit set to 65 watts, the processor's abilities to develop its full potential are limited here. In Performance mode, the SoC is only provided 45 watts constantly. Due to the conservative power limit, our test unit is unable to keep up with the Intel NUC12 Serpent Canyon. The competitor with the Intel Core i7-12700H places ahead of our test unit with an advantage of 8 percentage points. However, this is not a performance difference that will be clearly noticeable. In order to clarify the differences between the three modes, we also ran all the CPU benchmarks in Auto and Silent modes, where the maximum power limit of the processor is lowered to allow for a quieter operation. In terms of the performance difference, you will lose about 16 percent of the performance in Silent mode, while it is only two percent in Audo mode. However, depending on the individual benchmarks, the differences can also turn out significantly larger, but at times, you can also choose the power saving mode without much loss in performance.
You can find additional processor benchmarks 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
Acemagic Tank03 during the Cinebench R15 Multi loop
During the Cinebench R15 constant loop, the Intel Core i7-12900H of the Acemagic Tank03 is only able to use Turbo briefly. After the first run, we see a clear loss of performance in all three modes. During the rest of the test, the performance of the SoC then remains relatively stable. The evaluation of the telemetry data clearly shows the performance limits resulting from the various performance modes.
