GMK NucBox 2 Mini PC Review: Reasonably Priced with Good Upgradeability

Intel NUC alternative. The GMK uses the same 8th gen Intel CPU as the 2018 MacBook Pro 13 for less than $500 USD retail. Build quality and performance impressions are solid even if a few features are missing.

Allen Ngo 👁, Published 03/30/2021 🇷🇺 🇳🇱 ...

GMK NucBox 2 (left) vs. NucBox K1 (right)

Unlike the super-small GMK NucBox K1 last year, the NucBox 2 is a more traditional mini PC in the same vein as the Intel NUC. The current configuration comes with an Intel Coffee Lake-U Core i5 CPU, Iris Plus Graphics 655 GPU, 8 GB of single-channel RAM, and 256 GB NVMe SSD for around $500 USD (or $440 when on sale).

Competitors in this space are becoming increasingly common with alternatives like the expansive Zotac ZBox series, Beelink SEi10, Chuwi GBox, Lenovo ThinkCentre, or the popular Intel NUC series.

Users can learn more about the NucBox 2 via its official product page here.

GMK NucBox 2

Processor

Intel Core i5-8259U 4 x 2.3 - 3.8 GHz, 28 W PL2 / Short Burst, 28 W PL1 / Sustained, Coffee Lake-U

Graphics adapter

Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655, Core: 1050 MHz, Memory: 1200 MHz, DDR4, 27.20.100.9316

Memory

8 GB

, DDR4-2666, 19-19-19-43, Single-Channel

Mainboard

Intel Cannon Lake-U PCH-LP Premium

Storage

Netac S930E8/256GPN

Soundcard

Intel Cannon Lake-LP - cAVS

Connections

4 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 1 USB 3.1 Gen2, 2 HDMI, 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): 50 x 125 x 110 ( = 1.97 x 4.92 x 4.33 in)

Operating System

Microsoft Windows 10 Home 64 Bit

Additional features

12 Months Warranty

Weight

430 g ( = 15.17 oz / 0.95 pounds), Power Supply: 291 g ( = 10.26 oz / 0.64 pounds)

Price

500 USD

Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

see all specifications

[+] Add to comparison

» Compare devices

potential competitors in comparison

Date	Model	Weight	Height	Resolution
03/2021	GMK NucBox 2 i5-8259U, Iris Plus Graphics 655	430 g	50 mm	x
02/2021	Intel NUC11PAQi7 i7-1165G7, Iris Xe G7 96EUs	647 g	56 mm	x
11/2018	Intel NUC8i7BE i7-8559U, Iris Plus Graphics 655	683 g	51 mm	x
09/2020	GMK NucBox K1 Celeron J4125, UHD Graphics 600	130 g	42 mm	x
12/2020	Beelink SEi10 i3-1005G1, UHD Graphics G1 (Ice Lake 32 EU)	350 g	41 mm	x
07/2020	Zotac ZBox MI643 i5-10210U, UHD Graphics 620	550 g	28.5 mm	x

Case

Overall dimensions are most similar to the older Intel NUC 8 but almost 40 percent lighter. Build quality is excellent all around with no warping on any of its six faces. Expect the glossy plastic surface on top to become dirtier more quickly than the rest of the matte metal chassis.

The unit is much lighter than an Intel NUC since the chassis is thinner and with less metal parts

The proprietary AC adapter is required; users cannot power with USB-C

The glossy top contrasts the matte sides. However, the shiny surface attracts fingerprints and scratches quite easily

85 mm VESA mounting holes on the bottom of the unit

Connectivity

Port options are good, but they could have been better. In particular, there is only one USB-C port and it doesn't support DisplayPort, Thunderbolt, or Power Delivery in contrast to the USB-C port on the competing Beelink SEi10. There is also no IR receiver.

Front: Power button, 3.5 mm earphones, USB-C 3.2 Gen. 2, 2x USB-A 3.0

Rear: AC adapter port, 2x HDMI 2.0, 2x USB-A 3.0, Gigabit RJ-45

SD Card Reader

SD Card Reader
average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs)
Intel NUC11PAQi7 (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)	189.6 MB/s ∼100% +575%
Intel NUC8i7BE (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 UHS-II)	69 MB/s ∼36% +146%
GMK NucBox K1 (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 UHS-)	47.1 MB/s ∼25% +68%
Zotac ZBox MI643 (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 UHS-II)	34.2 MB/s ∼18% +22%
GMK NucBox 2 (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 UHS-II)	28.1 MB/s ∼15%
Beelink SEi10 (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 UHS-II)	22.93 MB/s ∼12% -18%
maximum AS SSD Seq Read Test (1GB)
Intel NUC11PAQi7 (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)	200.9 MB/s ∼100% +864%
Intel NUC8i7BE (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 UHS-II)	85 MB/s ∼42% +308%
GMK NucBox K1 (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 UHS-)	84.3 MB/s ∼42% +305%
Zotac ZBox MI643 (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 UHS-II)	38 MB/s ∼19% +82%
Beelink SEi10 (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 UHS-II)	29.29 MB/s ∼15% +41%
GMK NucBox 2 (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 UHS-II)	20.84 MB/s ∼10%

Communication

An Intel 7265 comes soldered for Wi-Fi 5 connectivity. Wi-Fi 6 is not available likely to save on costs. Though receive rates are excellent, real-world transmit rates are slower than expected at almost half when connected to our Netgear RAX200 test router.

Networking
iperf3 transmit AX12
Beelink SEi10 Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201	742 (470^min - 902^max) MBit/s ∼100% +93%
Intel NUC8i7BE Intel Wireless-AC 9560	553 MBit/s ∼75% +44%
Intel NUC11PAQi7 Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201	546 (369^min - 618^max) MBit/s ∼74% +42%
GMK NucBox 2 Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7265	385 (299^min - 426^max) MBit/s ∼52%
Zotac ZBox MI643 Wireless AC-9461	345 (257^min - 397^max) MBit/s ∼46% -10%
GMK NucBox K1 Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7265	172 (126^min - 188^max) MBit/s ∼23% -55%
iperf3 receive AX12
Beelink SEi10 Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201	1212 (1060^min - 1309^max) MBit/s ∼100% +94%
Intel NUC11PAQi7 Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201	862 (809^min - 916^max) MBit/s ∼71% +38%
GMK NucBox 2 Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7265	625 (346^min - 678^max) MBit/s ∼52%
Intel NUC8i7BE Intel Wireless-AC 9560	602 MBit/s ∼50% -4%
GMK NucBox K1 Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7265	441 (403^min - 464^max) MBit/s ∼36% -29%
Zotac ZBox MI643 Wireless AC-9461	360 (180^min - 365^max) MBit/s ∼30% -42%

GMK NucBox 2; iperf3 receive AX12; iperf 3.1.3: Ø625 (346-678)

GMK NucBox 2; iperf3 transmit AX12; iperf 3.1.3: Ø385 (299-426)

Maintenance

Four Philips screws are hidden underneath the rubber feet for relatively easy servicing. Once inside, users will see 1x M.2 2280, 1x 2.5-inch SATA III bay, and 2x DDR4 SODIMM slots. The cable for the 2.5-inch SATA III drive comes disconnected by default.

No inner metal skeleton reinforcement unlike on the Intel NUC

2.5-inch drive sits on the top plate of the chassis

Accessories and Warranty

There are no extras in the box outside of the AC adapter and paperwork meaning users will have to supply their own VESA screws if they wish to mount the PC. Users may have to pay for overseas shipping and handling if claiming warranty.

Performance

Cheap mini PCs like the Chuwi GBox tend to come with Celeron CPUs which are much slower than most Core series options. Meanwhile, pricier mini PCs like the Intel NUC come with the latest top-of-the-line Core i5/i7 CPUs. The NucBox 2 takes a middle-ground approach by utilizing older 8th gen Coffee Lake-U CPUs instead of the newer 11th gen Tiger Lake-U processors.

Our unit ships with a removable 8 GB DDR4 2666 MHz RAM module. Users can upgrade up to 32 GB across both SODIMM slots.

Processor

Raw CPU performance is most similar to the Core i5-8250U while being well above the Celeron J4125 and Core i3-1005G1 as found on the NucBox K1 and Beelink SEi10, respectively. Our Core i5-8259U is a middle-of-the-line processor that's about 15 to 25 percent slower than the Core i7-8559U directly above it. Performance stability is also good with no steep drops in clock rates after multiple loops of CineBench R15 xT.

GMK NucBox 2 Intel Core i5-8259U; CPU Multi 64Bit: Ø612 (608.07-614.94)

Apple MacBook Pro 13 2018 Touchbar i5 Intel Core i5-8259U; CPU Multi 64Bit; macOS Software Update: Ø688 (666.16-693.55)

Apple MacBook Pro 13 2018 Touchbar i5 Intel Core i5-8259U; CPU Multi 64Bit; macOS: Ø579 (560-607)

Intel NUC8i7BE Intel Core i7-8559U; CPU Multi 64Bit: Ø681 (671.37-798.44)

Lenovo Yoga C930-13IKB Intel Core i5-8250U; CPU Multi 64Bit: Ø484 (468.03-611.66)

Cinebench R15: CPU Multi 64Bit | CPU Single 64Bit
Cinebench R20: CPU (Multi Core) | CPU (Single Core)
Blender: v2.79 BMW27 CPU
7-Zip 18.03: 7z b 4 -mmt1 | 7z b 4
Geekbench 5.4: Single-Core | Multi-Core
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2: 4k Preset
LibreOffice : 20 Documents To PDF
R Benchmark 2.5: Overall mean

Cinebench R15 / CPU Multi 64Bit
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 14ARE05 82A20008GE AMD Ryzen 7 4700U	1240 Points ∼100% +102%
Intel NUC11PAQi7 Intel Core i7-1165G7	986 (962.77^min - 985.76^max) Points ∼80% +60%
HP Envy x360 15-ee0257ng AMD Ryzen 5 4500U	872 Points ∼70% +42%
Intel NUC8i7BE Intel Core i7-8559U	798 (671.37^min - 798.44^max) Points ∼64% +30%
GPD Win 3 Intel Core i5-1135G7	722 (710.19^min - 722.13^max) Points ∼58% +17%
Average Intel Core i5-8259U (575 - 687, n=7)	622 Points ∼50% +1%
GMK NucBox 2 Intel Core i5-8259U	615 (608.07^min - 614.94^max) Points ∼50%
Lenovo Yoga C930-13IKB Intel Core i5-8250U	613 Points ∼49% 0%
Zotac ZBox MI643 Intel Core i5-10210U	524 (518.69^min - 524.21^max) Points ∼42% -15%
Beelink SEi10 Intel Core i3-1005G1	406.8 (402.55^min - 406.84^max) Points ∼33% -34%
GMK NucBox K1 Intel Celeron J4125	243 (199.13^min - 242.53^max) Points ∼20% -60%
Chuwi LarkBook CWI509 Intel Celeron N4120	224 (216.74^min - 224.4^max) Points ∼18% -64%
Apple MacBook 12 (Early 2016) 1.1 GHz Intel Core m3-6Y30	218 Points ∼18% -65%

Cinebench R15 / CPU Single 64Bit
Intel NUC11PAQi7 Intel Core i7-1165G7	230 Points ∼100% +52%
GPD Win 3 Intel Core i5-1135G7	200 Points ∼87% +32%
Intel NUC8i7BE Intel Core i7-8559U	188 Points ∼82% +25%
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 14ARE05 82A20008GE AMD Ryzen 7 4700U	178 Points ∼77% +18%
Zotac ZBox MI643 Intel Core i5-10210U	173 Points ∼75% +15%
HP Envy x360 15-ee0257ng AMD Ryzen 5 4500U	173 Points ∼75% +15%
Beelink SEi10 Intel Core i3-1005G1	158 Points ∼69% +5%
GMK NucBox 2 Intel Core i5-8259U	151 Points ∼66%
Average Intel Core i5-8259U (132 - 154, n=6)	147.1 Points ∼64% -3%
Lenovo Yoga C930-13IKB Intel Core i5-8250U	145 Points ∼63% -4%
Apple MacBook 12 (Early 2016) 1.1 GHz Intel Core m3-6Y30	91 Points ∼40% -40%
Apple MacBook 12 (Early 2016) 1.1 GHz Intel Core m3-6Y30	90 Points ∼39% -40%
GMK NucBox K1 Intel Celeron J4125	75.3 Points ∼33% -50%
Chuwi LarkBook CWI509 Intel Celeron N4120	73.2 Points ∼32% -52%

Cinebench R20 / CPU (Multi Core)
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 14ARE05 82A20008GE AMD Ryzen 7 4700U	3095 Points ∼100% +116%
Intel NUC11PAQi7 Intel Core i7-1165G7	2657 Points ∼86% +86%
HP Envy x360 15-ee0257ng AMD Ryzen 5 4500U	2016 Points ∼65% +41%
GPD Win 3 Intel Core i5-1135G7	1842 Points ∼60% +29%
Intel NUC8i7BE Intel Core i7-8559U	1691 Points ∼55% +18%
Average Intel Core i5-8259U (1385 - 1567, n=5)	1473 Points ∼48% +3%
GMK NucBox 2 Intel Core i5-8259U	1432 Points ∼46%
Zotac ZBox MI643 Intel Core i5-10210U	1191 Points ∼38% -17%
Beelink SEi10 Intel Core i3-1005G1	848 Points ∼27% -41%
Chuwi LarkBook CWI509 Intel Celeron N4120	490 Points ∼16% -66%
GMK NucBox K1 Intel Celeron J4125	304 Points ∼10% -79%

Cinebench R20 / CPU (Single Core)
Intel NUC11PAQi7 Intel Core i7-1165G7	582 Points ∼100% +52%
GPD Win 3 Intel Core i5-1135G7	522 Points ∼90% +37%
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 14ARE05 82A20008GE AMD Ryzen 7 4700U	473 Points ∼81% +24%
Intel NUC8i7BE Intel Core i7-8559U	466 Points ∼80% +22%
HP Envy x360 15-ee0257ng AMD Ryzen 5 4500U	449 Points ∼77% +18%
Zotac ZBox MI643 Intel Core i5-10210U	413 Points ∼71% +8%
Beelink SEi10 Intel Core i3-1005G1	403 Points ∼69% +5%
GMK NucBox 2 Intel Core i5-8259U	382 Points ∼66%
Average Intel Core i5-8259U (369 - 386, n=5)	378 Points ∼65% -1%
Chuwi LarkBook CWI509 Intel Celeron N4120	166 Points ∼29% -57%
GMK NucBox K1 Intel Celeron J4125	161 Points ∼28% -58%

Blender / v2.79 BMW27 CPU
GMK NucBox K1 Intel Celeron J4125	2391 Seconds * ∼100% -217%
Beelink SEi10 Intel Core i3-1005G1	1126 Seconds * ∼47% -49%
Zotac ZBox MI643 Intel Core i5-10210U	884 Seconds * ∼37% -17%
GMK NucBox 2 Intel Core i5-8259U	755 Seconds * ∼32%
HP Envy x360 15-ee0257ng AMD Ryzen 5 4500U	748 Seconds * ∼31% +1%
Average Intel Core i5-8259U (688 - 769, n=6)	730 Seconds * ∼31% +3%
Intel NUC8i7BE Intel Core i7-8559U	682 Seconds * ∼29% +10%
Intel NUC8i7BE Intel Core i7-8559U	650 Seconds * ∼27% +14%
GPD Win 3 Intel Core i5-1135G7	648 Seconds * ∼27% +14%
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 14ARE05 82A20008GE AMD Ryzen 7 4700U	479 Seconds * ∼20% +37%
Intel NUC11PAQi7 Intel Core i7-1165G7	468 Seconds * ∼20% +38%

7-Zip 18.03 / 7z b 4 -mmt1
Intel NUC8i7BE Intel Core i7-8559U	6171 MIPS ∼100% +56%
Intel NUC8i7BE Intel Core i7-8559U	4826 MIPS ∼78% +22%
Intel NUC11PAQi7 Intel Core i7-1165G7	5405 MIPS ∼88% +37%
GPD Win 3 Intel Core i5-1135G7	4761 MIPS ∼77% +21%
Zotac ZBox MI643 Intel Core i5-10210U	4467 MIPS ∼72% +13%
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 14ARE05 82A20008GE AMD Ryzen 7 4700U	4362 MIPS ∼71% +10%
HP Envy x360 15-ee0257ng AMD Ryzen 5 4500U	4338 MIPS ∼70% +10%
Beelink SEi10 Intel Core i3-1005G1	4041 MIPS ∼65% +2%
GMK NucBox 2 Intel Core i5-8259U	3951 MIPS ∼64%
Average Intel Core i5-8259U (3753 - 4022, n=6)	3949 MIPS ∼64% 0%
GMK NucBox K1 Intel Celeron J4125	2361 MIPS ∼38% -40%
Chuwi LarkBook CWI509 Intel Celeron N4120	2279 MIPS ∼37% -42%

7-Zip 18.03 / 7z b 4
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 14ARE05 82A20008GE AMD Ryzen 7 4700U	33282 MIPS ∼100% +77%
Intel NUC8i7BE Intel Core i7-8559U	30570 MIPS ∼92% +63%
Intel NUC8i7BE Intel Core i7-8559U	22033 MIPS ∼66% +17%
Intel NUC11PAQi7 Intel Core i7-1165G7	27203 MIPS ∼82% +45%
HP Envy x360 15-ee0257ng AMD Ryzen 5 4500U	24101 MIPS ∼72% +28%
GPD Win 3 Intel Core i5-1135G7	21683 MIPS ∼65% +15%
Average Intel Core i5-8259U (17799 - 28824, n=6)	20778 MIPS ∼62% +11%
GMK NucBox 2 Intel Core i5-8259U	18802 MIPS ∼56%
Zotac ZBox MI643 Intel Core i5-10210U	16799 MIPS ∼50% -11%
Beelink SEi10 Intel Core i3-1005G1	10536 MIPS ∼32% -44%
GMK NucBox K1 Intel Celeron J4125	7494 MIPS ∼23% -60%
Chuwi LarkBook CWI509 Intel Celeron N4120	7184 MIPS ∼22% -62%

Geekbench 5.4 / Single-Core
Intel NUC11PAQi7 Intel Core i7-1165G7	1559 Points ∼100% +58%
GPD Win 3 Intel Core i5-1135G7	1417 Points ∼91% +44%
Zotac ZBox MI643 Intel Core i5-10210U	1133 Points ∼73% +15%
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 14ARE05 82A20008GE AMD Ryzen 7 4700U	1121 Points ∼72% +14%
Beelink SEi10 Intel Core i3-1005G1	1118 Points ∼72% +14%
HP Envy x360 15-ee0257ng AMD Ryzen 5 4500U	1108 Points ∼71% +13%
GMK NucBox 2 Intel Core i5-8259U	984 Points ∼63%
Average Intel Core i5-8259U (948 - 984, n=3)	961 Points ∼62% -2%
Intel NUC8i7BE Intel Core i7-8559U	723 Points ∼46% -27%
Chuwi LarkBook CWI509 Intel Celeron N4120	439 Points ∼28% -55%
GMK NucBox K1 Intel Celeron J4125	435 Points ∼28% -56%

Geekbench 5.4 / Multi-Core
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 14ARE05 82A20008GE AMD Ryzen 7 4700U	6243 Points ∼100% +86%
HP Envy x360 15-ee0257ng AMD Ryzen 5 4500U	5091 Points ∼82% +52%
Intel NUC11PAQi7 Intel Core i7-1165G7	4975 Points ∼80% +48%
GPD Win 3 Intel Core i5-1135G7	4924 Points ∼79% +47%
Zotac ZBox MI643 Intel Core i5-10210U	3975 Points ∼64% +18%
Intel NUC8i7BE Intel Core i7-8559U	3660 Points ∼59% +9%
Average Intel Core i5-8259U (3359 - 3839, n=3)	3602 Points ∼58% +7%
GMK NucBox 2 Intel Core i5-8259U	3359 Points ∼54%
Beelink SEi10 Intel Core i3-1005G1	2153 Points ∼34% -36%
Chuwi LarkBook CWI509 Intel Celeron N4120	1505 Points ∼24% -55%
GMK NucBox K1 Intel Celeron J4125	1394 Points ∼22% -58%

HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2 / 4k Preset
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 14ARE05 82A20008GE AMD Ryzen 7 4700U	9.18 fps ∼100% +71%
Intel NUC11PAQi7 Intel Core i7-1165G7	8.47 fps ∼92% +58%
GPD Win 3 Intel Core i5-1135G7	6.17 fps ∼67% +15%
Intel NUC8i7BE Intel Core i7-8559U	5.9 fps ∼64% +10%
Intel NUC8i7BE Intel Core i7-8559U	5.523 fps ∼60% +3%
HP Envy x360 15-ee0257ng AMD Ryzen 5 4500U	5.86 fps ∼64% +9%
GMK NucBox 2 Intel Core i5-8259U	5.37 fps ∼58%
Average Intel Core i5-8259U (4.72 - 5.49, n=6)	5.19 fps ∼57% -3%
Zotac ZBox MI643 Intel Core i5-10210U	4.23 fps ∼46% -21%
Beelink SEi10 Intel Core i3-1005G1	3.48 fps ∼38% -35%
GMK NucBox K1 Intel Celeron J4125	1.46 fps ∼16% -73%
Chuwi LarkBook CWI509 Intel Celeron N4120	1.31 fps ∼14% -76%

LibreOffice / 20 Documents To PDF
Chuwi LarkBook CWI509 Intel Celeron N4120	131 s * ∼100% -106%
GMK NucBox K1 Intel Celeron J4125	124 s * ∼95% -95%
HP Envy x360 15-ee0257ng AMD Ryzen 5 4500U	72 s * ∼55% -13%
Average Intel Core i5-8259U (62.7 - 76, n=5)	69.5 s * ∼53% -9%
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 14ARE05 82A20008GE AMD Ryzen 7 4700U	67.3 s * ∼51% -6%
GMK NucBox 2 Intel Core i5-8259U	63.6 s * ∼49%
Zotac ZBox MI643 Intel Core i5-10210U	57 s * ∼44% +10%
Beelink SEi10 Intel Core i3-1005G1	55.8 s * ∼43% +12%
GPD Win 3 Intel Core i5-1135G7	48.7 s * ∼37% +23%
Intel NUC11PAQi7 Intel Core i7-1165G7	42.2 s * ∼32% +34%

R Benchmark 2.5 / Overall mean
Chuwi LarkBook CWI509 Intel Celeron N4120	1.642 sec * ∼100% -109%
GMK NucBox K1 Intel Celeron J4125	1.577 sec * ∼96% -101%
GMK NucBox 2 Intel Core i5-8259U	0.786 sec * ∼48%
Average Intel Core i5-8259U (0.738 - 0.818, n=5)	0.779 sec * ∼47% +1%
Beelink SEi10 Intel Core i3-1005G1	0.763 sec * ∼46% +3%
Zotac ZBox MI643 Intel Core i5-10210U	0.658 sec * ∼40% +16%
GPD Win 3 Intel Core i5-1135G7	0.637 sec * ∼39% +19%
Intel NUC8i7BE Intel Core i7-8559U	0.6275 sec * ∼38% +20%
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 14ARE05 82A20008GE AMD Ryzen 7 4700U	0.616 sec * ∼38% +22%
HP Envy x360 15-ee0257ng AMD Ryzen 5 4500U	0.614 sec * ∼37% +22%
Intel NUC11PAQi7 Intel Core i7-1165G7	0.553 sec * ∼34% +30%

* ... smaller is better

Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64Bit

615 Points

Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64Bit

66.4 fps

Cinebench R15 Ref. Match 64Bit

97.8 %

Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64Bit

151 Points

Help

... in comparison

System Performance

PCMark results are consistently higher than on the 2018 Apple MacBook Pro 13 but still below the Intel NUC 8 with the faster Core i7-8559 CPU

PCMark 10
Score
Intel NUC11PAQi7 Iris Xe G7 96EUs, i7-1165G7, Samsung SSD 980 Pro 500GB MZ-V8P500BW	5158 Points ∼51% +25%
Intel NUC8i7BE Iris Plus Graphics 655, i7-8559U	4580 Points ∼45% +11%
Zotac ZBox MI643 UHD Graphics 620, i5-10210U, Lexar NM610 1TB	4244 Points ∼42% +3%
GMK NucBox 2 Iris Plus Graphics 655, i5-8259U, Netac S930E8/256GPN	4132 Points ∼41%
Average Intel Core i5-8259U, Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655 (3284 - 4132, n=6)	3882 Points ∼38% -6%
Beelink SEi10 UHD Graphics G1 (Ice Lake 32 EU), i3-1005G1, Silicon Motion AZW 256G M.228 NVMe 4X 200725 D	3420 Points ∼34% -17%
GMK NucBox K1 UHD Graphics 600, Celeron J4125, HIKVision C100 NGFF SSD 128GB	1831 Points ∼18% -56%
Essentials
Intel NUC11PAQi7 Iris Xe G7 96EUs, i7-1165G7, Samsung SSD 980 Pro 500GB MZ-V8P500BW	10258 Points ∼79% +23%
Zotac ZBox MI643 UHD Graphics 620, i5-10210U, Lexar NM610 1TB	9510 Points ∼73% +14%
Intel NUC8i7BE Iris Plus Graphics 655, i7-8559U	8994 Points ∼69% +8%
GMK NucBox 2 Iris Plus Graphics 655, i5-8259U, Netac S930E8/256GPN	8351 Points ∼64%
Average Intel Core i5-8259U, Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655 (7364 - 8351, n=6)	7938 Points ∼61% -5%
Beelink SEi10 UHD Graphics G1 (Ice Lake 32 EU), i3-1005G1, Silicon Motion AZW 256G M.228 NVMe 4X 200725 D	7766 Points ∼60% -7%
GMK NucBox K1 UHD Graphics 600, Celeron J4125, HIKVision C100 NGFF SSD 128GB	4900 Points ∼38% -41%
Productivity
Intel NUC8i7BE Iris Plus Graphics 655, i7-8559U	7236 Points ∼57% +14%
Intel NUC11PAQi7 Iris Xe G7 96EUs, i7-1165G7, Samsung SSD 980 Pro 500GB MZ-V8P500BW	7136 Points ∼57% +12%
Zotac ZBox MI643 UHD Graphics 620, i5-10210U, Lexar NM610 1TB	6975 Points ∼55% +10%
GMK NucBox 2 Iris Plus Graphics 655, i5-8259U, Netac S930E8/256GPN	6348 Points ∼50%
Average Intel Core i5-8259U, Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655 (4390 - 6400, n=6)	5852 Points ∼46% -8%
Beelink SEi10 UHD Graphics G1 (Ice Lake 32 EU), i3-1005G1, Silicon Motion AZW 256G M.228 NVMe 4X 200725 D	5353 Points ∼42% -16%
GMK NucBox K1 UHD Graphics 600, Celeron J4125, HIKVision C100 NGFF SSD 128GB	2948 Points ∼23% -54%
Digital Content Creation
Intel NUC11PAQi7 Iris Xe G7 96EUs, i7-1165G7, Samsung SSD 980 Pro 500GB MZ-V8P500BW	5087 Points ∼25% +41%
Intel NUC8i7BE Iris Plus Graphics 655, i7-8559U	4007 Points ∼20% +11%
GMK NucBox 2 Iris Plus Graphics 655, i5-8259U, Netac S930E8/256GPN	3613 Points ∼18%
Average Intel Core i5-8259U, Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655 (2679 - 3902, n=6)	3441 Points ∼17% -5%
Zotac ZBox MI643 UHD Graphics 620, i5-10210U, Lexar NM610 1TB	3128 Points ∼16% -13%
Beelink SEi10 UHD Graphics G1 (Ice Lake 32 EU), i3-1005G1, Silicon Motion AZW 256G M.228 NVMe 4X 200725 D	2614 Points ∼13% -28%
GMK NucBox K1 UHD Graphics 600, Celeron J4125, HIKVision C100 NGFF SSD 128GB	1155 Points ∼6% -68%

PCMark 10 Score		4132 points
Help

DPC Latency

LatencyMon shows no major DPC latency issues when opening multiple browser tabs on our homepage. 4K UHD playback at 60 FPS is also smooth with just two dropped frames during our minute-long YouTube test.

DPC Latencies / LatencyMon - interrupt to process latency (max), Web, Youtube, Prime95
GMK NucBox K1 UHD Graphics 600, Celeron J4125, HIKVision C100 NGFF SSD 128GB	1717 μs * ∼100% -118%
Beelink SEi10 UHD Graphics G1 (Ice Lake 32 EU), i3-1005G1, Silicon Motion AZW 256G M.228 NVMe 4X 200725 D	1231 μs * ∼72% -57%
GMK NucBox 2 Iris Plus Graphics 655, i5-8259U, Netac S930E8/256GPN	786 μs * ∼46%
Zotac ZBox MI643 UHD Graphics 620, i5-10210U, Lexar NM610 1TB	745 μs * ∼43% +5%
Intel NUC11PAQi7 Iris Xe G7 96EUs, i7-1165G7, Samsung SSD 980 Pro 500GB MZ-V8P500BW	568 μs * ∼33% +28%

* ... smaller is better

Storage Devices

A 256 GB Netac S930E8 NVMe SSD is included with the option to add a 2.5-inch SATA III drive for additional storage. Transfer rates are quite good for a 256 GB NVMe SSD especially from this lesser-known manufacturer, but our DiskSpd loop test shows it may have trouble maintaining maximum performance levels over long periods.

Single M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4 2280 slot. Note the adjacent connector on the board for attaching a secondary 2.5-inch SATA III drive

	GMK NucBox 2 Netac S930E8/256GPN	Intel NUC11PAQi7 Samsung SSD 980 Pro 500GB MZ-V8P500BW	Zotac ZBox MI643 Lexar NM610 1TB	GPD Win 3 BIWIN NS200 1TB CNF82GS1G02-1TB
AS SSD		209%	45%	99%
Seq Read	2069	3257 57%	1511 -27%	1585 -23%
Seq Write	1203	3937 227%	1558 30%	1776 48%
4K Read	41.66	51.3 23%	43.77 5%	61.6 48%
4K Write	136.9	75.7 -45%	119.5 -13%	208.9 53%
4K-64 Read	366.3	2283 523%	839 129%	1142 212%
4K-64 Write	340.5	2206 548%	909 167%	1103 224%
Access Time Read *	0.064	0.056 12%	0.032 50%	0.03 53%
Access Time Write *	0.347	0.154 56%	0.242 30%	0.074 79%
Score Read	615	2660 333%	1034 68%	1362 121%
Score Write	598	2676 347%	1185 98%	1489 149%
Score Total	1497	6725 349%	2760 84%	3573 139%
Copy ISO MB/s	1186	2030 71%	1373 16%	1741 47%
Copy Program MB/s	428.6	883 106%	280.4 -35%	543 27%
Copy Game MB/s	435.7	1817 317%	531 22%	1318 203%
CrystalDiskMark 5.2 / 6		153%	9%	39%
Write 4K	178.4	244.6 37%	214.1 20%	223 25%
Read 4K	61	80.4 32%	62.1 2%	66.5 9%
Write Seq	1040	4094 294%	1664 60%	1857 79%
Read Seq	1919	4099 114%	1797 -6%	1737 -9%
Write 4K Q32T1	417.7	715 71%	421.8 1%	611 46%
Read 4K Q32T1	325.6	783 140%	512 57%	688 111%
Write Seq Q32T1	1144	5065 343%	564 -51%	1948 70%
Read Seq Q32T1	2379	6884 189%	2073 -13%	1995 -16%
Total Average (Program / Settings)		181% / 188%	27% / 32%	69% / 77%

* ... smaller is better

CrystalDiskMark 5.2 / 6

AS SSD

DiskSpd

Netac S930E8/256GPN

CDM 5/6 Read Seq Q32T1: 2379 MB/s

CDM 5/6 Write Seq Q32T1: 1144 MB/s

CDM 5/6 Read 4K Q32T1: 325.6 MB/s

CDM 5/6 Write 4K Q32T1: 417.7 MB/s

CDM 5 Read Seq: 1919 MB/s

CDM 5 Write Seq: 1040 MB/s

CDM 5/6 Read 4K: 61 MB/s

CDM 5/6 Write 4K: 178.4 MB/s

Disk Throttling: DiskSpd Read Loop, Queue Depth 8

No graph data

GPU Performance

Graphics performance sits in between the older UHD Graphics 620 and newer 10th gen Ice Lake Iris Plus G7 graphics. The latest 11th gen Tiger Lake Iris Xe solution is even faster, but also much more expensive. The extra horsepower over the UHD Graphics 620 is helpful for light editing and 4K output much like on the 2018 MacBook Pro 13. Keep in mind that the Iris Plus Graphics 655 hasn't aged very well when compared to even the Radeon RX Vega series.

3DMark | 3DMark 11

3DMark
1280x720 Cloud Gate Standard Graphics
GPD Win 3 Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 80EUs, i5-1135G7	30894 Points ∼100% +102%
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 14ARE05 82A20008GE AMD Radeon RX Vega 7, R7 4700U	25431 Points ∼82% +67%
HP Envy x360 15-ee0257ng AMD Radeon RX Vega 6 (Ryzen 4000/5000), R5 4500U	24163 Points ∼78% +58%
Intel NUC11PAQi7 Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs, i7-1165G7	22393 Points ∼72% +47%
Asus ZenBook 13 UX325JA Intel Iris Plus Graphics G7 (Ice Lake 64 EU), i7-1065G7	18164 Points ∼59% +19%
Intel NUC8i7BE Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655, i7-8559U	16698 Points ∼54% +9%
GMK NucBox 2 Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655, i5-8259U	15258 Points ∼49%
Apple MacBook Pro 13 2018 Touchbar i5 Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655, i5-8259U	14343 Points ∼46% -6%
Average Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655 (6498 - 16698, n=9)	13736 Points ∼44% -10%
Zotac ZBox MI643 Intel UHD Graphics 620, i5-10210U	10077 Points ∼33% -34%
Lenovo Yoga C930-13IKB Intel UHD Graphics 620, i5-8250U	10003 Points ∼32% -34%
Beelink SEi10 Intel UHD Graphics G1 (Ice Lake 32 EU), i3-1005G1	7448 Points ∼24% -51%
Chuwi LarkBook CWI509 Intel UHD Graphics 600, Celeron N4120	3932 Points ∼13% -74%
GMK NucBox K1 Intel UHD Graphics 600, Celeron J4125	3366 Points ∼11% -78%
1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics
GPD Win 3 Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 80EUs, i5-1135G7	4846 Points ∼100% +153%
Intel NUC11PAQi7 Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs, i7-1165G7	3724 Points ∼77% +95%
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 14ARE05 82A20008GE AMD Radeon RX Vega 7, R7 4700U	3579 Points ∼74% +87%
HP Envy x360 15-ee0257ng AMD Radeon RX Vega 6 (Ryzen 4000/5000), R5 4500U	3239 Points ∼67% +69%
Asus ZenBook 13 UX325JA Intel Iris Plus Graphics G7 (Ice Lake 64 EU), i7-1065G7	2983 Points ∼62% +56%
Intel NUC8i7BE Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655, i7-8559U	2260 Points ∼47% +18%
Apple MacBook Pro 13 2018 Touchbar i5 Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655, i5-8259U	2070 Points ∼43% +8%
GMK NucBox 2 Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655, i5-8259U	1914 Points ∼39%
Average Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655 (920 - 2260, n=9)	1836 Points ∼38% -4%
Zotac ZBox MI643 Intel UHD Graphics 620, i5-10210U	1283 Points ∼26% -33%
Lenovo Yoga C930-13IKB Intel UHD Graphics 620, i5-8250U	1216 Points ∼25% -36%
Beelink SEi10 Intel UHD Graphics G1 (Ice Lake 32 EU), i3-1005G1	960 Points ∼20% -50%
Chuwi LarkBook CWI509 Intel UHD Graphics 600, Celeron N4120	472 Points ∼10% -75%
GMK NucBox K1 Intel UHD Graphics 600, Celeron J4125	433 Points ∼9% -77%
2560x1440 Time Spy Graphics
GPD Win 3 Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 80EUs, i5-1135G7	1354 Points ∼100% +128%
Intel NUC11PAQi7 Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs, i7-1165G7	1168 Points ∼86% +97%
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 14ARE05 82A20008GE AMD Radeon RX Vega 7, R7 4700U	1076 Points ∼79% +81%
HP Envy x360 15-ee0257ng AMD Radeon RX Vega 6 (Ryzen 4000/5000), R5 4500U	932 Points ∼69% +57%
Asus ZenBook 13 UX325JA Intel Iris Plus Graphics G7 (Ice Lake 64 EU), i7-1065G7	788 Points ∼58% +33%
Intel NUC8i7BE Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655, i7-8559U	633 Points ∼47% +7%
Apple MacBook Pro 13 2018 Touchbar i5 Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655, i5-8259U	624 Points ∼46% +5%
GMK NucBox 2 Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655, i5-8259U	594 Points ∼44%
Average Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655 (301 - 633, n=10)	570 Points ∼42% -4%
Zotac ZBox MI643 Intel UHD Graphics 620, i5-10210U	403 Points ∼30% -32%
Lenovo Yoga C930-13IKB Intel UHD Graphics 620, i5-8250U	349 Points ∼26% -41%
Beelink SEi10 Intel UHD Graphics G1 (Ice Lake 32 EU), i3-1005G1	320 Points ∼24% -46%
GMK NucBox K1 Intel UHD Graphics 600, Celeron J4125	120 Points ∼9% -80%
Chuwi LarkBook CWI509 Intel UHD Graphics 600, Celeron N4120	120 Points ∼9% -80%
2560x1440 Time Spy Score
GPD Win 3 Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 80EUs, i5-1135G7	1506 Points ∼100% +123%
Intel NUC11PAQi7 Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs, i7-1165G7	1316 Points ∼87% +95%
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 14ARE05 82A20008GE AMD Radeon RX Vega 7, R7 4700U	1221 Points ∼81% +81%
HP Envy x360 15-ee0257ng AMD Radeon RX Vega 6 (Ryzen 4000/5000), R5 4500U	1047 Points ∼70% +55%
Asus ZenBook 13 UX325JA Intel Iris Plus Graphics G7 (Ice Lake 64 EU), i7-1065G7	885 Points ∼59% +31%
Intel NUC8i7BE Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655, i7-8559U	722 Points ∼48% +7%
Apple MacBook Pro 13 2018 Touchbar i5 Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655, i5-8259U	707 Points ∼47% +5%
GMK NucBox 2 Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655, i5-8259U	676 Points ∼45%
Average Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655 (348 - 722, n=10)	647 Points ∼43% -4%
Zotac ZBox MI643 Intel UHD Graphics 620, i5-10210U	462 Points ∼31% -32%
Lenovo Yoga C930-13IKB Intel UHD Graphics 620, i5-8250U	400 Points ∼27% -41%
Beelink SEi10 Intel UHD Graphics G1 (Ice Lake 32 EU), i3-1005G1	367 Points ∼24% -46%
GMK NucBox K1 Intel UHD Graphics 600, Celeron J4125	138 Points ∼9% -80%
Chuwi LarkBook CWI509 Intel UHD Graphics 600, Celeron N4120	137 Points ∼9% -80%

3DMark 11
1280x720 Performance GPU
Intel NUC11PAQi7 Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs, i7-1165G7	6027 Points ∼100% +105%
GPD Win 3 Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 80EUs, i5-1135G7	5914 Points ∼98% +101%
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 14ARE05 82A20008GE AMD Radeon RX Vega 7, R7 4700U	5346 Points ∼89% +81%
HP Envy x360 15-ee0257ng AMD Radeon RX Vega 6 (Ryzen 4000/5000), R5 4500U	4713 Points ∼78% +60%
Asus ZenBook 13 UX325JA Intel Iris Plus Graphics G7 (Ice Lake 64 EU), i7-1065G7	4152 Points ∼69% +41%
Intel NUC8i7BE Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655, i7-8559U	3081 Points ∼51% +5%
Apple MacBook Pro 13 2018 Touchbar i5 Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655, i5-8259U	3044 Points ∼51% +3%
GMK NucBox 2 Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655, i5-8259U	2947 Points ∼49%
Average Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655 (1365 - 3081, n=8)	2707 Points ∼45% -8%
Zotac ZBox MI643 Intel UHD Graphics 620, i5-10210U	1858 Points ∼31% -37%
Lenovo Yoga C930-13IKB Intel UHD Graphics 620, i5-8250U	1734 Points ∼29% -41%
Beelink SEi10 Intel UHD Graphics G1 (Ice Lake 32 EU), i3-1005G1	1684 Points ∼28% -43%
Chuwi LarkBook CWI509 Intel UHD Graphics 600, Celeron N4120	606 Points ∼10% -79%
GMK NucBox K1 Intel UHD Graphics 600, Celeron J4125	589 Points ∼10% -80%
1280x720 Performance Combined
GPD Win 3 Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 80EUs, i5-1135G7	5707 Points ∼100% +129%
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 14ARE05 82A20008GE AMD Radeon RX Vega 7, R7 4700U	4363 Points ∼76% +75%
HP Envy x360 15-ee0257ng AMD Radeon RX Vega 6 (Ryzen 4000/5000), R5 4500U	4297 Points ∼75% +72%
Intel NUC11PAQi7 Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs, i7-1165G7	4111 Points ∼72% +65%
Asus ZenBook 13 UX325JA Intel Iris Plus Graphics G7 (Ice Lake 64 EU), i7-1065G7	3639 Points ∼64% +46%
Apple MacBook Pro 13 2018 Touchbar i5 Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655, i5-8259U	2683 Points ∼47% +8%
Intel NUC8i7BE Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655, i7-8559U	2583 Points ∼45% +4%
GMK NucBox 2 Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655, i5-8259U	2495 Points ∼44%
Average Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655 (1245 - 2688, n=8)	2349 Points ∼41% -6%
Zotac ZBox MI643 Intel UHD Graphics 620, i5-10210U	1829 Points ∼32% -27%
Lenovo Yoga C930-13IKB Intel UHD Graphics 620, i5-8250U	1524 Points ∼27% -39%
Beelink SEi10 Intel UHD Graphics G1 (Ice Lake 32 EU), i3-1005G1	1252 Points ∼22% -50%
Chuwi LarkBook CWI509 Intel UHD Graphics 600, Celeron N4120	610 Points ∼11% -76%
GMK NucBox K1 Intel UHD Graphics 600, Celeron J4125	546 Points ∼10% -78%

3DMark | 3DMark 11

3DMark 11 Performance		3181 points
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score		11622 points
3DMark Fire Strike Score		1779 points
3DMark Time Spy Score		676 points
Help

... in comparison

Dota 2 Reborn | Final Fantasy XV Benchmark | X-Plane 11.11

Dota 2 Reborn
1280x720 min (0/3) fastest
GMK NucBox 2 Intel Core i5-8259U, Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655	98 (79.8^min) fps ∼100%
Intel NUC8i7BE Intel Core i7-8559U, Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655	95 (80^min) fps ∼97% -3%
Apple MacBook Pro 13 2018 Touchbar i5 Intel Core i5-8259U, Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655	87.9 (75.6^min) fps ∼90% -10%
Average Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655 (51.4 - 98, n=8)	86.3 fps ∼88% -12%
GPD Win 3 Intel Core i5-1135G7, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 80EUs	81.4 (47.3^min) fps ∼83% -17%
Intel NUC11PAQi7 Intel Core i7-1165G7, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs	78.8 (48.8^min) fps ∼80% -20%
Zotac ZBox MI643 Intel Core i5-10210U, Intel UHD Graphics 620	73.8 (65.9^min) fps ∼75% -25%
Beelink SEi10 Intel Core i3-1005G1, Intel UHD Graphics G1 (Ice Lake 32 EU)	61.2 (55^min) fps ∼62% -38%
Chuwi LarkBook CWI509 Intel Celeron N4120, Intel UHD Graphics 600	38.9 (33.4^min) fps ∼40% -60%
GMK NucBox K1 Intel Celeron J4125, Intel UHD Graphics 600	32.8 (28.4^min) fps ∼33% -67%
1366x768 med (1/3)
Intel NUC8i7BE Intel Core i7-8559U, Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655	68 (58.9^min) fps ∼100% +3%
GMK NucBox 2 Intel Core i5-8259U, Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655	66 (54.7^min) fps ∼97%
GPD Win 3 Intel Core i5-1135G7, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 80EUs	64.2 (43.4^min) fps ∼94% -3%
Apple MacBook Pro 13 2018 Touchbar i5 Intel Core i5-8259U, Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655	64 (54.5^min) fps ∼94% -3%
Intel NUC11PAQi7 Intel Core i7-1165G7, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs	61.8 (46.8^min) fps ∼91% -6%
Average Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655 (34.6 - 77.9, n=8)	58.5 fps ∼86% -11%
Zotac ZBox MI643 Intel Core i5-10210U, Intel UHD Graphics 620	46 (40.9^min) fps ∼68% -30%
Beelink SEi10 Intel Core i3-1005G1, Intel UHD Graphics G1 (Ice Lake 32 EU)	25 (20.7^min) fps ∼37% -62%
GMK NucBox K1 Intel Celeron J4125, Intel UHD Graphics 600	16 (12^min) fps ∼24% -76%
Chuwi LarkBook CWI509 Intel Celeron N4120, Intel UHD Graphics 600	15.2 (11.2^min) fps ∼22% -77%
1920x1080 high (2/3)
GPD Win 3 Intel Core i5-1135G7, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 80EUs	44.3 (31^min) fps ∼100% +39%
Intel NUC11PAQi7 Intel Core i7-1165G7, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs	37.7 (26.8^min) fps ∼85% +18%
Intel NUC8i7BE Intel Core i7-8559U, Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655	34.7 (31.6^min) fps ∼78% +9%
Apple MacBook Pro 13 2018 Touchbar i5 Intel Core i5-8259U, Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655	32.4 (30^min) fps ∼73% +2%
GMK NucBox 2 Intel Core i5-8259U, Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655	31.9 (29.3^min) fps ∼72%
Average Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655 (15.8 - 34.7, n=8)	29.5 fps ∼67% -8%
Zotac ZBox MI643 Intel Core i5-10210U, Intel UHD Graphics 620	21.5 (20^min) fps ∼49% -33%
Beelink SEi10 Intel Core i3-1005G1, Intel UHD Graphics G1 (Ice Lake 32 EU)	15.3 (12.4^min) fps ∼35% -52%
Chuwi LarkBook CWI509 Intel Celeron N4120, Intel UHD Graphics 600	8 (7^min) fps ∼18% -75%
GMK NucBox K1 Intel Celeron J4125, Intel UHD Graphics 600	6.8 (5.7^min) fps ∼15% -79%
1920x1080 ultra (3/3) best looking
GPD Win 3 Intel Core i5-1135G7, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 80EUs	44.2 (28.1^min) fps ∼100% +60%
Intel NUC11PAQi7 Intel Core i7-1165G7, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs	35 (25.8^min) fps ∼79% +26%
Intel NUC8i7BE Intel Core i7-8559U, Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655	30.4 (27.6^min) fps ∼69% +10%
Apple MacBook Pro 13 2018 Touchbar i5 Intel Core i5-8259U, Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655	28.1 (25.9^min) fps ∼64% +1%
GMK NucBox 2 Intel Core i5-8259U, Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655	27.7 (25.5^min) fps ∼63%
Average Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655 (13.4 - 30.4, n=8)	25.6 fps ∼58% -8%
Zotac ZBox MI643 Intel Core i5-10210U, Intel UHD Graphics 620	19.2 (18.1^min) fps ∼43% -31%
Beelink SEi10 Intel Core i3-1005G1, Intel UHD Graphics G1 (Ice Lake 32 EU)	14.2 (11.7^min) fps ∼32% -49%
Chuwi LarkBook CWI509 Intel Celeron N4120, Intel UHD Graphics 600	7.4 (6.3^min) fps ∼17% -73%
GMK NucBox K1 Intel Celeron J4125, Intel UHD Graphics 600	6.1 (5.1^min) fps ∼14% -78%

Final Fantasy XV Benchmark
1280x720 Lite Quality
GPD Win 3 Intel Core i5-1135G7, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 80EUs	38.9 fps ∼100% +125%
Intel NUC11PAQi7 Intel Core i7-1165G7, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs	30.3 fps ∼78% +75%
GMK NucBox 2 Intel Core i5-8259U, Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655	17.3 fps ∼44%
Intel NUC8i7BE Intel Core i7-8559U, Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655	16.9 fps ∼43% -2%
Average Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655 (9.11 - 18.1, n=8)	15.7 fps ∼40% -9%
Apple MacBook Pro 13 2018 Touchbar i5 Intel Core i5-8259U, Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655	14.7 fps ∼38% -15%
1920x1080 Standard Quality
GPD Win 3 Intel Core i5-1135G7, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 80EUs	21 fps ∼100% +132%
Intel NUC11PAQi7 Intel Core i7-1165G7, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs	15.6 fps ∼74% +72%
GMK NucBox 2 Intel Core i5-8259U, Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655	9.07 fps ∼43%
Average Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655 (7.88 - 9.73, n=4)	8.87 fps ∼42% -2%
1920x1080 High Quality
GPD Win 3 Intel Core i5-1135G7, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 80EUs	16.5 fps ∼100% +173%
Intel NUC11PAQi7 Intel Core i7-1165G7, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs	12.7 fps ∼77% +110%
GMK NucBox 2 Intel Core i5-8259U, Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655	6.04 fps ∼37%
Average Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655 (5.25 - 6.55, n=4)	5.98 fps ∼36% -1%

X-Plane 11.11
1280x720 low (fps_test=1)
Intel NUC11PAQi7 Intel Core i7-1165G7, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs	42.3 fps ∼100% +67%
Intel NUC8i7BE Intel Core i7-8559U, Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655	32.6 fps ∼77% +29%
GPD Win 3 Intel Core i5-1135G7, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 80EUs	26.6 fps ∼63% +5%
Average Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655 (13.8 - 42.8, n=7)	26.4 fps ∼62% +4%
GMK NucBox 2 Intel Core i5-8259U, Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655	25.3 fps ∼60%
Zotac ZBox MI643 Intel Core i5-10210U, Intel UHD Graphics 620	22.3 fps ∼53% -12%
Chuwi LarkBook CWI509 Intel Celeron N4120, Intel UHD Graphics 600	6.92 fps ∼16% -73%
GMK NucBox K1 Intel Celeron J4125, Intel UHD Graphics 600	6.89 fps ∼16% -73%
1920x1080 med (fps_test=2)
GPD Win 3 Intel Core i5-1135G7, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 80EUs	35.6 fps ∼100% +98%
Intel NUC11PAQi7 Intel Core i7-1165G7, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs	32.7 fps ∼92% +82%
Intel NUC8i7BE Intel Core i7-8559U, Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655	23.3 fps ∼65% +29%
Average Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655 (9.75 - 29.5, n=7)	18.5 fps ∼52% +3%
GMK NucBox 2 Intel Core i5-8259U, Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655	18 fps ∼51%
Zotac ZBox MI643 Intel Core i5-10210U, Intel UHD Graphics 620	14.8 fps ∼42% -18%
GMK NucBox K1 Intel Celeron J4125, Intel UHD Graphics 600	4.87 fps ∼14% -73%
Chuwi LarkBook CWI509 Intel Celeron N4120, Intel UHD Graphics 600	4.68 fps ∼13% -74%
1920x1080 high (fps_test=3)
GPD Win 3 Intel Core i5-1135G7, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 80EUs	31.6 fps ∼100% +99%
Intel NUC11PAQi7 Intel Core i7-1165G7, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs	28.8 fps ∼91% +81%
Intel NUC8i7BE Intel Core i7-8559U, Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655	19.8 fps ∼63% +25%
GMK NucBox 2 Intel Core i5-8259U, Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655	15.9 fps ∼50%
Average Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655 (8.55 - 25.1, n=7)	15.9 fps ∼50% 0%
Zotac ZBox MI643 Intel Core i5-10210U, Intel UHD Graphics 620	13.2 fps ∼42% -17%
GMK NucBox K1 Intel Celeron J4125, Intel UHD Graphics 600	4.31 fps ∼14% -73%
Chuwi LarkBook CWI509 Intel Celeron N4120, Intel UHD Graphics 600	4.26 fps ∼13% -73%

Dota 2 Reborn | Final Fantasy XV Benchmark | X-Plane 11.11

	low	med.	high	ultra
Dota 2 Reborn (2015)	98	66	31.9	27.7
Final Fantasy XV Benchmark (2018)	17.3	9.07	6.04
X-Plane 11.11 (2018)	25.3	18	15.9

Emissions

System Noise

A single ~45 mm fan pulls in cool air from the bottom and expels hot air from the rear. It's almost always quiet when idling on desktop, but low loads like browsing or video streaming will quickly induce a steady fan noise of 29.1 dB(A) against a silent background of 25.6 dB(A). Higher loads like 3DMark 06 or games will induce a constant fan noise of 35 dB(A) which is still quieter than most other mini PCs under similar loads and conditions.

We're able to notice slight coil whine from our test unit only when it is powered off or on standby mode.

Fan noise profile (White: Background, Red: System idle, Blue: 3DMark 06, Green: Prime95 stress)

	GMK NucBox 2 Iris Plus Graphics 655, i5-8259U, Netac S930E8/256GPN	Intel NUC8i7BE Iris Plus Graphics 655, i7-8559U	Zotac ZBox MI643 UHD Graphics 620, i5-10210U, Lexar NM610 1TB	GMK NucBox K1 UHD Graphics 600, Celeron J4125, HIKVision C100 NGFF SSD 128GB
Noise		-15%	-4%	-17%
off / environment *	25.6	28.7 -12%	26.1 -2%	27.8 -9%
Idle Minimum *	25.7	28.7 -12%	27.5 -7%	27.8 -8%
Idle Average *	25.7	29.3 -14%	27.5 -7%	27.8 -8%
Idle Maximum *	25.7	31.8 -24%	27.5 -7%	27.8 -8%
Load Average *	35.3	39 -10%	28.9 18%	46.8 -33%
Load Maximum *	35.1	41.4 -18%	42 -20%	46.8 -33%
Witcher 3 ultra *		39

* ... smaller is better

Noise Level

Idle		25.7 / 25.7 / 25.7 dB(A)
Load		35.3 / 35.1 dB(A)

	30 dB silent 40 dB(A) audible 50 dB(A) loud
min: , med: , max: Earthworks M23R, Arta (15 cm distance) environment noise: 25.6 dB(A)

Temperature

Ventilation grilles are only long the back edge of the mini PC meaning you can safely position the unit vertically or on its side without impeding the cooling solution. Surfaces are warm at about 27 C on the top surface of the system even when idling on desktop.

Stress Test

When stressed with Prime95, the CPU would simply stabilize at the 2.3 to 2.5 GHz range with no higher Turbo Boost potential. The CPU is able to reach up to 3.8 GHz but only in single-threaded workloads. Core temperature plateaus at a respectable 73 C when under very high multi-threaded loads. The processor will not throttle unless both of its CPU and integrated GPU are fully stressed.

	CPU Clock (GHz)	GPU Clock (MHz)	Average CPU Temperature (°C)
System Idle	--	49	--
Prime95 Stress	2.3 - 2.5	--	72
Prime95 + FurMark Stress	1.1	850 - 1000	73

Energy Management

Power Consumption

Idling on desktop consumes just 6 W to 8 W while higher loads like games can consume about 46 W. Note that the Intel NUC 11 with its newer generation Iris Xe graphics would consume only 31 W to 39 W when running games despite it offering almost 2x the graphics performance of our Iris Plus 655.

Constant consumption when running 3DMark 06

Prime95 stress initiated at 10s mark. Consumption flatlines at 39.2 W

Prime95 + FurMark initiated at 10s mark. Consumption would spike to 50.6 W momentarily between stabilizing at 41 to 47 W

Power Consumption

Off / Standby	0.36 / 0.5 Watt
Idle	6.1 / 6.8 / 7.3 Watt
Load	46.3 / 50.7 Watt


Key: min: , med: , max: 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 2 i5-8259U, Iris Plus Graphics 655, Netac S930E8/256GPN, , x,	Intel NUC11PAQi7 i7-1165G7, Iris Xe G7 96EUs, Samsung SSD 980 Pro 500GB MZ-V8P500BW, , x,	Intel NUC8i7BE i7-8559U, Iris Plus Graphics 655, , , x,	GMK NucBox K1 Celeron J4125, UHD Graphics 600, HIKVision C100 NGFF SSD 128GB, , x,	Beelink SEi10 i3-1005G1, UHD Graphics G1 (Ice Lake 32 EU), Silicon Motion AZW 256G M.228 NVMe 4X 200725 D, , x,	Zotac ZBox MI643 i5-10210U, UHD Graphics 620, Lexar NM610 1TB, , x,
Power Consumption		3%	8%	53%	12%	-17%
Idle Minimum *	6.1	5.6 8%	2.7 56%	3.4 44%	6.3 -3%	7.5 -23%
Idle Average *	6.8	5.6 18%	3.1 54%	3.8 44%	6.6 3%	9.2 -35%
Idle Maximum *	7.3	6 18%	6.3 14%	3.9 47%	6.7 8%	9.6 -32%
Load Average *	46.3	31.4 32%	59.7 -29%	12.5 73%	25.9 44%	34.4 26%
Load Maximum *	50.7	80.5 -59%	78 -54%	22.7 55%	46.7 8%	60.6 -20%
Witcher 3 ultra *		39	47.2

* ... smaller is better

Pros

+ decent CPU and GPU performance for the price

+ 2x SODIMM, 1x M.2 2280, 1x 2.5-inch SATA III

+ relatively quiet fan noise

+ good chassis quality

Cons

- USB-C does not support Thunderbolt, Power Delivery, or DisplayPort

- glossy plastic top attract scratches and fingerprints

- no fingerprint reader or Kensington Lock

- Wi-Fi 5 instead of Wi-Fi 6

- slow MicroSD reader

Verdict

In review: GMK NucBox 2 KB2. Test unit provided by GMK

The NucBox 2 isn't trying to be the smallest mini PC or even the fastest. Instead, it's a no-frills mid-range offering with a decent Core i5 CPU, Iris Plus GPU for dual 4K60 support, and just enough RAM and storage to get by for HTPC purposes. Fan noise is quieter than the Intel NUC as well especially when running higher loads.

Unlike barebone kits that cost about the same, the NucBox 2 comes with everything you need to get started and with room for easy expansion should the need ever arise.

The reliance on a proprietary AC adapter plug instead of a more standard USB-C solution makes the NucBox 2 less universal. We would love to see more USB-C ports on future models or even an integrated PSU to avoid an external AC adapter altogether. Such a move would really one-up the competition where external adapters can sometimes be just as large as the mini PCs themselves.

Price and availability

The GMK NucBox 2 is available on Amazon for $499 USD. A current sale shaves off $60 for a final price of $439. Alternatively, users can also purchase directly from GMK for the same sale price when applying the coupon code 'Easter60OFF' at the time of writing.

Pricecompare

Loading Comments

Comment on this article

Allen Ngo - Lead Editor U.S. - 5076 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2011

After graduating with a B.S. in environmental hydrodynamics from the University of California, I studied reactor physics to become licensed by the U.S. NRC to operate nuclear reactors. There's a striking level of appreciation you gain for everyday consumer electronics after working with modern nuclear reactivity systems astonishingly powered by computers from the 80s. When I'm not managing day-to-day activities and US review articles on Notebookcheck, you can catch me following the eSports scene and the latest gaming news.

contact me via: @AllenNgoNBC

Please share our article, every link counts!

.170

> Notebook / Laptop Reviews and News > Reviews > GMK NucBox 2 Mini PC Review: Reasonably Priced with Good Upgradeability

Allen Ngo, 2021-03-30 (Update: 2021-03-30)

GMK NucBox 2 Mini PC Review: Reasonably Priced with Good Upgradeability

potential competitors in comparison

Case

Connectivity

SD Card Reader

Communication

Maintenance

Accessories and Warranty

Performance

Processor

System Performance

DPC Latency

Storage Devices

Disk Throttling: DiskSpd Read Loop, Queue Depth 8

GPU Performance

Emissions

System Noise

Temperature

Stress Test

Energy Management

Power Consumption

Pros

Cons

Verdict

Price and availability

More articles related to this device

Related Articles

Pricecompare