High performance, fair price: Peladn HO5 Mini-PC scores with a strong price-performance ratio

With the Peladn HO5, a new mini PC enters the high-end segment below $1,000 - equipped with AMD's latest Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 including Radeon 890M and OCuLink connection. Our recent review shows that the compact computer is not only impressive on paper but also delivers a strong performance in practice. The Zen 5-based 12-core CPU offers high single and multi-core performance and is therefore suitable for both productive workloads and more demanding multitasking scenarios. The system is supported by fast LPDDR5 RAM and a speedy PCIe SSD, which ensures a very responsive working experience in everyday use.

The integrated AMD Radeon 890M also leaves a positive impression. For an iGPU, it enables smooth gaming in customized settings and ranks in the upper performance range of current Mini PC platforms. If you need additional graphics performance, you can connect an external graphics card via the integrated OCuLink interface and noticeably increase the 3D performance. This gives the Peladn HO5 an advantage over some of its competitors - especially models from Geekom, which have so far dispensed with OCuLink. The overall good energy efficiency and the stable temperature values under continuous load are also convincing.

However, there are also limitations. The RAM is soldered and cannot be expanded, which limits long-term upgradability. In addition, the fan control reacts somewhat sensitively to load changes, which makes the operating noise more present in the short term, even if the measured dB(A) values remain moderate overall. The plastic casing is functional but does not achieve the quality of some aluminum competitors.

In summary, the Peladn HO5 presents itself as a powerful and comparatively attractively priced mini PC with a modern platform, good efficiency, and a flexible eGPU option. If you are looking for high CPU performance in a compact format and can do without maximum upgradeability, you will find a coherent overall package with a strong price-performance ratio here.