Lenovo IdeaCentre Mini 01IRH8 review: An Intel NUC challenger approaches
Lenovo offers several Think-branded mini PCs ranging from the ThinkCentre to the ThinkStation all aimed at offices and professional environments. To contrast these business-centric models, Lenovo has made available this year the consumer-centric 1 liter IdeaCentre Mini Gen 8 complete with the latest Intel 13th gen Raptor Lake-H CPUs to complement the larger IdeaCentre 5i.
Our review unit is the higher-end configuration with the Core i7-13700H for approximately $688 USD while the lower-end Core i5-13500H option starts at just $522. All SKUs ship with 16 GB of RAM, 512 GB to 1 TB of storage, and Windows 11 meaning there are no barebone options.
The IdeaCentre Mini competes with other small mini PCs with integrated graphics such as most Intel NUC models, Beelink GTR7, Geekom Mini IT11, or Trigkey Speed S.
More Lenovo reviews:
Potential Competitors in Comparison
Rating | Date | Model | Weight | Height | Size | Resolution | Price |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
81 % | 09/2023 | Lenovo IdeaCentre Mini 01IRH8 i7-13700H, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | 1.8 kg | 39 mm | x | ||
83.1 % | 08/2023 | Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit i7-1360P, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | 558 g | 37 mm | x | ||
03/2023 | Intel NUC 12 Pro Kit NUC12WSBi5 i5-1240P, Iris Xe G7 80EUs | 549 g | 45.6 mm | x | |||
86.3 % | 07/2023 | Beelink GTR7 7840HS R7 7840HS, Radeon 780M | 890 g | 48.8 mm | x | ||
80.6 % | 07/2023 | Geekom Mini IT11, i7-11390H i7-11390H, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | 536 g | 48 mm | x | ||
03/2023 | Trigkey Speed S i5-11320H, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | 415 g | 40.7 mm | x |
Case — Dense And Well-Built
The IdeaCentre may not be a ThinkCentre, but it's almost built like one. The metal sides, internal rollcage, and integrated PSU contribute to a dense mini PC especially for a consumer product. Pushing down on the center of the outer lid results in almost no warping, though a bit of creaking is audible.
The unit can be positioned vertically such as on a bookshelf without blocking any vents. A notable omission, however, is support for VESA mounting likely due to how heavy the unit is. Many consumer mini PCs like those from Beelink and even some office-centric ones can be mounted behind monitors to save on desk space.
The IdeaCentre Mini is much larger and heavier than many other mini PCs with no discrete GPUs. The Intel NUC 13 Pro, for example, is almost 3x lighter and has a much smaller footprint. Instead, the key advantage of the IdeaCentre Mini is its fully integrated PSU which trades away the annoyances of an unsightly power brick commonly found with most mini PCs and laptops in favor of a larger but more convenient chassis. We personally prefer the advantages of an integrated PSU as it means there is no proprietary power brick to accidentally lose.
Connectivity
Port options are excellent especially since the model integrates full-size DisplayPort, 2.5 Gbps RJ-45, and multiple USB-C ports for a total of three different video-out options. Note that only the rear USB-C port supports video as the front USB-C port is for data and charging only.
There is no Kensington Lock port as the IdeaCentre Mini is designed for homes and not public office spaces.
Communication
The model ships with a Realtek RTL8852BE for Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1 connectivity. It does not include Wi-Fi 6E to save on costs which is a bit of a shame as Wi-Fi 6E is most beneficial for HTPC game streaming purposes. Performance is nevertheless steady and reliable when paired to our Asus AXE11000 test router.
Networking | |
iperf3 transmit AXE11000 | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit | |
Trigkey Speed S | |
Beelink GTR7 7840HS | |
Geekom Mini IT11, i7-11390H | |
Lenovo IdeaCentre Mini 01IRH8 | |
iperf3 receive AXE11000 | |
Beelink GTR7 7840HS | |
Trigkey Speed S | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit | |
Geekom Mini IT11, i7-11390H | |
Lenovo IdeaCentre Mini 01IRH8 | |
iperf3 transmit AXE11000 6GHz | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit | |
iperf3 receive AXE11000 6GHz | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit |
Maintenance
Servicing requires a bit more work than an Intel NUC or Beelink GTR/GTI series due to the integrated PSU. To begin, users must first remove the top cover of the unit by pushing a button near the rear HDMI port. Once the top panel is off, users must then remove four Phillips screws that hold the bottom panel in place. Next, two more buttons must be pushed in order to remove the bottom cover of the chassis to expose the fan and integrated PSU.
To access the 2x SODIMM slots, 2x M.2 SSD slots and WLAN module, however, the fan and PSU must be removed as shown by the images below. This part is thankfully quite simple as the fan and PSU are secured by latches and not screws.
Thankfully, the online Lenovo manual here details the disassembly.
Accessories And Warranty
The standard retail box includes the paperwork, standardized 2-prong AC power cord, and a removable vertical stand. The usual one-year limited manufacturer warranty applies.
Performance
Testing Conditions
We set the system to its default "Lenovo Balanced" mode prior to running the benchmarks below. There is no specific Performance mode via Windows or the Lenovo Vantage software. Users should still become familiar with Vantage nonetheless as it is the hub for Lenovo-specific updates and security settings.
Processor
CPU performance is in line with the average PC in our database equipped with the same Core i7-13700H if not slightly lower by a few percentage points due to the limited Turbo Boost of the Lenovo mini PC. When running CineBench R15 xT in a loop, for example, the initial score of 2240 points would drop by 16 percent over time whereas the 14-inch Acer Predator Triton can maintain faster clock rates over time with the same processor. Even so, the IdeaCentre Mini is still faster than most other mini PCs running on older 12th gen Core-H or AMD Zen 3+ CPUs. Users would have to consider mini PCs with Zen 4 options like the Beelink GTR7 or other Core-HX options for something appreciably faster than our Lenovo.
Downgrading to the Core i5-13500H configuration is expected to entail a performance deficit of up to 10 percent based on our time with the Minisforum Venus Series NPB5.
Cinebench R15 Multi Loop
Cinebench R23: Multi Core | Single Core
Cinebench R20: CPU (Multi Core) | CPU (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 R23: Multi Core | Single Core
Cinebench R20: CPU (Multi Core) | CPU (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
* ... 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
Performance Rating | |
Beelink GTR7 7840HS | |
Lenovo IdeaCentre Mini 01IRH8 | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit | |
Intel NUC 12 Pro Kit NUC12WSBi5 | |
Trigkey Speed S | |
Geekom Mini IT11, i7-11390H |
AIDA64 / FP32 Ray-Trace | |
Beelink GTR7 7840HS | |
Lenovo IdeaCentre Mini 01IRH8 | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit | |
Trigkey Speed S | |
Geekom Mini IT11, i7-11390H | |
Intel NUC 12 Pro Kit NUC12WSBi5 |
AIDA64 / FPU Julia | |
Beelink GTR7 7840HS | |
Lenovo IdeaCentre Mini 01IRH8 | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit | |
Trigkey Speed S | |
Intel NUC 12 Pro Kit NUC12WSBi5 | |
Geekom Mini IT11, i7-11390H |
AIDA64 / CPU SHA3 | |
Beelink GTR7 7840HS | |
Lenovo IdeaCentre Mini 01IRH8 | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit | |
Intel NUC 12 Pro Kit NUC12WSBi5 | |
Trigkey Speed S | |
Geekom Mini IT11, i7-11390H |
AIDA64 / CPU Queen | |
Beelink GTR7 7840HS | |
Lenovo IdeaCentre Mini 01IRH8 | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit | |
Intel NUC 12 Pro Kit NUC12WSBi5 | |
Geekom Mini IT11, i7-11390H | |
Trigkey Speed S |
AIDA64 / FPU SinJulia | |
Beelink GTR7 7840HS | |
Lenovo IdeaCentre Mini 01IRH8 | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit | |
Intel NUC 12 Pro Kit NUC12WSBi5 | |
Trigkey Speed S | |
Geekom Mini IT11, i7-11390H |
AIDA64 / FPU Mandel | |
Beelink GTR7 7840HS | |
Lenovo IdeaCentre Mini 01IRH8 | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit | |
Trigkey Speed S | |
Geekom Mini IT11, i7-11390H | |
Intel NUC 12 Pro Kit NUC12WSBi5 |
AIDA64 / CPU AES | |
Beelink GTR7 7840HS | |
Trigkey Speed S | |
Intel NUC 12 Pro Kit NUC12WSBi5 | |
Lenovo IdeaCentre Mini 01IRH8 | |
Geekom Mini IT11, i7-11390H | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit |
AIDA64 / CPU ZLib | |
Beelink GTR7 7840HS | |
Lenovo IdeaCentre Mini 01IRH8 | |
Intel NUC 12 Pro Kit NUC12WSBi5 | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit | |
Geekom Mini IT11, i7-11390H | |
Trigkey Speed S |
AIDA64 / FP64 Ray-Trace | |
Beelink GTR7 7840HS | |
Lenovo IdeaCentre Mini 01IRH8 | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit | |
Trigkey Speed S | |
Geekom Mini IT11, i7-11390H | |
Intel NUC 12 Pro Kit NUC12WSBi5 |
AIDA64 / CPU PhotoWorxx | |
Beelink GTR7 7840HS | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit | |
Intel NUC 12 Pro Kit NUC12WSBi5 | |
Trigkey Speed S | |
Geekom Mini IT11, i7-11390H | |
Lenovo IdeaCentre Mini 01IRH8 |
System Performance
PCMark scores are higher than many other mini PCs powered by 12th gen Intel CPUs or Core-P series CPUs like the Intel NUC 13 Pro or Beelink GTi11. Mini PCs with newer AMD CPUs like the Beelink GTR7 can handily outperform our Lenovo in the Productivity and Digital Content Creation subtests due to the slower multi-thread CPU performance and graphics performance of our IdeaCentre Mini.
CrossMark: Overall | Productivity | Creativity | Responsiveness
PCMark 10 / Score | |
Intel NUC13 Raptor Canyon | |
Beelink GTR7 7840HS | |
Lenovo IdeaCentre Mini 01IRH8 | |
Average Intel Core i7-13700H, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs (5531 - 6247, n=4) | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit | |
Intel NUC 12 Pro Kit NUC12WSBi5 | |
Trigkey Speed S | |
Geekom Mini IT11, i7-11390H |
PCMark 10 / Essentials | |
Intel NUC13 Raptor Canyon | |
Lenovo IdeaCentre Mini 01IRH8 | |
Beelink GTR7 7840HS | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit | |
Average Intel Core i7-13700H, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs (9961 - 11401, n=4) | |
Intel NUC 12 Pro Kit NUC12WSBi5 | |
Trigkey Speed S | |
Geekom Mini IT11, i7-11390H |
PCMark 10 / Productivity | |
Intel NUC13 Raptor Canyon | |
Beelink GTR7 7840HS | |
Lenovo IdeaCentre Mini 01IRH8 | |
Average Intel Core i7-13700H, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs (7072 - 7691, n=4) | |
Intel NUC 12 Pro Kit NUC12WSBi5 | |
Trigkey Speed S | |
Geekom Mini IT11, i7-11390H | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit |
PCMark 10 / Digital Content Creation | |
Intel NUC13 Raptor Canyon | |
Beelink GTR7 7840HS | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit | |
Lenovo IdeaCentre Mini 01IRH8 | |
Average Intel Core i7-13700H, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs (6413 - 7727, n=4) | |
Trigkey Speed S | |
Intel NUC 12 Pro Kit NUC12WSBi5 | |
Geekom Mini IT11, i7-11390H |
CrossMark / Overall | |
Intel NUC13 Raptor Canyon | |
Lenovo IdeaCentre Mini 01IRH8 | |
Average Intel Core i7-13700H, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs (1548 - 1868, n=4) | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit | |
Beelink GTR7 7840HS | |
Geekom Mini IT11, i7-11390H | |
Trigkey Speed S |
CrossMark / Productivity | |
Intel NUC13 Raptor Canyon | |
Lenovo IdeaCentre Mini 01IRH8 | |
Average Intel Core i7-13700H, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs (1500 - 1787, n=4) | |
Beelink GTR7 7840HS | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit | |
Geekom Mini IT11, i7-11390H | |
Trigkey Speed S |
CrossMark / Creativity | |
Intel NUC13 Raptor Canyon | |
Lenovo IdeaCentre Mini 01IRH8 | |
Average Intel Core i7-13700H, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs (1620 - 2009, n=4) | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit | |
Beelink GTR7 7840HS | |
Geekom Mini IT11, i7-11390H | |
Trigkey Speed S |
CrossMark / Responsiveness | |
Intel NUC13 Raptor Canyon | |
Beelink GTR7 7840HS | |
Average Intel Core i7-13700H, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs (1456 - 1715, n=4) | |
Trigkey Speed S | |
Lenovo IdeaCentre Mini 01IRH8 | |
Geekom Mini IT11, i7-11390H | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit |
PCMark 10 Score | 6247 points | |
Help |
AIDA64 / Memory Copy | |
Beelink GTR7 7840HS | |
Average Intel Core i7-13700H (24334 - 78081, n=28) | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit | |
Intel NUC 12 Pro Kit NUC12WSBi5 | |
Geekom Mini IT11, i7-11390H | |
Trigkey Speed S | |
Lenovo IdeaCentre Mini 01IRH8 |
AIDA64 / Memory Read | |
Average Intel Core i7-13700H (23681 - 79656, n=28) | |
Beelink GTR7 7840HS | |
Intel NUC 12 Pro Kit NUC12WSBi5 | |
Geekom Mini IT11, i7-11390H | |
Trigkey Speed S | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit | |
Lenovo IdeaCentre Mini 01IRH8 |
AIDA64 / Memory Write | |
Beelink GTR7 7840HS | |
Average Intel Core i7-13700H (22986 - 99898, n=28) | |
Geekom Mini IT11, i7-11390H | |
Trigkey Speed S | |
Intel NUC 12 Pro Kit NUC12WSBi5 | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit | |
Lenovo IdeaCentre Mini 01IRH8 |
AIDA64 / Memory Latency | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit | |
Average Intel Core i7-13700H (82.4 - 136.8, n=28) | |
Intel NUC 12 Pro Kit NUC12WSBi5 | |
Beelink GTR7 7840HS | |
Lenovo IdeaCentre Mini 01IRH8 | |
Trigkey Speed S | |
Geekom Mini IT11, i7-11390H |
* ... smaller is better
DPC Latency
LatencyMon reveals DPC issues when opening multiple browser tabs of our homepage. Additionally, we're able to record 2 dropped frames during a 60-second playback of a 4K video at 60 FPS. Though 2 frames is hardly noticeable, 0 dropped frames is ideal and more common on other PCs.
DPC Latencies / LatencyMon - interrupt to process latency (max), Web, Youtube, Prime95 | |
Lenovo IdeaCentre Mini 01IRH8 | |
Trigkey Speed S | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit | |
Intel NUC 12 Pro Kit NUC12WSBi5 | |
Beelink GTR7 7840HS | |
Geekom Mini IT11, i7-11390H |
* ... smaller is better
Storage Devices
The system ships with a Samsung PM9B1 PCIe4 x4 NVMe SSD which is the budget version of the faster Samsung PM9A1 commonly found on higher-end mini PCs or gaming laptops. Maximum transfer rates are steady and sustainable at 3600 MB/s compared to 5500 MB/s on the Intel NUC 13 Pro sporting the Samsung PM9A1. The PM9B1 is nonetheless more than sufficient for consumer multimedia purposes and it balances well with the Core i7-13700H.
Up to two PCIe4 x4 2280 SSDs can be installed.
Drive Performance Rating - Percent | |
Beelink GTR7 7840HS | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit | |
Lenovo IdeaCentre Mini 01IRH8 | |
Trigkey Speed S | |
Geekom Mini IT11, i7-11390H | |
Intel NUC 12 Pro Kit NUC12WSBi5 |
* ... smaller is better
Disk Throttling: DiskSpd Read Loop, Queue Depth 8
GPU Performance
The integrated Iris Xe 96 EUs is starting to show its age when compared to the latest options from AMD. The Radeon 680M, for example, can be up to 50 to 60 percent faster and the newer Radeon 780M is even faster still. Nonetheless, performance is reliable for non-gaming applications such as 4K playback and streaming.
For gaming purposes, it's recommended to attach an eGPU or opt for another mini PC equipped with more powerful AMD Radeon 780M graphics instead like the Beelink GTR7 or Minisforum Venus Series UM790 Pro. If not, the Iris Xe 96 EUs is only powerful enough for cloud streaming or running local games on very low settings and resolutions save for undemanding ones like DOTA 2 Reborn.