MSI Vortex G25 will be one of the first mini PCs to ship with Intel Coffee Lake

We first saw the Vortex G25VR at Computex earlier this year where its specifications sheet explicitly pointed to Intel 7th gen processor options. MSI PR had told us this was a typo and that it would actually be shipping with Intel 8th gen processors by September. While we had our doubts, it appears the spokesperson wasn't joking around; The manufacturer has now confirmed that the Vortex G25 will be shipping with a hexa-core Core i8-8700 CPU aboard the new Z370 chipset. The news comes just two days after Intel lifted the curtains on the new family of desktop Coffee Lake SKUs.

According to the official press release, MSI is promising a 40 percent boost in processor performance over 7th gen Kaby Lake offerings similar to the performance benefits of ULV Kaby Lake-R over ULV Kaby Lake. Otherwise, everything else about the small 2.5 L mini PC is untouched from its initial reveal. The G25 is sleeker and thinner than the boxier Trident 3 but with updated processors and optional Thunderbolt 3. One notable difference, however, is that the GPU in the G25 is soldered whereas the Trident 3 utilizes a removable PCIe graphics card.

Just two initial SKUs (G25 8RE and G25 8RD) will be made available with slight differences in hardware as detailed by their specifications below. Starting prices are still a mystery, but expect to see both configurations on store shelves in the coming weeks.

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