Minisforum UN100L review: The mini PC for office tasks with an Intel N100 and DDR5 RAM costs less than US$200

The manufacturer Minisforum will be familiar to a lot of people for making mini PCs. The Chinese system manufacturer's current portfolio includes a wide palette of different compact PCs. The Venus Series UN100L has now presented itself as a very affordable introductory device. It is fitted with an Intel N100 and its base configuration features 8 GB DDR5 RAM and a 256-GB SSD. At the time of writing, you can find the PC online for just under US$200. Alternative configurations are also available including up to 16 GB RAM and a 512-GB SSD. The better-configured model comes in at only about US$20 more, which also shouldn't break the bank. Compared to the competition, the Minisforum device isn't much better off. We will now be taking a closer look at whether the Minisforum UN100L's performance can set itself apart from the rest. A list of all its competitors which will be joining us for this review can be found in the following overview.
Possible competitors compared
Rating | Date | Model | Weight | Price |
---|---|---|---|---|
72.8 % v7 (old) | 01 / 2024 | Minisforum Venus Series UN100L N100, UHD Graphics 24EUs (Alder Lake-N) | 365 g | 199 EUR |
77.4 % v7 (old) | 11 / 2023 | Geekom MiniAir 12 N100, UHD Graphics 24EUs (Alder Lake-N) | 453 g | 279 EUR |
74.1 % v7 (old) | 11 / 2023 | Acemagic S1 N95, UHD Graphics 24EUs (Alder Lake-N) | 440 g | 239 EUR |
73.5 % v7 (old) | 09 / 2023 | Blackview MP80 N95, UHD Graphics 24EUs (Alder Lake-N) | 214 g | 250 EUR |
71.1 % v7 (old) | 07 / 2023 | BOSGAME N95 N95, UHD Graphics 24EUs (Alder Lake-N) | 392 g | 179 EUR |
70.1 % v7 (old) | 11 / 2023 | Trigkey G4 N100, UHD Graphics 24EUs (Alder Lake-N) | 272 g | 189 EUR |
68.2 % v7 (old) | 03 / 2023 | Minipc Union NiPoGi GK3PLUS - N95 N95, UHD Graphics 24EUs (Alder Lake-N) | 381 g | 399 EUR |
Case - Lots of plastic and a bit of metal
For the most part, the Minisforum Venus Series UN100L relies on plastic. Color-wise, the manufacturer has decided on a silver case. The bottom, on the other hand, is black. In total, the mini PC looks very sleek, which isn't a problem. Because of the mini PC's compact build, it is still stable despite it being made predominantly from plastic. On the inside, the device is additionally clad in a metal cage. The Minisforum Venus Series UN100L has a footprint of 11.5 × 11.0 centimetres, making our test sample average-sized within the comparison field. Our test device isn't the flattest, with a build height of 4.6 centimetres. Only the NiPoGi GK3Plus is slightly taller.
Connectivity
The Minisforum Venus Series UN100L's connectivity options are quite good: It features lots of USB ports which can be used for external devices without immediately having to reach for a hub or docking station. Screens can be connected via DisplayPort, HDMI or USB-C. This makes the Minisforum Venus Series UN100L slightly better equipped than the other mini PCs in this comparison.
SD card reader
The internally installed SD card reader can only accommodate microSD cards. Although, you shouldn't attempt to transfer a large bulk of files, as our test revealed image transfer speeds of only 22 MB/s. We used our AV Pro SD microSD 128 GB V60 test card for this test.
SD Card Reader | |
average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs) | |
Average of class Mini PC (15.1 - 214, n=27, last 2 years) | |
Zotac ZBOX PI430AJ (AV Pro SD microSD 128 GB V60) | |
Geekom MiniAir 12 (AV Pro SD microSD 128 GB V60) | |
Zotac ZBOX PI336 pico (AV PRO MICROSD V60) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UN100L (AV Pro SD microSD 128 GB V60) | |
AC6-M Mini-PC (AV PRO MICROSD V60) | |
Newsmay AC8 N6005 (AV Pro SD microSD 128 GB V60) | |
maximum AS SSD Seq Read Test (1GB) | |
Average of class Mini PC (18.2 - 221, n=27, last 2 years) | |
Zotac ZBOX PI336 pico (AV PRO MICROSD V60) | |
Zotac ZBOX PI430AJ (AV Pro SD microSD 128 GB V60) | |
Geekom MiniAir 12 (AV Pro SD microSD 128 GB V60) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UN100L (AV Pro SD microSD 128 GB V60) | |
AC6-M Mini-PC (AV PRO MICROSD V60) | |
Newsmay AC8 N6005 (AV Pro SD microSD 128 GB V60) |
Communication
A WLAN module from Intel sits within the Minisforum Venus Series UN100L which also supports Bluetooth 5.1. The soldered-on Intel Wireless AC 9560 module works with 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz frequencies. In our test, we measured excellent rates when sending and receiving data. The competitors couldn't keep up at all. For our performance tests, we used our Asus ROG Rapture GT-AXE11000 as a test router. Thanks to its RJ45 port, the mini PC masters another form of network communication. Here, you can expect to transfer data at up to 1 GBit/s, which is slightly slower than the fast wireless connection.
Accessories
The mini PC's scope of delivery includes a 36-watt power supply, an HDMI cable as well as two replacement rubber feet. This all gets sent in an inconspicuous box. The connection cable for an optional 2.5-inch storage device is already installed into the device.
Maintenance
If you want to access the inside of the Minisforum Venus Series UN100L, then you will have to remove the bottom case part. It is connected to the rest of the case via four screws and can be taken off quite easily. We appreciate that the feet haven't been glued on. Unfortunately, you can only expand the storage device. In our case, it was super easy to install an additional 2.5-inch storage device. The SSD which is already installed can also be swapped out. On the flip side, the RAM and wireless module are soldered on.
Performance - The frugal Intel N100 with four Alder-Lake cores
The Intel Pentium N100 has four Alder-Lake computing cores, making it perfect for simple office tasks. However, Minisforum has given us the money-saving model with 8 GB RAM. As the 16-GB model only costs around US$20 more, we would recommend just going for that one to begin with. This is because it isn't possible to upgrade the RAM after purchasing.
Testing conditions
We ran all performance tests using the profile best performance. Deviating energy-saving modes were only used during our power-consumption measurements as well as noise-emission measurements. Further details on our test criteria can be found here.
Processor
The Intel N100 features four computing cores using Alter-Lake architecture and can be found in quite a few compact PCs at the moment. Minisforum has given the Intel N100 within its Venus Series UN100L a maximum power consumption of 18 watts. However, this value only relates to short-term load, limited by the PL2 value. Its PL1 value is only 7 watts which, relating to Intel's specs, is ever so slightly above the TDP specification of 6 watts. This makes it easier to classify the following results, as the comparison devices' processors are almost always given more power. This means the Minisforum Venus Series UN100L is fighting a losing battle, coming in last place. This is a shame, as in general, its cooling system has a little bit more capacity to coax slightly more performance out of the SoC.
Further processor benchmarks can be found here.
Within the system's UEFI, the Intel N100' power consumption limits (PL1 and PL2) can be adjusted manually. In order to illustrate what performance levels can be expected, we made 25 watts permanently available to the Intel N100. During the subsequent test, we only noted just above 15 watts with our system under sustained load. In addition, we ran Cinebench R15, Cinebench R20 and Cinebench R23. Here, we noted a considerable rise in performance. If you are looking to purchase the Minisforum Venus Series UN100L, then you will be able to get a lot more out of the system. With a PL1 value of 15 watts, you won't be taking any huge risks. We never had any temperature issues using the higher power target under load.
Cinebench results with higher power target (PL1 and PL2 = 25 watts)
Performance Rating - Percent | |
Trigkey G4 | |
Geekom MiniAir 12 | |
Blackview MP80 | |
BOSGAME N95 | |
Acemagic S1 | |
Minisforum Venus Series UN100L | |
Minipc Union NiPoGi GK3PLUS - N95 |
Cinebench R10 | |
Rendering Single CPUs 64Bit | |
Trigkey G4 | |
Acemagic S1 | |
Geekom MiniAir 12 | |
Blackview MP80 | |
BOSGAME N95 | |
Minisforum Venus Series UN100L | |
Minipc Union NiPoGi GK3PLUS - N95 | |
Rendering Multiple CPUs 64Bit | |
Trigkey G4 | |
Geekom MiniAir 12 | |
BOSGAME N95 | |
Acemagic S1 | |
Blackview MP80 | |
Minipc Union NiPoGi GK3PLUS - N95 | |
Minisforum Venus Series UN100L |
Blender - v2.79 BMW27 CPU | |
Minisforum Venus Series UN100L | |
Minipc Union NiPoGi GK3PLUS - N95 | |
Blackview MP80 | |
Acemagic S1 | |
BOSGAME N95 | |
Geekom MiniAir 12 | |
Trigkey G4 |
WinRAR - Result | |
Trigkey G4 | |
Acemagic S1 | |
Geekom MiniAir 12 | |
BOSGAME N95 | |
Blackview MP80 | |
Minisforum Venus Series UN100L | |
Minipc Union NiPoGi GK3PLUS - N95 |
3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance Physics | |
Trigkey G4 | |
Geekom MiniAir 12 | |
Blackview MP80 | |
BOSGAME N95 | |
Acemagic S1 | |
Minipc Union NiPoGi GK3PLUS - N95 | |
Minisforum Venus Series UN100L |
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2 - 4k Preset | |
Trigkey G4 | |
Geekom MiniAir 12 | |
Blackview MP80 | |
BOSGAME N95 | |
Acemagic S1 | |
Minipc Union NiPoGi GK3PLUS - N95 | |
Minisforum Venus Series UN100L |
R Benchmark 2.5 - Overall mean | |
Minisforum Venus Series UN100L | |
Minipc Union NiPoGi GK3PLUS - N95 | |
Acemagic S1 | |
BOSGAME N95 | |
Geekom MiniAir 12 | |
Blackview MP80 | |
Trigkey G4 |
LibreOffice - 20 Documents To PDF | |
Minisforum Venus Series UN100L | |
Acemagic S1 | |
Minipc Union NiPoGi GK3PLUS - N95 | |
BOSGAME N95 | |
Geekom MiniAir 12 | |
Blackview MP80 | |
Trigkey G4 |
WebXPRT 3 - Overall | |
Trigkey G4 | |
Blackview MP80 | |
Geekom MiniAir 12 | |
BOSGAME N95 | |
Acemagic S1 | |
Minisforum Venus Series UN100L | |
Minipc Union NiPoGi GK3PLUS - N95 |
Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total | |
Minipc Union NiPoGi GK3PLUS - N95 | |
Minisforum Venus Series UN100L | |
BOSGAME N95 | |
Acemagic S1 | |
Blackview MP80 | |
Geekom MiniAir 12 | |
Trigkey G4 |
3DMark - 1920x1080 Fire Strike Physics | |
Geekom MiniAir 12 | |
Trigkey G4 | |
Blackview MP80 | |
BOSGAME N95 | |
Minipc Union NiPoGi GK3PLUS - N95 | |
Acemagic S1 | |
Minisforum Venus Series UN100L |
* ... 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 | |
Average of class Mini PC | |
Minisforum Venus Series UN100L | |
Geekom MiniAir 12 | |
Blackview MP80 | |
Trigkey G4 | |
Acemagic S1 | |
BOSGAME N95 | |
Minipc Union NiPoGi GK3PLUS - N95 |
AIDA64 / FP32 Ray-Trace | |
Average of class Mini PC (764 - 51004, n=116, last 2 years) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UN100L | |
Trigkey G4 | |
Geekom MiniAir 12 | |
Acemagic S1 | |
Blackview MP80 | |
BOSGAME N95 | |
Minipc Union NiPoGi GK3PLUS - N95 |
AIDA64 / FPU Julia | |
Average of class Mini PC (4140 - 214250, n=116, last 2 years) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UN100L | |
Geekom MiniAir 12 | |
Trigkey G4 | |
BOSGAME N95 | |
Acemagic S1 | |
Blackview MP80 | |
Minipc Union NiPoGi GK3PLUS - N95 |
AIDA64 / CPU SHA3 | |
Average of class Mini PC (290 - 9399, n=116, last 2 years) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UN100L | |
Trigkey G4 | |
Geekom MiniAir 12 | |
BOSGAME N95 | |
Blackview MP80 | |
Acemagic S1 | |
Minipc Union NiPoGi GK3PLUS - N95 |
AIDA64 / CPU Queen | |
Average of class Mini PC (8172 - 184747, n=116, last 2 years) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UN100L | |
Geekom MiniAir 12 | |
Trigkey G4 | |
Acemagic S1 | |
Blackview MP80 | |
Minipc Union NiPoGi GK3PLUS - N95 | |
BOSGAME N95 |
AIDA64 / FPU SinJulia | |
Average of class Mini PC (408 - 29064, n=116, last 2 years) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UN100L | |
Trigkey G4 | |
Geekom MiniAir 12 | |
Minipc Union NiPoGi GK3PLUS - N95 | |
BOSGAME N95 | |
Blackview MP80 | |
Acemagic S1 |
AIDA64 / FPU Mandel | |
Average of class Mini PC (2088 - 113499, n=116, last 2 years) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UN100L | |
Trigkey G4 | |
Geekom MiniAir 12 | |
BOSGAME N95 | |
Acemagic S1 | |
Blackview MP80 | |
Minipc Union NiPoGi GK3PLUS - N95 |
AIDA64 / CPU AES | |
Average of class Mini PC (3691 - 325960, n=116, last 2 years) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UN100L | |
Geekom MiniAir 12 | |
Trigkey G4 | |
Blackview MP80 | |
Minipc Union NiPoGi GK3PLUS - N95 | |
BOSGAME N95 | |
Acemagic S1 |
AIDA64 / CPU ZLib | |
Average of class Mini PC (76.7 - 2039, n=116, last 2 years) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UN100L | |
Geekom MiniAir 12 | |
Trigkey G4 | |
Acemagic S1 | |
Blackview MP80 | |
BOSGAME N95 | |
Minipc Union NiPoGi GK3PLUS - N95 |
AIDA64 / FP64 Ray-Trace | |
Average of class Mini PC (432 - 26952, n=116, last 2 years) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UN100L | |
Trigkey G4 | |
Geekom MiniAir 12 | |
BOSGAME N95 | |
Blackview MP80 | |
Acemagic S1 | |
Minipc Union NiPoGi GK3PLUS - N95 |
AIDA64 / CPU PhotoWorxx | |
Average of class Mini PC (5296 - 51727, n=116, last 2 years) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UN100L | |
Blackview MP80 | |
Geekom MiniAir 12 | |
Trigkey G4 | |
Acemagic S1 | |
BOSGAME N95 | |
Minipc Union NiPoGi GK3PLUS - N95 |
Minisforum Venus Series UN100L vs. Cinebench R15 Multi Loop
The Cinebench R15 continuous loop acts as our first stress test, and it showed that the system only had access to considerably more performance at the beginning. Due to the set TDP limit, the Minisforum Venus Series UN100L couldn't deliver any more performance. Thanks to the Intel N100's higher power limit within the Trigkey G4, it achieved almost twice as good performance levels.
System performance
The PC's CPU benchmark performance is again reflected in its system performance results. Even in PCMark 10, the Minisforum Venus Series UN100L came last. Our test sample did a little better during Crossmark, and the Venus Series UN100L's DDR-5 RAM made itself known in the RAM tests. Compared to the Trigkey G4, the Minisforum Venus Series UN100L couldn't boast smooth performance. Here, the processor's performance limits became noticeable, at times leading to some slight latencies which could be felt.
AIDA64 / Memory Copy | |
Average of class Mini PC (8377 - 89287, n=116, last 2 years) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UN100L | |
Blackview MP80 | |
Geekom MiniAir 12 | |
Acemagic S1 | |
BOSGAME N95 | |
Trigkey G4 | |
Minipc Union NiPoGi GK3PLUS - N95 |
AIDA64 / Memory Read | |
Average of class Mini PC (8974 - 100086, n=116, last 2 years) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UN100L | |
Geekom MiniAir 12 | |
Blackview MP80 | |
Acemagic S1 | |
BOSGAME N95 | |
Trigkey G4 | |
Minipc Union NiPoGi GK3PLUS - N95 |
AIDA64 / Memory Write | |
Average of class Mini PC (8762 - 100538, n=116, last 2 years) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UN100L | |
Blackview MP80 | |
Geekom MiniAir 12 | |
Acemagic S1 | |
BOSGAME N95 | |
Trigkey G4 | |
Minipc Union NiPoGi GK3PLUS - N95 |
AIDA64 / Memory Latency | |
Minipc Union NiPoGi GK3PLUS - N95 | |
Geekom MiniAir 12 | |
Acemagic S1 | |
Blackview MP80 | |
Trigkey G4 | |
BOSGAME N95 | |
Average of class Mini PC (44.9 - 184.8, n=116, last 2 years) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UN100L |
* ... smaller is better
DPC latency
The Minisforum Venus Series UN100L unfortunately can't count low latencies as one of its strengths. However, when opening multiple tabs in Edge browse, our test sample didn't show any signs of struggling yet. Only when starting to play our 4K test video did its latencies start to rise. If you are looking to use the mini PC as a streaming client in your living room, then you'll have to make do with playing videos at 1,080p.
DPC Latencies / LatencyMon - interrupt to process latency (max), Web, Youtube, Prime95 | |
Minipc Union NiPoGi GK3PLUS - N95, Intel Processor N95 | |
Minisforum Venus Series UN100L, Intel Processor N100 | |
BOSGAME N95, Intel Processor N95 | |
Blackview MP80, Intel Processor N95 | |
Trigkey G4, Intel Processor N100 | |
Geekom MiniAir 12, Intel Processor N100 | |
Acemagic S1, Intel Processor N95 |
* ... smaller is better
Storage devices
The Minisforum Venus Series UN100L houses a 256-GB NVMe SSD. This may not be a lot but for office use, it should be sufficient. Still, it is important to note that the installed model is only connected via PCIe 3.0 x1, although it supports PCIe 3.0 x4. This results in not-quite-perfect transfer rates compared to what you would expect from an NVM with PCIe-3.0 speeds. However, this shouldn't be a noticeable issue in everyday use. The values we measured were, after all, still slightly better than what a SATA SSD would deliver. Our test device didn't pass the endurance test with flying colors. We noted a slight fluctuation in its read and write rates. However, a severe performance drop was thankfully avoided. The Minisforum Venus Series UN100L can be fitted with a second storage device. The required cable is already installed into the PC's case, so you just have to connect it to a drive.
For further comparisons and benchmarks, take a look at our comparison table.
Drive Performance Rating - Percent | |
Average of class Mini PC | |
Geekom MiniAir 12 | |
Acemagic S1 | |
Minisforum Venus Series UN100L | |
Trigkey G4 | |
BOSGAME N95 | |
Blackview MP80 | |
Minipc Union NiPoGi GK3PLUS - N95 |
* ... smaller is better
Reading continuous performance: DiskSpd Read Loop, Queue Depth 8
Graphics card
The Intel UHD Graphics within the Minisforum Venus Series UN100L is just a simple iGPU with 24 EUs. In direct comparison, our test sample actually did quite well. The fact that it makes use of DDR5 RAM is surely why it achieved better results than we were expecting. The iGPU is given 512 MB of the installed RAM to use for graphics calculations. This reduces its usable RAM to 7.5 GB. Furthermore, it should be noted that the Intel N100's iGPU can only handle single-channel RAM.
Further benchmarks surrounding the Intel UHD Graphics can be found here.
3DMark Performance Rating - Percent | |
Geekom MiniAir 12 | |
Blackview MP80 | |
Trigkey G4 | |
Minisforum Venus Series UN100L | |
BOSGAME N95 | |
Minipc Union NiPoGi GK3PLUS - N95 | |
Acemagic S1 |
3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance GPU | |
BOSGAME N95 | |
Trigkey G4 | |
Blackview MP80 | |
Geekom MiniAir 12 | |
Acemagic S1 | |
Minipc Union NiPoGi GK3PLUS - N95 | |
Minisforum Venus Series UN100L |
3DMark | |
1280x720 Cloud Gate Standard Graphics | |
Blackview MP80 | |
BOSGAME N95 | |
Geekom MiniAir 12 | |
Trigkey G4 | |
Minipc Union NiPoGi GK3PLUS - N95 | |
Minisforum Venus Series UN100L | |
Acemagic S1 | |
1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics | |
Geekom MiniAir 12 | |
Minisforum Venus Series UN100L | |
Trigkey G4 | |
Blackview MP80 | |
BOSGAME N95 | |
Acemagic S1 | |
Minipc Union NiPoGi GK3PLUS - N95 |
3DMark Performance Rating - Percent | |
Blackview MP80 | |
Geekom MiniAir 12 | |
Trigkey G4 | |
Minisforum Venus Series UN100L | |
BOSGAME N95 | |
Acemagic S1 | |
Minipc Union NiPoGi GK3PLUS - N95 |
ComputeMark v2.1 | |
1024x600 Normal, Score | |
Geekom MiniAir 12 | |
Blackview MP80 | |
Minisforum Venus Series UN100L | |
BOSGAME N95 | |
Trigkey G4 | |
Acemagic S1 | |
Minipc Union NiPoGi GK3PLUS - N95 | |
1024x600 Normal, Fluid 3DTex | |
Geekom MiniAir 12 | |
Minisforum Venus Series UN100L | |
Blackview MP80 | |
Trigkey G4 | |
BOSGAME N95 | |
Acemagic S1 | |
Minipc Union NiPoGi GK3PLUS - N95 | |
1024x600 Normal, Fluid 2DTexArr | |
Geekom MiniAir 12 | |
Minisforum Venus Series UN100L | |
Trigkey G4 | |
Blackview MP80 | |
BOSGAME N95 | |
Acemagic S1 | |
Minipc Union NiPoGi GK3PLUS - N95 | |
1024x600 Normal, Mandel Vector | |
Minipc Union NiPoGi GK3PLUS - N95 | |
Blackview MP80 | |
BOSGAME N95 | |
Acemagic S1 | |
Trigkey G4 | |
Geekom MiniAir 12 | |
Minisforum Venus Series UN100L | |
1024x600 Normal, Mandel Scalar | |
Minipc Union NiPoGi GK3PLUS - N95 | |
BOSGAME N95 | |
Blackview MP80 | |
Acemagic S1 | |
Trigkey G4 | |
Geekom MiniAir 12 | |
Minisforum Venus Series UN100L | |
1024x600 Normal, QJuliaRayTrace | |
BOSGAME N95 | |
Minipc Union NiPoGi GK3PLUS - N95 | |
Acemagic S1 | |
Blackview MP80 | |
Geekom MiniAir 12 | |
Trigkey G4 | |
Minisforum Venus Series UN100L |
3DMark 06 - 1280x1024 Standard Score AA:0x AF:0x | |
Blackview MP80 | |
Geekom MiniAir 12 | |
BOSGAME N95 | |
Acemagic S1 | |
Trigkey G4 | |
Minipc Union NiPoGi GK3PLUS - N95 | |
Minisforum Venus Series UN100L |
Unigine Valley 1.0 | |
1920x1080 Extreme HD Preset OpenGL AA:x8 | |
Blackview MP80 | |
Geekom MiniAir 12 | |
BOSGAME N95 | |
Acemagic S1 | |
Trigkey G4 | |
Minisforum Venus Series UN100L | |
Minipc Union NiPoGi GK3PLUS - N95 | |
1920x1080 Extreme HD DirectX AA:x8 | |
Blackview MP80 | |
Geekom MiniAir 12 | |
Minisforum Venus Series UN100L | |
BOSGAME N95 | |
Trigkey G4 | |
Acemagic S1 | |
Minipc Union NiPoGi GK3PLUS - N95 |
3DMark 05 Standard | 12034 points | |
3DMark 06 Standard Score | 8849 points | |
3DMark Vantage P Result | 5709 points | |
3DMark 11 Performance | 1637 points | |
3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score | 41351 points | |
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score | 6007 points | |
3DMark Fire Strike Score | 1127 points | |
3DMark Fire Strike Extreme Score | 537 points | |
3DMark Time Spy Score | 360 points | |
Help |
Gaming performance
Due to its low 3D performance, the Minisforum Venus Series UN100L isn't suited for complex games. The Intel N100's iGPU is only enough for simple casual or browser games. Devices which are fitted with AMD's Ryzen-9 processors, for example, deliver noticeably better performance. We would recommend taking a look at the Minisforum EliteMini UM780 XTX.
low | med. | high | ultra | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Dota 2 Reborn (2015) | 52 | 33.2 | 19.2 | 17.8 |
X-Plane 11.11 (2018) | 13.7 | 8.75 | 7.81 | |
Strange Brigade (2018) | 23.2 | 9.7 | 9.7 | |
Shadow of the Tomb Raider (2018) | 10.1 | 4.9 |
Emissions - Frugal and quiet but also low performance
Noise emissions
Due to the manufacturer's cautious TDP release, the cooling system within the Minisforum Venus Series UN100L doesn't have to work very hard. This could be seen in its low emission values during our noise emission measurements. As can be seen in the graphic, it isn't quite possible to run the PC silently. The fans always spin—even if they do so very quietly. At just under 27 dB(A), the device can hardly be heard on your desktop. Even under load, the PC's noise emissions only rise by a small amount and it remains comfortably quiet. In this aspect, our test sample managed to come far ahead of its competitors. Under load, all of the comparison devices run much louder.
Noise Level
Idle |
| 26.6 / 26.6 / 26.7 dB(A) |
Load |
| 27.2 / 27.3 dB(A) |
![]() | ||
30 dB silent 40 dB(A) audible 50 dB(A) loud |
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Minisforum Venus Series UN100L N100, UHD Graphics 24EUs (Alder Lake-N) | Geekom MiniAir 12 N100, UHD Graphics 24EUs (Alder Lake-N) | Acemagic S1 N95, UHD Graphics 24EUs (Alder Lake-N) | Blackview MP80 N95, UHD Graphics 24EUs (Alder Lake-N) | BOSGAME N95 N95, UHD Graphics 24EUs (Alder Lake-N) | Trigkey G4 N100, UHD Graphics 24EUs (Alder Lake-N) | Minipc Union NiPoGi GK3PLUS - N95 N95, UHD Graphics 24EUs (Alder Lake-N) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Noise | -4% | -12% | -6% | -14% | -19% | -25% | |
off / environment * | 25.5 | 24.8 3% | 25 2% | 25.2 1% | 29.7 -16% | 24.8 3% | 30.4 -19% |
Idle Minimum * | 26.6 | 24.8 7% | 25.5 4% | 25.4 5% | 30.2 -14% | 30.6 -15% | 31 -17% |
Idle Average * | 26.6 | 28.6 -8% | 26.9 -1% | 25.5 4% | 30.2 -14% | 31.3 -18% | 31.1 -17% |
Idle Maximum * | 26.7 | 28.7 -7% | 27 -1% | 25.5 4% | 30.2 -13% | 32.1 -20% | 31.8 -19% |
Load Average * | 27.2 | 29 -7% | 34.3 -26% | 32.3 -19% | 30.4 -12% | 34.8 -28% | 33.3 -22% |
Load Maximum * | 27.3 | 30.2 -11% | 40.3 -48% | 36.4 -33% | 31.4 -15% | 37.1 -36% | 42.5 -56% |
* ... smaller is better
Temperature
The Minisforum Venus Series UN100L's case doesn't get particularly warm. Moreover, we didn't record any significant temperature differences in idle mode and under load. During the stress test, the Intel N100 only reached temperatures of up to 76 °C which also shows that some leeway was wasted in terms of the PC's performance. As previously mentioned, the SoC's PL1 and PL2 limit values can be adjusted manually via the UEFI. In our test, the device's installed cooling unit was also able to cope with an increased power limit. For this test, we granted the Intel N100 a limit of 25 watts. When repeating the stress test, we noted slightly higher temperatures, although 91 °C should still be no cause for concern. In terms of power consumption, however, we only measured 16 watts, which indicates that the SoC is still limited by other parameters. To ultimately coax a little more performance out of the Intel N100, its PL1 value can easily be set to 15 watts.
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 36.9 °C / 98 F, compared to the average of 35.7 °C / 96 F, ranging from 21.6 to 69.5 °C for the class Mini PC.
(+) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 32.8 °C / 91 F, compared to the average of 36.1 °C / 97 F
(±) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 35.2 °C / 95 F, compared to the device average of 32.3 °C / 90 F.
Power consumption
The Minisforum Venus Series UN100L is definitely one of the more frugal mini PCs. At 3.8 to 9.8 watts, we measured low values in idle mode, although some of the competitors are even more frugal in this respect. Under average load, our test sample got by with just under 13 watts, although it reached around 29 watts for a short period of time. Due to its low power consumption, we also see no issues with retrospectively adapting the PL1 in order to achieve better performance.
The supplied power supply unit (12 V; 3.0 A) provides up to 36 watts and therefore still has enough room to breathe. It also has the capacity to power an additional storage device.
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Key:
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Minisforum Venus Series UN100L N100, UHD Graphics 24EUs (Alder Lake-N) | Acemagic S1 N95, UHD Graphics 24EUs (Alder Lake-N) | Blackview MP80 N95, UHD Graphics 24EUs (Alder Lake-N) | BOSGAME N95 N95, UHD Graphics 24EUs (Alder Lake-N) | Trigkey G4 N100, UHD Graphics 24EUs (Alder Lake-N) | Minipc Union NiPoGi GK3PLUS - N95 N95, UHD Graphics 24EUs (Alder Lake-N) | Geekom MiniAir 12 N100, UHD Graphics 24EUs (Alder Lake-N) | Average Intel UHD Graphics 24EUs (Alder Lake-N) | Average of class Mini PC | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Power Consumption | -76% | -20% | 5% | -53% | -25% | -29% | -37% | -188% | |
Idle Minimum * | 3.8 | 7.1 -87% | 4.9 -29% | 3.5 8% | 8.2 -116% | 6.1 -61% | 5.9 -55% | 6.23 ? -64% | 9.45 ? -149% |
Idle Average * | 4.8 | 12.1 -152% | 7.1 -48% | 3.6 25% | 8.6 -79% | 6.9 -44% | 7 -46% | 7.79 ? -62% | 11.5 ? -140% |
Idle Maximum * | 9.8 | 13.9 -42% | 7.3 26% | 6.2 37% | 10.4 -6% | 8.9 9% | 9.3 5% | 9.87 ? -1% | 14.8 ? -51% |
Load Average * | 12.9 | 23.8 -84% | 20.6 -60% | 20.4 -58% | 19.4 -50% | 20 -55% | 18.9 -47% | 19.6 ? -52% | 58.8 ? -356% |
Load Maximum * | 28.9 | 33 -14% | 26.2 9% | 25 13% | 33.1 -15% | 21.1 27% | 30 -4% | 31 ? -7% | 99.5 ? -244% |
* ... smaller is better
Power consumption with external monitor
Pros
Cons
Verdict - Weak Intel N100 ex works
Affordable mini PCs are often best suited to simple office tasks. Even so, you shouldn't just blindly rely on their technical data. The Minisforum Venus Series UN100L uses the Intel N100 which is generally a good SoC for everyday use. Due to its four cores, however, you shouldn't expect it to do too much at once. Even so, the processor didn't quite deliver the performance we expected during our test. According to Intel's specifications, however, Minisforum cannot be blamed, as this is only a processor with a TDP of 6 watts. Still, in specific scenarios, the processor is capable of delivering more performance. The prerequisites for this are good cooling and a power limit that allows for this. The latter has been severely limited by Minisforum in the PC's delivered state. As a result, our test sample often did worse than its competitors. Its fast DDR5 RAM can't compensate for this. Only when you manually adjust the Minisforum Venus Series UN100L's power limits does it start to get competitive.
The Minisforum Venus Series UN100L has the potential to be a good office PC, but Minisforum has shot itself in the foot with the computer's low PL1 value in its delivered state.
The PC's storage device also isn't optimally connected. Its M.2 interface technically only delivers PCIe-3.0-x1 speeds, which you should be aware of in advance. If you are looking to swap the existing storage device for something faster, then this won't automatically result in a lot more performance.
The device's WLAN module performance and its connectivity options are flawless, on the other hand. Furthermore, the system runs very quietly and doesn't need a lot of power. The PC can be had for just under US$200. In direct comparison, this is a little better value for money than the competitors listed in this review. However, you shouldn't forget its low RAM, as 8 GB is the bare minimum nowadays. As the RAM cannot be expanded, it might make a little more sense to just go for the 16-GB model of the Venus Series UN100L. Using the previously mentioned CPU-performance adjustments and with more RAM, this could be a good mini PC that is in no way inferior to its competitors.
Price and availability
The version of the Minisforum Venus Series UN100L with 16 GB RAM and a 512-GB SSD can currently be found on Amazon for US$199.99.
Minisforum Venus Series UN100L
- 01/23/2024 v7 (old)
Sebastian Bade
Transparency
The selection of devices to be reviewed is made by our editorial team. The test sample was given to the author by the manufacturer free of charge for the purposes of review. There was no third-party influence on this review, nor did the manufacturer receive a copy of this review before publication. There was no obligation to publish this review. We never accept compensation or payment in return for our reviews. As an independent media company, Notebookcheck is not subjected to the authority of manufacturers, retailers or publishers.
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