Deal | Retro-themed mini PC with 8-core AMD Ryzen 7 APU and 16 GB RAM wins $110 discount

There is no doubt that there are plenty of gamers who prefer retro-themed consoles and other gaming hardware. For such people, Acemagic introduced the Retro X3 mini PC a while ago, featuring decent specs and, of course, a retro-themed external design 

Courtesy of an ongoing sale on Amazon, the Retro X3 mini PC with a powerful Ryzen 7 APU, 16 GB of RAM, and a terabyte of storage is now available for just around $529. The offer is valid for both Prime and non-Prime members, and no coupon codes are necessary.

We have reviewed the Acemagic Retro X3 mini PC in detail, and found no major room for complaints, at least in terms of daily performance.

Acemagic X3 mini PC: Zen 4-powered mini PC with retro looks

The AMD Ryzen 7 H 255 APU features an 8-core setup based on the Zen 4 architecture, promising decent performance that is roughly in the same league as an Intel Core Ultra 9 185H. This is to be expected, considering that the Ryzen 7 H 255 is essentially a rebadged version of the Ryzen 7 8745H APU found in many mid-range mini PCs.

The Radeon 780M iGPU is no slouch either, although it has started showing its age. The iGPU features a total of 12 CUs based on the RDNA 3 architecture and a boost clock of around 3 GHz.

According to our synthetic benchmark results, the iGPU should be about as powerful as the iGPU found in the Apple M1 and is around 11% slower than the 8-core Arc iGPU found in the aforementioned Core Ultra 9 185H chip.

In simpler terms, some lightweight and casual gaming should be perfectly doable on the system. We managed to squeeze roughly 39 FPS out of Cyberpunk 2077 at 1080p with the low preset and FSR turned off, as indicated by our review. 

With frame generation turned on, the Acemagic X3 mini PC should be able to offer a pretty playable experience in most moderately intensive titles.

Of course, folks can always go the eGPU route, courtesy of its USB4 connectivity. That said, gamers who prefer OCuLink-based eGPU setups will be disappointed to note that the X3 mini PC does not feature an OCuLink port. The rest of the I/O on offer has been detailed below:

• Dual USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, four USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A
• USB4 (with DP 1.4, 100-watt input, 15-watt output)
• HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 2.0
• 3.5 mm audio
• 2.5G Ethernet

Our review also reveals that the mini PC boasts respectable sustained performance, with it barely losing any points in our Cinebench R15 loop test and Cyberpunk 2077 stress test. However, this brings us to a notable downside of the Acemagic Retro X3. 

The mini PC gets rather loud under load, which might be quite annoying for some people. That said, when not under load, the X3 mini PC remains well within tolerable limits.

Folks who prefer upgradable RAM will be disappointed to note that the X3 mini PC does not feature upgradable RAM, although it does feature upgradable storage courtesy of its M.2 slot. The Wi-Fi and Bluetooth card is also swappable.

At its current price on Amazon, the Acemagic Retro X3 mini PC offers a commendable value package for retro enthusiasts, especially when considering the current pricing insanity surrounding DRAM and NAND chips. As always, potential customers are requested to check out our in-depth review of the mini PC before pulling the trigger. 

Disclaimer: Notebookcheck is not responsible for price changes carried out by retailers. The discounted price or deal mentioned in this item was available at the time of writing and may be subject to time restrictions and/or limited unit availability.