Ultra-compact mini PC with up to 64 GB DDR5 RAM and six USB ports set to arrive soon

MSI has introduced a new Intel Wildcat Lake-powered mini PC, dubbed the Cubi NUC WCG.

Based on the specs, it appears that this mini PC prioritizes compactness over anything else, featuring an enclosure that is just 0.55 liters in volume.

At its core, the Cubi NUC WCG mini PC can be equipped with Intel's Wildcat Lake CPUs. Customers can pick an Intel Core 3 304, a Core 5 315, or a Core 7 350 CPU based on their performance requirements. 

The Core 3 304 chip features a 5-core setup consisting of a single performance core and four efficiency cores. In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU should be about as powerful as an AMD Ryzen 3 5300U. Day-to-day workloads and office tasks should be easily doable on the system. 

Going up the ladder, we have the Core 5 315 chip, which features a six-core setup consisting of two performance cores and four efficiency cores. This chip should be around 24% faster than the Core 3 variant. 

Finally, the Core 7 350 chip also features a six-core setup, and it's only a few percentage points faster than the Core 5. The Core 5 and Core 7 SKUs should be better suited for slightly more intensive workloads.

The MSI Cubi mini PC features dual DDR5 SODIMMs for up to 64 GB of RAM and a single M.2 2280 NVMe slot for storage. The system offers tool-less entry for maintenance and easy upgradability. 

The I/O on offer is quite generous and has been detailed below:

• Dual USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A
• 4 USB 2.0 Type-A
• A single 20 Gbps Type-C port, Thunderbolt 4 (with DP 2.1, 15 W PD, and 98 W PD input)
• 2.5 G Ethernet, 1 G Ethernet
• Dual HDMI 2.1 (TMDS)
• 3.5 mm audio combo jack 

Pricing and availability

Details regarding pricing and availability are under wraps for now. Given the specs on offer, the mini PC can be expected to slot somewhere within the upper mid-range class. Of course, SKUs with more RAM and storage will push prices considerably.

Normal consumers who would prefer a more powerful system can check out something like the AMD-powered Minisforum X1 Lite, currently available for $780 on Amazon.