Quality and power level of the Mini PC models is skyrocketing these days and it’s actually quite easy to find a very powerful and compact pieces out there. One of the best will be for the days to come the new CHUWI GT Box, which is an upgraded version of the crowdfunded CHUWI HiGame model. The GT Box have just arrived at the Gearbest e-shop with a very tempting price tag so let’s have a look at this new compact mini PC beast.
CHUWI GT Box is quite a small one hiding in a stylish metal case weighing just 1,3kg. Inside we can find quad-core Intel Core i3-5005U processor, Intel HD Graphics 5500 GPU, 8 GB DDR3 RAM, 256 GB SSD disk, 2.5-inch expansion space for another SATA HDD with maximum size of 2 TB, low noise cooling fan, dual band ac Wi-Fi, gigabit Ethernet port, 4 x USB ports (2 of them USB 3.0), 2 x HDMI ports and Bluetooth 4.0 chip too. All you need for a small powerful PC station or HTPC for 4K decoding.
And the price is really good too, because the CHUWI GT Box landed in the Gearbest e-shop for just $299.99, which is pretty good all things considered. You are getting a full fledged mini PC with solid hardware base for various planned task. So check it out if you are craving to get yourself a new mini PC for a very competitive price.
As far as Mini-PC goes, this device isn’t a bad choice at all. The price point is reasonable and the I/Os are adequate for the job. Sadly the issues with Intel’s shortage of processor means that we get a 5th Gen Core i3 in this PC but with the low power consumption and decent performance it will be great for light workloads and productivity task. By no means a gaming system but minecraft should work fine.. lol
Chuwi as a company seems to have grown over the recent months, releasing successful products on Indigogo and now having a direct launch on Gearbest. This system fits with their pattern of creating mid-range computers that are within budget and can serve for decent day to day work. And yes I do believe the shortage of Intel Chips is what lead to the decision of the processor but regardless, its a worthy buy
Even with the issues intel is having with providing chipsets i still think it is a good idea for Chuwi to have gone with an older processor. Depending on your workload there is no need to shell out thousand of dollars on a Mid-tier device. Both the form factor and specs are tuned towards the productivity side of computer, not gaming or graphic intensive jobs, and there are not many that give such a performance and value at the same time.
I saw a few mini PC’s on amazon but the majority of them were running an Intel Celeron Process or a Cherry tail variant and prices around $200 USD but that price and performance just sucks. They are very under powered and not good for much in my opinion. So when I say this and did some quick math, I find that both the value and performance makes sense. To get a better CPU would mean paying upwards of $500 usd so this is really the sweet spot for me.
I agree most PC’s on amazon just look like TV boxes and I think that the intent but i you go the other route to NUC computers you will quickly find that the price starts to go up fast. So this is a very good balance of what we have come to think as a Mini-Pc and an NUC computer. Hopefully Chuwi will make more of these with more customization components. In an era where everyone is building High-end over-pried devices, its nice to see something the rest of us can afford.
Is RAM expandable to 16GB?
8GB these days can be easily maxed out, even just for surfacing and regular work.