MinisForum NPB7: Powerful Intel i7 13700H PC! [Review]

The newest MinisForum Intel mini PC packs an impressive combination of power (16 cores!) and features (2x USB-4!) into a well-designed package. In this video we'll take a look at its hardware, software, and performance when it comes to PC gaming and emulation.

This was a review unit sent to me by the manufacturer. All opinions are my own, they did not see this review ahead of time, and no money was exchanged in any way.

Timestamps:
00:00 introduction
01:17 pricing and specs
02:50 unboxing and impressions
05:40 benchmarks and everyday PC use
08:30 PC game performance
12:52 emulation performance
18:02 Batocera and Linux
19:17 summary (likes and dislikes)
21:16 conclusion

Theme song written by Jim Gray of Our Ghosts:

This video is for entertainment and educational purposes only.

#minisforum #minipc #emulation

[sirant]

I do love my Minisforum PC's! This one looks exactly like my UM350, different CPU, DDR5 and the aluminum case however. To keep mine cool I have a USB powered 12" case fan sitting on top of it, venting upwards with the top cover off. Literally the perfect size! I live in South China (and have actually visited Minisforum Head Office for personal support) so my environment is super hot! Every time I see these new reviews I want to buy another one, but have the UM350 and HX90G already! Love Minisforum! Great systems!

[doolittle_]

I would never purchase a mini PC without knowing how its size compared to a stick of butter from Russ' kitchen.

[tonyrosario]

Love these reviews, and handhelds as well! Thanks for all of your work, Russ! 🍻

[WickedGamerCollector]

Ow that is one huge list of system you have tested RGC 20:50
For me I would love to focus on the cheap ones or super expensive ones.

[RyanNicol]

I’m glad you’re still reviewing mini PCs. Hopefully you can get your hands on the Ryzen 9 7940HS. I hear good things 🕹️

[deersakamoto]

3:40 it's awesome you can remove the lid like that without any screws or rubber feet!

[datriaxsondor]

Great overview of this little guy. Currently in the market for one of these myself, and appreciate the detailed overview between productivity, and gaming. Nicely done, bud. 👍

[peffken]

Thanks man! Would love to see a testing with an external GPU.

[deersakamoto]

As a fan of (near) silent PCs I'd appreciate noise test in DBA both under LOAD and IDLE

[jusjess]

That spreadsheet is 🔥🔥 man very helpful.

[Ramadas.T.D]

I am glad they gave 2 usb 4 ports. I wish they gave atleast 1 thunderbolt 4 but this is also fine.

[somedude]

thanks for the review and spreadsheet - very useful

[robert.sec]

Really appreciate the notes on video editing and media server here. I plan on getting a mini-pc in the next year, and while retro-gaming is up on the list, I really would like to use it for that stuff as well.

[darkastronaut]

It was cool to see the RTS Genre get at least a little spot on the video.

[Sammy]

Hey russ what do u do with all these review units. You can start your own arcade. Great videos. Very informative.

[MegaStupidMonkeys]

The cinebench score seems abnormally low. The 13700H at 45W should score somewhere around 15000. Some gaming laptops that use this processor with higher PL1 and PL2 can even reach over 17000. I'm not sure if this is because the integrated graphics is running and taking away some of the power budget whereas those gaming laptops have dedicated graphics and the igpu is always at idle or simply turned off when running cinebench. Or if it's because the default CPU Vcore voltage is set too high in the MinisForum's BIOS making it unable to boost very high before being power limited.

[gregwolking]

As of 3/8/2024, this particular model (NPB7 with the Intel 13700H CPU) is no longer available on the MinisForum website. The closest to it is either the

NAB6 (Intel Core i7-12650H) or the
NAB7 (Intel Core i7-12700H).

Both are available with either 512GB or 1TBSSD and can be upgraded to 64GB RAM and 4TB M.2 SSD, with internal room and connections for a single 2.5" SATA III SSD.

I have an older MinisForum U820 (Intel Core i5 8279U, upgraded to 64GB RAM + 4TB M.2 SSD + 2 x 2TB 2.5" internal SATA III SSD) that has been in continuous (and flawless) service for almost a year, so I can definitely vouch for the brand.

[KyleRuggles]

Love this box, but one gripe when you say 1080p with GOW2 it's not actually 1080p, not all ps2 games ran at the same resolutions, if you look at the details it's actually at 720p. 16:04. Maybe try hitting 1080p no matter what scale it is, maybe this would be 5x instead of 3x for 1080p for GOW2.

Really sucks with xbox emulation though. :( Wondering if you could do some video rendering/encoding tests, this may be great for editing!

Great content as always!

[nbugash]

Great review and love the spreadsheet! Just one quick comment, is it possible (in the spreadsheet) to make the headers sortable / filterable?

[maximkihara]

You should reach out to Viture and review their Viture one glasses along with the mobile dock and neckband.