*The author purchased the verification device.
“GMKtec NucBox G3” (hereinafter referred to as “NucBox G3”) is a mini PC equipped with Intel N100 manufactured by the Chinese manufacturer “GMKtec”. At the time of writing, the price is around 18,000 to 19,000 yen (when using coupons). Although the performance is low, it can be used normally for Internet research, email, and small document creation.
NucBox G3 *A separate keyboard, mouse, and external display are required for use.
Price at time of article writing
Model price: N100 / 8GB / 256GB around 19,000 yen
*As of November 18, 2023
The key point is that it has particularly low power consumption among mini PCs equipped with the same CPU. It is suitable for use when the power is left on, such as for servers or for storing media such as photos and music. Another point is that you can replace the memory yourself.
point
✅ Particularly low power consumption ✅ Memory expansion supported ✅ M.2 SATA SSD expansion possible ✅ Type-C not supported ✅ Wired LAN is 2.5Gb x 1
In this article, I will review the appearance, functions, and actual performance of the main unit using the actual device I purchased.
spec
Release October 2023OS Windows 11 ProCPUIntel Processor N100 (4 cores 4 threads) Graphics UHD Graphics (CPU built-in) Memory DDR4-3200 8GB x 1 *Slot x 1 (no space) Storage 256GB PCIe 3.0 SSD *M.2 Type- 2280 interface USB3.2 Gen1 x 4, HDMI (4K@60Hz) x 2, 3.5mm stereo jack, wired LAN (2.5Gb) expansion slot M.2 Type-2242 SATA slot No drive bay Communication Wi-Fi 6 + BT 5.2 + Wired LAN (2.5Gbps) x 1 Size / Weight * Actual measurements Width 114mm, Depth 106mm, Height 42mm / 360g Accessories Power adapter, HDMI cable x 1, installation mounter, etc. No office
Windows license
The Windows 11 Pro license was an OEM version (OEM_DM channel) that was available for personal use. Some Chinese mini PCs use volume licenses that cannot be used by individuals, but there is no problem with this model.
Genuine OEM license used
About the certification mark
Technical compliance marks and PSE marks are also properly posted. This is a model for which formal procedures have been carried out.
Technical compliance mark with number on the bottom
The Wi-Fi card is “CDW-C9852BE-00” by Cdtech (China Dragon Technology) and the chip is Realtek RTL8852BE.
The PSE mark indicates that the power adapter complies with the standards of the Electrical Appliance and Material Safety Law.
Body design
package
NucBox G3 packaging
This is for people who think they have no choice but to deal with this kind of treatment.
Package contents
The included power adapter is a 36W round type. Weight is 168g
Included HDMI cable
mounting bracket.After attaching the metal fittings to the back of the VESA mount compatible display, hook the screws attached to the bottom to install it.
During initial setup, you may not be able to enter “@” from the keyboard and may not be able to sign in with your Microsoft account. In that case, first try pressing the number “2” (the one that is not on the numeric keypad) while holding down the Shift key. If the problem still occurs, enter “test” as the account name and “test” as the password, then intentionally create an error and create a local account. Once you are able to use Windows 11, go to “Settings” → “Time and language” → “Language and region” → “Japanese (language options)” → “Keyboard” → “Change layout” to switch to a Japanese keyboard. Let’s set it up
exterior
GMKtec NucBox G3 appearance. This time I used the rush green model. The top plate looks like a carbon pattern, but the body is entirely made of resin (plastic).Some fingerprint marks remain
titanium gray model
The size is 114mm wide and 106mm deep.It’s slightly oblong, but it looks almost square.
Size comparison with Pixel 8 Pro
Size comparison between A4 notebook (pink) and B5 notebook (blue)
Height is 42mm
It’s numerically thick, but it doesn’t feel thick.
Same size as a typical mini PC *Comparison target is Beelink S12 Pro
Thickness comparison with a typical mini PC
The nominal weight is 360g, but the actual weight was 262g.
Interface configuration
Power button and USB3.2 Gen1 x 2 on the front
On the back are HDMI x 2, USB3.2 Gen1 x 2, 2.5Gb compatible wired LAN, headphone terminal, and power connector. It is a pity that it does not support USB Type-C.
There are no terminals on the side
bottom surface
Regarding memory/SSD expansion
How to disassemble the main unit
Remove the cover from the gap at the top using a card that is not too hard.No need to remove screws
The top cover is very easy to remove/install.Even if you disassemble it further, there is (basically) nothing to mess with.
How to increase memory
DDR4-3200 8GB x 1 is installed in the memory slot
Expansion is completed by removing the memory and replacing it with another memory.
The maximum memory capacity according to the official specifications of the CPU is 16GB, but the NucBox G3 recognized up to 32GB (this is just a confirmation of recognition and does not guarantee normal operation)
Storage expansion/replacement
M.2 SSD
System drive is M.2 NVMe SSD
The verification machine used was MasonSemi’s MC3100T. Compatible with PCIe 3.0 x4, nominal access speed is W: 3500MB/s, R: 2800MB/s
However, since the access speed has dropped to about half on the actual machine, it seems to be running on PCIe 3.0 x2.Still, it’s fast for a cheap PC that costs around 20,000 yen.
In addition to M.2 2280, M.2 2242 slots are also available.This is for SATA connection
2.5 inch storage
*NucBox G3 does not support 2.5-inch storage expansion.
Benchmark results
Trial machine specs
CPUIntel Processor N100 (4 cores/4 threads) Memory 8GB DDR4-3200 Storage 256GB PCIe 3.0 SSD Graphics UHD Graphics (CPU built-in)
*Various benchmark tests were conducted with Windows 11’s power plan set to “Balanced”.By the way, changing the power plan to “High Performance” makes almost no difference.
*Benchmark results may vary greatly depending on factors such as parts configuration, timing, environment, and individual differences.
CPU performance
As for the CPU, the Alder Lake-N generation Intel processor N100 is used for notebook PCs. It is a CPU that operates with 4 cores and 4 threads, and the standard TDP (estimated power consumption) is 6W. However, it operates at around 6W only during light work, around 1W during standby, and around 10 to 12W during high load.
When we performed a CPU benchmark test on a verification machine, the results were lower than other companies’ products equipped with the same CPU. However, this is because the power consumption is lower than other models (see below).
Performance difference between cheap mini PCs
*PassMark average isPassMark CPU BenchmarksAggregated values by , other values measured by this site
If you compare it with the CPU used in low-priced mini PCs, you can see that the performance is relatively low.
Comparison of CPU performance for mini PCs
CPUPassMark CPU Mark ScoreCore i5-13500H
24011
Ryzen 7 5800H
21256
Ryzen 7 6800U
20598
Ryzen 7 5800U
18670
Ryzen 5 PRO 5650GE
18517
Core i5-12450H
17812
Ryzen 5 5600H
17119
Ryzen 5 5600U
15462
Intel N305
10050
Verification machine (N100)
6107
Intel N100
5630
*Other scoresPassMark CPU BenchmarksAggregated value by
Single-threaded performance, which affects light tasks, is even lower. The average value measured by this site is around 2000, but the score is about 12 to 13% lower than that. In reality, it can be used normally for light work, but I feel that the response is slightly slower than other N100-equipped machines.
Comparison of CPU performance for mini PCs (single thread)
CPUPassMark CPU Mark Single ThreadedCore i5-13500H
3538
Core i5-12450H
3473
Ryzen 7 6800U
3208
Ryzen 5 PRO 5650GE
3180
Ryzen 7 5800H
3060
Ryzen 7 5800U
3048
Ryzen 5 5600H
2964
Ryzen 5 5600U
2916
Intel N305
2252
Intel N100
1971
Verification machine (N100)
1776
*Other scoresPassMark CPU BenchmarksAggregated value by
graphics performance
For processing related to graphics, the built-in graphics function of the CPU is used. The results of the 3D benchmark test that measures graphics performance are quite low, and are among the lowest by current standards. However, if you don’t play games or edit videos, you won’t have any problems. As for the games, you can play them without any problems at the solitaire level.
Built-in graphics performance difference (DirectX 12)
GPU3DMark Time Spy Graphics score GTX 1650
3445
Radeon(RDNA 3)
2862
Radeon 680M(RDNA 2)
2211
Iris Xe(Core i7+LPDDR)
1528
Iris Xe(Core i5+LPDDR)
1302
Radeon (Vega)
1204
Iris Xe(Core i7+DDR)
1149
Iris Xe(Core i5+DDR)
977
UHD(Core i3)
900
Verification machine
323
*Other scores are averages measured on this site.
Comfort when working with a PC
PCMark10 is a benchmark test that measures the comfort of working with a PC. Since it is intended for common tasks, the tests are relatively light. As for the trends in each test, “Essentials” (general use) is the CPU’s single-core performance, “Productivity” (business use) is the CPU’s multi-core performance, and “Digital Contents Creation” (content creation) is the CPU, storage, and GPU performance. It seems to have a strong influence.
Although tests for general use (web browsing and video conferencing) far exceeded the target values, tests for business use (spreadsheets and word processing) and content production (photo processing, 3D production, and video editing) fell below the target values. I am. Other N100-equipped machines often clear the target values in business use tests, but this point is a bit disappointing. It is intended for very light work.
PCMark 10 benchmark results
Test score Essentials
(general use)
Target value: 4100
Verification machine 7119
LarkBox7142
UN3057957
NucBox10603
IdeaCentre10299
M75q10256
Productivity
(Business use)
Target value: 4500
Verifier 4259
LarkBox4879
UN3055300
NucBox9709
IdeaCentre7128
M75q9930
Digital Contents Creation
(Content production)
Target value: 3450
Verifier 2406
LarkBox2515
UN3053962
NucBox6044
IdeaCentre6586
M75q5707
*Score target value isPCMark 10 official websitedue to
Comparison machine specs (mini PC)
About CPU heat generation
*The room temperature at the time of measurement was 20 degrees.Results may vary if room temperature changes
When we measured the CPU temperature under high load, the maximum temperature was 77 degrees and the average temperature was low at 73.7 degrees. The maximum power consumption is 12.1W, and the average is 9.99W, which is much lower than other N100 equipped machines (around 18 to 20W).
Changes in CPU temperature and CPU power consumption during a 10 minute multi-core test of CINEBENCH R23
When I checked the UEFI (BIOS settings), the CPU power consumption limit was set to 10W. So when I changed the limit to 15W, the power consumption rose to an average of 11.1W. The average temperature also rose slightly to 74.3 degrees.
In UEFI “Power” → “Power Limit Select”, the CPU power consumption limit was set to 10W.
Changes in CPU temperature and CPU power consumption during a 10-minute multi-core test on CINEBENCH R23 after changing the power consumption limit to 15W
At 15W limit, CPU benchmark scores increased. But the difference is small. If it’s not a drastic change, it would be better to take advantage of the power saving performance.
Performance differences due to differences in CPU limits
CPUPassMark CPU Mark Score 15W limit
6131
At 10W limit
6107
*Scores are measured values from this site.
About drive sound
Driving noise (fan rotation noise and wind noise from the exhaust port) is not often heard during actual work. However, during high-load processing, a slightly low rotational sound could be clearly heard.
Drive sound measurement results
36.5dB when the power is off – around 36.9dB when the power is on, almost silent. Unlike other models, the fan does not spin wildly when the power is turned on or when Windows Updates.During standby, the fan spins at around 36.6dB.If you hold your ear close to it, you can hear the fan spinning, but it is almost silent. However, sometimes I hear a “smooth” sound at around 40.3dB under high load.Although the sound itself is not that loud, I can clearly hear a low motor-like sound. Although it is a concern in quiet places, it may be alleviated somewhat depending on the installation location and installation method (Reference) Around 48 to 58 dB at the maximum output of the air conditioner –
For people who want to take advantage of power saving performance
Performance is low among Intel N100-equipped mini PCs. There were times when I felt that the operation was a little slow compared to other models. However, it is not dramatically different and can be used without any problems.
The key points are that it is “highly energy efficient” and “memory can be expanded.” The reason for the low performance is that it consumes less power than other models. If you want to keep it running all the time like a server, it would be better to have high power saving performance. The ability to recognize up to 32GB of memory is also advantageous for certain uses (16GB is sufficient for general use). It is not a Windows PC for office work, but is suitable for people who want to change the OS or install various software and play around with it.
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