This mini gaming PC is a third of the size of a PS5 — and way more powerful

There’s thing mesmerizing astir mini PCs, truthful nan infinitesimal I laid eyes connected nan AtomMan G7 Ti, I knew I had to effort it. It’s 1 of nan smallest gaming desktops I’ve tested, though it’s still packing hardware arsenic powerful arsenic nan 24-core Core i9-14900HX and an RTX 4070. And contempt nan truth that it uses mobile components and hardly takes up immoderate space, nan AtomMan G7 Ti tin spell toe-to-toe pinch nan best desktop PCs.

I was impressed pinch nan AtomMan G7 Ti arsenic I unboxed it and started testing, and I assumed that it would travel successful astatine immoderate insane value fixed its mini size. But that’s why nan AtomMan G7 Ti stands retired truthful much. Despite really fast, and really small, it is, nan PC is overmuch cheaper than nan competition.

Specs and pricing

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The AtomMan G7 Ti is genuinely built for illustration a laptop — conscionable without nan screen. Internally, you’re getting each mobile components, including Nvidia’s mobile RTX 4070 pinch its afloat powerfulness of 140 watts, and either nan 16-core Core i7-14650HX aliases 24-core Core i9-14900HX. You tin bargain nan second version preconfigured pinch 32GB of representation and a 1TB SSD, which is nan configuration I reviewed. Both models are disposable arsenic bare-bones kits arsenic well, allowing you to bring your ain representation and storage.

I emotion nan bare-bones option. It gives you ways to prevention immoderate money, and we seldom spot mini PCs focused connected gaming travel pinch a bare-bones approach. The value present is really good, too. Even afloat configured, you’ll walk $1,439 connected nan Core i9 configuration, and if you opt for nan bare-bones option, nan value drops to $1,279. The Core i7 configuration is moreover much charismatic considering it still comes pinch nan RTX 4070 — for that, you’ll walk $1,159.

Even nan cheapest configuration of nan Asus ROG NUC 970 will tally you $1,629, and that’s pinch an RTX 4060. If you want an RTX 4070 successful that machine, you’ll walk complete $2,000. A full-sized desktop astatine $1,000 for illustration nan Lenovo Legion Tower 5i comes pinch an RTX 4060, too. It’s a desktop RTX 4060, granted, but Minisforum isn’t charging a large premium for nan petite size of nan AtomMan G7 Ti.

I would urge going pinch nan bare-bones option, peculiarly nan Core i7 configuration. The PC accepts 2 modular 2280 M.2 SSDs, which are highly easy to install, arsenic good arsenic dual-channel DDR5 (only SODIMM modules). Despite nan mini shape factor, I was moreover capable to cram nan Samsung 990 Pro SSD pinch a power descend into nan machine. Check your clearance, of course, but nan AtomMan G7 Ti tin battalion rather a punch pinch nan hardware you tin battalion inside.

Surprising build value (with 1 problem)

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I’m shocked astatine really good nan AtomMan G7 Ti is built. It looks sleek, nary doubt, pinch nan gangly metallic framework mirroring thing for illustration a P layStation5 — astatine conscionable astir a 3rd of nan size, and measurement much powerful. To my surprise, nan instrumentality uses a mostly aluminum construction. The 2 metallic plates that inhabit nan sides are some sheets of metal, 1 of which is perforated pinch a particulate select for airflow, and nan different of which is coagulated extracurricular of an etched AtomMan logo.

It’s clean, and astir apt nan closest I’ve seen to a desktop that achieves a creation that could walk for a crippled console. Unlike a crippled console, however, I wouldn’t beryllium frightened if nan AtomMan G7 Ti fell over. I’m not going to propulsion it around, but it’s rather a robust small machine. You’re getting a shocking level of value considering nan price.

Outside of nan 2 metallic plates, you get a mini portion of RGB lighting connected nan front, organized into respective mini arrows successful a line. With nan bundled AtomMan Control Center software, you person a fewer options for changing nan RGB effects, from a coagulated colour to a flash of different colors to a soft gradient. You can’t spell overmuch further, but that’s fine. I near nan RGB disconnected astir of nan clip anyway, which is thankfully an option.

Jacob Roach / Digital Trends

The PC itself can’t guidelines up connected its own, truthful you’ll request to usage nan included guidelines to prop it up vertically. There’s nary horizontal option, which is decidedly a missed opportunity — though, I suppose you could conscionable plop it down connected nan broadside that isn’t utilized for airflow. The guidelines slots into 2 ample integrative bumps connected nan bottommost of nan PC, and it’s secured pinch 2 screws. You’re not going to accidently popular disconnected nan guidelines present for illustration you mightiness pinch a PS5.

Under nan stand, you’ll find 3 screws securing nan broadside sheet to nan PC. After popping retired those screws, you tin return disconnected nan broadside sheet to get astatine nan internals, but it’s secured beautiful tightly moreover without nan screws. I had to usage a integrative pry prime connected 1 extremity to get it unlatched and descent it down to return disconnected nan broadside panel.

Jacob Roach / Digital Trends

Externally, nan ports are divided among nan beforehand and back, pinch 2 USB-A ports connected nan front, on pinch nan SD paper scholar and 3.5mm headphone jack. More importantly, there’s a dedicated fastener to move betwixt nan Game and Desktop powerfulness modes. I emotion this inclusion. You tin move nan powerfulness and instrumentality mode straight from nan beforehand of nan PC without digging done nan bundled software.

Things aren’t arsenic rosy astir nan back. You only get a azygous USB-A and USB-C port, on pinch your HDMI 2.1 output and Ethernet jack. This instrumentality is genuinely built for illustration a laptop, and that intends you don’t person a ton of USB ports to play astir with.

Crazy fast

The AtomMan G7 Ti is accelerated — shockingly fast. You expect compromises pinch mobile components, and you’ll often spot a lower-class desktop GPU outperform a higher-class mobile one, but that’s not nan lawsuit here. The AtomMan G7 Ti is not only faster than its mini PC counterparts; it’s moreover faster than immoderate full-sized desktops.

Starting pinch nan CPU, thing successful this people of processor moreover comes close. The Core i9-14900HX is up successful nan AtomManc G7 Ti successful some synthetic benchmarks for illustration Cinebench and existent applications for illustration Photoshop and Premiere Pro. That shouldn’t travel arsenic a astonishment erstwhile you person 24 cores astatine your disposal, but nan important point present is that nan AtomMan G7 Ti is capable to present each of that powerfulness without thermal throttling.

The results supra are for nan Game mode, and toggling to nan Desktop mode cuts capacity rather a bit. However, moreover successful nan Game mode, you person room to spell higher. In nan AtomMan Control Center app, you person a mode that runs nan fans astatine afloat speed, which is awesome if you request to crunch immoderate dense workloads connected nan mammoth CPU.

The CPU is impressive, but nan AtomMan G7 Ti doesn’t make immoderate compromises erstwhile it comes to gaming, either. Starting pinch 3DMark, it scored nan highest consequence successful some Time Spy and nan ray tracing-based Port Royal retired of my trial suite. That’s not excessively astonishing fixed nan much powerful CPU disposable successful nan AtomMan G7 Ti.

It’s successful existent games wherever nan AtomMan G7 Ti really stands out. Even against nan watercooled Tecno Megamini G1, nan AtomMan G7 Ti is leagues ahead. Perhaps moreover much awesome is that nan AtomMan G7 Ti is capable to outpace a afloat desktop RTX 4060 successful nan Lenovo Legion Tower 5i. It’s important to retrieve that nan RTX 4070 successful this PC is simply a mobile component, and it shouldn’t beryllium arsenic acold up of nan desktop RTX 4060 arsenic it is.

No bloat

Minisforum

Windows 11 comes preinstalled connected nan AtomMan G7 Ti, but it’s a reasonably banal installation. There’s fundamentally nary bloatware here. You get nan AtomMan Control Center app, but had I not known astir nan app before, I astir apt would’ve ne'er recovered it. It’s not enabled arsenic a startup app, nor pinned to your taskbar.

With nan dedicated fastener to toggle betwixt your powerfulness modes, you ne'er person to interact pinch nan Control Center app. There are a fewer settings successful there, specified arsenic nan expertise to disable nan Windows cardinal and set nan RGB lighting connected nan front, but I ne'er recovered myself getting into nan app. Compared to a mainstream PC for illustration nan Alienware Aurora R16, nan deficiency of bloat present is very refreshing.

How I utilized nan Minisforum AtomMan G7 Ti

Jacob Roach / Digital Trends

You tin usage nan AtomMan G7 Ti arsenic a afloat PC, and it’s wholly tin of delivering that experience. Given nan shape factor, however, I thought of it much arsenic a console during my review, and it plays that domiciled very well. Credit for that goes to nan shape factor, but besides to nan dedicated fastener for toggling betwixt your instrumentality modes. If you group up nan PC right, you’ll ne'er person to spell connected nan Windows desktop if you want to usage nan AtomMac G7 Ti arsenic immoderate type of Steam Machine.

I utilized EmuDeck to motorboat consecutive into Steam Big Picture mode, on pinch a fewer tweaks to Windows to suppress inheritance processes — I wrote astir that process successful my ReSpec column recently. I’ve been utilizing this setup to play through Metaphor: Refantazio on my couch, and it’s fantastic. There’s nary problem utilizing this arsenic a full-fledged gaming PC, but nan AtomMan G7 Ti is earnestly awesome if you dainty it for illustration a supercharged console.

I emotion this PC

Jacob Roach / Digital Trends

The AtomMan G7 Ti is incredible. I wish it had much ports, and it tin get a spot large pinch nan fans astatine afloat speed, but those are nan only coagulated critiques I tin muster aft spending respective weeks pinch nan PC. It’s very small, packed pinch performance, and it comes successful overmuch cheaper than different mini gaming PCs connected nan market. The truth that you tin prevention moreover much money pinch nan bare-bones kit is conscionable nan cherry connected top.

There aren’t a ton of viable alternatives here. Of course, you person nan aforementioned Asus ROG NUC 970 if you want to walk much money, aliases you tin prime up an older mini PC for illustration nan Intel NUC 11 Extreme if you want to adhd your ain graphics card, but Minisforum has thing very compelling pinch nan AtomMan G7 Ti. It’s highly fast, amazingly small, and tin of conscionable astir immoderate crippled aliases app you tin propulsion astatine it.