Unboxing this tiny beast felt like discovering a secret weapon. The brushed metal chassis gives it a premium feel, and it’s so light I could balance it on one hand. But don’t let the size fool you—this thing’s got muscle.

First boot had me grinning like a kid. Windows 11 Pro sprang to life in under 10 seconds thanks to that NVMe SSD. I immediately threw 20 Chrome tabs, Slack, and a 4K YouTube video at it—no stutters, just smooth sailing. The dual-channel RAM really flexes when I’m editing family vacation videos in DaVinci Resolve.

Gaming? Surprisingly decent for integrated graphics. Fortnite runs at 1080p/60fps on low settings—perfect for casual sessions. But the real magic happened when I connected it to my triple monitor setup via the dual HDMI ports. Spreadsheets on the left, research on the right, and a Zoom call center stage—all without breaking a sweat.

The cooling system whispers even during marathon work sessions. I once left it rendering a 3D model overnight—woke up to a warm but not scorching chassis. Pro tip: VESA-mount it behind your monitor to save desk real estate.

Downsides? The power brick’s awkward shape fights with my surge protector, and I wish it had Thunderbolt for future eGPU upgrades. But for the price? This mini PC punches way above its weight class.