T-Bao Mini PC MN58U: 30 second review

The T-bao MN58U Gaming Mini PC impresses with its compact size and ease of setup, making it a great choice for anyone looking at their first gaming PC and one that's highly portable. Equipped with an AMD Ryzen 7 5800U processor and AMD Radeon Graphics 8, it delivers moderate gaming performance, handling most games smoothly at a 1440p resolution. The 32GB DDR4 RAM ensures smooth multitasking and is more than enough for day-to-day use.

In benchmark tests, the MN58U showed promising results in 3DMark Wild Life, Fire Strike, and Time Spy, indicating its capability to handle graphics-intensive tasks and gaming. However, it fell short in some benchmarks compared to more powerful gaming PCs.

Despite not being a high-end gaming rig, the T-bao MN58U shines as one of the best mini PCs for excellent day-to-day use. Its compact design, and versatile interface configuration allow easy connections to various peripherals and displays, catering to everyday computing needs. The pre-installed Windows 11 Home operating system provides a familiar user experience, while the 1TB M.2 NVME SSD offers quick data transfers and fast software boot speeds.

While it performs well in gaming and regular tasks, power users may find it lacking in handling more demanding applications, such as high-resolution video editing, above 1080p, or 3D rendering. The cooling system, though efficient, can get a bit noisy under heavy loads, impacting the overall user experience.

In summary, the T-bao MN58U Gaming Mini PC lives up to its promise of being a compact and capable mini gaming PC. It's moderate gaming performance and day-to-day efficiency make it suitable for casual gamers and general users. For those seeking a space-saving desktop setup that can handle light to moderate gaming and regular tasks, the MN58U is a solid choice. However, higher-end gaming PCs would be more suitable for hardcore gamers or professionals requiring heavy computing power.

Price and Availablity

The T-bao MN58U Gaming Mini PC offers an attractive price point, currently available at £327.46. Considering the powerful AMD Ryzen 7 5800U processor, AMD Radeon Graphics 8, and generous 32GB DDR4 RAM, this mini PC presents an attractive package at an affordable price.

However, it's essential to note that the listed price only covers the mini PC itself. Users must invest in additional peripherals such as a monitor, keyboard, and mouse to utilise the system fully. 

• Score: 4/5

Design

The T-bao MN58U Gaming Mini PC boasts a compact, space-saving design, measuring just 13.3 x 13.3 x 5cm. This small form factor allows for easy placement on any desk, making it ideal for users with limited space or those who like a clutter-free setup. 

For storage, the T-bao MN58U offers a 1TB M.2 NVMe SSD as standard, and there are a few different options available when you order; alongside this, there's enough space inside to fit in a larger 2.5-inch HDD.

When it comes to connectivity options, there is a good selection of USB and network ports covering the front and back of the machine.

The CPU and GPU power, combined with the fast network connections, including WiFi 6 and 2.5Gbps Ethernet support, ensure smooth and reliable performance for gaming, content creation, and everyday tasks. The Mini PC also supports wired and wireless keyboards and mice, adding flexibility and convenience for user input.

On portability, you can power the small machine through USB Type-C PD 100W with the power supply and adapter that comes with the machine. The actual quality of the build is middle of the road, with an aesthetically pleasing design and mid-quality plastic and finish. While it's solid enough, a little more care will be needed with it than some of the more hardy gaming machines, such as the Intel Nuc series. 

• Design: 3/5

Features

The T-bao MN58U Gaming Mini PC boasts impressive specifications for its small size with an AMD Ryzen 7 5800U processor, 8 cores, and a clock speed of up to 4.4GHz. This is paired with the AMD Radeon Graphics 8 to handle the gaming and other graphic tasks.

Inside is a decent amount of memory with 32GB of DDR4 RAM, storage is well balanced with 1TB M.2 NVMe SSD, with quoted speeds of up to 8GB/s for sequential reads, and then there's the option to add that 2.5-inch HDD if you want. 

Connectivity options are well catered for with two rear USB 2.0 ports, one HDMI port, one DP port, one LAN port, and one 2.5G LAN port. The front houses two USB 3.0 ports, one USB Type-C port, and a 3.5mm audio jack, enabling simple connection to various peripherals and displays.

When it comes to networking, there's WiFi 6 and 2.5Gbps Ethernet support; the T-bao MN58U is well suited to a fast and reliable network connection ready for online gaming and content streaming. The Mini PC also supports wired and wireless keyboards and mice, providing additional convenience.

The T-bao MN58U's compact size of 13.3 x 13.3 x 5cm makes it a great space-saving option, but equally, it's easy to stash away in a bag if you want to take it with you. 

• Features: 4/5

Performance

The T-bao MN58U Gaming Mini PC is mixed when it comes to performance, offering decent enough processing power, graphics capabilities, and storage speeds. Through various computing tasks and benchmark tests, it proved to be a versatile machine for day-to-day use, and as long as you lower the graphics of your games to 1440p, the gameplay is mostly smooth.

In 3DMark Wild Life, the T-bao MN58U achieved an impressive graphics score of 6856, indicating that most games will run smoothly at 1440p resolution. Similarly, in Fire Strike, the graphics score reached 3526, showcasing its gaming potential at a higher resolution. While running Time Spy, the graphics score of 1138 highlighted the mini PC's capacity to handle demanding graphics-intensive tasks easily.

Ultimately, this breaks down to is that with most games, as long as you can reduce the resolution to 1440p and occasionally reduce some atmospheric effects, you can happily play most games on the system. I played CREW 2, Portal 2, Assassin's Creed Valhalla, and Red Dead Redemption II through this test.

The CPU performance, tested in Cinebench R23, delivered promising results with a multi-core score of 4016 and a single-core score of 1321. The GeekBench 5 test further confirmed its efficiency, achieving a multi-core score of 7146 and a single-core score of 1867.

Storage performance proved fast, as shown in the CrystalDiskMark benchmark, with a read speed of 1857.81MB/s and a write speed of 691MB/s, ensuring quick data access and snappy software boot times.

In the real-world test and putting both the CPU and storage to the test, I edited the machine's 1080p and 4K video. The 1080p shot in Log3 from a Canon R5 C was edited without issue; a few small glitches on Premiere Pro, but otherwise a smooth experience. Editing 4K was equally easy until the application of effects, and then the system slowed down, and a proxy workflow would be better suited. However, the small machine could get through short edits of up to five minutes without too much issue. 

The PCMark 10 test, with a score of 5741, showcased the T-bao MN58U's proficiency in office-related tasks, demonstrating its suitability for productivity-focused workloads.

I tried Word and Excel, and they worked without issue; this small machine has enough power to rip through all your admin needs.

The final test for the small T-bao MN58U's performance was the Windows Experience Index, receiving a decent score of 8.1.

Should you buy a T-bao MN58U Gaming Mini PC

Ultimately, the decision to invest depends on your priorities. If you want a decent all-rounder cheaply, then the T-bao MN58U is an excellent choice. While the overall design and connectivity are good, the build quality and materials could be improved, so if you need a machine you can transport, this might not be the best option. However, this small machine excels when it comes to affordability, day-to-day tasks, and a machine that will enable you to play games, edit videos, and get on with a bit of work. 

Value: Considering the AMD CPU and Graphics this machine is exceptional value. 4 / 5
Design: Aesthetically great, but the quality of the build, materials and noise from the fans lets it down 3 / 5
Features: Plenty of connectivity options and the ability to add an HDD give you the ability to customise 4 / 5
Performance: The small box struggles with games over 1440p and 4K video, but other tasks are fast 3 / 5
Total: Considering the price and what you can do with the small machine it's impress, if only the build quality was better 4 / 5

Why you should buy

Don't buy it if

Lenovo's ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 is another candidate for best business laptop. The primary mode of entry for a business laptop is the keyboard. Lenovo regularly has above-average and great keyboards on their devices, especially in their newer ThinkPad line-up.

The X1 Carbon Gen 11 has a tremendous matte deep black finish that looks super sharp in person. It also has an excellent port layout, a lay-flat screen, and some helpful security features.

Unboxing and First Impressions

This laptop looks like a business laptop. And I mean that in the best way. There are no gimmicks, no flashy little things to make it stand out, nothing like that. Instead, it looks like the laptop you can grab when you need to get work done. The keys give a satisfying amount of feedback, letting me know that I am typing in a way, rather than me not knowing with tactile feedback if I am pressing the keys hard enough. It sounds strange to write out, but if you use a keyboard that gives enough feedback, you know it.

Moving on, while this looks like a business laptop, it also has the Lenovo classic looks. It has the Lenovo staple touchpad with the three buttons above, and there's the pointing device in the center of the keyboard between the "G," "H," and "B" keys.

The ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 also has incredible privacy and security features. Some of these include a fingerprint scanner built into the power button, a privacy cover over the webcam, and some integrated software that can tell if someone is looking over your shoulder and will alert you if someone does. 

So, whether you are working on writing a review of a laptop, typing out a legal document, or working on sensitive documents for your business, the ThinkPad X1 protects you from people getting in and snooping.

Design and Build Quality

As I mentioned, the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 looks like a business laptop. The overall design is simple and clean, and the matte finish keeps things looking sharp and quality. 

Personally, I love the matte finish style and wish I had more gear in matte black. The port offering is great for business use, and the ports are spread across the device well. There are no ports on the back, which I am not upset about. The left side has two Thunderbolt 4 ports, a USB-A port, and an HDMI port. The right side has another USB-A port and a headphone jack.

In addition to having great ports, this laptop can lay its screen back flat 180 degrees. While I have never needed to drop the screen back like this, knowing that if I ever need to angle it reasonably far, I won't hit a limit as I do with some laptops.

This laptop is also perfectly designed for those who do a lot of virtual meetings. The built-in camera is surprisingly good, and with the camera shutter, you can be sure only to have it on when intended. The mic and speakers are solid, too, good enough for virtual meetings in a quiet room, like an office or home, but if you're in a louder area, you'll still want a headset or headphones.

The screen on my model is a 2.5K IPS display. Yes, 2.5K is not the best of displays, but it's plenty for average business tasks or users. Unless I were using, say, the best graphic design software, I would hardly notice that it's only 2.5K.

In Use

Upon my initial assessment, I was concerned that the price of this laptop may be too steep. However, it is priced quite reasonably after utilizing it for some time. This laptop has exceeded my expectations in terms of its performance for tasks such as writing, emailing, basic photo editing, streaming music, utilizing Slack, and managing numerous tabs on Chrome. Furthermore, it has seamlessly supported two external displays and has been connected to a dock easily.

This laptop would be perfect for business executives, journalists, bloggers, freelancers, coders, and business travelers. The above-average battery life also helps with this, as many workers in those fields could spend hours or days away from a dedicated setup, making good battery life reasonably necessary.

Final Verdict

After spending a few weeks with this laptop, the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 is great for busy professionals who need a high-performing, reliable laptop with no gimmicks. This laptop works well and is a staple in the business world for a reason.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 8 is another in ThinkPad line-up that consistently ranks as some of the best business laptops on the market. The keyboard is second to none, the touchpad is terrific, the ports are precisely what you'd need, and the build quality is stupendous.

There is a reason that ThinkPad is ranking so well these days. It's because there are no frills or fancy features that the ThinkPad is trying to be ground-breaking on. Instead, they build quality machines focused on reliability. 

Unboxing and First Impressions

It's hard to miss the beautiful Storm Grey finish of the ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 8. This aluminum-encased laptop is quite sharp looking in person, so much so, dare I say it, I prefer the Storm Grey to the typical Jet Black. 

The moment I finished signing in to let updates begin to download, I found myself twisting and flipping the computer around. The Yoga flexibility is fantastic on this computer, as I expected it would be. Even if you aren't going to use this computer as a tablet in your every day, 

it's freeing to know that if you want to change things up in a meeting or a pinch and want to handwrite some things, draw a diagram, use any of the best PDF editors, flip through a digital book, you can do so without needing to grab another device. And not only can this device fulfill those wants, but it can also do so easily and quite successfully.

Another thing that stood out to me right away while looking at this laptop is that there is a built-in stylus that charges when not in use on the right side of the keyboard, housed in its own dedicated space.

Just by the time I finished installing the essential Windows updates and signing into my profile, I was impressed with this laptop. Lenovo did not skimp in any area. No corners were cut.

Design and Build Quality

The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga 8 has a very high emphasis on quality. The Aluminum casing is without blemish, repels fingerprints, and is relatively scratch resistant. The overall design of the ThinkPad Yoga series has stayed the same for quite some time, and that's not a bad thing by any means. It's staying the same because it's that good. 

The form factor is fantastic for productivity and business uses alike. The keyboard is remarkably comfortable, and the touchpad is highly responsive and easy to use. The keyboard is so pleasing that I have found myself reaching for this laptop to write reviews like this ever since I unboxed it. I can easily knock out a few thousand words without any fatigue or feeling like I need to get up from the keyboard. There is something about the ThinkPad keyboards that give me enough feedback to let me know that I pressed a key without making it overly taxing.

The ports are another area that can make or break the overall experience of a laptop. Much like the Charcoal (non-yoga) counterpart, Lenovo has given the ThinkPad line of laptops a great port offering and has spaced it well. On the left, from front to back, there is an HDMI port, a USB-A port, and then two USB-C Thunderbolt 4 ports. A headphone jack and another USB-A port are on the right, from front to back.

Regarding connectivity, the ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 8 has Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.1 and can even have 5G built-in.

In Use

I've had the opportunity to test several of Lenovo's ThinkPad Laptops over the years, and without fail, every time, I walk away from my time testing impressed with the laptop. There aren't any fancy bells and whistles; there aren't any flagship or flashy add-ons or abilities that bring attention due to its luster. 

Instead, Lenovo continues to create one thing very well with this laptop. They make the perfect Windows business laptop. That said, it still may not be for everyone, but it could be, and easily. The 16:10 golden ratio screen has been an absolute joy to use. It feels like this screen is enormous, and when I move back to even larger laptops at 16:9, they feel smaller. That extra point of vertical screen real estate means I can fit much more content vertically, allowing for much more productivity.

One last area I should talk about is the security of this laptop. This laptop has several screen resolution options, all intending to fit different types of work. As a journalist, I do not need a 5K perfectly color-accurate screen to render 3D images. What I do need, though, is a quality screen that can display text and reference materials very well, and that's what I got with my model screen. This laptop does that. It works great, looks great, and performs wonderfully.

Final Verdict

All in all, it's safe to say that yet again, Lenovo has absolutely crushed it with their newest ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 8. The user experience is fantsatic, the power is impressive and the looks are stunning. If you are looking for a new business laptop, are a writer looking for a new computer or if you are in need of a great, no-frills device, then check out the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 8.