With the AD15, the manufacturer offers a new mini PC that wants to convince with powerful hardware – led by the Intel Core i5 12450H. The manufacturer promises a “High Performance Mini PC”. Our AceMagician AD15 review explains why this is only partly true and what the device is capable of.
Technical data
| Processor | Intel Core i5 12450H (8 cores, 12 threads, 1.5 – 4.4 GHz) |
| Graphics performance | Intel UHD Graphics |
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 185 mm x 50 mm x 150 mm |
| Weight | 753 grams |
| Storage | 512 GB SATA SSD |
| Memory | 16 GB DDR4-266 |
| Video | 2x HDMI, 1x USB-C up to 4K resolution@60Hz |
| Operating System | Windows 11 Pro |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 5, Gigabit Ethernet, Bluetooth 4.2 |
| Connectors | 4x USB 3.0 Type-A; 1x USB-C, 1x 3.5mm jack; 2x HDMI 2.0; KensingtonLock |
| Price | € 459.99 * |
AceMagician AD15 review: design and workmanship
- Striking mini-tower design
- Processing not flawless
In the test, the AceMagician AD15 is visually different from what one is usually so used to in the mini-PC sector. Instead of a square box, the device comes across much larger and is placed upright on the desk.
With dimensions of around 18.5 cm in height, 15 cm in depth and just under 5 cm in width, the AD15 is significantly larger than, for example, a Geekom Mini IT12 (our review) – although this should of course be seen relatively, especially in comparison to a desktop PC.
In terms of design, it relies on a black plastic case including a ribbed look on the sides, while a copper-colored element on the bottom of the front serves as an eye-catcher. Compared to the AceMagician AMR5 (our review), the design looks a bit simpler, while the AD15 also turns out a bit wider at the bottom and thus cannot simply be laid flat.
Visually, the mini-PC is quite attractive, but the workmanship is unfortunately not completely convincing. Although other manufacturers also rely on plastic, this model doesn’t look nearly as robust and high-quality, while the copper element on the front is somewhat carelessly manufactured.
Connections and features
- Connectors in the front and rear
- Three options for video output
- Only 1x USB-C; no card reader
In terms of ports, the AceMagician AD15 doesn’t fully live up to the high-end idea either. On the front, the mini-PC comes up with two USB 3.0 Type-A ports, a 3.5 mm jack and a USB Type-C port, the latter of which also enables image playback in 4K with 60 Hz – but contrary to the lightning symbol, this cannot charge any connected devices.
On the back, there are two more USB 3.0 Type-A ports, two HDMI 2.0 ports and one RJ45 LAN port. The 120 watt power adapter is also connected here, while KensingtonLock rounds off the selection.
The AceMagician AD15’s features
- fast CPU
- 16 GB RAM
- slow SATA SSD
The highlight of the equipment is undoubtedly the CPU in the form of the Intel Core i5 12450H, which promises a convincing performance with eight processing cores and 12 threads, 12 MB L3 cache and clock speeds of up to 4.4 GHz.
The AceMagician AD15 combines this with 16 gigabytes of DDR4-2666 RAM in dual-channel mode and 512 GB of internal memory. However, the latter is only available in the form of a SATA SSD, which naturally ensures a significantly lower speed compared to the PCIe solutions and unnecessarily slows down the system. At least: M.2 NVMe SSDs are supported and could be installed later.
This is particularly unfortunate. Furthermore, the mini-PC relies on outdated standards with Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth 4.2, which also don’t do justice to the high-performance claim. At least Windows 11 Pro is included as a pre-installed operating system.
Practical test of the AceMagician AD15
- Good system performance for everyday tasks
- effective cooling
- quiet fans
Due to the comparatively slow SATA drive, the initial setup of Windows 11 takes longer than we are used to, but goes smoothly after a few minutes. It is also unusual that no WLAN connection is established during the setup, and the Microsoft account is not set up either – both have to (or can) be done after the installation.
Once that is done, however, the mini-PC gets down to business without any problems and completes most tasks quite quickly and reliably. Once again, however, it’s noticeable that the storage solution is clearly the AD15’s bottleneck, especially when it comes to saving or moving larger files.
The given performance is absolutely sufficient for office tasks, web surfing and video consumption, but the mini PC quickly reaches its limits in games and demanding video workflows. I would therefore rather see it in the office segment and in the area of everyday use for private users, where the AceMagician AD15 really does its job well.
Another positive aspect is that the fans do an impeccable job and cool the device effectively without making the mini-PC loud. Even under full load, you can only hear the fans minimally.
Benchmark: Productivity, System, SSD and Gaming
I also took a detailed look at the performance of the AceMagician AD15 in various benchmark tests. I measured productivity and system performance with PCMark 10 and Cinebench R23. PCMark 10 simulates different workflows when running the benchmark, which include word processing, web browsing, and spreadsheets.
Cinebench, on the other hand, measures the speed of the CPU cores individually as well as in multi-core mode. I ran all benchmarks three times, as usual, and chose the middle result.
SSD benchmark: AS-SSD
As expected, the installed SATA-SSD from a no-name manufacturer slows down the system noticeably. Sequential speeds of around 355 MB/s read and 181 MB/s write and quite high access times are on record, which is not really up-to-date nowadays. This is particularly annoying because the rest of the equipment is impressive.
Cinebench R23 and PCMark 10
First and foremost is the CPU, which delivers a truly convincing performance in the Cinebench R23 test. In the multi-core test, we even achieve more than in the case of the Intel Core i7-1260P with 8,699 points, but it again has a minimal lead in the single-core test.
The influence of the slow memory is then correspondingly shown in PCMark 10. Because while the AD15 can keep up very well in the essential and productive tests, the results in the area of digital content creation – which just clearly benefit from a fast memory – clearly drop.
| Benchmark | Result |
| Cinebench R23 Multi Core | 8,699 pts |
| Cinebench R23 Single Core | 1,566 pts |
| PCMark 10 Total | 5,079 pts |
| PCMark 10 Essentials | 9,727 pts |
| PCMark 10 Productivity | 7,091 pts |
| PCMark 10 Digital Content Creation | 5,157 pts |
AceMagician AD15 review: conclusion
Thanks to a fast CPU and good RAM lineup, the AceMagician AD15 mini PC can handle most everyday tasks with ease. The selection of ports is good and Windows 11 Pro as a pre-installed operating system is pleasing.
I also found the effective cooling under load and the low noise level to be positive, even when the mini PC is busy. On the other hand, the slow SATA SSD is a bitter disappointment, while the build quality also has a few flaws.
In my opinion, the recommended retail price is too high for what is offered. You can already get much higher-quality and better-performing mini-PCs for only a little more money. The situation is different with the asking price, which actually makes the AceMagician AD15 a valid option for everyday tasks – but a memory upgrade should still be considered, which will significantly improve the system performance.
AceMagician AD15
Design & workmanship
Features
Performance: System
Performance: Gaming
Value for money
82/100
The AD15 scores with a fast CPU and 16 GB of RAM and cuts a good figure in everyday tasks. However, the slow SATA SSD and average workmanship result in a point deduction.
No replies yet
Neue Antworten laden...
Gehört zum Inventar
Beteilige dich an der Diskussion in der Basic Tutorials Community →