Have you noticed that computer prices are getting cheaper, while peripheral prices are getting higher? While browsing my phone, I saw that the new Zero刻 EQ14 mini host with the 12th generation N150 processor is only over 600 for a barebone system, which is really a bargain! It’s even less than the price of a mechanical keyboard. This processor is sufficient for learning, office work, NAS, or soft routing; it’s genuinely appealing.
Most people’s computer usage scenarios are just for document processing, simple video editing, and printing. Therefore, the demands for computer configurations are not very high. There’s really no need to blindly pursue so-called high configurations. Once you get it, you’ll find that the performance is completely surplus and has no practical use. Thus, choosing a computer should always be about what suits you best.
Why do I recommend the Zero刻 brand? First of all, this brand mainly focuses on the niche field of mini hosts and has gained considerable fame both domestically and internationally over the years. Especially in recent years, mini PCs have become increasingly popular, rapidly gathering a lot of attention with their slogan of “30-day trial.” I’ve used a few of their machines, and honestly, whether it’s product quality, price, or service, they are top-notch.
Now, why are more and more bloggers recommending mini hosts? The main reason is the continuous improvement of processor and integrated graphics capabilities. Even small devices can adequately meet most usage scenarios. Moreover, with a size comparable to a palm, it’s very convenient for mobility, portability, or mounting on the back of a monitor. The most crucial point is that compared to laptops with screens, mini hosts offer better cost performance.
The design of the Zero刻 EQ14 mini host is simple yet stylish, compact in size at 126mm×126mm×39mm, which is roughly the size of an adult’s palm, making it easy to place in various spaces. Its shell is made of integrated plastic material, featuring a laser-etched three-dimensional grid texture, and the triangular area in the lower right corner is embedded with a mirror-like logo of the Zero刻 EQ series, making it overall simple yet visually appealing.
In terms of hardware, the Zero刻 EQ14 is equipped with Intel’s latest Twin Lake N150 processor, which features a 4-core and 4-thread design with a maximum frequency of 3.6GHz, a maximum turbo power of 25W, and a thermal design power of only 6W. Compared to the previous generation N100 processor, the N150 has a slight performance boost while maintaining low power consumption, making it very suitable for efficient light office needs.
I chose to get the complete machine, pre-installed with single-channel 16GB DDR4 3200MHz memory and 500GB storage, supporting dual M.2 PCIe 3.0 slots (PCIe3.0x1 + PCIe3.0x4), with a maximum expansion of 4TB, and comes standard with Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2. Users can flexibly expand storage space as needed. If you have your own hard drive and memory and can install the system yourself, you can also choose the barebone version.
In terms of interfaces, there is one USB2.0 data interface on the front, along with a 3.5mm audio jack and a CMOS reset pin.
At the back, it is equipped with multiple USB and network interfaces, including 2 HDMI ports (supporting up to 4K 60Hz), 2 gigabit Ethernet ports, and 3 USB 3.2 10Gbps ports. This interface configuration greatly meets users’ needs for connecting various peripherals, whether it’s a mouse, keyboard, USB flash drive, or dual monitors and other multimedia output devices, all can be seamlessly connected.
Looking at the bottom of the machine, you can see a large area of hollow honeycomb holes, which is the only air intake for the entire machine. You only need to remove the screws from the four corners to open the bottom for upgrades, cleaning, and other operations. This is also a typical design of the Zero刻 MSC2.0 cooling system this year. How much of a difference can it make? We will have a dedicated testing section below.
In terms of heat dissipation, every area inside the mini host is reasonably utilized, making the structure tighter, especially with the inclusion of an integrated power module, hard drive cooling armor, and independent small boards, which shows that the materials used are very honest. Having handled so many mini host products, the design of Zero刻 is indeed unique.
The independent power module has eliminated the previous external power adapter; it only requires one AC cable for power supply. For users who often need to use it in two locations, this actually reduces costs; you only need to prepare an extra 8-shaped cable. This design also has the benefit of making the desktop cleaner.
The SSD cooling design can effectively cover two SSD slots, using a thermal medium in between to keep the hard drive temperature lower, making it more suitable for stable long-term operation.
The MSC 2.0 thermal management system features a bottom air intake design, equipped with a silent fan, heat dissipation fins, and heat pipes. Through reasonable airflow and large heat dissipation holes, it ensures low noise characteristics even under high loads.
As for hardware configuration, this EQ14 features the Intel N150 processor, designed with a 4-core and 4-thread 7nm process, with a maximum turbo frequency of 3.6GHz. This CPU excels in terms of power consumption ratio, with a maximum power release of 25W, and in actual use, it maintains around 19W under full load, making light office work its main usage scenario. Its low power consumption also makes it very suitable for 24-hour operation, such as NAS and soft routing.
Three power consumption modes are available and can be changed in the BIOS. In energy-saving mode (Max Battery), the host’s power consumption is at its lowest, though performance and fan noise are slightly reduced. In the benchmark test, the score can be seen at 309468.
In Turbo Performance mode, performance is fully unleashed, and the benchmark score reaches 338041, showing that the score increase mainly comes from the processor performance release. This score can handle daily tasks such as spreadsheets, documents, and even images and videos without any issue.
Supports dual M2 2280 specification SSDs, expandable up to 4TB, and is also compatible with SATA3 solid-state drives, with read and write speeds of 533MB/S and 522MB/S, respectively.
Using CINEBENCH R20 and R23, the EQ14 scored 981 in R20 and 2815pts in multi-core and 924pts in single-core in R23.
In the Night Raid benchmark, the score was 4564, predicting an 80+ fps frame rate for Apex Legends at 1080P.
In the Steel Nomad Light benchmark, the score was 243, predicting 85+ fps for Apex Legends at 1080P.
In the Time Spy benchmark, the score was 369, consistent with the previous two tests.
In processor-specific tests, scores were achieved.
In the Night Raid stress test, 99.9% passed under 20 cycles, indicating that in terms of CPU availability, disk, memory, network bandwidth, load, and concurrent coupling, the overall performance is still very strong.
After understanding the overall configuration and performance of the machine, let’s test the heat dissipation and noise, which also concerns our future usage experience. Using AIDA64 FPU and FurMark for high-intensity stress testing on the EQ14, with an indoor temperature of 23°C, the core temperature peaked at 68°C, and the hard drive at 42°C.
Using an infrared thermometer, the heat outlet at the back of the machine was observed to be around 53.7°C, with the memory peaking at 62°C.
In terms of noise, during the stress test, the fan speed peaked at 2163RPM, and at a distance of 30cm from the machine, the noise was only 32.6dBA, making it very quiet; you can barely hear any sound unless you listen closely.
In daily use, aside from large games, this mini host can easily handle applications like Photoshop and video editing. Even editing, slicing, importing, and exporting high-definition video materials is easy, not to mention spreadsheets, documents, web pages, or videos; there are no issues at all.
Additionally, the EQ14 has integrated Intel Unison, which is incredibly useful. It connects seamlessly with both phones and computers, regardless of brand, within a local network. You can directly access albums and messages even when your phone is locked, making it nearly perfect, except for the lack of direct control over the phone from the computer.
Low power consumption is the biggest advantage of this mini host, and by modifying the state after to s0 in the BIOS, it can be remotely awakened for remote work. It can also be used for media centers, NAS, soft routing, etc., significantly expanding its usage scenarios.
Of course, after all this, some may still think that when it comes to computers, there are only the traditional large hosts and laptops as options, and may have psychological resistance to mini hosts due to traditional views. This is understandable. However, mini hosts like Zero刻’s GT, SE, and EQ product series are indeed very powerful now. Whether you are a gaming enthusiast or someone who works or studies, these product lines can meet various needs. Plus, the exclusive MSN2.0 cooling system completely alleviates concerns about heat dissipation and noise. Therefore, I want to say that choosing a mini host that is compact, functional, and affordably priced is also a great option, especially for small and medium-sized enterprise managers.
For personal users, a computer that takes up no desktop space and meets most usage scenarios for just a few hundred bucks is genuinely appealing! After all, it’s just the price of a mechanical keyboard to own a personal computer, along with excellent quietness, heat dissipation experience, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, and a 30-day free trial; it’s truly a bargain.