When it comes to mini PC hosts, I believe that everyone in front of the screen is no stranger to it, and it can be said that it is currently a relatively popular type of product. Let’s get straight to the point, I won’t talk too much nonsense, this article will bring you a review experience of a mini PC host launched by the domestic brand “Zero刻” called SEi12 (with i7-12650H processor version).

After a simple personal experience, I believe that Zero刻 SEi12 is more oriented towards office scenarios, so if you are looking to purchase a mini PC host primarily for office needs, perhaps this article can provide some reference and help. At the same time, those who are familiar with mini PC hosts should be familiar with the brand “Zero刻,” which is currently a leading and “old-established” brand in the mini PC host market.

How is the performance of Zero刻 SEi12?

Compared to the appearance design, the performance of Zero刻 SEi12 may be what everyone cares about more, so I will first talk about this aspect. Zero刻 SEi12 is equipped with the Intel Core 12th generation i7-12650H processor; Intel UHD integrated graphics (64EUs); the currently sold versions of memory and hard disk are: barebone, 16GB/500GB, and 16GB/1TB, with corresponding prices of 1985/2395/2595. The barebone version means it does not come with memory or hard disk, which you need to install yourself, and the installation method is also very simple, I will elaborate on this later.

I am currently using this Zero刻 SEi12 with 32GB of memory, and I used a benchmarking tool to test the hardware, commonly known as “running scores,” and the final score was 871940. For a mini PC host, such a score should be considered “high performance,” right?

Hard disk read/write speed test.

In addition to performance, the design of the cooling system is also very important for a mini PC host. The cooling design of Zero刻 SEi12 consists of a top CPU silent cooling fan, a bottom system fan, heat pipes, and cooling fins. I used the Stress FPU feature in AIDA64’s system stability test to conduct a high-load operation test lasting about 49 minutes, and the CPU core temperature of Zero刻 SEi12 only reached a maximum of 71℃, while the hard disk temperature was also very low, with a maximum of only 49℃.

Moreover, the cooling fan of Zero刻 SEi12 is very quiet and can easily be covered by ambient noise, such as: keyboard typing, mouse operation, TV sound in the living room, etc. I also conducted a simple test by placing a smartphone with noise testing functionality near Zero刻 SEi12.

The left side of the image shows the decibel level before the high-load operation test, while the right side shows the decibel level during the test. It is not difficult to see that even under high-load operation, the fan noise of Zero刻 SEi12 does not become very loud, which can be considered “silent operation.”

What experiences can Zero刻 SEi12 bring?

In the past years, the mini PC hosts I experienced basically did not provide much experience, just writing documents and browsing the internet. But today’s mini PC hosts are different; for example, Zero刻 SEi12 can meet various usage needs, such as: office design, simple video editing, etc.

I conducted a simple test using Zero刻 SEi12 to create a video of about 1 minute with a video editing software. During the creation process, both the material loading and previewing were quite smooth. At the same time, exporting at 4K resolution, recommended bitrate, 60fps took about 1 minute and 25 seconds, which I felt was relatively fast.

Thanks to its good video decoding capability, testing playback of 4K video, Zero刻 SEi12 can play it smoothly without any pressure. Therefore, if you use Zero刻 SEi12 as a high-definition media player, it can be said to be a good use.

Combining the above content, we can see that Zero刻 SEi12 can provide experiences in both office and audio-visual aspects. So how is the gaming experience? I first tested Dungeon & Fighter, a game that has been mentioned multiple times in mini PC host articles I have written. At a resolution of 1920*1080, playing in “single-player mode,” the frame rate performance was quite good, basically around a hundred, which can be said to have no pressure.

Next is League of Legends, at a resolution of 1920*1080, with image quality set to “max,” the frame rate of Zero刻 SEi12 was also quite good, around 140.

In the final stage, during a multi-player team battle in front of the enemy’s crystal, the frame rate performance was also around 100. So, it can be said that Zero刻 SEi12 has no pressure when playing League of Legends, and this is still at a resolution of 1920*1080, so I feel that it should also perform well at higher resolutions.

I also tested playing Destiny with Zero刻 SEi12 at a resolution of 1920*1080, with graphics settings set to medium-low. Mainly fighting monsters in the wild, the frame rate was around 30. Lowering the graphics settings or resolution would improve the frame rate.

The performance of this game, compared to the above two games, shows a bit of pressure. Therefore, the gaming performance of Zero刻 SEi12 can vary; some games perform well, while others may show some pressure. If you mainly want to use Zero刻 SEi12 for gaming or want to play AAA games, I do not recommend it. However, it can still handle playing some games during leisure time.

Details of the design of Zero刻 SEi12

Finally, let’s take a look at the design of Zero刻 SEi12. The top cover of Zero刻 SEi12 is designed with breathable and waterproof fabric, which I personally find quite interesting. However, this design is not exclusive to Zero刻 SEi12; it has also been seen in other Zero刻 models, so it can be considered a “heritage” design, which also enhances the recognition of Zero刻 mini PC hosts.

The close-up of the top cover of Zero刻 SEi12 shows good workmanship. Additionally, since the Zero刻 SEi12 I am currently using is the overseas version, the brand logo on the top of the machine is different from the domestic version, while the design in other aspects is basically the same.

Zero刻 SEi12 is available in two color designs: deep blue and millennium gray, and the one shown in this article is the former. I currently do not have the millennium gray version of Zero刻 SEi12, so I compared it with another millennial gray model from Zero刻. I wonder which color you prefer?

Once the top cover is opened, you can see the previously mentioned top CPU silent cooling fan.

The side detail shot of Zero刻 SEi12 shows a large area of hollow metal mesh design, which ensures the cooling effect of the whole machine.

In terms of interface design, the front of Zero刻 SEi12 has two USB3.2 Gen2 (10Gbps) interfaces, one Type-C interface that supports data transfer, and one 3.5mm audio interface.

The remaining interfaces are located on the back of the unit, with a total of one LAN interface (1000M), two USB2.0 interfaces, and one each of DP1.4 (4K 144Hz) and HDMI 2.0 (4K 60Hz) interfaces. Excluding the power interface, Zero刻 SEi12 has a total of nine interfaces, which I feel is quite rich.

After removing the bottom cover of Zero刻 SEi12, you can see the system fan and the 2.5 inch HDD hard drive bay, with the system fan used for cooling components such as memory and hard disk.

Close-up of the system fan.

If you purchase the barebone version or replace the memory and hard disk, you will need to remove the system fan, which is a very simple process involving just unscrewing screws, making it easy for “novice users” to handle.

“The power supply is larger than the host” is also a common user opinion I have seen. Some mini PC hosts I have experienced do indeed have this situation. However, I personally feel that the power supply of Zero刻 SEi12 is quite small, and through the above pictures, I believe you can feel it too.

As for how big Zero刻 SEi12 is and whether it is mini enough, I compared it with a 6.78 inch phone. To put it more accurately, it is about the size of an adult’s palm. Whether it is mini enough is subjective; I personally feel that the size of Zero刻 SEi12 meets the definition of mini.

Finally, a few more words

That’s all for the content about Zero刻 SEi12. Overall, Zero刻 SEi12 can not only meet daily office needs but also satisfy audio-visual playback and light gaming. The overall experience is quite good. However, I personally still mainly recommend it for office use, and the cooling fan of Zero刻 SEi12 is very quiet and will not disturb your work. At the same time, there are many highlight designs in Zero刻 SEi12 that can enhance the overall experience, such as: rich interface design, no need to connect any additional hubs; dual cooling fan design that allows for excellent cooling performance.

However, one downside of Zero刻 SEi12 is that the Type-C interface it comes with does not support video transmission.