Recently, Xiaomi released its own mini computer product, the Xiaomi Mini Host. Initially, there were high expectations from the public for Xiaomi’s entry into the mini host market because, once upon a time, Xiaomi was synonymous with low prices. However, that has changed, as Xiaomi phones have become increasingly expensive. When the Xiaomi host was released at nearly 4,000, many were disappointed. Many netizens suggested buying the Zero刻, specifically the Zero刻 SEI12 Pro mini host, which features the same i5-1240P processor but is priced almost 700 yuan cheaper than Xiaomi’s offering, making it clear that the profit margin for this product is quite large, allowing them to play around with pricing right from the first generation of their product.
As a consumer, I definitely prefer to buy products with high cost-performance ratios. Don’t tell me about sentimental attachments; I am not a fan of any particular brand. I have been following mini hosts for a long time, and Zero刻 has always been a company focused on mini computers. Besides Intel’s NUC, there is Zero刻, which also produces AMD processor-based SER series hosts, offering a wider range of choices. The mini host I purchased is the Zero刻 SEI12 Pro with the i5-1240P processor version. Those who understand computers know that it’s from the toothpaste factory’s CPU, which is more stable for office use, making it particularly suitable as an office computer.
After all, the price is over 3,000. I spent 3,200 on it, which was quite painful, but looking at the neighboring Xiaomi mini host with the same configuration selling for 3,999 instantly made me feel that my Zero刻 was a great deal. The joy of a bargain hunter is that moment of ecstasy when you find a treasure at a low price. Alright, let’s not say more, let’s unbox it. The Zero刻 SEI12 Pro adopts a blue and white packaging style, which seems to be in line with the toothpaste factory’s aesthetic, and the blue is quite attractive. Moreover, besides the version I have, there is also an i7-1260P version available, offering more choices than the Xiaomi host.
Opening the package, I found that the SEI 12 Pro looks really good; the body is very compact, even smaller than a phone, with dimensions of 126mm × 113mm × 42mm, approximately the same size as a NUC or Mac mini—very compact. Compared to traditional desktop computers, it is no exaggeration to say that it is at least 15 times smaller. What do you think?
In addition to the Zero刻 mini computer host, the official also included two HDMI cables of different lengths and a monitor mount, allowing you to hang the host behind the monitor, transforming it into an all-in-one machine. Also, this time Zero刻 has finally made the power supply smaller; the standard power supply is very compact, about the size of our regular mobile phone fast-charging head.
Regarding design and materials, the SEI 12 Pro features an aluminum alloy metal shell, with CNC chamfered edges. Overall, it looks very high-end, with a black glossy panel on the front, metal mesh on the sides, and silicone feet at the bottom. Most of Zero刻’s series hosts have this design. However, this generation of products has a redesigned top cover with a replaceable breathable dust filter.
It is worth mentioning that this mesh also supports splash resistance, and the official includes two meshes, one in deep blue and the other in gray. Removing the mesh from the edge reveals a cooling fan. Additionally, there is a cooling fan at the bottom of the host, effectively utilizing space for proper cooling.
Besides the top cover being designed for heat dissipation, there are also metal vents on both sides of the host for cooling.
At the back of the host, there are various ports and exhaust vents. Despite its small size, the host is quite rich in connectivity, featuring a LAN port (2.5G), two USB 3.0 ports, two HDMI ports, and a power port.
On the front panel, there are two USB 3.0 ports, a Thunderbolt 4 Type-C port, and a 3.5mm audio jack, as well as a CMOS reset hole on the far left. Notably, the Thunderbolt 4 port enhances the expansion capabilities of the mini host, allowing for the connection of portable displays and external GPU docks for extended functionality.
Disassembling the device is also very simple; by unscrewing four screws on the bottom cover, you can see a cooling fan, and beside it, there is a 2.5-inch hard drive interface that allows for the addition of a 2.5-inch SSD or HDD to expand storage.
Continuing to remove the fan cover, just unscrew three screws, and you can see the motherboard of the Zero刻 SEI12 Pro. The motherboard is very neatly designed, and you can see that the memory and hard drive are from well-known brands. In terms of memory, it comes with two 8GB DDR5 InnoDisk RAM sticks, while the hard drive is a Kingston 500GB M.2 2280 NVMe SSD, which supports PCIe 4.0, allowing for the installation of hard drives with read speeds up to 7000MB/s.
It is worth mentioning that the power supply included with the Zero刻 SEI12 Pro is very compact. Previously, many users complained that the power supply was larger than the host itself. The Zero刻 team took user feedback seriously and produced a much smaller power supply, making it convenient for carrying when going out.
Next, we will plug it in, connect the power, connect the HDMI cable to the monitor, and set up the keyboard and mouse, so we can start using it.
Everyone can see the effect; connecting it to a large screen monitor and adding a wireless keyboard and mouse makes the desktop very clean. Notably, the Zero刻 officially pre-installed a genuine version of Windows 11, which is quite nice.
First, let’s take a look at the hardware detection chart from Luda Master, so everyone can see the specific configuration.
According to Luda Master’s benchmark, it scored 970,000 points, close to one million, which is a solid flagship score. Among them, the CPU score reached 486,000 points, memory 210,000 points, hard drive 190,000 points, and the graphics card score was also 78,000 points. This configuration allows for smooth operation of office software and video editing.
Let’s focus on the Intel 12th generation Core i5 chip, the i5-1240P, which is a low-power, high-performance mobile CPU recently launched by Intel, commonly used in high-end flagship laptops. It utilizes Intel’s 10nm Intel 7 process; the CPU has 4 performance cores and 8 efficiency cores, totaling 12 cores and 16 threads, with a base frequency of 1.7GHz and a turbo frequency of up to 4.4GHz. The integrated graphics is the Iris Xe Alder Lake-P 682 GT2. Compared to the previous generation processor, there has been a significant improvement in core count and performance, even approaching the performance of the previous generation i9. It can be said that this is an outstanding CPU in terms of both power consumption and performance.
According to CPU-Z benchmarks, the Intel i5-1240P processor scored 615.2 points for single-core performance and 5245.2 points for multi-core performance, which is quite high.
It is worth mentioning that the SEI 12 Pro is equipped with two 8GB DDR5 memory sticks, forming a 16GB dual-channel memory configuration, which is significantly stronger than the DDR4 memory used in the Xiaomi host. The Xiaomi host has fallen behind the Zero刻 by a generation. From the benchmarks, we can see that the memory bandwidth and data throughput have improved significantly compared to the previous generation DDR4, with read speeds of 61672MB/S and write speeds of 56602MB/S. This greatly enhances the system’s fluidity.
However, the Kingston M.2 NVMe SSD included with the Zero刻 is of medium performance; through CrystalDiskMark testing, it achieved speeds of 3762.67 MB/s for read and 2381.83 MB/s for write, which is above average. Given that it supports PCIe 4.0, there is still significant room for improvement, and upgrading to a hard drive that supports 7000MB/s read and write speeds would further enhance performance.
PCMARK10 benchmark results indicate that this data is primarily used to assess the computer’s overall office performance, with a score of 4899, which is sufficient for daily office and video editing needs.
Although the Zero刻 SEI 12 Pro mini computer is not positioned as a gaming host, we tested some mainstream games, including the visually stunning Genshin Impact and the popular LOL. We found that while playing LOL at a resolution of 1920*1080 with maximum settings, the FPS was above 100, running very smoothly.
Playing Genshin Impact at a resolution of 1080P also managed to achieve 40 frames.
Additionally, the Thunderbolt 4 port on the Zero刻 SEI12 Pro can be used to connect a portable display, and it can also connect to an external GPU dock, compensating for the insufficient performance of the integrated graphics. Connecting it to a portable screen with just one cable makes it resemble a laptop, doesn’t it? Let’s see the effect. The advantage of connecting a portable screen is that the screen also supports touch input, which is better suited for Windows 11, bringing more functionality.
The two HDMI ports at the back, along with the Thunderbolt 4 port, allow this Zero刻 mini host to support connecting up to three displays, making it particularly suitable for users who like to trade stocks or work with multiple screens.
This concludes the review of the Zero刻 SEI12 Pro. Overall, the i5-1240P processor from Intel’s 12th generation is indeed powerful. Although it shares the same CPU as the Xiaomi host, the Zero刻 is equipped with the latest DDR5 memory, which is significantly stronger than the DDR4 memory in the Xiaomi host. Despite this, in terms of price, the Zero刻 is priced at 3300, much cheaper than the Xiaomi host at 3999, making it a highly cost-effective option. I believe the overall performance of the Zero刻 SEI12 Pro is outstanding and very suitable for daily office work, entertainment, and video editing. The mini host is smaller and quieter than a traditional desktop, and it occupies less space on the desk, greatly saving desktop space. Of course, compared to a laptop, it lacks portability, but it has superior cooling performance. If you are looking to replace your traditional desktop for office use, then this mini computer from Zero刻 is very suitable for you.
Last time I suggested that Zero刻 make a small power supply, and they have indeed followed up on that request, producing a very compact and convenient power supply, which deserves praise. This time, I would like to suggest some improvements: the Zero刻 SEI12 Pro could include a built-in camera for online classes and video chats. If possible, I hope it can also have a built-in battery to prevent data loss during sudden power outages. I hope the official can see my small suggestions.