ACEPC AK1 Mini PC

I am totally amazed by this mini PC.In our master bedroom, we have an old Windows 7 computer that we must have bought over five years ago. We don’t use it much, maybe just a few hours a week to play music or movies since we also have it hooked up to our bedroom TV. It’s not a large sized tower, but it still does take up some space on our desk. It’s not just that it takes up much needed space, it is also slow as a dog with an older traditional hard drive (that is probably on its last legs) and an older AMD processor. So when we try watching 1080P videos, there is the occasional frame drop and 2K and 4K videos playback at almost like a slideshow.

So we figured that we would get this AK1 mini PC from ACEPC. There are also slots on the back of the AK1 to mount it on the VESA slots on the back of our monitor, which saves even more space. So visible on our desk is just the monitor, keyboard, mouse, and speakers. This model has 32GB of on-board storage but also has a separate attachment at the bottom for an additional 2.5 inch drive. If you aren’t using it, you can detach the bottom piece by sliding two tabs to the unlock position which then frees the expansion slot. It connects to the main unit with a USB type-C connector so I believe that it is mainly used just for additional storage and if you wanted to boot Windows directly from an external SSD, it would take a bit of configuration.

The stock OS on this is Windows 10. The first thing I do with any Windows installation is I go into the Services menu and disable anything that I really don’t need. A quick internet search will tell you which ones to turn off and if you upgrade to latest Windows Creator’s update, be prepared to turn off even more services like Game mode which can really hinder performance. After running through the initial configuration, installing all of the Windows Updates and putting Office on the machine, I was left with just about 10GB of free space. So while it is enough for day to day tasks like web browsing and checking email, you’ll probably either want to add an SSD or micro SD for additional storage space for music, movies, pictures, etc.

Performance wise, the AK1 is probably best suited for light video watching or day to day web browsing and e-mails. Some less graphic intensive browser or emulator games work great but I tried loading a couple of older Steam games on here and I was only able to get 30-40fps with most of the settings turned down. So while it is playable, the main purpose of the AK1 isn’t supposed to be a power house gaming machine but more of an almost portable machine capable of normal web browsing and computer usage. Web browsing is just as quick as using my main Intel i7 desktop, although sites that have a lot of active content like embedded video take slightly longer to fully load.

All in all, this Mini PC is well designed, has low power consumption, and HIGHLY recommend.

Suggestion

No

Sep 22,2017

Intention was to watch Netflix in 5.1 DD+. My old home cinema system doesn't support DD+, but Windows10 transcodes any sound system into surround LPCM which my system plays as DD. Netflix native app works great in 5.1 DD+.
The device out of the box needs couple of hours for update Windows10. After this, internal disc fills up leaving only 1GB free space. It is strongly recommended to run system disc cleaner and remove old system copy. Furthermore there is another windows10 update which cannot be finished due to lack of free disk space. Windows will ask for an external memory to finish. Plugging in an USB memory stick will resolve the issue. Again after this, old system copy removal is necessary. Only a half disk space is available after two system updates. When all is set and ready it is possible to change system language to any you want. Internal cooling fan is noisy and noticeable, but usually is in off state when a video is played. Bottom docking station for 2.5 sata disc is a waste. Mechanical disc is too noisy for theoretically noiseless device. SSD is limited by USB-C adapter. But inside there is mSATA port for optional disk memory extension. Be careful with installing 2.5 disc in dock. Closure got double foam tape applied. Remove it or you make some damage. In device manager there is mysterious PCI device without a driver and it is not PWM fan controller as forum users suggest. However without this strange device working all seems functional. Micro SD cart reader is only USB 2.0 version which makes it useless for anything. Generally, good computer for playing movies.

Dec 29,2018

Cercavo un pc poco ingombrante e con delle ottime prestazioni da multimedialità.
Questo mini pc mi ha sorpreso nella sua velocità di caricamento e nella navigazione sul web, attualmente lo uso come dispositivo principale per quanto riguarda tutta la parte multimediale e la navigazione sul web e invio di e-mail.
Ho scelto questo mini pc perché monta il processore Intel Celeron J3455, più performante rispetto al Celeron N3450 montato sulla maggior parte di altri mini PC di questa fascia di prezzo. ma soprattutto per la possibilità di poter espandere la memoria di archiviazione attraverso un HDD o SSD da 2,5 pollici con montaggio nel BOX compreso nella confezione.
Nel ambito dei videogame fa girare egregiamente tutte le varie app che mette a disposizione lo store di windows (Asphalt 8, Modern Combat 5 ecc...).
Il device si presenta maniacale nel dettaglio dato da ottimi materiali di costruzione e fornito di cavo d'alimentazione europeo, cavo HDMI e staff vesa per monitor/tv.

Suggestion

Mi dispiace per la memoria di archiviazione che e di 32GB che può essere aumentata facilmente con una microsd o un HDD o SSD da 2,5"

May 25,2018

EN:
I bought this MiniPC to use it as a HomeServer, it's much more powerful than I thought, it's processor achieved 25GFlops using QwikMark benchmark.
It's working 24/7 since the day I took it out of the box.
It's very quiet, on idle it stay ~50ºC, on heavy tasks it can reach 85ºC.
It came with Windows 10 x64 1607 and I updated two times without any problem.

PT-BR:
Eu comprei esse MiniPC para usar como Servidor caseiro, é muito mais poderoso que imaginei, o processador atingiu 25GFlops usando QwikMark benchmark.
Ele está funcionando 24/7 desde que eu o tirei da caixa.
Ele é bem silencioso, ocioso mantém ~50ºC, em tarefas intensas ele pode atingir 85ºC.
Ele foi recebido com o Windows 10 x64 1607, já atualizei duas vezes sem nenhum problema.

Suggestion

EN:
There's only one thing that disappointed me, the holes in the back don't allow to install it with the cables facing down using the VESA support that came with it.
The SATA bay could improve the grip mechanism system, after installing I could rise a little bit on of the sides. By the way I had to disassemble the SATA bay to make new holes that allowed me to install it using the VESA support with the cables facing down, so I also could align the clips that hold the SATA bay, at the end I could improve the way it's fixed.

PT-BR:Há apenas uma coisa que me desapontou, os furos traseiros não permitem a instalação com cabos virados para baixo usando o suporte VESA fornecido.
A baia SATA poderia aprimorar o mecanismo de trava, após instalado eu conseguia levantar um dos lados. De qualquer maneira tive que desmontar a baia SATA para fazer novos furos de fixação que me permitiram instalar usando o suporte VESA com os fios voltados para baixo, assim eu também consegui alinhar os clips que seguram a baia SATA, no fim foi possível melhorar a maneira como é fixada.

May 10,2018

Wir haben den PC dieses Wochenende in Betrieb genommen und direkt angefangen anderes Betriebssystem aufzusetzen, Nach einigen Schwierigkeiten in das Bios vorzudringen konnten wir die Bootsequenz ändern und haben diese so eingestellt, das die eMMC nicht mehr genutzt wird. Vorher wurde eine SanDisk SSD Plus mit 480GB ( nach Formatierung auf ext4 447GB) eingebaut, da SSD auch über kopf betrieben werden können. Des weiteren haben wir eine microSD Speicherkarte mit 128 GB eingesetzt.

Haben dann zuerst ein älteres Suse Linux installiert und die Bootsequenz - den GRUB Bootloader - auf Windows C platziert.

werden wohl auf längere Sicht die eMMC entweder Platt machen - was ganz gut mit dem Paragon Festplattenmanager geht. Oder diese durch eine andere ersetzen.

Da Linux OS alle nötigen Treiber mitliefern ist das alles kein Problem.

Alles in allem sehr guter PC der flüssig arbeitet.

Feb 03,2019