ASUS Mini PC PN51-E1 – Review

Husky
Husky

ASUS Mini PN51-E1 featuring the latest AMD Ryzen7 Mobile 5700U processors and support for high-speed 3200 MHz DDR4 memory, Mini PC PN51-E1 is ready to take on demanding workloads, yet its diminutive size takes up minimal space on a desk and makes it suited for applications where traditional PCs won’t fit, such as for  home theater. Intel AX200 Wi-Fi 6 160Mhz (802.11ax) networking ensures stable, high-speed data transfers, even in crowded networking environments, and a USB-C port with  supports Power Delivery [PD] data transfer, power and DisplayPort functionality over a single cable. Mini PC PN51-E1 also supports Microsoft Cortana via dual-array front microphones for convenient voice control and features an infrared (IR) sensor, letting you control applications via remote control.

The package includes: vesa mount, wireless keyboard, wireless mouse, power adaptor and three batteries.

The power adaptor support up to 90watts.

At the front of the unit there are a number of features/ports which will be handy for quick access. On this side we have the following:

1x  Power Button
1 x Dual Microphone
1x USB 3.2 Gen 2
1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C Support display output & Power Delivery [PD]
1 x Combo Mic/ Headphone Audio jack
1 x  IR sensor
1x 3-in-1:Micro SD/Micro SDXC/Micro SDHC

Ventilation at both side of the casing.

Around the back of the unit we once again have more ports but this time we get a greater quantity – which should really maximise the potential functionality of this Mini PC. In this area we have:

1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C Support display up to 8K resolution at 60Hz
2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1
1 x HDMI “unknown version
1 x Realtek 8111EP 2.5Gbe RJ45 LAN
1 x DC-in
1 x Displayport 1.4 Support up to 8K resolution at 30Hz

Bottom of the casing for you to install vesa mounting and add-in addition hardware.

To upgrade or add-in extra hardware and you need to unscrew.

You can add more storage into your Mini PC and it support 2.5inch SSD/HDD. ASUS claim support up to 1TB of storage, but we tested 3TB HGST 2.5inch 7200RPM without any issue.

You can add extra ram if you require and support up to 32GB DDR4 3200Mhz memory kit.

The Mini PC PN51-E1 use SKhynix 16Gb DDR4 3200Mhz single channel memory ram.

It’s use Western Digital PC SN530 NVMe™ SSD for high performance.

Specifications:

Sequential Read/Write Up to 2,400/1,750 MB/s
Random Read/Write IOPS Up to 315/230K
Form Factor M.2 2280
Interface PCIe Gen3 x4 NVMe v1.4
Endurance 300 TBW
Technology 96-layer 3D NAND & Western Digital controller

Technical Specifications:

Dimensions
115 x 115 x 49 mm (WxDxH)
Processor
AMD Ryzen 7 Mobile 5700U – 8 Cores / 16 Threads
Memory
SK Hynix 16GB DDR4 3200Mhz Single Channel
Graphics
AMD Radeon Vega Graphics 8 Cores
Storage
Western Digital PC SN530 512GB NVMe 1.4 PCI-E Gen 3
Network
Intel AX200 Wireless 802.11AX (WiFi 6) + Realtek 8111EP 2.5Gbe LAN
OS Support
Windows 10 (Free upgrade to Windows 11 when available)
Warranty
3 Years on-site
SRP
$1199

CPUZ

GPUZ

Benchmark

 

 

ASUS Mini PC PN51-E1

1199
9.1

Quality

9.0/10

Value

9.5/10

Design

9.0/10

Performance

9.0/10

Pros

  • Latest AMD Ryzen APU
  • Compact size
  • Display 8K Resolution
  • 3 Years on-site warranty
  • Decent Performance

Cons

  • L3 cache too little for heavy load
  • Noisy under full load
  • Vega GPU again and not RDNA2

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2 Comments
  • Hi guys, I’m having issues with my PN51, which is exactly like this.

    – On the bios, you can extend the Graphics memory to 8GB, however that is not reflected on windows 10.
    – Once the PC goes to sleep or hybernate… it doesn’t turn on the monitor on wake up.

    Have you faced these?

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