KAMRUI H2 vs ACEMAGIC M5: Two Intel HX Mini PCs, Almost the Same Box. Which One to Buy?

The KAMRUI Hyper H2 and the ACEMAGIC M5 are the two best-known ways to get a 14th-gen Intel HX processor, the kind found in gaming laptops, into a 128 mm mini PC. Their spec sheets are so close that the choice comes down to three things: which processor and memory you get for the money, a few small differences in the box, and the price on the day you buy. Here is what the specifications and published tests say.

By StéphanePublished Oct 24, 20269 min read

Two mini PCs with nearly identical spec sheets

Both measure about 128 × 128 × 41 mm, have the same port list (USB-C and two 10Gbps USB-A on the front, four USB-A, HDMI 2.0 and DisplayPort 1.4 on the back), two SO-DIMM slots, two M.2 slots and Gigabit Ethernet.

Put the two listings side by side and the differences are hard to find. The real choice is the configuration: KAMRUI sells the H2 with an i5-14450HX, an i5-14500HX or an i7-14650HX, and the i7 model on Amazon comes with 32GB of DDR4 and a 1TB SSD. ACEMAGIC sells the M5 with an i5-14500HX or an i7-14650HX on Amazon, plus 32GB i7 and i9-14900HX versions on its own store. WindowsForum noted listings of the H2 with other chips and conflicting memory claims, so read the processor name and “DDR4” on the listing before you buy.

Sources: KAMRUI and ACEMAGIC Amazon listings; Armchair Arcade and MiniPC-Review (H2); Starry Hope and Retro Handhelds (M5). ACEMAGIC does not publish the M5’s adapter rating.

Processor: the i7-14650HX is the sweet spot

The i7-14650HX has 16 cores (8 performance, 8 efficient) and 24 threads. Notebookcheck’s laptop average is about 20,450 points in Cinebench R23 multi-core, roughly 6 times an Intel N150 and above a Ryzen 9 8945H.

MiniPC-Review does not describe its test setup, so treat its numbers as indicative. Notebookcheck’s i7-14650HX average comes from two laptops, which often run these chips at higher power than a mini PC.

The HX chips are built from desktop silicon and given a bigger power budget than the H and U chips in most mini PCs: Intel rates the i7-14650HX at 55W base power with turbo up to 157W in laptops. In these small boxes, MiniPC-Review saw short bursts of 85 to 95W and about 55W sustained on the H2. That is enough for compiling code, running Docker containers and virtual machines, batch photo exports and CPU video encoding much faster than any N150 or Ryzen U mini PC.

Within the family, the i7-14650HX is the version to aim for: it adds two performance cores and four threads over the i5-14500HX, about 20% more multi-core speed in MiniPC-Review’s figures. The i5-14450HX in the cheapest H2 drops to 10 cores. The i9-14900HX, sold only in the M5 on ACEMAGIC’s store, has 24 cores, but a 55W box cannot let it stretch much further than the i7. Retro Handhelds tested that i9 M5 and found it a small step ahead of an i9-13900HK in Geekbench 6.

Graphics: not gaming PCs, whatever the listing says

Both use the HX chips’ small Intel UHD graphics with 16 execution units. They drive three 4K screens and decode video, but they are far behind a Radeon 780M for games.

Some Amazon titles call these “mini gaming PCs”. Armchair Arcade, which tested the H2 with the i5-14450HX, calls that label misleading: it measured 4,008 points in Geekbench 6 OpenCL and 291 in 3DMark Steel Nomad Light, a test that did not even run properly, and placed Radeon 780M-class graphics at roughly 25,000 to 35,000 OpenCL points. Retro Handhelds reached the same conclusion on the M5: do not buy it to play games. Expect older esports titles, retro emulation and cloud gaming, not modern 3D games. Neither box has USB4 or OCuLink, so you cannot add an external graphics card later. If gaming matters, see our gaming mini PC guide.

Memory and storage: why 32GB matters on these boxes

Both take two DDR4 SO-DIMM sticks (up to 64GB) and two M.2 SSDs (up to 4TB). The 32GB H2 i7 uses two sticks, so it runs in dual channel from day one; check the stick count on any 16GB model.

Memory is the main practical difference between the two i7 models on Amazon. The H2 i7 comes with 32GB, which suits virtual machines, large datasets and many browser tabs alongside an IDE. The M5 i7 sold on Amazon has 16GB, and Starry Hope reports that the 16GB i5 M5 ships with a single stick (earlier listings described two 8GB modules). One stick leaves a slot free but runs the memory in single channel, which lowers bandwidth until you add a second module: open Task Manager › Performance › Memory and look for “Slots used: 2 of 2”. With DDR4 prices still high in 2026 (see our RAM crisis guide), buying the 32GB configuration up front is usually cheaper than upgrading later.

Storage is similar: the first M.2 slot is PCIe 4.0 x4 on both, and the second slot accepts NVMe or SATA drives (PCIe 3.0 x4 on the M5). MiniPC-Review measured about 4,850 MB/s read and 3,900 MB/s write on the H2’s bundled SSD, fast enough that storage never holds these machines back. There is no 2.5-inch drive bay on either. Our RAM and SSD upgrade tutorial walks through adding a stick or a second SSD.

Ports and network: identical, with one weak spot

Seven USB ports, HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort 1.4 and a USB-C port with video: enough for three 4K screens. The weak spot is networking: Gigabit Ethernet only, and modest Wi-Fi speeds in Armchair Arcade’s test.

The front USB-C port carries video (DisplayPort Alt Mode) and up to 15W for accessories, but it cannot power the PC, and Armchair Arcade notes it cannot power a monitor either. Both mini PCs use a barrel-plug adapter. On Wi-Fi 6, Armchair Arcade measured 285 Mbps down and 151 Mbps up on the H2, on a network where a wired desktop reached over 2,200 Mbps: use Ethernet for big downloads or a home server. For a NAS or Proxmox host with fast transfers, the lack of 2.5GbE is a real limit; a USB 2.5GbE adapter on a 10Gbps port is the cheap fix. Retro Handhelds also found the M5’s front USB-A ports tight.

Power, heat and noise

Expect about 11 to 14W at idle and 55W sustained under full load, with an audible fan when you push them. These are not silent PCs.

MiniPC-Review measured the H2 at 11 to 14W idle and 28 to 42W in office work and browsing. During a 15-minute Cinebench run, the processor peaked at 88 to 92°C before settling around 80°C, and the fan reached about 43 dB at 50 cm. Armchair Arcade found the H2 quiet at idle but “noticeably noisy” during long renders; Retro Handhelds said the same of the M5, whose fan kicks into high gear regularly under heavy load. In practice, both are quiet for email, documents and video calls, and loud during compiles and exports. If silence matters more than speed, a fanless mini PC is the better fit.

Which one should you buy?

Compare the exact configurations on the day: with an i7-14650HX, the H2’s 32GB/1TB package wins at a similar price. The M5 makes sense when it is cheaper for the same memory, or if you want the i9 or Wi-Fi 6E versions.

• Buy the KAMRUI H2 i7 (32GB/1TB) for coding, virtual machines, data work, Plex or Proxmox at home, and heavy multitasking on three screens. The 32GB in dual channel means nothing to upgrade.
• Buy the ACEMAGIC M5 if its price is clearly lower for the configuration you need (the i5-14500HX is enough for most office and student work), or if you want ACEMAGIC’s i9-14900HX or Wi-Fi 6E models from its store. Our ACEMAGIC M5 review covers it in detail.
• Buy neither if you want to game, need an NPU for Windows AI features, a silent desk, or 2.5GbE: see the alternatives below.

Both brands run frequent coupons on Amazon, and list prices on these models are often far above what people actually pay. Before you buy, check that a discount is real with our guide to spotting fake deals.

Alternatives

For gaming and an NPU, a Ryzen with Radeon 780M graphics such as the Beelink SER9 is the better all-rounder. For a cheaper office PC that can still play light games, the AMD ACEMAGIC K5 is enough.

Better for gaming

Beelink SER9 (Ryzen 7 H 255)

An 8-core Ryzen with Radeon 780M graphics, 32GB of LPDDR5X and USB4: much stronger graphics than any HX mini PC, with less multi-core power.

Check current price on Amazon

CPURyzen 7 H 255 · 8 cores / 16 threads

GraphicsRadeon 780M

Memory32GB LPDDR5X-6400 (soldered)

Storage1TB NVMe + free M.2 slot

Read our Beelink SER9 Pro (Ryzen 7 H 255) review

Pros

• Radeon 780M (12 CU)
• USB4 for docks and fast storage
• 32GB included

Cons

• Memory soldered
• Fewer cores than the i7-14650HX

Cheaper all-rounder

ACEMAGIC K5 (Ryzen 5 PRO 7640HS)

Six Zen 4 cores with Radeon 760M graphics, 2.5GbE and Wi-Fi 6 in a similar 128 mm box: less CPU power, better graphics and networking.

Check current price on Amazon

CPURyzen 5 PRO 7640HS · 6 cores / 12 threads

GraphicsRadeon 760M (8 CU)

Memory16GB LPDDR5-5500 (soldered)

Storage512GB NVMe + free M.2 2280 slot (up to 8TB)

Read our ACEMAGIC K5 (Ryzen 5 PRO 7640HS) review

Pros

• Radeon 760M plays at 1080p low
• 2.5GbE
• Lower price class

Cons

• 16GB soldered
• About 60% of the i7-14650HX's multi-core speed

More choices by budget: best mini PCs under $700, under $1,000, and today’s verified mini PC deals.

Complete your setup

Both drive three 4K screens over HDMI, DisplayPort and USB-C, and both have a VESA bracket: a 27-inch monitor with a USB hub and a receiver keyboard make a clean desk.

Our best monitor for a mini PC guide matches screens to these outputs, and the desk setup guide covers the rest.

Pros and cons

Both: strong multi-core performance, upgradable memory and storage, three 4K screens. Both: weak graphics, Gigabit Ethernet only, audible under load.

KAMRUI Hyper H2 (i7-14650HX, 32GB, 1TB)

ACEMAGIC M5

Verdict

These are two versions of the same idea. Pick on configuration and price: the 32GB KAMRUI H2 i7 is the better package today, and the ACEMAGIC M5 wins whenever it costs less for the same chip and memory.

Neither brand gives you a reason to pay much more for its logo: the boxes, ports and upgrade options match almost line for line, and published tests show the same strengths (many cores, fast storage) and the same weaknesses (graphics, Gigabit Ethernet, fan noise under load). Read the processor, the memory size and the number of sticks on the listing, compare both on the same day, and buy the cheaper one for the configuration you need.

FAQ

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