MINIX NEO Z83-4 Fanless Mini PC Review: Affordable, Dead-Silent Media Streaming

We dig burly, decked-out gaming PCs stuffed with powerful hardware as much as the next guy around here. Sleek, ultra small form factor systems like the MINIX Neo Z83-4 we’ll be showing you here today, however, also have a certain appeal. Powerful gaming PCs are awesome for their intended purpose, but try sticking one in a typical home theater setup and things can so sideways. Not only will it usually look out of place, but there are power, heat, and noise considerations to worry about.  Conversely, a miniscule machine like the MINIX Neo Z83-4 is so quiet and requires such a small amount of power, that you’ll wonder why every self-respecting geek doesn’t have a tiny PC attached to their TV.

The MINIX Neo Z83-4 is essentially a full PC that’ll fit in the palm of your hand, so HTPC applications aren’t its only trick. It’s not the most powerful system by any means, but the MINIX Neo Z83-4 is perfectly capable of browsing or running office-type applications, not to mention highly specific use cases like digital signage or point of sale systems, and the like.

Take a look at the MINIX Neo Z83-4’s full list of specifications below, and then we’ll dig in and show you what this mini-machine is all about...

MINIX NEO Z83-4 Fanless Mini PC Specifications & Features

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The MINIX Neo Z83-4 is powered by an Intel Atom x5-Z8300 series quad-core processor with on-die Intel HD graphics, paired to 4GB of DDR3 RAM, and 32GB of solid state eMMC 5.0 storage. Other amenities include built-in dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi, BlueToooth, gigabit Ethernet, a MicroSD card slot, and an array of USB ports. The system can power dual displays though its HDMI and mini-DisplayPorts as well. The MINIX Neo Z83-4 also includes a full 64-bit Edition of Windows 10 Home – all for under a $180 street price.

Before we take a tour of the system itself, we should also mention that MINIX includes a couple of things in the box along with the actual machine. There’s a basic lit-pack, an external antenna for the built-in Wi-Fi, a tiny power-brick, and an HDMI cable. Nothing earth-shattering, but it’s nice to see the HDMI cable thrown in to connect the device to a TV or similar display.