The Minix Neo G41V-4 mini-PC is just that. At 139mm square and 35mm high, it has ten expansion ports, including HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort 1.4 and the old DB-15 VGA port. Intel Celeron powered with Windows 10 Pro, it is for digital signage or casual PC use.
Minix is OK with 3-cylinder under the bonnet because it is also one of the most fully-featured NUCs for the price.
Minix has made quite a name overseas for these mini-PCs, and now most of the Minix range is distributed in Australia by Canohm.
Comparatively, this Minix Neo Z83-4 Plus has a tiny body (think ‘park’ it behind your TV or monitor), an Intel X5-Z8350 CPU/GPU (tiny Intel Atom), 4/64GB/microSD, HDMI 1.4, mini DP 1.2, Gigabit LAN, 1 x USB 3.0 and 4 x USB 2.0. All powered by a 12V/3A plug pack. Note the Plus is the 64GB version and Max is the 128GB version. The Windows range includes (approx. prices excluding freight):
| J50C-4 | $599 | Intel Pentium J5005, 4/64/M.2 SATA 6, Wi-Fi AC, BT 4.1, HDMI 2.0, USB-C Alt DP, 12V/3A or USB-C upstream |
| G41V-4 | $421 | Intel Celeron N4100, 4/64/M2 SATA 6, Wi-Fi AC, BT4.2, HDMI 2.0, DP 1.4, VGA, 12V/3A |
| N42C-4 | $325 | Intel Pentium N4200, 4/32/M.2 SATA 6, Wi-Fi AC, BT 4.1, HDMI 1.4, USB-C Alt DP. 12V/3A or USB-C upstream |
| Z64W | TBA | Intel Z3735F, 2/32GB, Wi-Fi N, BT 4, HDMI 1.4, 5V/3A |
| Z83-4 | $399 | Intel X5-Z8300, 4/32, Wi-Fi AC, BT 4.2, HDMI 1.4, Mini DP 1.4, 12V/3A (Add $100 for the Plus |
| NGC-1 | $399 | Intel Celeron W3150, 4/128GB, Wi-Fi AC, BT 4.2 (on special) |
These are ideal in-vehicle or boat use without an AC/DV inverter.
Minix Neo G41V mini-PC
| Minix Website | here |
| Canohm Site | Here (start here for local model availability and stock) |
| Price | $421 |
| Warranty | 12-months |
| Country of Manufacture | China |
| About | Minix (Est 2008 – website here) is a Hong Kong-based Mac and PC accessory maker. It specialises in Android Media Hubs, Mini PCs, GaN chargers, USB-C cables, adapters, and storage. |
| Other | Other GadgetGuy Minix News and reviews here |
First impression
It is one of the more attractive NUC styles I have seen, with X-shaped top cut-outs as a cooling vent. Add to that HDMI 2.0 (4K@60Hz), DP 1.4 (4K@60Hz) and VGA (1080p@30Hz), Ethernet , 4 x USB, Micro-SD and 3.5mm, and it is very well equipped.
Processor – adequate for the job
The Intel Celeron N4100 14nm has four cores and four threads. It runs at 1.1Ghz with a short term Turbo burst to 2.4Ghz. It barely draws any power at a 6W TDP. The Celeron is not a powerhouse, and that is fine. There is enough horsepower for web browsing, email, and productivity apps. Geekbench 5 single/multi are 391/1067.
It will throttle if placed under 100% load when the CPU reaches 90° for more than a few seconds. So don’t try to multi-task too much if you are playing a video.
RAM/Storage – adequate
It has 4GB, LPDDR4-2133 soldered to the motherboard.
The 64GB (16GB free) is eMMC 5.1 – fast enough at 340/123MBps sequential read/write. But with 16GB free, there is not a lot of space for storage.
There is an M.2 2280 M-keyed slot (accessible without chassis removal) for SATA6 SSD (PCIe NVMe not supported). If you use this slot, it maxes out at about 500MBps sequential read. But it also has a MicroSD slot for up to 256GB extra.
Video
Intel UHD Graphics 600 has 12 Execution Units and will support three displays. OpenCL is 1047, and Vulcan is 1122. It will decode 4K MP4, but you may have to download the K-Lite Codec Pack and Windows Media Player Classic to decode more.
Tests
| HDMI 2.0a Video 4K@60Hz | Pass |
| Display Port 1.4 4K@60Hz | Pass |
| External Support two monitors HDMI, DP | Pass 4K@60Hz |
| External support three monitors HDMI, DP and VGA | Pass 4K@60Hz HDMI and DP and 1080p@30fps for VGA |
| Wi-Fi AC (not MIMO) | Dual-band 2.4/5Ghz Maximum 433Mbps full-duplex at 2m from the router |
| Thermals | Fanless – no issue |
| 4K video decode | 4K@30fps – Pass – not HDR. Supports VP9 and HVEC |
| Streaming/audio | Netflix 1080P/5.1 Amazon Prime 720p/2.0 YouTube 4K/5.1 All other services will be at least 1080p/2.0 |
| Sound | Supports PCM 1.0/2.0, Dolby Digital/DTS to 5.1 |
| VESA mount | Supplied |
| USB | 2 x USB-A 3.0 5V/.9A/4.5W 2 x USB-A 2.0 5V/.5A/2.5W |
GadgetGuy’s take
The Minix Neo G41V-4 is a mini-PC – it is well-made and fills a niche for those that want a NUC-sized device and are not bothered by Intel’s 11th Gen Core CPUs.
As its primary use is to drive displays, it receives our recommendation. But look at what you need first – the Neo J50C-4 with USB-C and up to 16GB RAM may be a better fit.
Rating
It is hard with NUCs because there are so many variations on the theme. It passes or exceeds all our paradigms for a lower-powered $350 computing device and throws in three external display support, Windows 10 Pro and a user-accessible M.2 slot.
