I used to buy all computer parts separately for motherboard, memory, hard disk, case, and even cooling fans to build my own custom PCs back in the days. About 5 years ago, I started replacing my customer desktop PCs with Mini PCs because of the form factor and price. My first few Mini PCs were Beelink brand and I did like them so I got one for my daughter and my son. I bought Beelink GT-R model for my son and Beelink SER5 model for my daughter but my daughter's SER5 model started having problem just after a year and a half of using it. At first, the WiFi controller stopped working so I had to buy a USB WiFi receiver to get wireless WiFi working, which had significant speed issue. Then it started making screeching sound, which I didn't want to take the chance of hard drive failure so I decided to replace my daughter's Mini PC. Around that time, my son graduated from H.S. and went to a college so my daughter moved into his bedroom, which is much bigger and I asked her if she wanted to use his Beelink GT-R Mini PC but she asked me to buy her a new Mini PC that has very fast CPU and WiFi connections as her new bedroom is furthest away from our router in the basement. After doing some research, I got this origimagic A2 MiniPC and I was mind blown by its specs and actual performance! It not only has super fast i9 processor but with 32GB of memory and 1TB of solid state drive on board, this is one top-notch Mini PC that can compete with any desktops or laptops. I surely don't have to worry about my daughter ever running out of disk space and 32GB of memory will allow her to use 2 monitors and play games or watch videos without any lags. In fact, this beast can connect up to 4 monitors and I just had to try out for myself and I was really impressed with the result. It has DP, HDMI, VGA and Type-C ports for connecting 4 monitors, which worked flawlessly. What's also amazing is how quiet this Mini PC is and even when connected to 4 monitors and watching videos, I never heard the sound of fan spinning or the surface of the Mini PC got hot. Looks like it has really good cooling and air circulation design inside. It also came with 2 antennas that connect on the back, and now my daughter has the fastest WiFi speed with this Mini PC, which is really impressive as well. She absolutely loves this beat and minimalist look. Oh, she didn't have to plug 2 USB Hubs that she used with her previous Beelink Mini PC because this beast has so many USB-A 3.0 and 2.0 ports, which is awesome since some wireless devices such as keyboard and mouse works much better with USB 2.0 ports. This Mini PC is such a great bargain for its price and you won't regret getting this. I don't think I can go back to Beelink Mini PCs anymore and I'm now really tempted to buy this origimagic A2 Mini PC again for myself because I'm so jealous and mind blown with it. Highly recommend it without any reservation! Read more
I had been a fan of the Beelink GTi14 Mini PC for use as my home server and the Bosgame M2 for gaming. Both had been excellent mini computers. Alas, the Beelink has started to fail after just one year and -- of course -- warranty is no longer valid. One of the USB-C ports stopped working and the computer randomly shuts down. I tried to troubleshoot for almost a month now with no luck, especially since there are not many user-replaceable parts to test with. It was time to find a new Mini PC that I could mount into my wall network enclosure that would have plenty of storage capacity (and WiFi capability) to house my Plex Media Server and virtual machines. There were specific criteria I was looking for: 1. Must be an Intel Core i9 processor, the top of the Core series 2. Must be significantly faster than the Beelink GTi14 I was looking to replace 3. Must have at least 2 or 3 M.2 NVMe SSD slots for expanded storage (3TB total or more) 4. Must be heat efficient and quiet since it'll be running 24/7 in my office in a walled Leviton enclosure 5. Must have built-in WiFi 6 for future proofing 6. Must have at least two Gigabit network ports, preferably at 2.5 Gbps for future proofing 7. Must have USB-C and, ideally, one or two USB 3.2 (10 Gbps) ports 8. Must be capable of housing 32-64 GB of DDR5 RAM memory 9. Ideally have Bluetooth built in so I could use a wireless mouse and keyboard without having to open up the wall network enclosure it will sit in After much research, I came across this relatively new brand, origimagic, that was mentioned a few times on IT forums. The origimagic A2 seemed to fit each of the criteria I was looking for. Externally, the A2 looked larger (but thinner) than the GTi14 and was fully enclosed in metal (compared to GTi14's plastic/metal hybrid), making it more suitable for the wall enclosure I intended to put it in. It was powered by an AC brick adapter with the 5.5x2.5mm DC jack inserted into the Mini PC. INTERNAL ACCESS The A2 was very easy to get into the internals: simply removed a screw using the thumb (a screwdriver wasn't really needed), took off the cover, and three SSD and two DDR5 memory slots were easily accessible. Nice! The existing 1TB SSD drive was by Kingston, and I immediately added two more (one from Western Digital and another from SanDisk). The memory modules were covered by black tape -- I do not know why nor can think of any apparent benefit of doing so. Under the black tape were DDR5 16GB 5200MHz modules with "Gofatoo" branding. The Origimagic A2 supports up to 64GB of memory. Before I discus performance, let's have a brief primer on what "CPU" or Intel Core i9 means. CPU: INTEL VS AMD The CPU, the "brain" of a computer, is an important piece to gauge performance. It is responsible for processing all the general calculations and instructions to carry out everything an electronic device can do. The faster it can "think", the faster things will get done. Intel has maintained a significant lead in the computer industry with only AMD having been its noteworthy rival for decades. The announcement of the "Ryzen" brand in 2017 marked AMD's return to high-performance computing with integrated graphics processing ("Radeon Vega" GPU), helping the company to steadily regain market share from stagnant Intel. AMD's Ryzen processors offer greater, multi-threaded performance than Intel at the same price-point and has gained popularity with budget-conscious gamers. Intel Core Ultra 9 The Origimagic A2's Intel Core Ultra 9 13900HK is positioned against AMD's high-range, mainstream Ryzen 9 processor. "Ryzen" numbering scheme mirrors Intel's "Core": the 3, 5, 7, 9, and "Threadripper" models go from lowest to highest performance. PERFORMANCE Comparing the Origimagic A2 against the Beelink GTi14, I had made the following findings: 1. A2 was 18% faster than the GTi14 for Single-Core CPU use and about 14% faster for Multi-Core. That made the A2 run significantly faster for the virtual machines and Plex Media transcoding, making it a better choice for my multimedia and server needs. 2. For graphics, the Beelink GTi14's built-in graphics processor made it about 33% faster. That makes the GTi14 better suited for photo editing and gives it an advantage for gaming. As the A2 was intended as a server and not gaming, that did not have a significant impact on which computer I'd choose to keep. This is NOT to say that the Origimagic A2 cannot play games -- far from it. It still was able to play a number of games I tried and did respectably well with photo editing. Games I tested were: Cyberpunk 2077, Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3, Forza Horizon 5, Fortnite, Baldur's Gate 3, and Assassin's Creed Mirage. Not too shabby! With both benchmarks in mind, the Origimagic A2 was king in raw processing (CPU) power, but for AI workloads, energy efficiency, and graphics, the Beelink would be a more forward-looking choice. (AI performs better with a graphics processor.) TIPS STORAGE AND EXPANSION INSTALLATION/UPGRADE: M.2 SSD/MEMORY Replacing the existing or adding two additional M.2 SSDs, or replacing/adding extra RAM are hassle-free. Be sure to educate yourself about which parts to buy, as I will explain below. This mini PC uses DDR5-5600 SODIMM chips. SSD slot marked as "#1" is the primary drive. DRIVE DIFFERENCES: SATA, SSD, mSATA, M.2, NVMe Hard disk drives (HDD) are mechanical devices whose performance was primarily based on the RPM (revolutions per minute) rating. They were generally 5400 or 7200 RPM (and beyond) — the higher the number, the faster it would usually perform. As with anything mechanical, they break down over time as the components age. Flash-memory based Solid State Drives (SSD) were introduced in the 1990s and were VERY expensive. SSD promised resistance to physical shock, faster performance, lower heat output, and more silent operation. Even to this day, SSDs still cost more than similarly-sized HDDs. SSD and HDD connect to your computer via multiple interfaces. Relative to this Mini PC, we are only concerned with the SATA and PCIe ones. SATA can connect two drive types: - 2.5" SATA SSD (nowadays used in most laptops and desktop PCs and is physically larger) - mSATA and M.2 SSD (typically used in Mini PCs and laptops), each with their own connection types Mini-SATA (mSATA) is older and slower than M.2, and the latter can also connect to the newer, significantly faster PCIe interface (those drives are known as NVMe M.2 SSD). - This Mini PC includes three M.2 SSD 2280 slots (NVMe) M.2 SSD 2230, 2242, 2260, 2280? WHAT DO THEY MEAN? - The first two digits correspond to the width of the drive - The last two are the length A M.2 SSD 2280 is 22mm wide and 80mm long. This is important to know, especially with Mini PCs where space is scarce. If you purchase a 2280 drive and the computer only has room for 2230, you would not be able to use the former. FINAL THOUGHTS The Origimagic A2 was exactly what I was lookin for as my new server inside my wall enclosure. It was thin, quiet, performed well in CPU benchmarks, and its WiFi 6, Bluetooth, and network ports were speed demons. When needed, I could also configure the computer as a router with its dual network ports. The all-around metal chassis has plenty of cooling options (front, back, and top) to keep it from overheating. That was very important to me considering that it will stay running and locked inside the wall for months or years at a time. The Beelink sent most of its heat to the BOTTOM of the PC, and that made dust collect over the months and eventually decrease cooling capacity until I unscrewed it from its mount, turned it over, cleaned the openings, and re-mount. It was more maintenance than I would have liked. Hopefully, the Origimagic computer will last longer than the Beelink it has replaced, and it is good to see that it comes with a 2-year warranty. Combine that with my credit card, and I get 3 years out of it :) The PC has now been mounted to the Leviton media center enclosure, but it can also be attached to the back of a TV or monitor for some space saving. Read more
