ACEMAGIC F5A Review: A Tiny Desktop That Packs Ryzen AI 9 Power and an OCuLink Port

I went with the barebones model on purpose. No pre-installed OS, no RAM, no SSD. Just the machine and its processor. That was the whole point. The F5A is built for people who want to choose their own components and configure a system that fits exactly what they need. After sourcing my own DDR5 kit and NVMe drives, I had a fully custom mini PC running within an hour. Here's how it performed.

ACEMAGIC F5A - Best barebones mini PC for power users

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The ACEMAGIC F5A puts AMD's Zen 5 architecture into a compact desktop that punches well above its size. The Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 delivers 12 cores, 24 threads, and a 5.1GHz boost clock, while the Radeon 890M iGPU handles everything from 4K video editing to light gaming without a dedicated graphics card. With OCuLink support for eGPU expansion, dual M.2 NVMe slots, and a port selection that rivals full-size desktops, the F5A is a serious machine for developers, creators, and anyone who wants a compact powerhouse they can build to their own specs.

Price: Check Price on ACEMAGIC (Barebones from $769 / Configured from $909)

Design and Build Quality

The F5A is a compact unit at 132 x 130 x 61mm. It's small enough to sit on your desk without claiming any real estate, and the included VESA mount means you can tuck it behind a monitor if you want it completely out of sight. The build is a mix of metal and plastic that feels solid in hand. The top panel has a clean matte finish, while the thermal vents along the sides let the dual fans pull air through the copper heatpipe system without restriction.

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Heat management was one of my concerns going in, since the Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 is a powerful chip in a small box. After two weeks of use including sustained multi-core workloads, the F5A stayed impressively cool. The copper heatpipe setup with dual fans does its job quietly. I never heard the fans ramp up to distracting levels during normal use. Only under extended heavy loads did they become audible, and even then, they were far quieter than I expected. The SSD cooling vest is a nice touch too, keeping drive temperatures stable during large file transfers.

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The port layout is well thought out. The front panel gives you quick access to USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A and USB Type-C ports along with a 3.5mm audio jack. The back panel houses the heavier connectivity: HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 2.1, two USB4 Type-C ports (each capable of 40Gbps and 8K display output), dual 2.5Gbps LAN ports, additional USB-A ports, the OCuLink connector, and the DC power input. Everything is clearly spaced and labeled.

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My one gripe with the physical design is the back panel access. Getting inside the unit to install RAM and NVMe drives required more effort than I'd like. The panel doesn't pop off as easily as some competitors, and I found myself wrestling with it a couple of times. Once you're inside, the layout is clean, the M.2 slots are clearly accessible, and the RAM slots are straightforward. But that initial entry could be more user-friendly, especially for a machine specifically marketed as a barebones build-your-own system.

The Barebones Experience

Going barebones was a deliberate choice, and honestly, it's the way I'd recommend buying the F5A if you're comfortable with basic hardware installation. Here's why.

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First, you avoid any concerns about pre-installed software. It's worth being transparent here: in early 2024, some ACEMAGIC mini PC models were found to have malware embedded in the Windows recovery partition. The company attributed the issue to a third-party software supplier who modified the system images, and they responded by offering refunds, providing clean OS images, and implementing stricter security measures including digital signatures on all software. All units shipped since late 2024 are reportedly clean.

That said, the barebones route eliminates this concern completely. You're installing your own OS from a verified image, so there's zero risk of pre-loaded software you didn't put there yourself. If transparency matters to you, and it should, barebones is the way to go.

Second, you get full control over component selection. DDR5 prices have climbed significantly through 2025 and 2026 due to AI-driven demand, so the barebones route won't necessarily save you money versus a pre-configured bundle. But what it does give you is the freedom to choose exactly the components you want, reuse parts you already own, or wait for deals. I had a spare NVMe drive from a previous build and only needed to buy a 64GB DDR5 kit, which brought my total cost down considerably. If you already have compatible RAM or storage sitting in a drawer, the barebones model makes even more sense.

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Third, and this is the big one, the F5A supports up to 128GB of non-soldered DDR5 RAM. That's rare in a mini PC this size. If you're running local AI models, virtual machines, or memory-intensive development environments, being able to max out at 128GB is a genuine advantage. The dual M.2 2280 PCIe 4.0 x4 slots support up to 4TB total, so you can run a fast boot drive alongside a large storage drive without any compromises.

The setup process was straightforward. Open the back panel, seat the RAM, slide in the NVMe drives, close it up, boot from a USB drive with Windows 11 Pro (or your Linux distro of choice), and you're running. The whole process took about 45 minutes including OS installation.

CPU Performance: The Ryzen AI 9 HX 370

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The Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 is the star of the show here, and it deserves its own section because this chip is genuinely impressive. Built on AMD's Zen 5 architecture using TSMC's 4nm process, it packs 12 cores and 24 threads with a boost clock of up to 5.1GHz. That's 4 Zen 5 performance cores and 8 Zen 5c efficiency cores working together, which means the chip delivers serious multi-threaded performance while staying power-efficient.

In Cinebench R23, the HX 370 scores around 22,683 in multi-core, which is roughly 30% faster than the Intel Core Ultra 9 185H. That's not a minor gap. For video encoding, 3D rendering, compiling code, and heavy multitasking, this chip puts the F5A in a performance bracket that used to be reserved for full-size desktop towers. The single-core performance is equally strong, hitting around 788 in the same benchmark, which translates to snappy responsiveness in everyday tasks.

The 24MB of L3 cache helps maintain performance under sustained workloads. I ran multi-hour rendering jobs and code compilation sessions without seeing significant thermal throttling. The configurable TDP goes up to 54W, giving you headroom to push performance when you need it while keeping things efficient for lighter tasks.

What really sets this apart from typical mini PC processors is that the HX 370 is a mobile chip performing at desktop levels. You're getting workstation-class compute in a box that fits in your palm. For developers running Docker containers, compiling large codebases, or juggling dozens of browser tabs alongside IDEs and design tools, this is more than enough.

Graphics: The Radeon 890M iGPU

The integrated Radeon 890M based on AMD's RDNA 3.5 architecture with 16 compute units clocked at 2900MHz is one of the most powerful iGPUs available. This isn't just "good enough for desktop use." It's genuinely capable of light to moderate gaming and creative work.

I tested it with some mainstream titles, and with AMD's FSR 3 and Fluid Motion Frames enabled, the 890M handles modern games at 1080p with playable frame rates. It's not replacing a dedicated GPU for serious gaming, but for casual play or testing, it does the job. For video editing in DaVinci Resolve, photo work in Lightroom, and general creative workflows, the 890M provides smooth, responsive performance.

And if you need more graphical power, that's where the OCuLink port comes in.

OCuLink: The eGPU Advantage

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This is one of the F5A's most exciting features, and it's something most mini PCs in this price range simply don't offer. The OCuLink port lets you connect an external GPU enclosure and access up to 90% of the discrete GPU's performance. That means you can pair this compact machine with an RTX 5070 or equivalent when you need serious graphics power for gaming, 3D rendering, or AI training, then disconnect and use the integrated 890M for everyday tasks.

The flexibility this provides is hard to overstate. You get the portability and desk-friendliness of a mini PC for daily work, with the option to turn it into a proper graphics workstation when the project demands it. The OCuLink interface provides significantly more bandwidth than Thunderbolt-based eGPU solutions, which is why you're getting that 90% performance figure instead of the 60-70% typical of Thunderbolt enclosures.

One important note: OCuLink does not support hot-plugging. You need to connect or disconnect the cable while the PC is powered off. It's a minor inconvenience, but worth knowing before you buy.

Connectivity and Networking

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The port selection on the F5A is where this machine really flexes. Two USB4 Type-C ports at 40Gbps each, three USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A ports, one USB 2.0 Type-A, HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 2.1, dual 2.5Gbps LAN, OCuLink, a 3.5mm audio jack, and the power input. For a box this size, that's an impressive spread.

The dual USB4 ports deserve special attention. At 40Gbps, they handle everything from ultra-fast external storage to 8K display output. You can drive four 8K displays simultaneously from this machine using the HDMI, DisplayPort, and two USB4 outputs. For multi-monitor workflows, whether you're coding across three screens or running a creative studio setup, the F5A has you covered without any adapters or docks.

Wi-Fi 7 with Bluetooth 5.4 keeps the wireless side future-proof. In my testing, Wi-Fi speeds were excellent, with low latency on both 5GHz and 6GHz bands. The dual 2.5Gbps LAN ports are great for NAS connections, network-intensive development, or running the machine as a capable home server.

AI and NPU Performance

The Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 includes a dedicated NPU delivering 50 TOPS of AI compute, with the total system (NPU + CPU + GPU) reaching 80 TOPS. AMD claims the HX 370 generates its first LLM token 5x faster than the Intel Core Ultra 9 185H, and in practical testing with local language models, the NPU acceleration is noticeable.

If you're experimenting with local AI models, running inference workloads, or using AI-accelerated creative tools, the NPU offloads these tasks from the CPU and GPU, keeping the system responsive while AI processing happens in the background. It's not going to replace a dedicated AI training rig, but for on-device AI features in Windows 11 and compatible applications, the NPU adds real value.

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Final Thoughts

The ACEMAGIC F5A is one of the most compelling mini PCs I've used. The Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 delivers performance that genuinely rivals desktop processors, the Radeon 890M handles integrated graphics duties better than any iGPU I've tested, and the OCuLink port gives you an upgrade path that most competitors don't even consider.

Going the barebones route was the right call. Being able to choose my own RAM, storage, and OS made the F5A feel like a machine I built, not just one I bought. The dual NVMe slots, support for up to 128GB DDR5, and the sheer density of high-speed ports (USB4, Wi-Fi 7, dual 2.5Gbps LAN) make this a future-proof investment that should handle anything I throw at it for years.

The back panel access could be friendlier, and availability in some regions is still limited. But these are minor complaints against a machine that delivers this level of performance in a box that's barely larger than a sandwich. If you want a mini PC that doesn't compromise on power, connectivity, or configurability, the F5A is the one to get.