It's been about a month since I received the NiPoGi Essenx E1 Mini PC for testing, and I'm finally ready to share my experience with it. I've been using it for video editing, writing the reviews you read here on the blog, and also as a multimedia center to pair with my TV. In short, I've tested it and put it to the test in various situations to highlight any pros and cons of the product and help you decide if it's a good fit for your needs and whether or not to buy it. So, without further ado, let's dive into the NiPoGi Essenx E1 Mini PC review. You can also find limited time offers on a wide range of products such as Mini PCs, laptops, beauty devices, smart plugs and much more, with discounts up to 60% su 
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Unboxing
The sales package appears very compact, suggesting the product itself will be quite small. It's all made of cardboard, and inside we find:
- mini PC;
- power cord;
- HDMI cable;
- instruction manual;
- VESA mount;
- 30W power supply.
Design and materials
The NiPoGi Essenx E1 is a mini PC, among the smallest available. Measuring 95 x 95 x 36 mm and weighing 274 grams, it's perfect for placing on any desk, as if it were a designer object, or attached via VESA support behind a monitor for a tidy and minimalistic desktop setup. Its size and weight also allow you to carry the mini PC around with you and use a monitor or TV when needed to catch up on any work you've been working on or for entertainment purposes, such as streaming or gaming.
In terms of design, the shape is the classic square one found in similar products, with soft, rounded corners. There are no fancy decorations like LED strips, but overall its simplicity is easy on the eyes and the wallet. It's made entirely of plastic, but the build quality is excellent, giving it a solid and sturdy feel. The matte black color hides any fingerprints. The NiPoGi logo is located on the top, and just below it is a grille running around the perimeter to allow for good ventilation and heat dissipation.
Heat is also dissipated through the presence of large holes on the sides and bottom, kept slightly raised by rubber feet that prevent the mini PC from moving or slipping on the desk.
Doors and exits
Despite the product's compactness, it offers a decent amount of connectivity. The NiPoGi Essenx E1 offers two USB-A 3.2 Gen2 ports on the front, a 3,5mm audio jack, and a power button flanked by a small LED. On the back, there are two USB 2.0 ports, one HDMI 2.0 4k@60Hz port, one DisplayPort 1.4 port, one Gigabit Ethernet port, Kensington locks, and a power input. There are no SD card slots or USB-C ports, which might be a limitation for some. However, you can connect up to two external monitors via HDMI and DisplayPort.
Software and Hardware
The operating system is Windows 11 Pro, with an active license and the Italian language, which isn't always a given for this product category and its relative affordability. There's no bloatware or unnecessary programs, leaving you free to choose what to install. Most importantly, the software is secure, as various antivirus and antimalware scans haven't detected anything suspicious. Once the operating system is configured and you log in with your Microsoft account, boot-up is lightning-fast, and you're up and running in about 20 seconds. It's important to note that given the price, hardware, and, I might add, size, we shouldn't expect the responsiveness of a latest-generation desktop PC, but in everyday use, everything has been extremely smooth and fast.
If we keep many programs open at the same time, especially if they require the CPU and GPU, we may run into some uncertainty and difficulties, so the advice is that if we are doing video editing, for example, let's focus on this and not stress the Mini PC with additional requests. Speaking of hardware, NiPoGi Essenx E1 offers a combination of basic elements and specifically the CPU is the 12th generation Intel Alder Lake N97, up to 3.6 GHz (Turbo), 6MB cache, TDP 12W while graphics operations are entrusted to the Intel UHD Graphics 24 EU @1000 MHz. We then have 16 GB DDR4-2666 Mhz single channel RAM (not expandable) and 1 TB of internal M.2 2280 SATA storage (Netac G537N). Ethernet transmission is 1 Gigabit and wireless connectivity relies on 433 Mbit/s WiFi 5 and Bluetooth 4.2. The NiPoGi Essenx E1 also supports Wake On LAN, PXE Boot, RTC Wake and automatic power on.
In short, the hardware isn't cutting-edge, and taken individually, it might seem like this mini PC is only suitable for classic Office applications, especially given the fact that we can't make any major modifications to the components. The RAM isn't expandable, but we can still replace it with higher-performance memory modules by simply unscrewing the four screws on the bottom chassis. We can also upgrade the internal storage up to 2 TB (I recommend replacing it with a larger, faster NVMe card using the NVMe PCIe 3.0 x4 slot). Basic hardware, however, undoubtedly benefits operating temperatures, which are never an issue, thanks in part to the large ventilation grilles on the chassis. The cooling fan, however, does an excellent job of keeping temperatures low and never makes too much noise, peaking at just 38 dB. The chassis also never feels excessively hot. Speaking of numbers, internal temperatures average between 40 and 71°C. In short, perfect use at home and in the office and/or in any case places where we need to maintain maximum silence.
Performances
Based on what I've told you, you might be thinking that talking about performance is pointless, but this NiPoGi Essenx E1 has amazed me. I've personally used the device not only for work with applications like Office and the like, but I've also used it to edit videos for my reviews, using both Sony Vegas and Filmora. It's true that I haven't managed a 4K video stream, which still processes without any slowdowns, but overall I've created videos packed with transitions and effects, with final rendering being decidedly fast.
But you might consider investing in this NiPoGi Essenx E1 mini PC, thinking of it as a multimedia system to pair with your TV. Indeed, compared to TV sticks that lose performance over time or are sometimes incompatible with DRM and the maximum resolution offered by Netflix or Prime Video, with it you can simply install apps from the Microsoft Store and enjoy maximum resolution with always updated and compatible DRM. You could also consider it for retrogaming, installing the many solutions available online, perhaps using a Bluetooth controller, or as a home server with Home Assistant.
The NiPoGi Essenx E1 is perfect for office use, managing Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF, and similar documents, as well as email. You can easily browse the internet with Chrome/Edge and open dozens of web tabs without experiencing any issues. You can play YouTube, Netflix, Disney+, or other apps at full resolution without any issues. It also handles offline video playback of 4K files without any issues, or edit videos without requiring the management of super-complex files. However, it can handle color correction, effects, transitions, and much more offered by software like CapCut and Filmora.
But what about gaming? Well, the NiPoGi Essenx E1 isn't a gaming PC, and we can't and shouldn't expect to be able to use it with titles that require hardware components that individually cost more than the mini PC itself. However, we can still indulge ourselves, accepting lower detail and resolution settings, with older but still extremely fun titles, like GTA 5, which plays decently well, or Asphalt Legend Unite, which runs very well at low settings. In short, this mini PC struggles to handle demanding 3D titles, but I wouldn't have expected the impossible, considering that those who want the best gaming experience are willing to spend even 1 times the cost of this NiPoGi. However, as mentioned, you can enjoy retro gaming by taking advantage of the many emulators for various gaming platforms, such as those for PS/PS2, GameCube, etc., with full HD details. Alternatively, you can use it for streaming games without any particular effort, such as those offered on Xbox Cloud Gaming.
The basic hardware component also has a positive impact on power consumption, which is literally reduced to the bare minimum. Here's what we found during our tests:
- 3-4W at minimum
- 10-12W during normal use
- 29W maximum
Conclusions
I'd say we should start with the price. The NiPoGi Essenx E1 retails for €219,99, but right now you can benefit from a discount that brings the final price to €197,99. This mini PC is perfect for those who need a small, space-saving device that can be kept constantly on and connected to the internet, perhaps for use as a home server or similar. It's an alternative to Raspberry Pi with slightly higher power consumption but significantly better performance. You can also find limited time offers on a wide range of products such as Mini PCs, laptops, beauty devices, smart plugs and much more, with discounts up to 60% su https://deals.aurphany.com/#/
