CHUWI UBox, Review: original mini PC with AMD Ryzen 5 6600H APU

Today we unravel the new mini PC CHUWI UBox, a CHUWI machine that we will see in detail in its review and that in addition to stand out for its design offers interesting features.

Inside its striking detachable white box of the CHUWI UBox we have a hardware set with good presentations. Integrated in the silver we have the AMD Ryzen 5 6600H processor manufactured in 6 nm. We have two SODIMM RAM DDR5, for storage we have two slots for SSD NVMe 4.0, Wi-Fi 6E connectivity, USB4 connector up to 40 Gbps and up to three video outputs. The operating system installed is Windows 11 Pro and is compatible with Linux if we want.

Read on to see the results it offers and how it compares to the competition.

CHUWI UBox mini PC details

Unboxing of the CHUWI UBox

The CHUWI UBox arrives in a cardboard box, inside we have the computer protected with foam. We find the mini PC, DC adapter, VESA bracket and manual.

Description of the CHUWI UBox

The CHUWI UBox comes with a detachable white box design, the top cover can be separated and inside we have a metal cover to access the RAM and NVMe SSD. As connectors highlights its USB4 port up to 40 Gbps to use an external GPU and its two 2.5G Ethernet ports.

• Ports: 1x USB4 / 3x USB4 3.2 / 1x USB 2.0 / 1x HDMI 2.0 / 1x DisplayPort 1.4 / 1x Audio Jack / DC.

We remove the top cover, inside we have a 512 GB PCIe 3.0×4 SSD, there is another free slot left. As memory we have a SODIMM RAM DDR5 4800 MHz of 16 GB in one of the two SODIMM that we can expand up to 32 GB with another RAM module. In the lower area we have a very quiet fan in the lower area above the CPU. To access our wireless network we have an integrated RTK 8852BE chip with Wifi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity.

System and performance

Environment and user experience

We start the CHUWI UBox by pressing the power button, the front LED lights up and in a few seconds we get to the Windows 11 Pro 64 bit desktop. As we can see, it has the basic drivers installed correctly and the system moves smoothly on desktop, it is a valid machine to use multimedia apps, office and light gaming without much 3D.

• OS: Windows 11 Pro 64bit / Linux optional.
• Software: No preinstalled apps / Antivirus check = OK.
• BIOS: ESC access / BIOS AMI text / WOL / Auto Power ON / Power ON RTC.
• Tutorials: Control with your Smartphone / Install Windows 11 / Migrate Windows to SSD

Network, Storage, RAM and Ports

On the connectivity side, the CHUWI UBox mounts a Wifi 6E Bluetooth 5.2 wireless adapter (AMD RTK 8852BE) with excellent speed and two 2.5G Ethernet ports. The SSD is a 512GB NVMe PCIe 3.0×4 with good performance. The RAM comes is DDR5 16 GB RAM 4800 MHz in 1x SODIMM, but by adding another one we can reach Dual Channel speed.

• Wifi: Range 42 dBm / Link 6G 2400 Mbps / Bluetooth OK.

Processor and features

On the board of the CHUWI UBox is the AMD Ryzen 5 6600H APU manufactured in 6 nm, it has six cores and twelve threads that moves between 3.3 and 4.5 GHz. For the graphics section we have an AMD Radeon 660M GPU up to 1800 MHz with 6 cores. This processor has a consumption of only 45 W TDP and has a good performance in demanding apps, suitable for use with KODI or IPTV, light editing applications and 3D games without overdoing it in the quality settings.

CHUWI UBox Benchmarks

We passed multiple performance tests with the CHUWI UBox, as we see in the data is in line with these processors, in general we have a good performance. The installed AMD Radeon 660M 6-core GPU, as we can see, offers adequate performance for many demanding apps.

Thermal and noise

We ran performance tests with the CHUWI UBox and as we can see it offers a good thermal performance. The system keeps temperatures under control with its very quiet lower fan at all times, even in power-hungry scenarios.

• Consumption: Off 0.9W / Standby 11W / Usage 17W / Max 82W.
• Thermal: 40ºC – 71ºC Max / 69ºC Gaming / CPU 3.2 GHz Max / Performance up to 100%.
• Noise: 34 dBA Max / Variable RPM / No Semi-passive.

Gaming

We tested several games with the CHUWI UBox and the results are the usual for this type of GPU integrated into low-power Intel. As we can see AMD Radeon 660M GPU with 6 RDNA 2 cores is suitable for games in 1080p or 720p quality, we can play titles with quite a lot of 3D load.

• Setting: Medium quality / 1080p resolution / No VSync / Play emulators with RetroArch.
• On models with integrated Intel HD GPU in low and 720p resolution.

This mini PC we can play titles like LoL with a positive frame rate, in more demanding games like Fornite we can also play by adjusting settings or in performance mode. As for emulators at most we stay in some demanding titles of PS3, Switch and the like.

• NOTE: We recommend mounting Dual Channel memory with two SODIMM if we want to play.

Video and audio test

Playback test

On the video and audio side, the CHUWI UBox offers an integrated AMD Radeon 660M GPU that has a VPU with support for current codecs such as AV1. We also have support for HDR10 and multichannel audio up to 7.1. This PC is perfectly valid as a multimedia system to use KODI, IPTV or to use it with servers such as PLEX.

• Video: HDMI 2.0 DP1.4 USB4 / HDR10 / 3 monitors up to 4K@120Hz.
• Audio: HDMI up to 7.1 Jack stereo / Dolby DTS.
• Tutorials: Install KODI with add-ons / Auto refresh rate / Multichannel audio on Windows

Video and audio test results

• Maximum bitrate: 350 Mbps.
• HW = Hardware Acceleration / SW = No Hardware Acceleration.

• Formats: Native = Full Support / Core = 5.1 Only / PCM = Stereo / More info.

Streaming services on the CHUWI UBox

We used the CHUWI UBox mini PC performing several tests with the most popular streaming services, the results are generally positive. You can consult our guides where we explain in detail all the most popular streaming services, you can see how to get FullHD quality or even 4K HDR resolutions.

• Performance: It has hardware acceleration for AV1 4K codec on YouTube.
• Tutorials: Install Addons in KODI in a simple way / LibreELEC for PC

Streaming Results

Conclusions and purchase links for CHUWI UBox

Opinion about CHUWI UBox

As we can see, the CHUWI UBox is an efficient and compact mini PC at a good price. Its AMD Ryzen 5 6600H processor gives us a positive performance in all scenarios and has a quiet fan, only heard with very demanding games. We have good connectivity, with high-speed Wifi 6E, two 2.5G Ethernet ports and a USB4 connector up to 40Gbps to use if we want an external GPU.

In the CHUWI UBox we have a 512 GB NVMe SSD and there is another free connector if we want to expand the storage, something that is appreciated. As RAM we find 16 GB DDR5 4800 MHz quite fast, although we recommend increasing with another SODIMM up to 32 GB in Dual Channel if we are going to play demanding titles. An ideal computer for its size for our office desk or office and also has VESA support for hanging it on a monitor or TV.

In short, the CHUWI UBox is a small and quiet computer with good features, a valid and economical solution for many users looking for something compact.

Where to buy

Review