Newsmay AC8, review: new fanless mini PC with Intel Celeron N5105

Newsmay AC8 is a new fanless computer from Newsmay Technology and today we present its analysis or review. A small mini PC that allows us to use industrial, desktop or multimedia without noise.

This small PC has the efficient Intel Celeron N5105 processor Jasper Lake generation manufactured in 10 nm, has a power consumption of 10W but can also be achieved with other variants with only 6W. Inside its small case we have two DDR4 SODIMM slots, an M.2 2280 SATA drive that we can swap out and multiple connection ports including a triple video output. It is fully compatible with Windows 11 or Linux.

Let’s see how this device performs in our review and how it fares against the competition in the sector.

Newsmay AC8 details

Unboxing

The new Newsmay AC8 comes in a fairly basic but well protected cardboard box. Inside we find the small protected computer with its contents, manual,  HDMI cable, VESA bracket and charger 12V 2.5A (30 W).

Description

This Newsmay AC8 mini computer has multiple vents to let the hot air out of its interior. On the front we have a blue status LED on the power button, on the front we find two USB 3.0 Type-A ports, two USB 2.0, micro SD card reader, audio jacks and Kensington lock. In the rear area we have two USB 3.0 Type-A connectors, VGA port, HDMI 2.0 and DP 1.4 for power supply we have a round DC port.

Inside this PC we find a M.2 2230 card with Wifi aC + BT5.0 (Realtek 8821CE) with two internal antennas, a 128GB M.2 2242 SATA SSD and for the RAM memory we have available two SODIMM DDR4 up to 2666/3200MHz. We have a protective plate for electrostatic that eliminates radiation.

• RAM: 2x SODIMM DDR4 2666/3200MHz 32 GB max.
• Storage: 1x M.2 2242 SATA / SATA 3 internal.
• Network: Wifi ac + BT 5.0 (Realtek 8821CE) / 1x Gigabit Ethernet (Realtek)

System and performace

Environment and user experience

We started the small PC Newsmay AC8 connecting it to the current (it has auto power-on by default) and as indicated in the specifications we have Windows 10 Pro 64bit that is activated when connected to the internet that we updated without problems to Windows 11. The system moves smoothly in a classic desktop use, we loaded a good number of navigation tabs without problems. A mini PC totally valid for industrial work, office, multimedia and does not occupy almost no space.

• OS Version installed: Windows 10 Pro 64bit / Windows 11 compatible.
• Software pre-installed: None.
• Tutorials: Control the micro PC with your Smartphone / Install Windows 11 / Migrate Windows to SSD

Networks, Storage, RAM and Ports

This computer terms of network connectivity, the Newsmay AC8 PC has a Wifi aC + BT 5.0 (Realtek 8821CE) and one Ethernet Gigabit port (Realtek). The speed results are quite good and we have a correct range.

• Network performance: Two internal Wifi antennas / Alcance 40 dBm / Link 5G 433 Mbps  / Bluetooth OK.

We performed speed tests of the installed M.2 SATA 2242 disk storage and observed that it behaves normally. For the performance tests we installed 8 GB of RAM DDR4 2133 MHz with Dual Channel configuration.

• USB ports: 4x USB 3.0 Type-A  / 2x USB 2.0.
• PC Tutorials:  Install Windows 10 / Migrate Windows to a SSD / Tutorial SAMBA on Android networks

Processor, performance and thermal

In this version of the Newsmay AC8 we have an Intel Celeron N5105 processor manufactured in 10 nm with four cores and four threads that moves between 2 and 2.9 GHz. In the graphics section we have an Intel UHD Graphics GPU with 24 EU that reaches up to 800 MHz limited for multimedia and light gaming use. This chip has a stepped consumption of only 10 W TDP maximum and improves the data of the previous generation. This computer works without problems for surfing, multimedia playback with KODI, office use, good editing applications and for digital signage or industrial use.

Benchmarks Newsmay AC8

During the performance tests of the Newsmay AC8 as we can see it improves quite a lot compared to the processors of similar range manufactured in 14 nm, it is not a revolution but it is a positive step. The installed Intel UHD Graphics GPU as we can see is limited but still quite an improvement over its previous version thanks to its smaller lithography.

This computer gives us a good thermal performance the whole hardware keeps temperatures under control thanks to its large upper heatsink and does not emit noise, the upper surface heats up as is normal in this type of fanless PC. This processor with its 10 nm is efficient and should not worry us in this aspect.

• Power consumption: Off 0.9W / Idle 8W / Basic use10W / Maximum 20W.
• Thermal: Idle 40ºC / Basic use 46ºC / Maximum 69ºC / CPU 2.9 GHz max / Performance up to 100%.
• Gaming performance: LoL 68ºC / CPU 2.6 GHz on average.
• Noise: Fanless 0 db.

Games

We passed a series of performance tests on games on the Newsmay AC8, the results are in line with this type of GPU integrated into the Ryzen, the Intel UHD Graphics GPU is suitable for games in 1080p or 720p quality depending on the 3D load and is not suitable for heavy AAA games with a lot of 3D element. As for emulators at most we are left with some simple Wii and similar titles with little 3D load.

• Setting: High quality / 1080p resolution / No VSync / Play emulators with RetoArch.
  * On models with integrated Intel HD GPU on low and 720p resolution.

With this computer we can play titles like LoL with a good frame rate reaching more than 60 fps, in more demanding games like Fornite with the graphics settings in performance mode is little playable because it reaches 30 fps but it is not very stable. If we are mainly interested in the Gaming section it is better to go for a PC with a dedicated GPU and we will have a much smoother experience.

Video and audio tests

Playback test

In the video playback section the Newsmay AC8 PC has an integrated Intel UHD Graphics GPU that has a VPU with hardware support for HEVC and VP9 codecs and we do not have support for the modern AV1 video codec. In this processor has support for 10bit color and also has native HDR support. This PC is perfectly valid as a multimedia system to use KODI, IPTV or to use it with PLEX.

• Video outputs: HDMI 2.0 + DP 1.4 + VGA / HDR / Adjust image quality in our monitor.
• Audio outputs: HDMI up to 7.1 / Stereo audio jack.
• Tutorials: 4K videos with HEVC, VP9 / Install KODI with add-ons / Auto refresh rate / Multichannel audio on Windows

Video test

• * The maximum bit rate depends on the internal storage, usb port, Ethernet adapter with our SAMBA Network.
• SW = does not have hardware acceleration and may have some frameskip in very heavy files.

• Native – Supports the format directly in our AV receiver or similar / More info.
• Core – Only the 5.1 core of the format is played so we go to the Dolby or DTS base system / More info.
• PCM – Only stereo downmixing from DD or DTS.

Streaming services

We test the Newsmay AC8 micro PC with the most popular streaming services we pass some test for Youtube, Netflix, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video and others with their native apps or using the most compatible browser. You can consult our guides where we explain in detail all the best known streaming services, how to configure them and what requirements are necessary to see content in FullHD or 4K quality.

• Performance: Has hardware acceleration for VP9 4K codec on Youtube.
• Tutorial: Install Addons in KODI in a simple way / LibreELEC for PC

Conclusions and buy links for Newsmay AC8

Score

Newsmay AC-8

0.00

7.6

Hardware

7.5/10

Connectivity

7.5/10

Thermals

8.0/10

Support

7.5/10

Price

7.5/10

Pros

• Fanless
• Compact
• Efficient
• Three video outputs
• Windows 11 and Linux

Opinion

After testing the Newsmay AC8 we can assure that its Intel Celeron N5105 processor manufactured in 10 nm is a good improvement over the previous generation in 14 nm. With this fanless computer we have enough power for a usual desktop use, it also has three video outputs for digital signage and Gigabit Ethernet port to transfer large files in our local network. An ideal device for many industrial, digital signage and work environments in use up to 24/365.

The Newsmay AC8 mini PC has a M.2 2280 SATA SSD that we can replace if necessary, plus we have two SODIMM slots to mount up to 32GB of RAM. With this hardware we can upgrade and use Windows 11 Pro properly for browsing or consuming multimedia. Inside the compact case we have an efficient fanless cooling system and we do not observe performance losses due to overheating. We also have auto Power-on, PXE and WoL to keep it always running.

Once tested the Newsmay AC8 we can say that we are facing a small, quiet and efficient computer. This compact PC allows us to surf the web without problems, consume multimedia or use it in any industrial environment without maintenance.

Where to buy