I’m super excited to dive into the nitty-gritty of a device that’s been catching my eye lately—the KAMRUI Essenx E2 Mini PC. You’ve probably heard about mini PCs before, but this one stands out for a few reasons. First off, it’s powered by the brand-new Intel N150 CPU, which is part of Intel’s Twin Lake family. Sure, it’s not the fastest processor out there, but here’s the kicker—it’s crazy affordable. We’re talking just $169 on Amazon! Yep, you heard that right. For less than the price of a fancy dinner, you can get your hands on this compact little machine.
Now, don’t let the low price fool you. The Essenx E2 is no slouch when it comes to design and features. But here’s the real question: does it deliver where it counts? Can it handle your daily grind—streaming 4K videos, browsing with a ton of tabs open, or even light gaming?
Key Features
First off, let’s talk about the size. The KAMRUI Essenx E2 Mini PC is tiny—seriously, absurdly small. It measures just 100x100x40 mm and weighs a measly 275 grams. That’s about the size of a deck of cards, maybe even smaller. Holding it next to an iPhone 12 gives you a real sense of how compact this thing is. Despite being so small, it doesn’t skimp on ports or features. On the front, there’s a 3.5mm audio jack, two USB 3.2 Type-A ports, and a power button. Flip it around, and you’ve got an RJ45 Ethernet port, HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort 1.4, two more USB 2.0 Type-A ports, and a DC power input. The only thing missing here is a USB-C port, which might be a bummer for some, but honestly, at this price point, it’s hard to complain too much.
One standout feature is the clever design of the back panel. There’s a switch with a lock that lets you pop off the top cover easily. This gives you quick access to the SSD and RAM, which is super handy if you’re the kind of person who likes to tinker or upgrade components down the line. Inside, there’s even a metal plate built into the top cover that helps dissipate heat from the SSD and RAM. It’s these thoughtful touches that make the E2 feel like more than just a bare-bones budget device.
Speaking of heat, the Intel N150 processor inside this mini PC doesn’t generate much of it. With a thermal design power (TDP) of just 6 watts, it doesn’t need a fan to stay cool under normal use. That said, KAMRUI still threw in a 2300 RPM fan for those moments when the system needs a bit of extra cooling. During regular tasks, the fan stays silent, producing noise levels around 39dB. Even when pushed harder, like during gaming sessions, the noise only goes up to about 42dB. That’s quiet enough that you’ll barely notice it unless you’re sitting right next to the device.
Now, let’s dig into performance. The Intel N150 isn’t going to blow anyone away—it’s the slowest chip in Intel’s Twin Lake lineup—but it gets the job done for everyday tasks. It has four efficient cores running at a turbo speed of 3.6 GHz, paired with 16GB of DDR4 RAM and a 512GB SATA SSD. The RAM comes from a company called Sharetronic, which I hadn’t heard of before, but it seems to work fine. As for the SSD, it’s functional but not exactly speedy. You might want to swap it out for something faster, like an M.2 NVMe PCIe3.0 drive, especially since the E2 supports up to 2TB of storage.
Running benchmarks on the E2 paints a clear picture: it’s not a powerhouse. The PCMark 10 results show performance below that of an average office laptop from 2023. Gaming is where the limitations become most obvious. Testing popular titles like Team Fortress 2, Dota 2, Counter-Strike, and World of Tanks revealed mixed results. Team Fortress 2 was laggy and unpleasant to play, while Dota 2 ran okay but wasn’t smooth sailing by any means. Counter-Strike 2 didn’t fare well, even at lower resolutions. The one bright spot was World of Tanks, which ran surprisingly well despite the low graphics settings.
Where the E2 shines is in handling day-to-day tasks. Streaming 4K videos on YouTube? No problem. Opening multiple browser tabs with videos playing simultaneously? Still smooth, though the CPU usage does spike to 100%. For home users who spend their time browsing, streaming, or doing light office work, this mini PC performs admirably. It even comes pre-installed with Microsoft 365 apps like Word and PowerPoint, making it ready to go straight out of the box.
Connectivity options are solid, too. The RJ45 Gigabit Ethernet port ensures stable wired internet access, while Wi-Fi and Bluetooth support provide flexibility for wireless setups. During testing, the wireless transfer rates were impressive, hitting over 100Mbps for both download and upload speeds on a 100Mbps ISP connection. Pairing a Bluetooth keyboard and connecting to a home Wi-Fi network was seamless.
Final thoughts
The KAMRUI Essenx E2 Mini PC isn’t going to blow anyone away with jaw-dropping performance, but it’s not trying to be a high-end powerhouse. Instead, it carves out its niche as a budget-friendly, compact device that gets the job done for everyday tasks. After spending some time with it, I can confidently say this little machine has its strengths and weaknesses, and understanding them is key to deciding if it’s the right fit for your needs.
For just $169, it offers a reliable, compact solution for everyday tasks. Its thoughtful design, quiet operation, and solid connectivity options make it a great option for students, home users, or anyone looking for a secondary device. While it has its quirks, like the slow SSD and lack of USB-C, these are minor gripes considering the price point. If you’re on a tight budget and need a no-frills mini PC that gets the job done, the E2 is definitely worth considering.
