T-Bao MiniPC + NAS R3 review

T-Bao MiniPC + NAS R3: 30 second review

The T-BAO MiniPC + NAS R3 stands out from many of the best mini PCs by being an extremely versatile option that has been tailored for the needs of day-to-day use. Less boxy and more Air Purifier by design, T-Bao has deliberately focused on seamless integration into home aesthetics as well as computing functionality.

Crafted to cater to everyday computing demands, the T-BAO MiniPC + NAS R3 presents a cheap and easy-to-use solution for anyone wanting something other than pure gaming performance. Its compact form and stylish, if slightly plasticy, design mean it looks equally in place on your desk or living room.

The big selling point of the T-BAO MiniPC + NAS R3 is its integrated NAS system. This integration isn't an afterthought but a fundamental design of the machine. It's only an entry-level NAS, but still, in a machine of this size, it's impressive with the capacity for two 3.5-inch HDDs. Essentially, with two drives installed, this machine transforms a compact daily computer into a hub for all your multimedia and files, which is why we consider it one of the top mini PCs in its class. 

Powering the system is an AMD Ryzen 5 5500U processor, which is an excellent balance between price and performance for this style of machine. 

Price and Availablity

The T-BAO MiniPC + NAS R3 arrives at an affordable price and is designed to cater to a wide range of users. Geekbuying sells it for a mere $399.99, a price that not includes 32GB RAM but also a 1TB SSD. The machine is positioned for day-to-day use with a specification and design that will cater to most word processing, web browsing, multimedia and the occasional use for games. 

One of the most enticing aspects of the T-BAO MiniPC + NAS R3 is its budget-friendly price point. If you're looking for a cost-effective option, this machine really does pack in quite a bit for the price and with features such as the NAS and Network hub that aren't that common at this level. 

While the machine primarily focuses on day-to-day tasks, its design seamlessly slots into your home design with a far more aesthetic look than the small box design of most other mini PCs. Its compact dimensions ensure it doesn't occupy too much space.

The T-Bao MiniPC + NAS is available for a reasonable amount and the versatile design and the inclusion of a simplified NAS system make it a compelling option if you're looking for an all-in-one solution that caters to day-to-day computing, multimedia enjoyment, and mass storage.

• Score: 4/5

Design

The T-BAO MiniPC + NAS R3 impresses with a design that seamlessly blends functionality and aesthetics. Its small footprint makes it an unobtrusive addition to any workspace. The standout feature for this small machine is the provision for two 3.5-inch HDDs, enabling easy storage expansion without compromising on elegance. In this test, I popped in two inexpensive 500GB WD Green Drives, effectively quadrupling the storage size in a little under two minutes without the need for any tools. 

The through-type cooling design, supported by a generously-sized base fan, ensures excellent heat dissipation for consistent performance while maintaining nice quiet operation even when some of the tasks, such as basic video editing, push the resources of the machine. 

The MiniPC + NAS R3 also excels in connectivity, offering a range of connection options including USB, HDMI, DP, and more, making peripheral integration simple. The distinctive design is reminiscent of an air purifier, which may appeal to some people; it also makes it more at home when trying to blend it into a living area rather than a home office.

While the overall design is good, the quality of the materials does let it down, and some flexing of the outer case was initially required to align all ports correctly. The other issue is the caddy loading system for the two 3.5-inch HDDs. While a great idea, the caddies are a little fiddly and cheap-feeling; however, they're simple to use.

• Design: 3/5

Features

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500U CPU and AMD Radeon Graphics 7 in the T-bao R3 Mini provide the processing power needed for most applications, including office apps and multimedia.

The most notable aspect of the system is its integrated NAS functionality, which turns the Mini PC into a central repository for data. The NAS system is designed to accommodate two 3.5-inch hard drives, enabling you to quickly expand your storage beyond the basic 512GB that comes preinstalled in the machine.

This premise of the machine is quite unique and makes the machine a great solution if you're looking for a machine to store data of all types. The ease of use of the R3, even for someone with no prior experience with a NAS, should be able to find their way around, and this is especially true when it comes to using the Windows Storage Spaces application.

The T-bao R3 Mini PC also offers fast network connectivity, powered by WiFi 6 and two 2.5G Ethernet ports. In terms of other connections, a bank of connectors features at the rear, including USB 2.0, USB 3.0, HDMI, DP, and Type-C ports.

• Features: 4/5

Performance

Although it may not be high on the list of mini PC's when it comes to processing, the T-Bao MiniPC + NAS R3 offers plenty of power for office applications and, of course, the built-in NAS, which is a unique feature. Through the tests, the machine manages to strike a balance between performance and usefulness that sees it function as more than just a standard PC.

Checking out a few of the 3DMark scores and firstly the Fire Strike benchmark resulted in a graphics score of 3491, with the physics score hitting 14818 and the combined score reaching 1131. These scores highlight the machine's ability to handle a variety of tasks, from graphics-heavy applications to multitasking, albeit within reasonable boundaries. Sure enough, running Adobe Bridge thumbnails takes a while to load, but standard image editing in Photoshop generally runs smoothly.

The Fire Strike benchmark resulted in a graphics score of 3491, with the physics score hitting 14818 and the combined score reaching 1131. These scores again highlight the machine's ability to handle various tasks, from graphics-heavy applications to multitasking, albeit within reasonable boundaries.

The Time Spy benchmark gained a graphics score of 1006 and a CPU score of 4519, reflecting the MiniPC + NAS R3's ease for multimedia playback, productivity, and HD content creation. It also performed well when used for photo and video editing, as long as the edits weren't to complex.

Cinebench R23 showcased a multi-core score of 3270 and a single-core score of 1152, again confirming the machine's ability to handle multiple applications at once. Editing video in Premiere Pro highlighted it was fine for 1080p edits but started to struggle with more demanding 4K.

GeekBench 5 revealed a multicore score of 5820 and a singlecore score of 1479, again a middle-of-the-road score.

CrystalDiskMark recorded a read speed of 2078.72MB/s and a write speed of 1665.39MB/s, showing the device's storage speed, which aligns well with its intended use as a day-to-day computing solution. While this speed is slower than some, for almost all tasks this is still an impressive result. 

Finally, with a PCMark 10 score of 4948 and a Windows Experience Index score of 8.1 this all comes together to further confirm the mini PC's use for everyday work, multimedia, as well as a bit of gaming. 

Should you buy a T-Bao MiniPC + NAS R3

There's no doubt that the T-Bao MiniPC + NAS R3 offers a decent blend of performance and functionality and is designed for day-to-day use; with its sleek design fitting well into home and office setups with a design that's more air purifier than PC. 

The MiniPC + NAS R3 really does offer a very versatile multimedia hub, thanks to the AMD Ryzen 5 5500U processor, decent amount of RAM as standard, and of course the ability to vastly expand the storage. The built-in NAS functionality, while simple, is one of the standout features and essentially streamlines file storage and makes it easy. High-end gamers and those wishing to run applications that require graphics-intensive processing, however, won't be satisfied with this small PC for work purposes, but still, the NAS option will still be very interesting. This mini PC is very reasonably priced, making it a great alternative if you're searching for a small, fashionable computer with flexible storage options via the NAS feature.

Value: A versatile hybrid at an attractive price point. (4/5)
Design: Compact and efficient, but average build quality. (3/5)
Features: Impressive NAS integration and storage potential. (4/5)
Performance: Moderate processing and graphics capabilities. (3/5)
Total: A well-rounded choice for multitaskers and storage enthusiasts. (4/5)

Why you should buy

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