Note
With the code E2N150RD you can currently get the NiPoGi E2 for only €186,75. The coupon is valid until April 06, 2025.
First impression
The NiPoGi E2's casing is immediately noticeable due to its ultra-compact dimensions. The small computer measures just 10 x 10 x 4 cm, meaning it can easily be placed on a desk, behind a monitor or even hidden in the living room.
The housing is made entirely of plastic, but at first glance it looks more high-quality than it actually is. The copper-colored decoration around the housing in particular initially suggests high-quality materials, but in fact it is all plastic. Compared to the robust aluminum housings of competitors such as GEEKOM, the housing feels significantly less high-quality.
A noticeable disadvantage are the numerous stickers that cover almost all sides of the case. These are difficult to remove without leaving residue, which detracts from the otherwise neat impression.
The connections are surprisingly extensive for a PC of this size. At the front there are two USB 3.2 ports and a combined headphone and microphone jack. At the back there is a Gigabit Ethernet port, HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort 1.4, two USB 2.0 ports and a Kensington lock for theft protection.
Ventilation slots on the left, right and bottom provide fresh air. There are also practical rubber feet and two threads on the bottom for the included VESA mount. Also included in delivery are an HDMI cable and a power supply (30 watts).
Easy upgrade of SSD and RAM
A clear plus point is the quick access to the inner workings. With a small slide switch on the back, the cover of the case can be unlocked and easily lifted off. This gives you direct access to the SSD and RAM.
The test device was equipped with a 512 GB M.2 SATA SSD from Rayson (model RS512GSSD310) and 16 GB DDR4-3200 RAM, also from Rayson (RS16GS4C16). Both components can be easily replaced or upgraded with higher-quality components.
If you want to get further inside, you have to loosen five screws, but a large black fan blocks the view of the inner workings, so it's hardly worth taking a closer look. In this model, the Intel N150 processor is hidden under the fan. Alternatively, the NiPoGi E2 is also available with the slightly more powerful Intel N97.
performance and suitability for everyday use
The Intel N150 belongs to the current Twin Lake series, but is technically a refresh of the Alder Lake N generation. There are no major innovations, only the clock speeds have been slightly increased. In everyday use, the processor still delivers solid performance.
YouTube and Netflix videos in 4K resolution play smoothly, without loading times or stuttering. When surfing in Chrome or Edge, you can open numerous tabs at the same time without the mini PC seeming overwhelmed.
Typical office tasks such as creating documents in Word or Excel also work without any problems. The small computer even handles larger tables or PowerPoint presentations with ease. Video conferences with Microsoft Teams or Zoom also run reliably, as long as not too many other programs are open at the same time.
The NiPoGi E2 is only suitable for gaming to a limited extent. Emulators for retro games and older games still run acceptably, but the performance of the integrated graphics is not sufficient for anything more. A good alternative, however, is game streaming via Geforce Now, which also allows current games to be played smoothly and stably. The only difference is that the refresh rate is limited to 4 Hz in 2K and 60K.
Insights
NiPoGi E2 as home server or media center
In addition to typical everyday use, the NiPoGi E2 is ideal as an energy-saving home server. The pre-installed Windows 11 Pro (digitally licensed) can be easily replaced with a slim Linux. The Intel N150 processor is optimally supported from kernel 6.11.
During the test, I was able to install Ubuntu 22.04 without any problems and use the NiPoGi E2 as a lightweight file server or web server with NGINX, for example. The system performance is more than sufficient to run services such as Nextcloud, Pi-Hole or simple Docker applications.
The NiPoGi E2 also cuts a convincing figure as a compact media center. Plex in particular runs excellently on the small computer. Local media in 1080p or even 4K can be played directly without any problems and streamed to multiple devices at the same time via Plex. However, the performance is only sufficient if no complex transcoding is required. Direct playback, on the other hand, works without any problems.
volume, network and energy consumption
One positive aspect is its pleasantly quiet operation. The fan is audible, but hardly noticeable. Even under high load, the noise level remains pleasantly low. This makes it ideal for use in the living room.
The network performance is OK. Gigabit Ethernet enables fast data transfers, while the WLAN performance with WiFi 5 (~45 MB/s) remains average at best. Large data transfers take noticeably longer than with modern standards such as WiFi 6.
The power consumption is around 8 watts when idling, 12 watts when doing everyday tasks and up to 23 watts under full load. This is particularly pleasingly low under full load, even if the performance is not particularly high. However, the power consumption when idling could be better. Even more powerful systems are often more economical here.
Meret
Hi Julian, the N150 and the N97 both cost the same. So I'd be better off buying the N97, or am I missing something?
Timo
Hi Meret, they're both almost identical, although the N97 is a bit better. However, it has twice the TDP (12W), so it's not quite as efficient as the more recent N150.