ACEMAGIC Retro X5 Review: The Most Powerful NES-Style Mini PC of 2026?

The ACEMAGIC Retro X5 is one of the most original proposals in the mini PC market in 2026.

It combines a nostalgic aesthetic inspired by the NES with state-of-the-art hardware, the powerful AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370, in a compact package that fits on any desktop.

It's ideal for users looking for real power, local AI capabilities, and retro/casual gaming, all wrapped in a conversation-starting design.

🟢 Pros (Strengths)

• Unsoldered RAM (Upgradeable): Features standard SO-DIMM slots, avoiding the limitations of soldered memory found in most direct competitors. Supports up to 128 GB of DDR5-5600 RAM (2x SO-DIMM).

• Internal storage: Supports up to 4 TB M.2 PCIe 4.0 x4 SSDs distributed between its two NVMe slots (maximum 2 TB per bay).

• Top Integrated Graphics: The Radeon 890M is currently the most powerful x86 iGPU on the consumer market.

• Massive Memory Support for AI: The ability to allocate up to 16–32 GB of RAM as VRAM from the BIOS makes it a very economical workstation for local AI development.

• Next-Generation Connectivity: Integrates Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4 , dual 2.5 GbE LAN ports and 40 Gbps USB4 for high-speed eGPUs or docks.

• Distinctive Retro Design: Provides a distinctive aesthetic based on classic consoles with high-density materials.

🔴 Cons (Weak Points)

• No OCuLink Port: Unlike rivals such as the PELADN HO5, it lacks a dedicated OCuLink port, so connecting an eGPU depends exclusively on the USB4 bus (which suffers a 15%-20% loss of bandwidth).

• Storage Limit per Slot: Although it has two M.2 NVMe slots, the controller restricts the maximum capacity to 2 TB per disk (4 TB total), preventing the use of individual 4 TB drives.

• Noise Level at 65W: Under prolonged multi-core loads or intense gaming sessions, the fans noticeably accelerate to dissipate heat from the small chassis.

• Launch Price: By integrating AMD's latest Strix Point platform, its base price is high compared to mini PCs with Ryzen 7000 or 8000 series chips.

Quick conclusion: If you're looking for a mini PC with personality, plenty of power for everyday use and casual gaming, and the idea of ​​running local AI models appeals to you, the Retro X5 is a serious contender. If you need AAA gaming at high resolution, look for a solution with a dedicated GPU.

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📋 Technical Specifications

🎨 Design and Construction Quality

The first impression of the ACEMAGIC Retro X5 is unavoidable: it looks like a NES straight out of the 80s. The matte gray casing, the front door that simulates the cartridge slot, and the decorative controls on the front are a perfectly executed nod to the Nintendo console that defined a generation.

Beyond the nostalgia, the build quality is solid. The plastic used has a pleasant texture and doesn't feel flimsy, although it obviously doesn't reach the level of mini PCs with an anodized aluminum case.

Its size is genuinely compact, 138x128x45mm and 462 grams, fitting easily on any desk, next to the monitor or even mounted behind it with a compatible VESA mount.

What's striking from an engineering standpoint is how ACEMAGIC has managed to integrate the cooling system. According to the company, the design incorporates copper piping and dual-turbine fans, although the community has raised legitimate concerns about whether such a compact chassis can adequately dissipate the HX 370's heat under sustained load.

🖥️ Screen and Multimedia

The Retro X5 stands out for its video output capability:

• Supports up to 4 simultaneous

• Maximum resolution 8K@60Hz per HDMI/DisplayPort port

• Compatible with multi-monitor setups for advanced productivity

For multimedia, the Radeon 890M effortlessly handles 4K HDR video decoding, streaming on platforms like Netflix or Disney+, and light-to-medium video editing.

The sound depends on your peripherals, as the device does not include built-in speakers, although it does have a 3.5mm audio jack on the front panel.

🚀 Performance and Software

Overall performance

The AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 is one of the most capable mobile/compact processors on the market in 2026. Its hybrid architecture combines 4 high-performance Zen 5 cores for demanding tasks with 8 efficient Zen 5c cores for light workloads, similar in concept to Intel with its P-cores and E-cores, but with AMD's characteristic efficiency.

In practical terms:

• Everyday tasks (browsing, office applications, streaming): total fluidity without the slightest effort

• Light photo/video editing: very capable with Adobe Lightroom, DaVinci Resolve in 1080p projects

• Casual and retro gaming: excellent with the Radeon 890M

• Local AI (LLaMA, DeepSeek, Qwen): the XDNA 2 NPU with 50 TOPS makes it viable for mid-range models

Gaming

The Radeon 890M is currently AMD's most powerful integrated iGPU in this product range. This translates to:

• eSports Games (Fortnite, Valorant, CS2): 60+ FPS at 1080p without problems

• Recent AAA titles: playable at medium-low settings in 1080p

• Retro emulation (PS2, GameCube, Wii, PSP): Excellent performance thanks to the included RetroPlay Box software

Software

The Retro X5 comes with Windows 11 pre-installed and ACEMAGIC's exclusive RetroPlay Box software , which includes pre-configured emulators and basic ROM management tools to facilitate the retro gaming experience from day one. Its main function is to offer a "plug and play" solution for emulating classic consoles.

• Emulator integration: Groups and pre-configures various emulators (RetroArch and specific kernels) to avoid having to configure directories, controllers, or BIOS from scratch.

• ROM Manager: Includes a front-end visual organizer to navigate the library of old games, download covers, and launch titles intuitively.

• Controller use: It is designed to be used from the outset with a standard gamepad (via USB or Bluetooth) without needing to use a mouse or keyboard to launch games.

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🔋 Energy Consumption and Cables

With a TDP of 65W, the Retro X5 is surprisingly efficient for the power it delivers. For context: a mid-range gaming laptop consumes between 80-150W; this mini PC offers comparable performance while consuming significantly less.

• At rest: estimated 8-12W

• Office load: 25-35W

• Maximum load (gaming/rendering): up to 65W

• Power supply: external (the size of the adapter has been criticized by some reviewers as being too bulky)

🔌 Connectivity and Ports

The inclusion of WiFi 7 is a notable strength; it is the latest wireless technology on the market, with theoretical speeds up to 46 Gbps and ultra-low latency, far exceeding the competition's WiFi 6E.

💬 Reviews on Well-Known Pages

This is one of the most important points when deciding on a purchase. Here's what the real community says:

Reddit (r/MiniPCs, r/AMD)

The reception on Reddit has been mostly positive regarding design, with some caution regarding cooling. The most upvoted comment on r/AMD sums up the general sentiment well:

"Honestly a really neat looking chassis, but I wonder how well they can cool 12 cores in that form factor. I can't see it holding the boost clocks for long. "

This is the number one concern of the technical community: the HX 370 is a powerful chip that generates heat, and the compact form factor may limit sustained performance under prolonged load.

Trustpilot — ACEMAGIC (278 ratings)

The brand generally receives mixed reviews on Trustpilot:

• ✅ Positive: Users highlight the boot speed, the reliability for daily tasks, and the good value for money in mid-range models

• ⚠️ Negative: Several users mention slow technical support and warranty issues, with some cases taking weeks to receive a response.

• 💡 Important note: Support complaints are common with Chinese mini PC brands. ACEMAGIC responds to most negative reviews on Trustpilot, indicating an active customer support team.

HardwarePremium.com

He describes the Retro X5 as "a mini PC that looks like an NES but hides a beast," highlighting the price of ~$940 as justified by the specifications, although he points out that it is a niche offering for users who value design as much as performance.

YouTube (RobtechYT — ACEMAGIC F5A with same chip)

RobtechYT's review of the F5A model (same HX 370 processor) concludes: "It's the cheapest HX370 model we've looked at, and it's still really good," although it criticizes the size of the external power supply. These findings are directly applicable to the Retro X5 since they share the same platform.

🧪 Technical Tests

Since the Retro X5 is in its launch/pre-order phase, the available benchmarks come from the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 chip in other devices with the same platform. The results are consistent across systems:

AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 Benchmarks

Gaming with Radeon 890M (1080p)

Local AI (NPU XDNA 2 — 50 TOPS)

Users of the F5A model with the same chip report smooth execution of models such as LLaMA 3 8B and DeepSeek R1 7B in LM Studio with response times of 15-25 tokens/second — perfectly usable for local AI productivity.

🛠️ Expansion and Scalability Options: ACEMAGIC Retro X5

One of the key advantages of the ACEMAGIC Retro X5 compared to other ultra-compact laptops on the market is its accessible and modular internal architecture:

• RAM Memory (Up to 128 GB DDR5):

  • Factory configuration: It usually comes with 32 GB in dual channel (2 x 16 GB) DDR5 at 5600 MT/s.

  • Upgrade limit: It has two standard SO-DIMM slots that support modules of up to 64 GB each, reaching a maximum of 128 GB DDR5-5600.

  • Advantage: Essential if you plan to use the Radeon 890M iGPU by allocating more VRAM from the BIOS, or if you run virtual machines (Docker/Proxmox) and local AI models (LLMs) that require a large volume of data in memory.

• NVMe PCIe 4.0 Storage (Up to 4 TB Total):

  • Factory configuration: 1 TB NVMe SSD M.2 2280.

  • Upgrade limit: It integrates two M.2 2280 PCIe 4.0 x4 slots. The chassis and controller support up to 2 TB per slot, for a combined maximum of 4 TB of ultra-fast internal storage.

  • Recommended configurations: Keep the primary SSD for the operating system and a second fast SSD in RAID 0/1 or formatted as a dedicated drive for heavy games or project libraries.

• External Graphics Expansion (eGPU via USB4):

  • It features a 40 Gbps USB4 port with support for DisplayPort 1.4 output and Power Delivery.

  • It allows you to connect a simple external dedicated graphics card (eGPU) using a compatible dock to multiply the power in complex 3D rendering or games at 4K resolutions.

Direct Competitors

🏁 Final Conclusion

The ACEMAGIC Retro X5 is a truly unique product in the mini PC market. It's not just retro marketing—underneath the nostalgic chassis lies top-of-the-line hardware that justifies the price for the right user.

It is ideal for:

• 🎮 Retro gaming enthusiasts who want a team with personality

• 🤖 Users interested in running local AI models (LLaMA, DeepSeek)

• 💼 Professionals who need plenty of power in a compact format

• 🖥️ Advanced productivity multi-monitor setups

It is not ideal for:

• 🎮 Gamers who want to play AAA games at 1080p Ultra or 4K

• 💰 Users with a tight budget (there are options with HX 370 starting from ~$400 in barebone)

• ⚡ Those who need sustained performance for hours under maximum load

🛒 Where to buy it?

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