MSI Cubi NUC CubiNUC13MQ225 2023, Core i5-1345U, 32GB, 1TB SSD, Black

The MSI Cubi NUC 13MQG packs a 10-core i5, 32GB of DDR5, and a 1TB SSD into a 1.9-inch chassis with killer port selection. It's built for office productivity and IT-managed fleets, not gaming or heavy compute. Prices range from $1,050 to $1,449, so shop around. If you need compact, quiet, and well-connected, it's a solid pick at the low end of that range.

The Core i5-1345U is a 10-core, 12-thread chip with a 1.6GHz base clock. In our database, it lands in the 33rd percentile for CPU performance among mini PCs, which is honestly a bit underwhelming on paper. But context matters. This is a 15W-class U-series processor designed for efficiency, not raw horsepower. For everyday office work, browser tabs, and light development, it's plenty. You won't feel it chugging through Excel or Slack. But if you're compiling large projects or running VMs, you'll notice the ceiling faster than you would on a desktop-class chip.

The integrated Iris Xe graphics sit at the 14th percentile, which is about what you'd expect from integrated graphics. This is not a machine for gaming, video editing, or anything GPU-accelerated. The gaming score of 8.7 out of 100 is the weakest area by a mile. That said, the 32GB of DDR5 RAM is a real bright spot, landing in the 74th percentile. That's more memory than most people need, and it means you can keep dozens of tabs open, run multiple productivity apps, and not think twice about it. The 1TB SSD is solidly middle of the pack at the 51st percentile, which is fine for a work machine.

Stacked against the Apple Mac Studio M5 Max, this thing looks like a toy in terms of raw performance. The Mac Studio is a monster for creative work and heavy compute, but it's also a completely different price class and use case. If you need GPU muscle or you're in the Apple ecosystem, the Cubi NUC isn't even in the conversation. The Lenovo Legion 90YA003GUS and HP OMEN GT16-0364 are gaming desktops, so they'll crush the Cubi in graphics and CPU performance, but they're towers. You're trading desk space and silence for power.

The ASUS ROG GM700 and Dell Tower Plus EBT2250 are similar stories. They're bigger, faster, and better for demanding workloads, but they don't mount behind a monitor. The Cubi NUC's real competition is other mini PCs, and in that space, its port selection is a genuine differentiator. The 89th percentile port ranking means you're getting Thunderbolt 4 and a ton of USB connectivity that many competitors skimp on. The trade-off is that the CPU and GPU are nothing special. You're choosing connectivity and compactness over compute.

Pricing is all over the place. In the US, you'll find this machine listed anywhere from $1,050 to $1,449 depending on the vendor. That's a $399 spread for the exact same hardware, which is frankly ridiculous. If you're buying, shop around. The lower end of that range is a reasonable deal for a vPro-equipped mini PC with 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD. The higher end starts to feel like you're paying a premium for the small form factor and the MSI badge.

Compared to building a small desktop yourself, you're paying for the engineering that goes into cramming this much into a 1.9-inch chassis, plus the warranty and the Windows 11 Pro license. That's not nothing. But if you don't need the tiny footprint or the vPro management features, you can get more raw performance for the same money in a traditional small form factor desktop. The value proposition here is really about the form factor and the enterprise features, not the benchmark scores.

The MSI Cubi NUC 13MQG is one of those machines that makes you realize how far mini PCs have come. You're getting a 10-core Intel Core i5-1345U, 32GB of DDR5, and a 1TB SSD stuffed into a chassis that's just 1.9 inches thick. That's a proper desktop workload in something you can VESA-mount behind a monitor and forget exists. For anyone whose desk is drowning in clutter, that's a genuine selling point.

This thing is aimed squarely at professional users who need reliable, quiet computing without a tower hogging floor space. The vPro Enterprise support and Windows 11 Pro tell you MSI is thinking about IT departments, managed fleets, and people who need remote management baked in. The 3-year advance replacement warranty backs that up. This isn't a gaming box or a hobbyist tinker toy, it's a workhorse for spreadsheets, code editors, video calls, and multi-monitor productivity.

What makes it interesting is the port situation. You get Thunderbolt 4, dual HDMI, dual USB-C, six USB-A ports, DisplayPort, Ethernet, and Wi-Fi 6E. That's an absurd amount of connectivity for a box this small. The port selection ranks in the 89th percentile among mini PCs in our database, which means this thing can drive a serious desk setup without dongles or compromises.

Gamers should absolutely skip this. The integrated graphics are a weak spot, and the gaming score of 8.7 out of 100 tells you everything you need to know. If you want to play anything beyond casual browser games, you'll be disappointed. Look at a small form factor desktop with a discrete GPU, like the Lenovo Legion or HP OMEN lines, which will give you actual gaming performance in a still-compact package.

Creative professionals who do video editing, 3D rendering, or heavy photo work should also look elsewhere. The CPU is below average for the category, and the integrated graphics won't accelerate those workloads meaningfully. The Apple Mac Studio M5 Max is a far better fit for that kind of work, though it's in a different price bracket. If you need serious compute in a small package, you'll need to spend more or accept a larger chassis.

If you're an IT manager outfitting a fleet of office machines, the Cubi NUC makes a lot of sense. The vPro Enterprise support, Windows 11 Pro, and 3-year advance replacement warranty are exactly what you want when you're managing dozens of these things remotely. The compact size means you can mount them behind monitors and reclaim desk space across an entire office. The 32GB of RAM is future-proof enough that these machines won't feel obsolete in two years.

For individual buyers, it's a more nuanced call. If you want a clean, quiet, space-saving desktop for productivity work and you can find it at the $1,050 end of the price range, it's a solid buy. But if you're paying $1,449, you're overpaying for what you get. And if you have any aspirations of gaming, video editing, or heavy compute, this is the wrong tool. The integrated graphics simply can't keep up. Look at a small form factor desktop with a discrete GPU instead.