The mini PC is a fast-growing category and everyone wants in. The latest to cross my desk is from Sapphire, a company you probably know best for its line of AMD Radeon graphics cards.
As popular as the category is becoming, it's still hard to actually innovate. After all, by design, a mini PC is a small box. But this small box stands apart from its peers with a simple, but I think, brilliant feature.
Why is this such a big deal? It's about the most user-friendly mini PC I've seen in recent times, that's why. The magnetic lid simply pops off, revealing beneath it the RAM and pair of SSD slots.
Upgrading mini PCs is usually possible, but more often than not involves prying feet away from the base, taking out any number of tiny screws, disconnecting wireless cables, and such. It's doable, but it can be fiddly. I spent a cool 10 minutes getting properly into the Geekom A9 Max, for example.
With the Sapphire Edge AI, it takes a literal two seconds to pop the top off and you're in. This is especially important since it's planned to be sold as a barebones kit, so you'll be supplying your own RAM and SSD.
Spec wise, well, there's naturally some variation to make it your own since you'll be spec'ing up your own RAM and storage. But you have two LPDDR5 slots to fill with up to 96GB of RAM.
There are also two vacant SSD slots, one for the regular sized NVMe SSD, and one for the smaller 2230 form commonly used in handheld gaming PCs.
But what about what Sapphire provides? There are three versions, all using AMD's Ryzen AI 300 series, with a Ryzen AI 5 340, Ryzen AI 7 350, and Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 to choose from. I have the middle tier in house for review, which will be coming soon.
As such, all tiers of the Sapphire Edge AI are Copilot+ PCs, with a 50 TOPS NPU. All tiers utilize Radeon 800M series graphics, though for gamers, the Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 is definitely the way to go.
You get plenty of connectivity, too, with the only obvious omission, an SD card slot. Otherwise, you're getting HDMI 2.1, USB-C 4.0, Wi-Fi 6, and 2.5G Ethernet.
First impressions are good, but I'll be following up soon with a full review. The only downside might be finding one to buy. But Sapphire says it will be selling through authorized resellers, such as Overclockers in the UK, and that should begin in the coming weeks.
In the UK, prices start at £439, with the Ryzen AI 7 model at £539, and the AI 9 HX370 coming in at £649.
It's fun to see even simple features really make a difference to the user experience, though. Mini PCs are becoming easier and easier to recommend, even for more intensive tasks such as AI and gaming. It's a category I'm going to be keeping a close eye on through 2026.
FAQ
What is a barebones PC?
A barebones PC is one that's sold with its core components, but leaves some of them down to user configuration. Usually you'll be supplied with a CPU, but have to provide your own RAM, storage, and operating system.
Does the Sapphire Edge AI mini PC run Windows 11?
If you want it to, yes. As it's shipped as a barebones PC, you'll need to provide your own Windows 11 license. Alternatively, you can install Linux on it.
What is a Copilot+ PC?
Simply put, a Copilot+ PC is one with an NPU that meets the minimum requirement of 40 TOPS. Copilot+ is a suite of AI software on Windows 11 that utilizes the NPU and does all of its work locally on your machine.
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