MSI Cubi NUC 1MG

The MSI Cubi NUC 1MG is a barebone mini PC that lets you max out RAM to 64GB and offers killer dual 2.5G Ethernet, but it ships with no storage and no OS. Its RAM score is in the absolute best right now at the 96th percentile, but the CPU and storage are well below average. Only buy it if you enjoy assembling your own system and don't need any graphical horsepower.

The MSI Cubi NUC 1MG is a barebone mini PC, not a ready-to-go computer. Out of the box you get a tiny metal chassis, a motherboard with a soldered Intel Core 7 150U, and a whole lot of empty slots. It's designed for IT departments and tinkerers who want to add their own DDR5 RAM, M.2 SSD, and Windows or Linux license, then strap it to the back of a monitor.

For its size, the port selection is seriously generous. You get Thunderbolt 4, dual 2.5G Ethernet, four USB-A, and dual HDMI, which makes it interesting for network appliance builds or a clutter-free office desk. But the CPU is a low-power U-series chip that prioritizes efficiency over speed, so don't expect snappy multitasking under heavy loads.

The Core 7 150U is a 10-core chip built for efficiency, not fireworks. It handles everyday office tasks, web browsing, and 4K video streaming without drama, but push it with heavier spreadsheets or software compilation and you'll feel the lag. The integrated Intel Graphics are strictly for display output, so even light gaming or GPU-accelerated workflows are a painful no-go. On the flip side, RAM support is the standout: you can pack in up to 64GB of DDR5, which is top of the charts for a mini PC this small. Just remember you have to buy the memory yourself, because this thing ships with absolutely zero storage and no RAM preinstalled.

Pricing for the Cubi NUC 1MG is all over the map. Some vendors list the barebone kit around $598, while others are somehow asking over $100,000, which we assume is a spreadsheet typo. At the lower end, it's a reasonable deal if you already have a spare NVMe drive and a DDR5 SO-DIMM kit sitting around. But once you factor in the cost of even 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD, plus a Windows license, the total creeps into Mac mini M4 territory, and that machine leaves this one in the dust.

If you're shopping for a compact desktop, the Apple Mac mini M4 is the obvious rival. It costs more up front but includes the OS, storage, and an incredibly fast chip. The Cubi NUC only makes sense if you absolutely need dual 2.5G LAN or want to run a DIY Linux server. The other competitors listed, like the Lenovo Legion Tower 5i and the ASUS ROG G700, are full-size gaming desktops with discrete GPUs, so they're a completely different class. For a barebone mini PC, the Cubi holds its own on connectivity, but the lack of included storage and the dull CPU performance keep it from being a top recommendation.

Skip this if you want a computer that just works out of the box. The Cubi NUC 1MG requires you to source and install your own storage, RAM, and OS; it's a project, not a finished product. Also, if you need any kind of graphical performance, even for light video editing, look at AMD-based mini PCs with integrated Radeon graphics. They run circles around this thing for not much more money.

This is a tiny, well-connected barebone box for IT pros who need to deploy a fleet of cheap, identical office PCs or a quiet home-lab node. If you're comfortable wrenching on hardware and have a pile of DDR5 SODIMMs and M.2 drives on your workbench, the dual 2.5G Ethernet and Thunderbolt 4 make it a flexible little tool. For everyone else, the missing storage, missing OS, and sleepy CPU are dealbreakers.