At $239 MSRP Bosgame introduces their E1 mini PC which boasts an Intel N100 processor capable of up to 3.4GHz, 16GB DDR4 RAM, 512GB SSD, Dual 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet LAN with support for 4K Triple Display/WiFi5 (WiFi6 in pictures), Bluetooth 5.2 & USB 3.2. We at Nizel Corporation were provided a free machine to give our thoughts on.
The E1 includes a power, HDMI and VESA mounting kit. Internally it is a clean build with good cable management (there are almost no internal cables aside from the fan.) Thermal paste was slopped on like usual from cheap OEM manufacturers. The USB ports are color coded with the blue port on the back being labeled as USB 2.0 when blue is supposed to represent USB 3.0 standard and white USB 1.0/2.0. The specs seemed ok with 16GB of DDR4 memory, a processor capable of 3.4GHz and 512GB of storage, USB 3.2 ports (most likely false advertising,) but once you power it on...the reality of these low-end pseudo thin-clients begins.
The machine initially couldn't connect to our wireless network. Neither 2.4 or 5GHz worked for it. After we skipped the network setup and logged into the system we were able to reconfigure the wireless and connect to 2.4GHz, but still not 5GHz. The machine also has numerous issues. It is very slow, freezes every few seconds and the graphics don't scale very well. It definitely isn't overheating since even after adding diamond thermal paste the issues continued. The BIOS features a wealth of options. Pretty much everything you can think of is unlocked, even features that aren't even compatible with the system or could outright cause it to fail. All of these options are terrifying to the casual user which this machine is most likely aimed at... especially since it has Ubuntu installed which is an indication of the intended audience. We tested this and after changing a few BIOS settings the machine was unable to post. There is also no built-in way to update the BIOS, forcing you to go to the manufacturer's website for any updates.
After getting the machine to POST again we confirmed BIOS options has USB 3.2 capabilities disabled by default which is even more evidence it isn't USB 3.2. The machine comes with a 2022 version of Ubuntu installed, but a November 2023 BIOS version when there have been numerous Ubuntu releases since. Although the machine comes with Ubuntu...there is no Linux support from the manufacturer. All of their instructions, drivers, BIOS updates, etc. are Windows related. They don't even necessarily list Ubuntu as an option on their website. After looking at the machine logs we found that the main reason it was having trouble booting is because the pre-installed OS might be corrupted.
The 2.4GHz wireless Wi-Fi is terribly slow. Not anywhere close to the advertised speeds. After upgrading Ubuntu to the latest stable 2024 release...the machine now abruptly powers off after showing the manufacturer logo during POST culminating in numerous hours of our time wasted. What a hunk of junk.
Overall we'd avoid this PC. Quality control seems to be an issue here and it is too easy for a casual user to break it via the BIOS. The wireless compatibility is also a huge issue and most likely signifies false advertising of the capabilities of the Wi-Fi since it is advertised as 6GHz capable yet can't see our 6GHz broadcast. The USB 3.2 ports seem skeptical as well. They are most likely just regular USB 3.0 ports, but further testing was needed to confirm this. As far as noise the machine is completely silent when running normally. In our eyes it is also ridiculous to market this as a potential server as well since in no way can it handle the sort of major processing servers are known for. As a small residential media "server" (essentially just a NAS) it may work, but that's if you can get a functional machine that is true to spec.
Nizel Adams is a CompTIA certified systems support specialist and Linux network professional with over 20 years of industry leading IT experience including participation in the creation and design of global IT certification exams.