ASUS VC66-CB5018ZN VivoMini PC with Intel Core i5-8400 and 4K UHD

I've had the VC66-C i5 8400 for a few days and for the most part very satisfied with it's performance. Note: for those of you who are looking for updates be sure to go to VC66-C not just VC66. The updates for the "C" version of this computer are fairly recent compared to the VC66. May have to google it to find them. Be prepared to spend some time updating this computer, the first phase was fairly long (hours), then I upgraded to the more current version of Windows 10. I cloned the original drive that came with the computer in case I had to return it, also to expedite process. The original drive for whatever reason seems to be slow. I have several like it that are fairly reliable but faster. Using a bluetooth mouse/keyboard (came with wired mouse/keyboard) and it seems to be snappy and quick loading apps and webpages. I'm not a gamer so I can't comment on what capabilities/limitations it may have playing games. I added an additional 8gb card and it seemed to speed things up even faster. Not sure if I'm going to add an M.2 2280 card but will add comments later if I do. The only performance test I ran was Novabench and it had a 1218 score twice. After adding the additional card it scored 1315. For a point of comparison I have an Asus VC65-R i56400T with a comparable HD and 16 gb DDR3 memory: Scores around 890 to 905. Be sure to check the video on upgrading it will help. There doesn't seem to be any excessive noise from the fan. You will hear it surge from time to time when the computer is working harder but for the most part fan noise is minimal. I don't notice it most of the time. I hear more noise from my WD (7200)drive than the fan. After doing some video editing I will add other comments on my experiences. I added plastic feet on one side so I could stand it vertical like my VC65-R. Need to maintain a gap so air can circulate into the computer.Update: 1/12/19: Added a Crucial P1 500GB 3D NAND NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD today, cloned using Macrium Reflect software, and booted up without any issues. Strongly suggest making a rescue usb stick before starting the clone just in case something goes awry. I needed it on a different computer to get the cloned drive to boot correctly. Performance of the new m.2 card is excellent. The Novabench score ranged from 1429 to 1439. Disk read was 1276 and write was 968. Make sure to have the correct screw because there wasn't one on the motherboard or with the m.2 ssd. I scavenged one off of another computer. Ram speed was 24898 MB/s. Final comment check youtube for videos using Macrium free version software to prepare youself for the cloning.Boot time went from 28-32 seconds to 16-18 seconds.Update: 3-1-19: Still very happy with the performance of my VC66-C. It has become my primary computer and others are used as backups. Only negative I personally have is that I prefer the VC65-R for accessing the internal hard drives over the VC66-C. Just have to slide the top back on the VC65-R to access the hard drives whereas the VC66-C requires the removal of screws on the bottom to remove the top.UPDATE: 6-27-19Just received my second VC66-C(used) yesterday and have updated the HD that came with the computer. As I warned before be prepared to spend several hours updating but be patient. Then cloned to one of my other drives and pulled the original to save in case I need to return it. Using my own hard drive seemed to speed the system quite a bit. (Had a similar experience with my earlier VC66-C.)Then installed a WD Blue SN500 500GB NVMe Internal SSD - Gen3 PCIe, M.2 2280, 3D NAND - WDS500G1B0C drive. It had both a B and M key. For some reason the computer would not recognize it. I finally went to the Asus website and updated the sata 4-16-19 and restarted the computer. Problem solved, disk management recognized the drive, could format, and then clone the boot disk using Macrium. Scored a 1465 on the Novabench app. I installed a Crucial with an M key in my other VC66-C without any issues. As stated before, I still like this computer and Asus seems to be staying current and supporting it.

I bought this computer to run 24/7 as an interface from radio equipment to the internet. It has the ASUS logo on it and it deserves it. I couldn't think of any other jacks that this thing could possibly include that weren't already there. It seems a bit expensive, but I guess you get what you pay for. I love the small footprint considering all that is inside. Now for a BIG WARNING: Don't expect to plug this in and start using it. As soon as you plug it into the internet, Microsoft will start with updates. Expect them to run over night at least. If you try using it before Microsoft is done, you will think it is extremely slow. It isn't. It has an Intel i5 processor. The hard drive is partitioned into a C: and D: drive. I haven't opened it up, but they claim room for another drive. If I could change something, I wish it had come with an SSD drive, but 1TB would price it out of the market.

Good in Pricing

I like the connectivity, and the little form factor has room for 3 drives. I am pleased.Like my previous ASUS VivoPC didn't fair well. Just died after 4 years, and the mobo had been replaced.I am really impressed with this New ASUS VivoPC, and ease of use.The PC takes a M.2 SSD, or M.2 NVME SSD. Anything over 500 GB be prepared for high temps or getting optionalHeat Sink. I have Samsung 1TB NVME SSD, and the temps were over 54* on average. This drive using the Samsung Magician App reports anything over 49 is high. Got a Heat Sink, and temps are averaging 46* and topping at 49*.I also have a 1TB Samsung 2.5" SSD that reports temps of 36-40* which is the same as a conventional HDD.This PC is being used as a Home Theatre PC, and has 7 Portable HDD's on a 7 port USB 3.0 Hub.Got the original HDD out quickly, it was initially a bad installation of Windows couldn't edit start menu, and did an in-place upgrade(instatllation) and it worked beautifully, and activated automatically. Later I wanted to get rid of the addon programs from ASUS, and I just did a clean install on my new SSD.I would recommend this for HTPC or Office work. Speed and details are very good. Upgrades are encouraged, and are easily described in the small manual. There is also a vid on YouTube with a rep from ASUS demonstrating the upgrades. I can recommend this PC.

I bought mine in Nov 2018. I cloned the standard hard disc drive to an M.2 SSD and kept the original hard drive for extra storage. When fitted to an external Blu-ray, the unit was a very nice laptop replacement with a small footprint. Ran virtual machines (with VirtualBox) and modeling software like a dream. All was going well with moderate usage, until a May Windows update kept the computer updating overnight. The next morning, the computer was dead. Eighteen month apparent life makes for a 1 star review. I really wanted to like this Asus model, but the quick death will make me think twice about Asus in the future. At least I can salvage the hard drives and RAM modules, though I wish the blasted thing could have lasted a few years.

We use this for a conference room computer. Great for small form factor size, solid performance, minimal noise. Not a workstation or a gaming PC by any means. But solid for power point presentations and microsoft office applications.

Received the product on time. Very good PC. I installed a M2 drive for the Win10 OS which makes booting faster. Also added another 8GB RAM. Very to open it for the upgrade. If you turn it to sleep mode, the blue LED is so bright flashing that's not nice. Looked at the BIOS for settings on that but did not find any. other than that, it's a great PC and compact which saves lots of space on the desk.

Verdaderamente muy buena

I'm glad I purchased ASUS vivo mini! I have been looking for small form factor PC for months and after research, I came across this device. Really quiet yet really powerful. Glad I chose this one. No complaints so far and I hope it stays that way