As a standalone machine for day-to-day office work, the LarkBox S is a compact yet powerful solution.
Even on a generous day, this won’t be thebest mini PCfor heavier workloads.
In use, the LarkBox S proves to be decent enough at running all office applications.
Excel loads quickly, and handling large but not overly complex documents is not an issue.
Additionally, connectivity through Wi-Fi and Bluetooth is fast enough to keep up with demands.
However, output render times were quite significant for a 1015 minute edit.
Then as effects or more complex edits are applied, the machine begins to struggle.
This is reflected in the quality of the build as well as the higher-end components used.
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These add a touch of design flair, visible only when the light catches them.
Additionally, theres an LED array on the front that changes colour as it operates.
The general layout of the machine is well thought-out.
One of the standout features of this mini PC is the ability to upgrade both the RAM and SSD.
Storage-wise, as an entry-level machine, the hard drive is relatively modest at 512 GB.
This is supported by standard Intel UHD graphics and 16 GB of DDR4 3200 MHz RAM.
you might install an M.2 2280 PCIe 3.0 SSD, and that’s expandable up to 1TB.
Once Windows has finished the set-up, you might proceed to roll out the applications you need.
The LarkBox S handles Microsoft Office and Microsoft Edge (or other browsers) well enough.
Surprisingly, the machine handled this with relative ease for a simple 10-minute video edit.
The project included multiple tracks with little grading and no effects applied.
However, as soon as text or effects were added to the footage, the machine began to struggle.
That said, you could still manage a 10 to 15-minute edit without too much trouble.
Still, for small video projects, this machine should suffice.
The only noticeable slowdown occurred when using the brush tool for dodging and burning highlights and shadows.
As layers accumulated, the processor and GPU began to struggle, revealing the machine’s limitations.
The final test was to assess gaming performance.
For this, we selected Tekken 8 andHogwarts Legacy.
It quickly became apparent when loading Tekken 8 that the machine was going to struggle graphically.
While this program is often manageable on entry-level machines, the LarkBox S couldn’t quite handle the demands.
With Hogwarts Legacy, the game was simply beyond the machine’s capabilities and could not run effectively.
The LarkBox S is a great option.
Its compact size, durability, and design mean it will fit nicely into any environment.
Should I buy a Chuwi LarkBox S?
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