MINISFORUM NAB5R

The MINISFORUM NAB5R is a small desktop for office desks that run several monitors and for home servers that need two network ports. Its 12-core Core i5-13500H still has the multi-core speed for spreadsheets, browsers, and code, and a lid that opens without tools makes memory and storage easy to reach. The chip dates from early 2023, the memory is DDR4, and there is no USB4 port, so newer machines beat it on graphics and expansion. It replaces Minisforum’s 2023 NAB5, which used a 12th-generation Core i5.

Pros and cons

MINISFORUM NAB5R Comparison Chart

	MINISFORUM NAB5R
Price	List Price: $540.00 Amazon Prices: Loading prices...
Version	16GB/512GB/Core i5-13500H
Performance Rating	4.9
Operating System	Windows 11
Processor	Twelve-core 3.50 Ghz (max 4.70 Ghz) Intel Core i5-13500H
GPU	Integrated Intel Iris Xe Graphics
RAM	16 GB DDR4 SO-DIMM, 2-channel (2x 8GB DDR4-3200)
Internal Storage	512 GB NVMe SSD
Dimensions width x length x thickness	5 x 5.02 x 2.15 inches (127 x 127.51 x 54.61 mm)
Weight	1.26 lbs (0.57 kg)
WiFi	Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax)
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 5.2
Ethernet	2 Ethernet ports at 2.5 Gbps
HDMI	2 Full-Size HDMI Ports
DisplayPort	DP Alt Mode on both rear USB-C ports
VGA	No VGA Ports
USB Ports	4 USB 3, 3 USB-C 4x USB-A 10Gbps; rear video-only USB-C
Thunderbolt Ports	No
OCuLink	No
Internal SATA Ports	1 SATA port, includes 2.5" drive bay (2.5-inch bay under the lid, cable included)
Card Reader	No Card Reader
Headphone Jack	combo
Fanless	No
VESA Mount	Yes
In the Box	120W adapter, power cable, HDMI cable, SATA cable, VESA mount, screws, manual
Expandability	Up to 64GB DDR4 (2x SODIMM, both filled). One M.2 2280 PCIe 4.0 slot plus a 2.5-inch SATA bay.

Four 4K outputs and a SATA bay under the lid

The chassis measures about 5 x 5 x 2.2 inches and weighs about 1.3 pounds. Vents run down both sides, so every port sits on the front or back. The front has a 5Gbps USB-C port for data, two 10Gbps USB-A ports, a combo audio jack, and the power button. The back has two more 10Gbps USB-A ports, two HDMI ports, two 2.5G Ethernet ports, the barrel power input, and two USB-C ports: one handles video, Power Delivery, and data, and the other is for video only. Minisforum rates the two HDMI and two USB-C outputs for four 4K displays at 60Hz.

Memory is 16GB of DDR4-3200 in two SO-DIMM slots running in dual channel, and the platform takes up to 64GB. Both slots arrive filled with 8GB sticks, so going to 32GB or 64GB means buying two new modules. The 512GB SSD sits in an M.2 2280 slot on a PCIe 4.0 x4 link, under a heatsink with its own small fan. A SATA cable in the box connects a 2.5-inch drive, which mounts on the underside of the lid. The wireless module is a MediaTek MT7902 with Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2, and a 120W power adapter ships in the box with a VESA bracket.

The US model ships Windows 11 IoT Enterprise, an edition Minisforum markets for its lack of bundled apps and its security-only update cadence. Units sold in Japan and Hong Kong ship Windows 11 Pro instead. The IoT edition has the same desktop and runs the same software, but check that it suits your update and licensing needs before you deploy it on an office network.

Core i5-13500H performance in 2026

The Core i5-13500H has 4 performance cores and 8 efficiency cores (16 threads) and boosts to 4.7GHz. Intel launched it in early 2023, so it predates Intel’s Core Ultra chips and lacks the NPU those chips add for AI features. Its CPU Mark in the PassMark database is about 23,000, still well above the Intel N100 and N150 chips in budget mini PCs. The NAB5R runs it at a 45W sustained and 64W short-burst power limit. Iris Xe graphics with 80 execution units handle 4K video and office work, but they share system memory and trail AMD’s Radeon 780M in games.

Reviewer insights

Three hands-on video reviews cover the NAB5R: two in Japanese and one in Spanish. Both Japanese channels got their units from Minisforum or its Japanese distributor. The first Japanese unit below ran Windows 11 Pro, the edition sold in Japan, on the same 16GB and 512GB hardware as the US model. Neither Japanese review covers the Windows 11 IoT Enterprise build sold in the US.

Benchmarks and games against the Core i3 NAB3R

A Japanese-language video review used a unit Minisforum supplied and ran it side by side with the cheaper Core i3 NAB3R. The NAB5R scored 12,645 in Cinebench R23 multi-core, which the reviewer noted is close to the roughly 13,000 from the Ryzen 7 5700X desktop the channel edits on, and about 1.5 times the NAB3R’s 8,481. Geekbench 6 came in at 2,396 single-core and 10,801 multi-core. A 10-minute 1080p H.264 export in DaVinci Resolve finished in 171 seconds against 188 seconds on the NAB3R. CrystalDiskMark showed the stock SSD reading at close to 6,000MB/s.

3DMark Steel Nomad Light ran in single-digit frame rates, though about 1.4 times faster than the NAB3R. The Final Fantasy XIV benchmark scored 5,434 at 1080p on the laptop standard preset, which the benchmark rates as average, and 8,127 at 720p. Super Woden Rally Edge held 60fps at 1080p, Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves ran near 60fps at 1080p on its lowest settings, and The King of Fighters XIV ran around 50fps. A phone meter read about 30 decibels under a Cinebench load. The reviewer praised the build, which feels like aluminum, and the one-push lid. The review also noted that replacing the SSD means disconnecting a fan cable, and that the side vents make it a poor fit for standing on edge.

Four 4K displays and the BIOS power limits

miniPCfunnel’s Japanese-language review is marked as a promotional video, with a unit from Links International, Minisforum’s Japanese distributor. HWiNFO showed two 8GB DDR4-3200 sticks with SK hynix chips, a 512GB Kingston QLC SSD, an Intel i226-V Ethernet controller, and the MediaTek MT7902 wireless module. The reviewer measured a PassMark score in the 25,000 range and confirmed four 4K 60Hz displays from the two HDMI ports and the two rear USB-C ports. Raising the BIOS power limits to 70W and 115W triggered thermal throttling, and multi-core performance barely moved.

The rear left USB-C port is meant for video, and a USB drive plugged into it ran at USB 2.0 speed. With two USB-C chargers on the rear right port, the NAB5R shut off before Windows finished loading, so plan on the 120W barrel adapter in the box. The reviewer’s complaints were the throttling under maximum load, the lack of a free memory slot, and a higher price that pays for Japanese domestic support. The review judged it a strong fit as an office PC, where stable performance matters more than speed.

Browser load, 4K video, and Fortnite

NanospeedGamer’s Spanish-language review treats the NAB5R as an office and multi-monitor machine. A wired speed test reached the full speed of the reviewer’s 1Gbps internet plan, and 4K YouTube video at 60fps played smoothly after a short hitch while loading. With a large batch of Chrome tabs open, many of them playing video, memory use climbed to about 80 percent of the 16GB while the CPU sat near 20 percent. Fortnite on automatic settings held about 55 to 60fps. Hogwarts Legacy stuttered with low frame rates even at reduced settings, and the reviewer advised against games of that kind. He liked the latched lid that opens for RAM and drive upgrades, the four video outputs, and the cooling vents on the side and bottom, and he called it a pretty good mini PC for desk work and as a living-room media center.

Who should buy it

The NAB5R suits an office desk that runs three or four monitors, or a home server that uses both 2.5G ports and a 2.5-inch drive in the extra bay. One review measured about 30 decibels under a full CPU load, quiet enough to sit beside a monitor, and light games at 1080p on low settings are playable.

Skip it if you want USB4 for an external GPU or fast docks, or a newer, faster memory platform. The discontinued MINISFORUM Venus Series NPB5 had the same chip with DDR5 and two USB4 ports. The GMKtec NucBox M3 Pro is another Core i5-13500H box, with two M.2 slots but one Ethernet port. The older MINISFORUM NAB6 Lite uses the same pop-top case with a Core i5-12600H. To compare more options, use the Mini PC Comparison Chart.

Frequently Asked Questions