MSI Cubi NUC AI+: Is AI power worth the performance trade-off?

The AI ​​Race and the Birth of a Dedicated Mini PC

The MSI Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG is one of the first mini PCs on the market designed with artificial intelligence in mind, as evidenced by Microsoft's Copilot+ certification. Aimed at businesses and small workspaces, it boasts a compact design and plenty of convenient features. However, with a starting price of $895 for the barebones version, performance becomes a major consideration when compared to more powerful competitors like the Asus NUC 15 Pro+ or the Apple Mac mini.

Compact design and business features

Measuring just 2 x 5.3 x 5.2 inches, the Cubi NUC AI+ can easily be hidden behind a monitor or under a desk. MSI has included a VESA mount (75x75mm and 100x100mm compatible) to optimize installation. The chassis is a combination of metal and plastic, of which 37% is recycled material, demonstrating the company's efforts in sustainability.

The highlight of the Cubi NUC AI+'s design is its business-oriented features. It has an external wired power switch, which is useful when the device is located in a hard-to-reach location. The fingerprint reader integrated into the power button and a dedicated Copilot button on the front are also valuable additions. In terms of connectivity, the product provides a full range of necessary ports including two Thunderbolt 4 ports, two USB 2.0 ports, an HDMI 2.1 port and especially two 2.5 Gbps Ethernet ports, allowing for redundant network connections or simultaneous connections to two different networks.

Performance Analysis: AI Power and Tradeoffs

The review unit featured an Intel Core Ultra 7 258V processor, 32GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD. The chip is part of the "Lunar Lake" V-class family, which is optimized for ultraportable laptops, so its performance is somewhat more modest than Intel's H-class chips or Apple's M4 Pro.

Office tasks and content creation

In synthetic performance tests like PCMark 10, the Cubi NUC AI+ performed averagely, behind the Asus NUC Pro 15+ but ahead of the ECS Liva Z7 Plus. However, in CPU-intensive tests like Cinebench 2024 or HandBrake, MSI's product was significantly weaker than its rivals from Asus and Apple, not even consistently surpassing the cheaper Liva Z7 Plus.

That said, it's worth noting that the Cubi NUC AI+ still handles everyday office tasks smoothly. Its biggest differentiator lies in its powerful NPU (neural processing unit), which gives it an advantage in future AI-enhanced applications that traditional performance tests can't fully capture.

Integrated graphics capabilities

With integrated Intel Arc 140V graphics, the Cubi NUC AI+ is not a machine for gaming or heavy 3D processing. Results from 3DMark tests show that the machine's graphics performance is only basic, suitable for regular office work or managing displays on multiple monitors.

MSI Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG Specifications Table

Conclusion: An option for the future of AI but not optimal at present

The MSI Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG is a pioneering product with a strong focus on AI processing with Copilot+ certification. Features like VESA mounting, external power switch, and dual network ports make it an attractive option for businesses that need to deploy computers at large scale and in tight spaces.

However, the high price is a big barrier when the raw performance of the machine is inferior to direct competitors. If there is no urgent need for NPU-accelerated AI tasks, the Asus NUC Pro 15+ is still the better choice in terms of performance for the price in the Windows world, while the Apple Mac mini continues to lead the segment in terms of overall processing power.