Okay, so imagine something that looks like a desktop PC but is not enough. It is small, cool, and runs cooler compared to its standard desktop, but again, it is not one. This is because it packs a laptop-grade processor. But you still get most desktop benefits, such as most upgradable options and an impressive level of performance. Looks complicated, don’t you?
Well, this is the Asus V500 mini tower. Yes, Tower. Not a mini PC, but a tower. It is much smaller than a Matx SFF Build, however, and it uses Intel’s 13th-Jew Laptop CPU. Does it make a bad deal or a low -inferior machine? well not really. In fact, this is an interesting story with this one. On this journey, hop with me to take a deep look at this unique system and try and find out who the Asus V500 mini tower is for.
What provides asus v500
Starting with the design, it has a 15l chassis that is slightly smaller, but a playstation is much wider than 5, just to give a clear idea of its footprint. However, it is still smaller than most of Matx, and is much smaller than your average tower PC created to adjust the ATX motherboard.
There is a handful of I/O option, which includes USB-C 3.2 Gen 1 port, coupled with dual USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 port. Overseas, the same PC sells with an SD card reader and a smart card reader, although in India, it is not available. You can still see the posts for the same, highlighting that Asus used the same chassis for the Indian market. There is a 3.5 mm headphone jack on the front, which is always welcome.
Moving backwards, I will not blame you for wrong as a desktop PC, because there is also a good amount of I/O. The mini tower comes with an HDMI port, a display, dual USB-A 2.0 port, another pairs of USB-A ports with your keyboard and mouse, an RJ45 lan port and a trio of audio ports. Secondary USB-A ports are designed to support the power-on feature, so they are the best used for the keyboard and mouse. Interestingly, there is only one USB-C port on this machine, which was on the front, and it is a minor boomer.
Inside, the machine uses the custom motherboard of Asus, with the 13th-Jew Intel H-Series CPU. And keeping it cool is largely placed inside the chassis, combined with a single fan setup. The core i7 variant of this machine comes with a powerful 95W cooler with three heat pipes. On the other hand, the i5 and i3 variants come with a thick but single heat pipe with 45W coolers.
Talking about electricity, the system has a capable 180W power supply which is rated on 80+ bronze. Considering the overall power consumption of this machine, it is going to be sufficient for most people.
Upgradability
One reason it is different from a traditional laptop is the factor of upgradability. In addition to the M.2 slot using SSD, there is another M.2 slot to add more storage. In addition, there are 2 x SATA 6.0GB/s port to add SSD or HDD to the system, although there is no growing space inside the chassis. (Yes, you read that right – you can add drive, but you have to find a creative way to mount them.)
The motherboard also sports a Pcie 4.0 x16 slot. However, it is limited to operate just on PCIE 4.0 X8. So, in theory, if you want, you can install a dedicated GPU such as AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT or Intel Arc B580 (provided you can find one in India). However, in practice, there is a big issue: bundle 180W PSU will not just be sufficient. To install a proper GPU in this thing, you have to swap it with 450W PSU. But at that point, it defeats the purpose of purchasing a compact prebilat system.
You can also upgrade RAM, although it uses more compact SO-DIMM slot rather than regular desktop Dimm. That said, the system already ships with 5600mt/s RAM (CPU is capted at 5200mt/s), so there is no immediate need to swap it out until you are running a memory-rice workload or not required more capacity.
How it performs
Now on good goods – performance. And to be honest, the Asus V500 Mini Tower actually managed to surprise us. In our test, Intel Core i7–13620H variant took out an impressive 16,830 points in Cinebench R23 (Multi-core), comfortably beating several regular 13th-zain laptops. At Geekbench 6, the system scored 2,530 points in single-core and 10,628 points in multi-core, clearly showed how large chassis and better cooling help to maintain high clock speed than your specific laptop setup.
We also run some GPU benchmarks, although with Intel UHD graphics onboard, expectations … were best modest. That said, 3 DIMRK fire strikes are not very dilapidated for mild creative work like 3,885 score in 3,885 and 16,395 photo editing in 3 DIMRC Knight Ride. Just do not expect to cut through the 4K video timeline on Premier Pro. Stick to Literoom and Photoshop, and you will be very happy.
To give a better perspective on how CPU performs, we raised the V500 against Gigabyte G6X 9MG, a gaming laptop operated by high-ending Intel Core i7-13650HX. Ignoring the GPU gains and focusing purely on the CPU benchmark, the i7-13620H of Asus V500 gave better multi-core performance in Cinebench R23 despite being actually a low core on paper. He said, Gigabyte laptop had an increase in performance in Geekbench, so there is there. In addition, small disconnection, Cinebench R24 refused to follow the V500, so we could not compare it there.
We also compared it to MSI Thin 15, with the same core i7–13620h CPU, and again, Asus V500, Asus V500 was pulled forward, which has moved forward in both single-core and multi-core results.
Difference of? Thermal. You see, the diluted design of the MSI laptop can not only cool the CPU effectively, while the V500’s Room 15L Chassis and the Beefier Cooler have allowed it to spread their feet properly. Despite being technically laptop CPUs of V500, here it can perform very close to its full capacity here.
In the use of the real world, the lighting office functions, browsing, consumption of media, and even moderate fee at Photoshop felt smooth and bounce. There was no unexpected throtting or fan noise tantrums. Of course, gaming is a hard sales. Without a dedicated GPU, even older titles such as GTA V (Legacy Edition) struggle to stay above 60 FPS on medium settings.
But for whom is it?
There is a question of million-rupaye here. Yes, the V500 mini tower performs well. Yes, Asas is right to say that it gives the CPU room to breathe. But what is this system really for?
If we are talking to consumers regularly, honestly, there are better options, which depends on what a person really wants. If the space is tight, there may be an Intel Newcome or Belink, such as a mini PC, since they are super small, hide behind your monitor, and still complete the work. If you want a clean, no-desk setup, an all-in-one (AIO) PC just makes more understanding-manner, PC, everything in a clean package. And if the portability is also remotely on the table, a good laptop wins hands with a similar performance, sometimes better pricing and mobility bonuses.
And all these options will be a uniform price bracket, or even cheaply at the basis of glasses. Or if someone is thinking a desktop, they can only manufacture a custom PC for half the cost of V500, completing a full -fat Rvenue 5 or Core i5, better upgradability and a standard ATX PSU. So, where does V500 actually fit?
To better understand this, I was hopped on a call with Asus, and the picture became a bit clear. The brand says that the V500 is mainly aimed at the Tier 2 to Tier 5 viewers, where the idea of computing still lies in the good OL ‘Desktop Tower Form Factor. In many of these areas, digital literacy is still increasing, and for a lot of parents, a “computer” is still a box that sits under the table, not a laptop, not a mini PC, not an IMAC-style AIO. There is also a practical angle for this: a certain desktop setup ensures that their children do not move around things with laptops or tablets or things around wrong components. As a parents, they can easily monitor at what time their children are using PCs, unlike a laptop, which one can take to their room.
There are other thoughtful touch. For example, the V500 80+ comes with a bronze-rated 180W power supply that can handle the surge up to 230W, which is a big thing in areas where electricity fluctuations are common and cheap local PSUs often fail. Asus also admits that this user base does not care for the speed of CPU or GPU. Instead, they want something that they can expand with more RAM or storage, and can be done with it. Oh, and a more underraged point is the fact that it is difficult to steal. In areas where shared places or community use is common (such as coaching centers, laboratory, or shared houses), a heavy PC that lives in place is much less likely to disappear compared to a thin laptop or palm -shaped mini PC.
Decision
The Asus V500 mini tower looks like a laptop in COSPlay: dressed as a desktop, but is very well pulling the role. This may sound strange at first, but it works better than your expectation. To spread a lot of cooling and space, that polite CPU actually starts glowing. It moves cool, performs well, and looks like a proper, well -manufactured machine. What it is ready to do, it is surprisingly solid package. In terms of pricing, the cost of i3-1315U variant is Rs. 35K, while i5–13420H version Rs. 48k. Finally, the i7–13620H variant that I tested here, bundled with Microsoft Office 2024, and receives the value tag of rupee. 65k.
Now, see, I got completely found what Asus is doing here. They are catering for digital literacy intervals in Tier 2 to Tier 5 regions, where a desktop still has a more alleged price than a laptop, and most people have not heard about mini PC or AIOS. Instead of trying to change the mind, Asus is actually asking for these users – and honestly, they have done a big job of it.
He said, my work is not just to understand the business side; This is to educate readers like you. So here is the deal: if you really like a certain desktop setup, go for it. But if you are from a Tier 1 city, or Tier 2 and parts beyond, please know that there are more versatile options, such as mini PCs, laptops, AIOS, and even DIY builds, which provide higher value.
Are still curious about V500? Or wonder what kind of PC will fit your needs better? Tell me and we can do a chat in the comments.
Editor’s rating: 6.5 / 10
Professionals:
- Great thermal performance
- Compact yet familiar desktop form factor
- Decent advancement
- Surge-resistant 180W psu
Shortcoming:
- Use of niche
- Better options are available
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