The folks at Indiegogo are putting crowdfunding products to the test in our new series of honest reviews.In this issue, our own Engineering Manager Scott Sanborn tries out the popular new product AYANEO mini computer AM02, now live on Indiegogo. Does it live up to the hype? Read on as we put it to the test!
The packaging makes the AYANEO AM02 feel special. Opening the box reveals a full-size insert with the product name and model printed in a foil finish. Underneath it, the mini PC and accompanying accessories are carefully packaged in various boxes instead of plastic bags and zip ties like some products. The mini computer itself has a style inspired by some sort of home video game system from the ’80s, with a flap that hides the front inputs. Additionally, it includes a mini touchscreen display that sits on top of the PC itself, providing access to various features that we’ll cover later in this review.
Photo: AYANEO AM02 Small enough to fit anywhere and cool enough to take the spotlight.
What’s in the box?
Package contains:
- AYANEO mini computer AM02
- 100W AC power adapter with USB-C cable
- Adapters for power sockets worldwide
- 2 USB-C to USB-A adapters
- HDMI cable
- A small tool kit including
- 2x small screwdriver
- Various replacement screws
- 2x prying tool
Photo: AYANEO AM02 Everything included in the box.
What ports are there?
Despite its small size, this little PC is packed with I/O. Here’s a brief overview of its front and back ports:
Front port (hidden by panel when not in use)
- 3.5mm audio in/out
- 2 USB 3.2 Type A
- 1 USB-C
rear port
- 2 USB 2.0 Type A
- 1 USB-C (power supply)
- 1 HDMI 2.0
- 1 DisplayPort 1.4
- 2 Ethernet (1 1GB, 1 2.5GB)
- Kensington style lock slot
What’s under the hood?
The AYANEO AM02 is available in various hardware configurations, ranging from barebones (BYO memory and storage) to 32G of memory and 1TB of storage, and a few other options in between. All configurations include AMD Ryzen 7840HS. The machine configuration for this review is up to 7840HS+32G+1TB. For configurations that include memory and storage, the included memory is DDR5 5600 SO-DIMM and the storage is M.2 2280 PCIe 4.0.
I used the included tools to open up the AM02 and take a look inside. It is very user-friendly and opens easily with 4 screws and a few clips. Internally, the memory and storage can be easily replaced or upgraded.
Photo: AYANEO The AM02 is easy to open and allows for component upgrades.
This thing looks really cool. The aesthetics are great and it feels like it has a good build quality. It’s a small thing, but the “on” button on the front panel is satisfying to press, as is the crystal “power” button. Overall, it doesn’t feel cheap.
After a quick setup (really, just power, HDMI, and a wired keyboard to get me started) I was up and running. The monitor I tested is an ultrawide, so the screenshots below are from its 2310×990 resolution.
Essentially, AM02 is a Windows 11 machine, so the Windows setup process starts on first boot. I took the time to complete the necessary Windows software updates and updated the included AYASPACE 2.0 software. AYASPACE took a little time to learn, maybe because this is my first AYANEO/AYASPACE device. It’s not obvious to me how to load into full screen mode, I can only pull out the sidebar with the configuration options. I later learned that click-and-hold interaction on the widget icon vs. a simple click operation resulted in two different UIs. Once I understood this, I was able to explore the software further. It’s a bit surprising that this interaction isn’t more obvious (tooltip on hover?), but once the interaction is clear, the initial frustration disappears.
Photo: AYANEO AM02 Comes with lovely custom wallpaper. A quick menu is also shown here, allowing quick access to some basic system settings.
AYASPACE software
AYASPACE makes the AM02 behave like an AYANEO handheld device – providing game library management and launcher functionality as well as settings management, all through a UI that can be interacted with via a game controller. This allows the computer to be played in “game mode” from across the room without having to use a mouse and keyboard, as the software can be launched via a controller hotkey.
Part of AYASPACE’s features include customizable performance profiles so that the PC can operate within certain parameters based on usage. Includes 4 profiles: AAA Game/Normal Game/Retro Game/PC Office, covering performance settings from highest to lowest. Available settings include power policy, fan speed, and TDP settings. These profiles can be customized and new profiles can be created, allowing complete adjustments to the device. In short, these profiles allow for every last bit of performance in demanding AAA games, while falling back when playing less resource-intensive indie games or performing desktop tasks.
Photo: AYASPACE The software offers a variety of options, including custom performance profiles, to adjust TDP based on the device’s intended use.
Game launcher and management features allow for unified viewing of games installed from different platforms – your Steam, Xbox Game Pass, Epic, GOG, and more games will appear in a unified UI for quick launch. It automatically scans common directories for game files and allows manual loading of games that cannot be found. If you have a large library of games, you can use filters to find the games you’re looking for, allowing you to look for specific genres, platforms, or just grouped alphabetically. Cloud data synchronization is also an available product. I haven’t personally explored this, but imagine if I had an AYANEO handheld, it would be a convenient way to keep tabs on my game from home to on the go.
Photo: Game Launcher allows access to all games installed on your system, regardless of platform.
Photo: Filter allows finding games based on genre, platform and name. This is helpful if you have a particularly large game library!
One drawback of this unified launcher approach is the loss of the social functionality of the underlying platform. For example, with AYASPACE, I can view and launch my Steam games, but I can’t see the status of my Steam friends and what they are playing, which is sometimes how I decide what to play.
“subscreen”
AM02 introduces what AYANEO calls “sub-screens”. This small touch-screen display is embedded into the PC and displays system performance information and allows certain settings to be modified. At the time of review, there were 3 screens available: clock, performance/vital signs, and control screen with volume/sub-screen display toggles.
The Performance/Lifecycle screen displays basic information such as CPU/GPU/Fan/TPD settings, current frame rate, network, etc. It also allows touch control of TDP profile settings, allowing for real-time performance changes – arguably faster than doing so via the UI software menu. While the presentation of these statistics is neat, it feels like it could use some tweaking. For example, the donut-shaped color meter in the AYASPACE widget on the desktop display can assess CPU and GPU performance faster than a small “81°C” written in text on the sub-screen.
Photo: Sub-screen showing various information about system performance.
Otherwise, there’s a clock function (well, a nice default/standby display, I guess), and a utility type screen that allows for volume control and the ability to close the sub-screen. The former came in handy (again, faster than finding the volume control in-game or in the UI menu), the latter just left me having to figure out how to turn the sub-screen display back on via the AYASPACE software on my desktop. Another disadvantage is that if the AM02 is used in the living room with the computer connected to the TV and the player on the couch with the controller, the top display becomes useless.
Ultimately, the most useful features I got from the subscreen were volume controls and the ability to change TDP profiles on the fly. It will be interesting to see what additional features AYANEO adds in future software updates for controlling this sub-screen, as it currently feels rather limited.
I’m reviewing the AM02 from the perspective of it being a gaming device. It’s ultimately a fully functional Windows 11 PC that can be used as a programming environment or a standard desktop PC, but I didn’t explore those use cases. I played a few games from my library to see how they performed: Are the AAA games experiencing any instability or lag? Do TDP settings allow less resource-intensive games to run as expected with less impact on the hardware?
My TDP profile is configured as follows:
- AAA: 45W
- Normal: 30W
- Retro: 15W
- Computer office: 10W
I set the fan configuration to Auto and left TDP Boost and CPU Turbo alone for this test.
Overall, despite the AM02’s small size, gaming performs surprisingly well. In terms of general/indie games, I played Dead Cells. In this game, lag or stuttering is noticeable due to the speed and reaction time required by the game’s mechanics. I experienced neither; I was able to dodge danger and parry enemy shots, just like I did on console and home PC.
Forza Horizon 4 and Destiny 2 also performed well. Using my AAA profile, Forze’s speed and visuals were exactly what I expected, and Destiny 2’s FPS experience was on par with my console. Forza has a built-in benchmark feature that I could run to capture its performance.
Photo: Forza Horizon 4 has been running well, with over 60 FPS. The AYANEO widget in the bottom corner confirms that the game isn’t too taxing on the hardware.
Photo: Forza Horizon 4 test race benchmark results. Meets/exceeds 60FPS target at 1080P.
Photos: Destiny 2’s Corrupted Captain’s visuals are vaporized.
No Man’s Sky did pretty well. The frame rate fluctuates slightly depending on how far the terrain is drawn, and I noticed some fluctuation when turning, especially when trying to track a drone moving from left to right in front of me. High TDP and temperatures are often encountered, causing the fans to kick on briefly. It usually returns to normal quickly, but this is what happens a lot when playing games.
Photo: No Man’s Sky’s performance fluctuates wildly, with periodic GPU spikes causing the fans on the AM02 to kick in to cool down.
I also spent a little time playing a preview version of Slime Rancher 2. Despite their cartoonish style (and that of their predecessors), these are actually quite resource-intensive games. My experience was very bad: lots of fan activity, FPS drops. Granted, this is an early access preview of the game and may be subject to additional tweaks, but it’s a sign to me that some games won’t perform well on this PC.
All in all, it’s a great little system that seems to handle AAA games surprisingly well, though not without exceptions. There’s a trade-off of pros and cons, though: the subscreen is neat; but it doesn’t have the “killer app” feature that makes it a must-have, and it doesn’t work well in a living room setting. Controller-based AYASPACE game library management makes it easy to play games from Steam, Xbox, and EA; but it eliminates the social aspect of these platforms.
I think I’ll end up using it as a living room single player/local co-op gaming device, which would make up for the lack of social features like Steam, but also negate most of the functionality of the subscreen. The aesthetic of the AYANEO AM02 makes me happy to place it next to the TV for guests to watch rather than hiding it behind the TV.
Photo: old meets new. Bottom: 1.79 MHz; Top: 3.8GHz 😉
To learn more, check out AYANEO mini computer AM02 Campaign on Indiegogo!