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| The complete array of ports on the rear of the Ninkear M8_226V's leaked engineering sample. |
A pre-release engineering sample of the Ninkear M8_226V has surfaced on r/MiniPCs, showing a significant upgrade to the brand's existing M8 platform
The mini PC market has been quietly heating up over the past year, with manufacturers competing to pack ever more connectivity and processing power into increasingly small form factors. Now, an engineering sample of what appears to be Ninkear's latest offering has appeared online, and it addresses two major criticisms of the previous generation.
When we reviewed the Ninkear M8 earlier this year, we flagged the absence of USB4 and OCuLink as big gaps that limited the device's potential for power users. This Lunar Lake variant appears to ship with both — and the implications are significant for anyone looking to build a compact workstation or gaming setup.
A First Look at the M8_226V
The engineering sample was shared by a Reddit user who provided a detailed look at what appears to be a Lunar Lake upgrade to the brand's existing M8 platform. You can see the full thread here, where the poster has shared hands-on photos and initial impressions.
At 128×128 mm and approximately 675 g, the M8_226V shares its footprint with the existing AMD-powered M8. What's different is the port layout — and it's the most interesting part of this particular design.
The front panel carries an OCuLink port alongside USB4. This combination allows eGPU connectivity with way more bandwidth than Thunderbolt alone. Having OCuLink on the front rather than the rear is an unusual choice, but it should make enclosure attachment and removal considerably less awkward. The rear panel adds two HDMI outputs, a DisplayPort, 2.5GbE, and additional USB-A ports.
Performance Potential
The M8_226V is powered by Intel's Core Ultra 5 226V, a Lunar Lake chip built on TSMC's 3 nm node. It packs 4 Lion Cove P-cores and 4 Skymont E-cores alongside Intel's Arc 130V iGPU, 40 TOPS NPU, and 16 GB of on-package LPDDR5x-8533 RAM — that last point being a key caveat, as Lunar Lake's on-package memory is not upgradeable. The chip has a base TDP of 17 W with boost headroom up to 37 W, which would make it great for a compact, passively-manageable chassis.
For users who need more graphics performance than the integrated Arc 130V can provide, the OCuLink and USB4 ports open up external GPU options that were previously unavailable on the platform.
Internal Layout and Cooling
Hands-on photos also show the internals pretty clearly — a single M.2 slot is visible alongside the large SoC heat spreader, and the bottom label confirms 20V/5A power delivery (100 W maximum). The single M.2 slot might be a limitation for users who want to run multiple drives, but it's worth noting that this is an engineering sample and final designs could differ.
The cooling solution appears robust enough for the 37 W maximum TDP, though the poster has added that this is purely an engineering sample with full testing still pending.
What This Means for the Mini PC Market
The inclusion of both USB4 and OCuLink at this price point represents a significant step forward for mini PCs. Typically, manufacturers reserve these connectivity options for higher-end models, but Ninkear appears to be bringing them to a more affordable tier.
For users considering a compact system, this could be a compelling option. The combination of Lunar Lake's efficient architecture with high-bandwidth external connectivity makes this potentially one of the most versatile mini PCs in its size class.
If you need something more readily available, the GMKtec Nucbox G3S Intel Alder Lake variant is currently available and offers solid performance for everyday computing tasks.
Availability
No pricing or release date has been announced. Given that this is an engineering sample, it could be several months before we see a retail version. The poster has indicated that full testing is still pending, so there may be refinements before the final product ships.
For enthusiasts who've been waiting for a small-form-factor PC with external GPU capabilities, this could be one to watch. We'll be following developments closely and will update our coverage as more information becomes available.
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| The internals of the Lunar Lake-equipped Ninkear M8 surfaced on Reddit as well. |
I got my hands on a pre-release Lunar Lake mini PC from a Chinese manufacturer Ninkear. Here are some photos and first impressions
by u/Content-Doughnut7707 in MiniPCs