Morefine S600 Apex Engineer Review: a powerful mini PC with an Intel Core i9 12900HK and 64 GB RAM

Launched as a crowdfunding campaign, the Morefine S600 Apex Engineer is finally seeing the light of day and is already available for pre-order via the campaign site. Everyone should already know about the risks associated with a crowdfunding campaign, but Morefine has already proven that they can pay off, given their many projects that have come to fruition on crowdfunding platforms. We focus in this review on the top-of-the-line configuration of the S600 series, which is based on an Intel Core i9 12900HK alongside 64 GB RAM and a 1 TB SSD.

The device currently costs US$1,399 as part of the crowdfunding campaign (normally US$2,099). Delivery should begin in December 2022. The project can also be backed for a bit less money, as the barebones model offered by Morefine that comes with the (not much slower) Intel Core i9 12900H costs US$669, including the early bird discount.

The Morefine S600 Apex Engineer is delivered in a sturdy box with all the accessories necessary to get the PC up and running. The device is also delivered with a mounting plate (VESA mount). Internally, the device can be outfitted with up to three mass storage devices.

The Morefine S600, like the S500+, also has a very high-quality construction. The case is primarily made out of an aluminum/magnesium alloy that gives the device sturdiness and which also feels very high quality to the touch. The top of the case has a metal-reinforced plastic cover, which however, is very susceptible to scratches thanks to its high-gloss surface.

At only 800 grams (1. 7 lb), the Morefine S600 Apex Engineer is incredibly light, while the power adapter comes in at a not-insignificant 500 grams (1. 1 lb).

At first glance, the available connections seem to provide everything you need: a total of 6 USB Type A ports is plenty, and Type-C is also available. The latter, however, is not a full Thunderbolt port, which we think is a bit of a shame, as this limits the ability for expansion somewhat. Nevertheless, displays can also be connected with this Type-C port, giving the Morefine S600 the ability to connect to a total of three screens at the same time.

Morefine has installed an Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX211 module in the S600 Apex Engineer. We were able to achieve good transfer rates with our Asus ROG Rapture GT-AXE11000 test router in our review. Compared to its competitors, the Morefine S600 had an easy time in this regard.

For LAN connections, the user has a 1G and a 2. 5G port available on the S600. The device can be opened relatively easily for upgrades or maintenance, which is also implied by the fact that the Morefine S600 is also available in a barebones version.

The lid and the bottom can be removed. However, the screws on the underside are hidden directly under the rubber feet, and unfortunately, there is a risk that these will no longer stick properly to the bottom when replaced after removal. Due to the fact that a storage device can also be installed on the underside, we would have hoped for a slightly better solution for removing the base plate.

After all, the lid can be removed as well, and is fixed with two screws on the back. A similar system could have been used on the underside. The Morefine S600 Apex Engineer is more than well equipped with the Intel Core i9 12900HK.

The SoC always offers enough performance, at a level which really is normally only expected in a gaming laptop. However, you will have to do without a dedicated graphics card. With its 64 GB of RAM, our test unit is equipped with the maximum that is available for the device.

We carried out all performance tests using the high-performance profile. The Intel Core i9 12900HK is a high-end SoC based on the new Alder Lake architecture. Thanks to the new structure consisting of P and E cores, the SoC has been improved across the board and also ensures a very good performance overall.

Our test sample manages to secure first place overall, although the average performance is not on the same level as other Intel Core i9 12900HK based devices. The manufacturer has set a power limit of 65 watts for Power Limit 1 (PL1), although the PL2 value of the SoC is not further throttled at 115 watts. Due to the high temperatures, we only observed very short power bursts of up to 100 watts in our review.

You can find more benchmarks for the processors here. We get a good insight into the efficiency of the built-in cooling during the Cinebench R15 loop: after the first few runs, the performance drops only a bit, and then levels off at an average of 1,986 points. The Morefine S600 cannot match the CPU’s very good performance benchmarks in the system benchmarks.

The Minisforum HX90 and even the Morefine S500+ were able to perform significantly better here. Subjectively, the performance of the Morefine S600 is very good at all times, because our test unit delivered rock-solid performance in the tested configuration, which was great in everyday use. The Morefine S600 Apex Engineer has no problems with increased latencies.

Neither opening multiple tabs in Edge nor playing the 4K test video can throw the compact number cruncher off track. The comparison devices often have more problems in this regard. Our configuration includes an NVMe SSD with 1 TB of storage space.

The built-in model is fast and can also achieve good results in our test, and is thus very suitable for everyday tasks. Two more mass storage devices can also be installed in the device, for which another M. 2 slot and a 2.

5-inch slot are available. For more comparisons and benchmarks, we refer to our comparison chart. Image output is done via the Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7, and is not supported by a dedicated graphics card.

When compared to the rest of the test bench, the Morefine S600 Apex Engineer still has enough performance to secure first place in the synthetic benchmarks. The performance of the AMD Radeon RX Vega 8, which is used in the Morefine S500+, can be surpassed by eleven percent. The iGPU delivers consistently good performance, exceeding the average performance of the Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 that we’ve documented so far.

The Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 is always overwhelmed by any current-gen games. Even older titles can often only be played smoothly in 720p and with the lowest graphics settings. At most only the simplest casual games can be played consistently with the iGPU in the native resolution.

For more comparisons and benchmarks, see our GPU gaming list here. To keep the Intel Core i9-12900HK in check, Morefine has installed a powerful fan in the S600. Unfortunately, it never really operates quietly and we measured 36.

1 dB(A) even without load. In addition, the fan speed changes very quickly, which causes a permanent revving up. We measured peaks of up to 49 dB(A) for short bursts.

These noise levels are not quite reached under full load due to the thermal throttling. Morefine S600 Apex Engineer’s case only heats up a bit. With the Intel Core i9 12900HK, however, the built-in cooler quickly reaches its limits.

Again and again we observed temperature jumps to over 100 °C (212 °F), which explains the very high-strung fan curve. The SoC works stably at 65 watts under permanent load and is not too hot, either, at around 80 °C (176 °F). Considering the Morefine S600 Apex Engineer’s performance, the power consumption under load is reasonable; our meter showed a maximum of 80 watts.

Nevertheless, there is still a lot of room for improvement when idling, because the idle consumption of 46. 5 watts is clearly too high. The Morefine S600 Apex Engineer is a worthy successor to the Morefine S500+, and raises the bar a lot higher when it comes to performance.

In fact, the Morefine S600 trumps not just its in-house competition, but also leaves all of its other competitors at a disadvantage thanks to the Intel Core i9 12900HK. Thanks to the fast SoC there is always more than enough performance to go around, and which is almost never used on a day-to-day basis. As the saying goes, however, it’s better to be safe than sorry! It’s very comforting, then, to know that there is plenty of performance overhead available at all times.

Our test configuration of the Morefine S600 also comes with an incredible 64 GB of RAM, which is only needed during very intensive use cases. The high-quality materials not only give the device a very solid stability but also a good feel. The device is very well constructed and there is not much to complain about visually, aside from the high-gloss surfaces.

In terms of ports, the Morefine S600 gives us a very useful selection, despite the sorely missed full Thunderbolt port. The Morefine S600 Apex Engineer is one of the fastest mini PCs that we have ever reviewed. The Intel Core i9 12900HK can’t always be used to its full potential, however.

The only disadvantage of the device proves to be the built-in cooler, which quickly reaches its limits thanks to the open PL2. The SoC is thus constantly throttled by the thermal limit. During sustained load, however, the cooler is able to keep the PL1 stable at 65 watts.

The Morefine S600 Apex Engineer is currently available at a reduced price as part of a crowdfunding campaign. The barebones entry-level model based on an Intel Core i9 12900H is currently priced at US$679. For our test sample, you have to shell out US$1,399 at the moment.

There is a discount of around 33 percent built into the prices mentioned here. .