MSI Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG review: AI smarts with mini PC versatility
The MSI Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG is a compact mini PC with plenty of power under the hood in a sleek, all-black case. Besides being a powerful mini PC well suited for business and productivity, it’s also a Copilot+ PC which means you get instant access to Microsoft’s latest AI features and a dedicated Copilot button right on the front.
MSI didn’t stop there with AI though as the Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG includes the company’s own AI Engine software to automatically adjust this mini PC’s settings based on the task at hand.
Still, besides two variations to pick from (with a less powerful Ultra 5 variant available in some regions), there are also slightly cheaper barebones configurations of the Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG if you’d rather provide your own storage and operating system.
MSI Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG: Cheat Sheet
- What is it? A sleek, all-black mini PC with plenty of ports and some unique features.
- Who is it for? Business users or professionals that want a small and quiet mini PC that comes with Microsoft’s Copilot+ AI features built-in.
- What does it cost? The MSI Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG costs $949 for the standard model or $1,054 for the upgraded version. However, you can also get either one in a barebones configuration for slightly less but you will have to provide your own storage and operating system.
- What do we like? Its near-silent operation, the built-in fingerprint scanner and Copilot button on the front, the two Thunderbolt 4 ports at the back (one can be used for power in) and how MSI makes it easy to mount and use this mini PC behind a monitor.
- What don’t we like? That there’s one less HDMI port on the back compared to the previous model, and how its RAM is soldered to the motherboard, which means you can’t upgrade it.
MSI Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG: Specs
|
Price |
$899 (barebones), $949 (as tested) |
$999 (barebones) $1,054 |
|
CPU |
Intel Core Ultra 7 258V |
Intel Core Ultra 9 288V |
|
GPU |
Intel Arc Graphics 140V |
Intel Core Ultra 7 258V |
|
RAM |
32GB LPDDR5X |
32GB LPDDR5X |
|
Storage |
1TB M.2 SSD |
1 TB M.2 SSD |
|
Ports |
2 x USB-A, 1 x microSD card reader, 1 x 3.5mm headphone jack (front), 2 x USB-A, 2x Thunderbolt 4 (1 x with 100W PD-in), 1 x HDMI 2.1, 2 x 2.5 GbE (rear) |
2 x USB-A, 1 x microSD card reader, 1 x 3.5mm headphone jack (front), 2 x USB-A, 2x Thunderbolt 4 (1 x with 100W PD-in), 1 x HDMI 2.1, 2 x 2.5 GbE (rear) |
|
Connectivity |
Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3 |
Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3 |
|
Size |
5.34 x 5.22 x 1.97 inches |
5.34 x 5.22 x 1.97 inches |
|
Weight |
1.39 pounds |
1.39 pounds |
MSI Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG: The ups
The MSI Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG manages to pack more powerful internals into the same small chassis without adding extra noise. However, it’s the new AI-powered features and a few key upgrades that allow it to easily outshine its predecessor.
A silent powerhouse
At 5.34 x 5.22 x 1.97 inches, the Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG has the exact same dimensions as the Cubi NUC 1M. However, MSI has made some slight tweaks to both the front and back of this new mini PC while retaining the same overall design.
Up front, you get two high-speed USB-A ports, a microSD card reader and a headphone jack like before. However, the power button has moved to the left side of the Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG to make space for the new Copilot button and an integrated fingerprint scanner. At the top, there are also now two small holes which are used for the built-in microphone.
On the back of the Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG, you get a nice selection of ports including two USB-A ports, two Thunderbolt 4 ports, two 2.5 gigabit Ethernet ports, HDMI 2.1 and a barrel port connector for its 120W power supply. If you look closely at the Thunderbolt 4 port on the right though, you’ll notice a small plug icon. This was one of my favorite things while testing since you can swap out the included power adapter for any USB-C GaN charger providing 100W Power Delivery (PD) instead.
I spent a month or so using the Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG as my daily driver and during that time, I was really surprised by just how quiet it was, even when dealing with more demanding workloads like photo editing and transferring large files. In fact, I had both it and the Geekom IT15 in the same room and while the latter got noticeably loud doing these same types of tasks, the Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG remained almost silent.
| Header Cell – Column 0 |
MSI Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG |
Geekom IT15 |
MSI Cubi NUC 1M |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Geekbench 6.3 single-core |
2655 |
3080 |
2712 |
|
Geekbench 6.3 multi-core |
9020 |
15589 |
8740 |
|
Handbrake (Mins:Secs) |
6:25 |
4:44 |
9:34 |
During benchmark testing, the Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG showed a massive improvement over its predecessor when transcoding video files in Handbrake and scored higher in Geekbench 6.3’s multi-core tests. However, it fell slightly behind the Cubi NUC 1M in single-core performance. This is a deliberate architectural trade-off though. With its newer Lunar Lake chips, Intel optimized them for improved power efficiency and AI performance in small systems, rather than prioritizing higher speeds for a single task like its older Raptor Lake chips did. The Geekom IT15 did easily beat out the Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG overall, but like I mentioned, it was a lot louder while doing so.
The Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG is an excellent mini PC for work and business-related tasks, but thanks to its integrated Intel Arc Graphics 140V graphics, it can handle photo and video editing as well as some light gaming too. However, this mini PC has another trick up its sleeve that makes it ideal for covert, behind your monitor setups.
Mountable but better front and center
Inside the box with most mini PCs, you’ll find a VESA plate adapter that lets you mount the computer behind your monitor to free up space on your desk. While MSI also includes one with the Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG, it takes things a step further.
You see, with your mini PC mounted behind your monitor, reaching its power button can be awkward. To solve this, MSI developed a proprietary HDMI-CES feature called Power Link that automatically turns on the 2MG (and the 1M) when you turn on your monitor.
However, you will need a compatible MSI monitor that supports Power Link to pull this off. I tested this with the Pro MP271A E2 business and productivity monitor MSI sent over with the Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG and it worked like a charm.
Given that you may not have an MSI monitor on hand or aren’t ready to swap out your current display, you also get a wired external power button. It plugs into the side of the Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG and has an adhesive back which makes it easy to stick anywhere on your desk for quick access.
Although I really enjoyed using the Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG behind a monitor as it almost felt like an all-in-one computer like the M4 iMac, I actually preferred having it right in front of me at my desk. That way, I could use the microSD card reader on the front to quickly take photos off my camera and the integrated fingerprint scanner in its power button made logging into Windows seamless. There’s another reason you’d want to have this mini PC within arm’s reach though.
Copilot+ on your desk not your lap
Up until very recently, if you wanted a Copilot+ PC with all of Microsoft’s AI-powered features, you’d have to spring for one of the best laptops. Fortunately, that’s no longer the case and you can now find a few mini PCs that come with Copilot+ certification.
The Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG is the first one I’ve tried though and while I typically prefer Gemini over ChatGPT, I found myself using Copilot more often than I thought I would. This is because it has a dedicated Copilot button on the front right next to its microSD card reader. What I liked about this approach is that instead of opening a new tab or a new Chrome window, I just pressed the button and Copilot sprung to life.
Another feature that really impressed me is that with the built-in microphone and 2W internal speaker, I could also pull up Copilot’s voice mode and chat away with Microsoft’s AI assistant while I worked. Likewise, the built-in microphone also proved handy when I wanted to use voice search in Chrome.
In addition to a dedicated Copilot button, you also get access to the rest of Microsoft’s Copilot+ PC features like live captions and translation, Windows Studio Effects to improve your video calls, Cocreator in Paint, click-to-do contextual AI and the company’s somewhat controversial Recall feature. These are all powered by the Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG’s NPU which is rated at up to 48 TOPS.
Overall, the Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG is ideal for business-related tasks but it’s also quite well-suited for AI ones too.
MSI Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG: The downs
The Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG certainly improves upon its predecessor with more impressive specs and some useful new features, all within the same sized case. However, it’s not without its downsides, which include one fewer port around back and less long-term upgradability.
Complicating multi-monitor setups
Don’t get me wrong, with two Thunderbolt 4 ports and an HDMI 2.1 port around back, the Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG can easily power a triple-monitor setup. However, as someone who tested and reviewed the 1M, I immediately noticed that there was one less port around back.
With the Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG, you have almost an identical port layout to the 1M. However, instead of a second HDMI port underneath the Thunderbolt 4 port on the right like on the 1M, there’s just a blank space.
When taking a close look at the rear ports on the Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG I noticed another downgrade too. While there were two USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps) ports on the 1M, these have been swapped with much slower USB 2.0 ones. You still get two high-speed USB-A ports on the front but if you want to plug in one of the best external hard drives to back up your data, you’re more likely to use one of the rear ports instead of one on the front.
The missing HDMI port on the Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG stood out to me most but there’s another big change inside that makes buying a higher-specced version of this mini PC from the get-go a better option if you’re interested in using it as your long-term work machine.
Fast but not quite futureproof
With either an Intel Core Ultra 7 258V or an Intel Core Ultra 9 288V under the hood, the Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG is a fast and very capable mini PC, especially as either variation also comes with 32GB of LPDDR5X memory. However, one of the perks of using a mini PC over a laptop, is that most of them are upgradeable. Opening up the NUC AI+ 2MG is easy enough — just four screws on its underside that do double duty as its feet.
Once inside, you can swap out the included M.2 SSD for something larger. However, you’re going to want to back up that drive first as there isn’t a second free M.2 slot for adding extra storage. While the single slot does support the latest, ultra-fast PCIe 5.0 drives, you are capped at whatever capacity you install.
Unlike the 1M though, you aren’t able to swap out its RAM either. This is because, like with the Ryzen AI Max chip in the Framework Desktop, the LPDDR5X memory is soldered directly to the motherboard. This design is necessary for the highest possible power efficiency and speed of the Intel Ultra 7 or 9 processor, but it means that while MSI gives you a generous 32GB as standard, jumping up to 64GB in the future just isn’t possible.
MSI Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG: Verdict
The MSI Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG is an impressive, whisper-quiet Copilot+ mini PC with plenty of power under the hood and enough improvements across the board to make upgrading from the older Cubi NUC 1M worthwhile.
Not only can you easily mount and power it on/off behind your monitor but the integrated fingerprint scanner in the power button and the dedicated Copilot button are just as good of a reason to keep it front and center on your desk.
MSI gives you a great selection of both essential and more powerful ports and it’s always great to see a built-in microSD card reader for extra storage or transferring photos. While I would have liked to have a second HDMI port and faster USB-A ports around back, the Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG makes up for this with 32GB of soldered, faster LPDDR5X RAM in the base model and its new Copilot+ features as well as the built-in microphone and speaker to quickly converse with your AI assistant.
Given the current retail price, if you’re after a powerful mini PC with a generous 3-year warranty and readily available after service to use as your next work machine, the Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG is easy to recommend, especially if you’re invested in Microsoft’s ecosystem and require the power of a dedicated NPU. Given the changes MSI has made between it and the 1M, I’m excited to see what’s new in the follow-up to the 2MG.
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