MSI Pro DP20Z Business & Productivity PC Review

How Much Does it Cost?

Trying to nail down the price on this one was tricky, as there are just so many versions of this to bother counting. Various CPUs, RAM configurations, and storage configurations mean you should be able to easily find one to suit your needs and/or your budget. However, one of my favourites is the MSI PRO DP20Z 5M-001BEU AMD Barebone, which costs just £164.37; just add your own CPU, RAM and storage! The top-end model is the one reviewed and comes with 16GB of RAM and two M.2 SSDs, so that’s £749. However, the price does also include Windows 10 Pro and it’s Windows 11 compatible. However, as I said, there are loads of them, such as this one for £413, or this one for £439, or this one at £313… and the list goes on.

Overview

I really love this system, it’s got everything going for it and the fact they’ve used an APU instead of a GPU means that it’s avoided becoming prohibitively expensive too. There are a lot of us working or studying from home these days, so having a competitively priced system that looks great, performs great, and doesn’t take up much space at all is a big advantage. This isn’t like a lot of compact systems either, it doesn’t use some weird mobile CPU hardware that can’t be upgraded. It’s a new tiny AMD motherboard and supports full-fat CPUs, SODIMM memory (the same as most laptops), and normals SSDs and M.2 storage. This means it can be easily configured, upgraded and repaired at home.

Design

The tiny size is easily the most appealing aspect of this system. It’s light and compact, meaning it’ll sit under your TV, next to your monitor, or on a shelf easily enough. It’s small enough to throw in a backpack if needed, so you can use it for presentations when you’re visiting other offices/businesses. I quite like the design though, it’s fairly understated so it doesn’t draw your attention, but has some nice touches that keep it interesting when you do bother to look closely at it.

Performance

With so many models to choose from, finding one that suits your needs shouldn’t be too hard. The AMD 5600G and 16GB of RAM in my configuration mean this system is no slouch. A bit of light video editing, gaming, and more proved to be no issue at all. It’s a 6-core and 12-thread CPU, so it’s not exactly lacking here. The dual M.2 SSDs are a big boost too, with both drives pulling almost 2500 MB/s read and 2000 MB/s write, so everything felt really responsive at all times, and boot times were pretty swift too.

OK, so it’s not the most powerful gaming PC ever, but it really isn’t gutless either. You’ll be able to play a lot of games at favourable framerates, and the latest generation of AMD APUs should not be understated in today’s current GPU market. Modern games will likely need to stick to 720P, but if you’re like me and mostly older games, it’ll make light work of the task.

Should I Buy One?

There’s a little of something for everyone in these systems. I love the barebones model, as you can literally make that your own. However, the prices for the various configurations do seem very competitive, especially given the cool design, decent connectivity, and compact size. For the office, the home office, digital signage, even a stylish family computer, it’s a great fit for any job. Well done MSI, highly recommended.