Overview & Target Audience
For around €350, the Blackview MP50 with an AMD Ryzen 7 3700U, 16 GB of RAM, and a 512 GB SATA SSD is a very compact and power-efficient mini PC for office work, web browsing, and media playback.
The Ryzen 7 3700U belongs to AMD's Ryzen 3000 mobile series and offers 4 cores and 8 threads. That is plenty for everyday tasks, but the processor reaches its limits with compute-intensive workloads. In return, the MP50 draws only around 6 watts at idle and is inaudible.
Further features include Gigabit LAN, Wi-Fi 5, HDMI and DisplayPort with 4K at 60 Hz, and Windows 11 Pro. A Bluetooth keyboard, a mouse, and a VESA mount are also included in the box. This makes the Blackview MP50 a good fit for users looking for a small, quiet, and power-efficient computer for office work, browsing, and streaming that can also be mounted directly behind a monitor using the VESA mount.
Blackview provided the review unit to us free of charge for an independent review. The manufacturer had no influence on the content or conclusion of this review.
Specifications
Our Blackview MP50 review unit has the following specifications:
- Processor: AMD Ryzen 7 3700U, 4 cores and 8 threads, up to 4.0 GHz, 4 MB L3 cache (15 W TDP)
- Graphics: AMD Radeon RX Vega 10, 10 compute units, up to 1.4 GHz, 2 GB reserved from system memory
- Memory: 16 GB DDR4-2400 (1 × Shenzhen SKIHOTAR SKIHOTAR-16GB-2666), single channel
- SATA SSD: 512 GB Derlar FNS6, M.2 2280
- Power supply: BSY BSY048A120400V W, 12 V/4 A (48 W)
- Network: Realtek RTL8111H, 1 Gbit/s
- Wireless: Realtek RTL8821CE, Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac), Bluetooth
- USB: 2 × USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A (front), 2 × USB 2.0 Type-A (rear)
- Display outputs: 1 × HDMI, 1 × DisplayPort, each 4K at 60 Hz
- Audio: headphone jack (front)
- Expansion: 1 × M.2 2280 slot for SATA or NVMe (PCIe 3.0 x2, occupied), 1 × SO-DIMM slot (occupied)
- Operating system: Windows 11 Pro
- Package contents: VESA mounting bracket with screws, Bluetooth keyboard, mouse, HDMI cable, manuals, power supply
Design, Build Quality & Maintenance
The Blackview MP50 is a small, almost square mini PC with rounded corners. The dark gray case looks understated, and the top is set off by a glossy frame. There are ventilation slots on both sides. A large service sticker with a QR code is applied to the top at the factory.
The tidy front houses the power button with a status LED, two USB-A ports, and an audio jack. On the rear are LAN, HDMI, DisplayPort, two more USB-A ports, and the power connector.
Opening the case is very easy. After flipping the release switch on the rear, the lid can be removed without tools. Underneath are the memory and the M.2 SSD, covered only by a thermal pad. This makes upgrades quick and easy.
However, there is only one slot each for memory and SSD. The MP50 has no 2.5-inch bay.
Everyday Performance (Office & Multimedia)
Office and multimedia applications run smoothly on the Blackview MP50. In Geekbench 6, the AMD Ryzen 7 3700U with 4 cores and 8 threads scores 1,010 points in the single-core test and 2,729 points in the multi-core test. That is sufficient for web browsing, office work, and streaming.
Since the MP50 has only one SO-DIMM slot, the 16 GB module runs in single-channel mode at 2,400 MT/s.
YouTube in 4K at 60 frames per second plays smoothly. At 1080p, however, YouTube delivers AV1, which the Vega graphics cannot decode in hardware. The CPU then has to decode the video in software, which shows in the power consumption. 1440p and 4K streams use VP9, which the GPU decodes in hardware.
Monitors with 4K at 60 Hz can be connected via HDMI and DisplayPort.
In a short benchmark, the included SATA SSD reaches around 520 MB/s read and 440 MB/s write, typical figures for SATA. Disk-intensive tasks such as Windows updates or installing applications therefore take noticeably longer than with an NVMe SSD. During our initial setup, Windows updates took a good three hours.
Creative and Gaming Performance
The Blackview MP50 is only of limited use for creative applications such as photo or video editing; compute-intensive tasks such as exporting and rendering take correspondingly long. The MP50 needed 1,552 seconds for the Blender Classroom render. When converting a Full HD video with HandBrake (software encoding), it reached around 43 frames per second.
The integrated Radeon Vega graphics are only suitable for gaming to a limited extent, with games running at low detail settings. The single-channel memory slows the graphics down further.
For more graphically demanding titles, the mini PC can be used as a streaming client for Steam Remote Play or cloud gaming services such as GeForce NOW.
To compare graphics performance, here are the results of the GFXBench benchmark.
| Test (fps) | Blackview MP50 | Intel N100 | Intel N150 | Intel Core i9-12900H | AMD Ryzen™ 9 7940HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4K Aztec Ruins High Tier Offscreen | 6.3 | 4.4 | 5.1 | 17.9 | 29.8 |
| Aztec Ruins High Tier Offscreen | 13.6 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 45.2 | 64.7 |
| Aztec Ruins Normal Tier Offscreen | 32.4 | 28.7 | 30.8 | 125.8 | 149.6 |
Noise & Cooling
The Blackview MP50's cooling works unobtrusively. At idle, the mini PC is inaudible. Under full load, the fan is faintly audible: you can hear it in a completely silent room, but hardly with quiet music playing in the background.
During more than 35 minutes of sustained load with HandBrake and Blender, the processor reached a maximum of 76 °C and an average of 72 °C at a room temperature of around 24 °C. No thermal throttling was observed. The processor ran at its power limit of around 16 watts and clocked all cores at about 2.5 GHz.
Power Consumption & Efficiency
Power Consumption
| Test | Average (watts) |
|---|---|
| Windows – web browsing | 14.4 |
| Windows – HandBrake (CPU) | 28.1 |
| Windows – idle | 5.9 |
| Windows – idle (monitor off) | 5.4 |
| Windows – YouTube 2K | 21.2 |
| Windows – YouTube 4K | 21.4 |
| Windows – stress test (CPU and GPU) | 27.8 |
At around 6 watts at idle, the Blackview MP50 is very power-efficient. Under full load, the mini PC draws around 28 watts, even when the CPU and GPU are working at the same time. The highest measured peak was 44 watts during a restart, so the 48-watt power supply is adequately sized.
YouTube in 2K (1080p) needs almost as much power as in 4K because of the AV1 format, which the processor has to decode itself at this resolution.
Energy Efficiency
The following table shows the energy consumption in the Blender benchmark.
| Manufacturer – model | Energy consumed (watt-hours) | Duration (seconds) |
|---|---|---|
| Geekom AE7 | 5.4 | 302 |
| Geekom XT13 Pro | 5.6 | 410 |
| Geekom A6 | 6.4 | 390 |
| NiPoGi AM16 | 6.6 | 648 |
| Beelink SEi13 AI | 8.1 | 352 |
| NiPoGi Hyper H2 | 9.1 | 455 |
| Geekom Air12 Lite | 9.9 | 1,826 |
| NiPoGi E2 | 10.2 | 1,790 |
| NiPoGi E1 | 10.5 | 1,820 |
| Beelink SEi12 | 10.6 | 444 |
| Blackview MP50 | 12.1 | 1,552 |
| NiPoGi N97 | 12.2 | 1,926 |
| Beelink EQ13 | 13.2 | 1,734 |
Special Features, Bugs & Quirks
Initial Setup Requires an Additional Keyboard
The included keyboard and mouse connect via Bluetooth. However, they can only be paired in Windows, not during the initial setup. An additional keyboard and mouse were therefore required for the initial setup.
Connectivity & Upgradeability
Ports
On the front are two USB-A ports with 5 Gbit/s (USB 3.2 Gen 1) and a headphone jack. On the rear are two more USB-A ports, which only support USB 2.0, plus HDMI, DisplayPort, and Gigabit LAN. There is no USB-C. An external NVMe enclosure rated for up to 10 Gbit/s ran at 5 Gbit/s on the front ports and only at USB 2.0 speed on the rear ports.
Both display outputs deliver 4K at 60 Hz. For wireless connectivity, the MP50 offers Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth.
Upgradeability
The memory can only be expanded by replacing the existing 16 GB module, up to 32 GB according to the firmware. Since there is only one slot, the memory remains in single-channel mode.
Besides SATA SSDs, the M.2 slot also accepts NVMe SSDs. A Crucial P3 Plus ran in it at PCIe 3.0 with two lanes, i.e., at a maximum of just under 2 GB/s. That is significantly more than the included SATA SSD manages, but it holds fast NVMe SSDs back. There is no second M.2 slot or 2.5-inch bay.
Pros & Cons
This section highlights areas in which the mini PC stands out particularly positively or negatively for its price, or deviates from what you would expect from a mini PC. Only features that are relevant in the context of the intended use are rated as negative. For example, poor gaming performance in a mini PC without a dedicated graphics card is not considered a central point of criticism.
Pros
- Power consumption: Very efficient, around 6 watts at idle
- Noise: Inaudible at idle, only faintly audible under full load
- Maintenance: Lid removable without tools, RAM and SSD directly accessible
- Upgradeability: Can be upgraded with an NVMe SSD
- Monitors: HDMI and DisplayPort with 4K at 60 Hz
- Package contents: Keyboard, mouse, and VESA mount included
- Windows: Windows 11 Pro preinstalled
Cons
- Setup: Bluetooth keyboard only usable after Windows setup
- USB: Rear ports only USB 2.0, no USB-C
- Network: Wi-Fi 5 only
Conclusion – Buying Recommendation – Who Is the Blackview MP50 For?
The Blackview MP50 with AMD Ryzen 7 3700U is a small and power-efficient mini PC for office work, web browsing, and streaming. It draws only around 6 watts at idle and around 28 watts under full load, and it stays quiet while doing so.
It is practical that the mini PC can be opened without tools and upgraded with a faster NVMe SSD. Less pleasing are the slow USB ports on the rear, the lack of USB-C, and Wi-Fi 5.
This makes the MP50 suitable for users looking for a compact computer for office work, web browsing, and media playback who value low power consumption and quiet operation. For photo editing, video editing, or gaming, on the other hand, its performance is only of limited use.
At the time of testing, the MP50 cost €349 at MediaMarkt instead of the €619.99 MSRP. It becomes even more interesting if the price drops further thanks to coupons or promotions.
Buy the Blackview MP50
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