MSI has started selling the Cubi 5 1M, a compact desktop that packs an Intel Core 3-100U, Core 5-120U, or Core 7-150U into a 0.83-liter chassis. A barebones configuration with no memory or storage costs 329.99 USD (about 53,000 yen), and every variant begins shipping on August 1, 2026. The machine was shown off roughly a year ago, so this is the point where it finally becomes something you can actually buy.

Small enough to hide behind a monitor

The chassis measures 124 x 124 x 53.7 mm and works out to 0.83 liters. It weighs 0.6 kg and supports both 75 x 75 mm and 100 x 100 mm VESA mounts for hanging it off the back of a display. Power comes from a 65W AC adapter, so a desk setup can start with just one power cable and one video cable.

Compact desktops tend to grow in size the more performance you ask of them, and the trade-off is usually flexibility in where you put them. The Cubi 5 1M tips that balance firmly toward placement. The environments MSI has in mind reflect that: retail checkout areas, digital signage, education, and government offices, where the location and the cabling are decided in advance.

Three CPUs across four price points

Four configurations are available in the US. The barebones Core 3-100U model is 329.99 USD (about 53,000 yen), the Core 5-120U model is 399.99 USD (about 64,000 yen), and the Core 7-150U model is 529.99 USD (about 85,000 yen). There is also a Core 7-150U build that ships with 16GB of memory and a 1TB SSD, but that one jumps to 1,209.99 USD (about 195,000 yen).

※1 USD = 161 JPY (as of July 31, 2026)

All three chips belong to Intel's Raptor Lake-U family and rely on integrated graphics. These are not parts built around the latest AI accelerators, so running generative AI models locally is out of scope. The realistic role here is quietly handling documents, spreadsheets, browser-based work, and video playback over long stretches.

Looking at how the prices line up, the three barebones options step up in a straightforward way while only the fully built model looks sharply out of place. The gap is more than enough to buy memory and an SSD yourself with money left over, so if you do not mind the assembly, the barebones route is the obvious one.

An unusually generous port selection for the size

Connectivity is strong for a machine this small. The front carries one Thunderbolt 4 port, two 10Gbps USB Type-A ports, and a combined microphone and headphone jack. The rear adds two more 10Gbps USB Type-A ports, one HDMI output, one DisplayPort 1.4 output, and two wired network ports at 2.5GbE and 1GbE. The side has a Kensington lock slot and a pin header for an external power switch.

Two LAN ports stand out at this price. They matter for router or firewall duty, or for any setup that needs to keep an internal business network separate from an outward-facing line. Counting Thunderbolt 4, the system can drive up to three displays at once.

Wireless comes in two flavors: a configuration with Intel's Wi-Fi 6E AX211 and one with a Wi-Fi 5 module, paired with Bluetooth 5.3 and 5.0 respectively. It is worth confirming which one a given listing includes before ordering.

The memory spec does not match across listings

One point deserves caution. MSI's official specification sheet lists two DDR5-5200 SO-DIMM slots supporting up to 64GB. The configurations posted on Amazon in the US, however, describe DDR4-3200, so the two do not agree.

On a barebones unit where you supply your own memory, that discrepancy translates directly into buying the wrong part. DDR4 and DDR5 modules are physically keyed differently, so a mismatch simply will not fit. Check the listing carefully before ordering, and if possible confirm against the manual that ships with the unit.

Storage is more clear-cut: one M.2 2280 slot with PCIe Gen4 x4 support plus one 2.5-inch drive bay. That allows an SSD for speed alongside a larger HDD or SATA SSD. The warranty runs three years.

Summary

The Cubi 5 1M fits Thunderbolt 4 and dual wired network ports into a 0.83-liter volume. Barebones pricing starts at 329.99 USD (about 53,000 yen), with shipping from August 1. The Raptor Lake-U silicon holds no performance surprises, but the combination of a flexible footprint and a complete port layout makes its everyday-work appeal easy to read. Because the memory standard listed by MSI differs from the one shown on the retail page, anyone buying barebones should confirm it first.