FIREBAT AM02 Review: Ryzen 6600H Mini PC Packs a Surprising Punch at $300
Budget mini PCs have exploded in the last two years, but most of them are powered by Intel N100-class processors that struggle with anything beyond web browsing and media streaming. The FIREBAT AM02 takes a different approach: it drops a proper AMD Ryzen 5 6600H laptop chip with RDNA2 graphics into a compact 5×5-inch chassis — and sells it for around $300. That’s laptop-class CPU performance in a box that fits in one hand, at a price that undercuts most big-brand mini PCs.
Short version: for the money, this is one of the most competent budget mini PCs we’ve tested. But there are two very different AM02 models on the market, and buying the wrong one would be a mistake. Here’s everything, measured.
TL;DR — The 10-second verdict
| What it is | A compact 5×5-inch mini PC with an AMD Ryzen 5 6600H laptop chip and Radeon 660M integrated graphics |
| Who it’s for | Budget shoppers who need real desktop-class CPU performance, light gaming, and don’t want an N100 box |
| The headline | Laptop-grade CPU in a $300 mini PC — 6 cores, 12 threads, DDR5, and dual LAN in a box smaller than a paperback |
| The catch | iGPU gaming is limited to low settings at 900p–1080p, single-channel memory out of the box, and confusing model variants |
| Our take | Remarkable value for CPU-focused work. The Radeon 660M handles eSports fine, but this is not a primary gaming rig |
| Where To Buy (Affiliate Links) | Amazon · Mavely · JoyLink |
| Video Review | YouTube |
🚨 IMPORTANT: Two Different AM02 Models
Before we go any further — there are two completely different versions of the FIREBAT AM02 on the market:
- AM02 (AMD Ryzen 5 6600H + Radeon 660M) — the one we’re reviewing here. 6 cores, 12 threads, RDNA2 graphics, DDR5. This is the performance model.
- AM02 (Intel N100) — a low-power quad-core chip with basic UHD graphics. It looks similar on the outside but performs in a totally different league.
If you’re shopping for one, make sure the listing clearly says “Ryzen 5 6600H” and “Radeon 660M.” The N100 version is fine as an office PC, but it won’t come close to the numbers you’ll see below. This review is exclusively about the Ryzen model.
Hardware & Specs
| Component | Specification |
|---|---|
| CPU | AMD Ryzen 5 6600H — 6 cores, 12 threads, 3.3 GHz base, up to 4.5 GHz boost, Zen 3+, 6 nm, 45W TDP |
| GPU | AMD Radeon 660M (RDNA2) — 384 shaders, up to 1,900 MHz, integrated |
| Memory | 16 GB DDR5 SO-DIMM (single-channel out of the box), 4,800 MT/s — 2 slots, up to 64 GB total |
| Storage | 512 GB M.2 2280 NVMe SSD (PCIe 3.0 x4) — plus one free PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 slot |
| Networking | Dual RJ-45 LAN (Realtek) · Wi-Fi 6 (RTL8852BE) · Bluetooth 5.2 |
| Front I/O | 1× USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 (PD + DisplayPort + data) · 3× USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 · 1× USB-A 2.0 · 3.5 mm audio |
| Rear I/O | 1× DisplayPort 2.0 (4K @ 160 Hz) · 1× HDMI 2.1 TMDS (4K @ 60 Hz) · DC-in |
| Cooling | Single fan, metal internal heatsink, side and top vents |
| Chassis | ~171.7 × 171.7 × 69 mm (5×5×2.7 inches) · ~940 g · plastic shell, VESA mount included |
The spec sheet here is genuinely impressive for the price class. Dual LAN alone makes this interesting for homelab tinkerers, and having both DisplayPort 2.0 and HDMI 2.1 means you can run up to three 4K displays simultaneously (including the USB-C output). The free PCIe 4.0 M.2 slot is another nice touch — most budget boxes force you to replace the boot drive if you want more storage.
Design notes
- The AM02 goes for a clean, anonymous black-box aesthetic. It’s not flashy — matte black plastic with large side and top vents, rubber feet, and a VESA mount in the box. On a desk it basically disappears, which is kind of the point.
- Build quality is solid for the price. The outer shell is plastic but there’s a metal internal frame around the heatsink. No creaking or obvious flex.
- The fan is noticeable under load — think PS3-era whoosh, not jet engine. For general desktop use it stays quiet enough.
- One quirk: the SSD is a Firebat-branded drive on a Realtek controller. Sequential reads hit ~2.3–2.5 GB/s and writes ~1.5–1.9 GB/s. Fine for everyday use, but don’t expect Samsung 990 Pro numbers.
Gaming Performance
Settings: LOW quality, FSR ON, no frame generation — averages of multiple runs, with 1% lows. This is the Radeon 660M pushed as far as it’ll go across five resolutions.
| Game (avg fps / 1% low) | 900p | 1080p | 1200p | 1440p | UW 1440p |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Helldivers 2 | 65 / 57 | 23 / 19 | 25 / 22 | 23 / 20 | 20 / 17 |
| Remnant 2 | 52 / 48 | 15 / 12 | 15 / 14 | 11 / 9 | 8 / 8 |
| Sniper Elite Resistance | 46 / 44 | 25 / 24 | 32 / 20 | 16 / 15 | 11 / 11 |
| Throne and Liberty | 33 / 29 | 19 / 17 | 17 / 15 | 12 / 10 | 16 / 14 |
| Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 | 13 / 12 | 20 / 18 | 29 / 16 | 14 / 12 | 11 / 10 |
At 900p, the Radeon 660M delivers genuinely playable performance across the board — Helldivers 2 at 65 fps average and Remnant 2 at 52 fps are firmly in “this works” territory. eSports titles like Valorant, CS2, and Rocket League will comfortably sit above 60 fps at 1080p with medium settings.
At 1080p, you’re looking at 20–25 fps in modern AAA titles with FSR on. That’s going to feel rough in anything fast-paced. Drop to 900p and you’ll have a much better time.
The real story here: this is entry-level gaming on integrated graphics, and it behaves exactly like you’d expect. It’s roughly comparable to a Steam Deck’s GPU performance — capable of handling indie games and older AAA titles, but struggling with anything modern above low settings. The jump from the Intel N100’s UHD graphics to the Radeon 660M is enormous, but you’re still not getting a discrete GPU experience.
Creator Workloads — DaVinci Resolve Studio
We rendered a 4-minute project on the 1080p YouTube preset, no upscaling. This is a pure CPU+iGPU workload — no CUDA, no hardware encode acceleration from a dGPU.
| Render time (4-min project, 1080p YouTube preset) | Time |
|---|---|
| FIREBAT AM02 (Ryzen 5 6600H) | 17:19 |
| Fastest comparison system (desktop + RTX 4090) | ~3:48 |
| Typical premium mini PC | ~8:00–10:00 |
At over 17 minutes to render a 4-minute timeline, the AM02 is firmly in “set it and forget it” territory for video work. That’s roughly 4× slower than a desktop with a discrete GPU, and about 2× slower than a premium mini PC like the Beelink SER8. If you occasionally trim and export short clips at 1080p, it’ll get the job done. If you’re a working editor, this is not your machine.
Local AI — LLM Inference
We tested several local LLMs running via Ollama on the Ryzen 5 6600H. The Radeon 660M iGPU has no dedicated AI acceleration hardware (no NPU, no ROCm support at this tier), so everything runs on the CPU.
Performance lands in the 2–5 tokens/sec range for 7B-class models, which is usable for occasional queries and text generation but not fast enough for real-time chat or heavy RAG workflows. This is a CPU-only inference machine — set expectations accordingly. If local AI is a primary use case, look for a mini PC with a recent AMD APU that supports ROCm, or something with an Intel Arc iGPU.
Power & Noise
| Idle | Gaming | |
|---|---|---|
| Power (wall) | 16 W | 87 W |
| Noise | Near-silent | Audible whoosh |
The idle draw of ~16 W is excellent — this is a machine you can leave on 24/7 without worrying about your electricity bill. Under gaming load it pulls about 87 W from the wall, which is modest compared to the ~200 W we’ve seen from higher-end mini PCs in the same tests.
Noise at idle is effectively silent. Under sustained load the fan spins up to an audible but not unpleasant whoosh — louder than a Mac Mini, quieter than a gaming laptop at full tilt. For a $300 box with a 45 W laptop chip inside, the thermal management is well-judged.
Price, Availability & What to Watch For
- Price: The Ryzen 5 6600H / 16GB / 512GB configuration typically sells for $270–$350 USD depending on coupons and region. Firebat’s official store lists it around $350; AliExpress and Amazon deals frequently drop it below $300. In Europe, expect €250–€320.
- The single-channel memory situation: Our unit shipped with one 16 GB DDR5 module in single-channel mode. Adding a second stick for dual-channel operation will meaningfully improve both CPU and iGPU performance — it’s a $25–35 upgrade we’d recommend doing immediately.
- Model confusion is real: As flagged above, Firebat sells an N100 variant under the same AM02 name. Triple-check the listing before you click buy. If it doesn’t say “Ryzen 5 6600H” and “Radeon 660M,” it’s the slow one.
- No USB4 / Thunderbolt: The USB-C port handles DisplayPort and power delivery, but there’s no 40 Gbps Thunderbolt or USB4 support. If you need an eGPU dock, look elsewhere.
- Budget SSD: The included Firebat-branded NVMe drive is adequate but not fast. If you’re doing sustained file transfers or working with large media, budget for a drive upgrade.
Pros
- 6-core/12-thread Ryzen laptop CPU at a sub-$350 price point
- Dual 2.5GbE LAN — rare at this price, excellent for homelab and router projects
- Decent iGPU (Radeon 660M) handles eSports and older AAA games at playable framerates
- Low idle power (16 W) — viable as a 24/7 server
- Upgradable: two DDR5 SO-DIMM slots, two M.2 slots (one free PCIe 4.0)
- Triple 4K display support via DP, HDMI, and USB-C
Cons
- AAA gaming at 1080p requires low settings + FSR, and framerates are still tight
- Single-channel memory out of the box — you’ll want to add a second stick
- No USB4 / Thunderbolt — no eGPU option
- Confusing model naming (Ryzen vs. N100) — easy to buy the wrong one
- Firebat-branded SSD is slow by modern NVMe standards
- Plastic chassis doesn’t feel premium (but it’s $300, so…)
The Verdict
The FIREBAT AM02 (Ryzen 5 6600H) isn’t exciting in the way an RTX 5090 mini PC is exciting. It’s exciting because it delivers genuine laptop-class CPU performance in a box that costs less than most mid-range smartphones. Six Zen 3+ cores, DDR5 memory, dual LAN, and triple display output for around $300 is a genuinely good deal — assuming you buy the right variant.
If you need a budget home server, a Plex box that can also handle some light gaming, or a kid’s first PC that won’t feel slow, the AM02 is easy to recommend. Just budget an extra $30 for a second RAM stick, double-check that listing says “Ryzen,” and you’ll have a surprisingly capable little machine.
If gaming is your primary use case, spend a bit more on something with a Radeon 680M or 780M — the jump in iGPU performance is substantial. But for everything else at this price? The FIREBAT AM02 punches well above its weight.
Test unit: AMD Ryzen 5 6600H, Radeon 660M, 16 GB DDR5-4800 (single-channel), 512 GB NVMe SSD, Windows 11 Home. All benchmarks are our own runs; settings as noted.
— Tame That Tech Minion
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