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Computer Related > Mini PC	Miscellaneous
Thread Author: Robin O'Reliant	Replies: 17

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Mon 13 Nov 23 20:20

Mini PC - Robin O'Reliant

Anyone got any experience of these?

Very tempted.

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Mon 13 Nov 23 20:23

Mini PC - Zero

You need to be a bit more more explicit, they vary greatly 8n size and config. Rule of thumb bit limited in video capabilities, so not first choice for gaming or high Res (4k)video

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Mon 13 Nov 23 20:50

Mini PC - Robin O'Reliant

As long as it matches the performance of a basic Dell Inspirion it will be fine,

My main concern is whether they are reliable. They pack a hell of a lot into a small box.

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Mon 13 Nov 23 21:41

Mini PC - Zero

>> As long as it matches the performance of a basic Dell Inspirion it will be
>> fine,
>>
>> My main concern is whether they are reliable. They pack a hell of a lot
>> into a small box.

The latest chips run cooler. As in everything PC, choose your storage and memory to meet your current and future needs

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Mon 13 Nov 23 22:18

Mini PC - tyrednemotional

...if you think about the form-factor of a laptop, the thinness, and the fact that it needs to pack in battery, keyboard, etc in the base, then the NUC and similar form factor of a different shape doesn't offer much, if any, less space for key components, and that different shape gives (IMO) better options for cooling.

The processors are generally "laptop" oriented ones anyway.

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Mon 13 Nov 23 20:49

Mini PC - tyrednemotional

...I've an Intel NUC with an 8th Gen i5 processor with integrated "Iris" graphics. It was bought (on offer) as a barebones unit to play with, and function as my second PC. It needed the addition of an OS, SSD memory and the unit I bought is double-height, so it also has a 2.5" HDD as well. It's has WiFi and Bluetooth built in (though I use Ethernet) and is mounted on the back of a monitor, so is largely unobtrusive. It's relatively quiet.

There is limited (but sufficient) USB connectivity, and the graphics are capable of driving 4K to a reasonable resolution of screen.

It's roughly 4" x 4" x 2" (though the slim version, which won't take a HDD is closer to 4" x 4" x 1.25". You're never going to do video-editing on it, but for standard consumer PC use it's a lot of power in a small space.

I've been quite impressed by both the unit and Intel's support, but they've just pulled out of the NUC line and sold it to Asus, so the future is less clear.

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Mon 13 Nov 23 21:40

Mini PC - Zero

>> I've been quite impressed by both the unit and Intel's support, but they've just pulled
>> out of the NUC line and sold it to Asus, so the future is less
>> clear.

the intel units were probably made by Asus, their support is pretty good.

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Mon 13 Nov 23 22:19

Mini PC - tyrednemotional

...I think up until the sale Intel manufactured all their NUCs (though OE manufacturing is so rife it might well have been Foxconn ;-) )

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Tue 14 Nov 23 14:37

Mini PC - Robin O'Reliant

I'm looking at a Geecom.

It has a 12th Gen Intel Alder Lake N100 Processor. Is that better than a Pentium Gold?

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Tue 14 Nov 23 14:51

Mini PC - tyrednemotional

...Geekom...

Depends what you mean by better. The N100 benchmarks in the middle of the Pentium Gold range (the top of which is quite a bit higher).

The TDP of the N100 is much lower, however, therefore better for cooling.

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Fri 17 Nov 23 20:46

Mini PC - Robin O'Reliant

I settled for this in the end, Beelink 6 Cores 12 Threads AMD Ryzen5 5560U up to 4.0GHz Mini PC, 16GB DDR4 RAM 500GB M.2 NVMe SSD, SER5.

£257 from Amazon with a voucher. They seem to pack a hell of a lot in for both price and size compared to a desktop or laptop. I'd be a bit suspicious, but all the reviews I've read are positive.

Proof will come when I get it.

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Fri 17 Nov 23 22:10

Mini PC - tyrednemotional

...the spec looks reasonable, and the pricing is good, but you may have to budget for Windows if you haven't got a "movable" licence? (the sale details I can see don't appear to bundle widows?).

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Sat 18 Nov 23 07:47

Mini PC - Falkirk Bairn

>>the sale details I can see don't appear to bundle widows

A widow!!!! Probably just as well it did not.

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Sat 18 Nov 23 09:16

Mini PC - tyrednemotional

..they're only on the BBD version...

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Sat 18 Nov 23 14:35

Mini PC - Robin O'Reliant

>> ...the spec looks reasonable, and the pricing is good, but you may have to budget
>> for Windows if you haven't got a "movable" licence? (the sale details I can see
>> don't appear to bundle widows?).
>>

That has been asked several times in the "Ask an owner" section on Amazon and all the replies confirm it comes pre-loaded with W11 pro.

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Sat 18 Nov 23 10:22

Mini PC - John Boy

There's a survey here: www.howtogeek.com/are-mini-pcs-worth-it/?utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=HTG-202311171700&utm_source=HTG-NL

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Thu 23 Nov 23 21:06

Mini PC - Robin O'Reliant

Well. all set up and running now and I'm well pleased with it. I only do fairly basic stuff with a few games that are not particularly demanding on graphics, but they do run a lot better than they did on the old Dell.

The W11 Pro took only about ten minutes to set up, soundbar and printer installed easily (The Wi-Fi printer responds much more quickly to commands than previously) and the thing boots from cold in about ten seconds, though the old machine was limited by a HDD in that respect. Unlike most machines pre installed with Windows there is no bloatware to get rid of (Up yours, Mcafee), so another bonus.

Considering it is nearly £200 quid less than an entry level Dell they are well worth a look for anyone who needs to replace a desktop, especially as more basic models start at well under £200.

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Fri 24 Nov 23 11:57

Mini PC - smokie

I'm not really in the market for small PCs (as I have a load of internal disks etc) but they do look interesting, and a good price, if you don't need oodles of power.

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