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Mini PCs Database

minipcs.org

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Re: Mini PCs Database

#21

Post by drewg123 »

c2h5oh wrote: post #13

CPU/memory/performance are nice, but not the only things I'd care about, e.g. - number and speed of ethernet ports - if you want to build a opnsense router for example - number and kind of video outputs - if you want to build a media pc - MSRP - passive vs active cooling - power draw - USB ports and USB version - m2 nvme and sata connectors - m2 lte (key b) connectors all of those could be filters - see pcpartpicker…

I came here to say a lot of this.

One thing you didn't mention that I'd like to see is what, if any, PCIe slots there are. This is pretty rare in mini PCs, and I've only seen it on the Minisforum ms-01 (https://store.minisforum.com/products/minisforum-ms-01)

Re: Mini PCs Database

#22

Post by wongarsu »

That's an unexpected selection. When I think Mini PC I think Lenovo ThinkCentre, Dell Optiplex Micro, maybe a USFF Fujitsu Esprimo or HP EliteDesk. Basically any USFF (Ultra Small Form Factor) model from a major manufacturer. Reliable, easy to source, and if you're fine with being a couple years behind the curve really cheap to buy refurbished because companies buy them by the truckload and then replace them every couple years.

Re: Mini PCs Database

#23

Post by PennRobotics »

BossingAround wrote: post #7
axelfontaine wrote: post #6

My current favorite is Cirrus7: 100% passively cooled in a great compact custom case: https://www.cirrus7.com/

Wow, this looks awesome for a low-usage home server (since it makes no noise). Does it handle load well though?

This looks awesome for music recording as well. Connect to a fanless USB interface and you'd be set for totally* noiseless recording.

* assuming no coil whine or PSU clicking

Re: Mini PCs Database

#24

Post by ww520 »

These cheap mini PC look nice on paper, but I have bad experience with them. They tend to break after a while. They got shut down due to overheat; their small form factor make ventilation difficult. BIOS was set to overclocking by default. BIOS settings got magically reverted back to default. Everything makes it look good on paper on benchmarks but bad for consumers.

OTOH, I got good experience with the Intel NUC boxes. Got good experience with HP and Dell's slim PCs, which have slightly bigger form factors and are good for heat dissipation.

Re: Mini PCs Database

#25

Post by layer8 »

BossingAround wrote: post #7
axelfontaine wrote: post #6

My current favorite is Cirrus7: 100% passively cooled in a great compact custom case: https://www.cirrus7.com/

Wow, this looks awesome for a low-usage home server (since it makes no noise). Does it handle load well though?

It depends on the CPU, the load, and the selected case option. The CPU will throttle when the load gets too high. They are using mobile/low-power CPUs. It’s generally fine if you don’t plan to have long-running heavy all-core loads. There is really no alternative to such cooling-fin cases in order to have a 100% silent PC.

For more processing power, a large case with quiet fans (e.g. Noctua) and a massive CPU cooler is the way to go, but isn’t completely silent (depending on load and environment noise level), and you’ll have to build it yourself.

Re: Mini PCs Database

#26

Post by nehal3m »

wongarsu wrote: post #22

That's an unexpected selection. When I think Mini PC I think Lenovo ThinkCentre, Dell Optiplex Micro, maybe a USFF Fujitsu Esprimo or HP EliteDesk. Basically any USFF (Ultra Small Form Factor) model from a major manufacturer. Reliable, easy to source, and if you're fine with being a couple years behind the curve really cheap to buy refurbished because companies buy them by the truckload and then replace them every co…

They’re perfect for home lab applications as well, I’ve used one as a firewall and another one as a NAS. A model with a decent amount of CPU cores can pull virtualization duty. They’re generally pretty power efficient, like a next step up from an rPi.

Re: Mini PCs Database

#27

Post by jeffbee »

wongarsu wrote: post #22

That's an unexpected selection. When I think Mini PC I think Lenovo ThinkCentre, Dell Optiplex Micro, maybe a USFF Fujitsu Esprimo or HP EliteDesk. Basically any USFF (Ultra Small Form Factor) model from a major manufacturer. Reliable, easy to source, and if you're fine with being a couple years behind the curve really cheap to buy refurbished because companies buy them by the truckload and then replace them every co…

Yeah, this is basically a list of off-brand junk that will never work right.

Re: Mini PCs Database

#28

Post by winrid »

ww520 wrote: post #24

These cheap mini PC look nice on paper, but I have bad experience with them. They tend to break after a while. They got shut down due to overheat; their small form factor make ventilation difficult. BIOS was set to overclocking by default. BIOS settings got magically reverted back to default. Everything makes it look good on paper on benchmarks but bad for consumers. OTOH, I got good experience with the Intel NUC box…

Yeah you can get a refurbished Dell Optiplex for about $100 w/ keyboard, mouse, and wifi adapter, and should have a passmark score of around 6k (for reference the i7 in thinkpad x1 carbons from 2018 has a passmark score of 8k). I got one of these setup for an event organizer that wanted to drive three displays w/ timing software on a budget.

Re: Mini PCs Database

#29

Post by [deleted] »

ww520 wrote: post #24

These cheap mini PC look nice on paper, but I have bad experience with them. They tend to break after a while. They got shut down due to overheat; their small form factor make ventilation difficult. BIOS was set to overclocking by default. BIOS settings got magically reverted back to default. Everything makes it look good on paper on benchmarks but bad for consumers. OTOH, I got good experience with the Intel NUC box…

[deleted]

Re: Mini PCs Database

#30

Post by Meekro »

layer8 wrote: post #16

This is lacking most of the useful specs you’d want to search/filter for, like internal and external connectors, Wifi/Bluetooth capabilities, passive vs. active cooling, dimensions, and so on.

I would add appearance and noise level (if any).
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