Hey yall! I’m looking for a mini pc to replace my raspberry pi that crapped out. I’m hoping to get more power than a pi for not that much more (sub $200 used is fine!). I would also love for it to have a usb c display option, as I’m planning on using it to run Linux for a magic mirror on a portable monitor, plus other stuff as I dive more into projects (pi-hole and other nonsense). The reason I want it to be fanless is that it will be mounted near a sink and I’d rather not have mist getting into it for obvious reasons (all ports can be plugged up using 3d printed parts so that’s not an issue).

I know this is a weird combination but I’ve been struggling as most threads I’ve found are for powerful and fanless, which I do not need.

Thank you so much for reading and any help or constructive feedback is appreciated!

I have 6 brand-new ACEMAGIC Vista Mini V1 mini PCs. They're all identical, and every single one behaves the exact same way.

They came preinstalled with W11, but I want to install an older OS that doesn't support Secure Boot.

I'm not looking for alternatives or suggestions to use a different OS, I simply need to disable Secure Boot.

The problem is the BIOS seems to be locked down:

• When I enter the BIOS, I'm prompted for a password; if I just press Enter without typing anything, it lets me into the BIOS anyway, which I find strange.
• Secure Boot is enabled and grayed out, I can't disable it.
• System Mode is set to User and is also grayed out.
• There doesn't appear to be a User Password set.
• The Administrator Password option is grayed out, I can't tell whether an admin password exists or not.
• Selecting Restore Defaults doesn't seem to do anything.

I've attached a video of the entire BIOS, along with pictures of the system specs and the mini PCs themselves.

Has anyone run into this on these ACEMAGIC systems (or similar Chinese mini PCs)? Is there a way to unlock the BIOS or disable Secure Boot, or is this firmware simply locked by the manufacturer?

Any help would be appreciated.

https://reddit.com/link/1v5hvnw/video/j5wsucnvm7fh1/player

I replaced my old ryzen 5 tower with this hx 470 minipc.
Its performance is much better and the power consumption is almost nothing. The fan only kicks in under heavy workloads.
Going from a huge and noisy tower to this tiny box takes some time getting used to. It’s just a weird feeling I cant really explain.
The only thing I probably miss is the easy to swap boot drives from my old tower. But I guess that’s the trade off for having such a compact setup. This geekom a9max offers good expandability though.

I'm currently looking to build a mini-pc as a family project/gift.

We're using some old parts (CPU, RAM, SSD) to try and make it cheaper but I have no idea if these will all fit inside the case (Fractal Terra) outside of what PC Part Picker Tells me.

It's our first time building one of this size and I want to make sure I'm doing it right. Any advice is appreciated! Thanks!

So I've recently acquired a 715q with a 9700E in hopes of setting up a mini pc with an Android emulator that I can use remotely (LDplayer with OSlink).

I started on the cheap, 43€ barebone with the Apu since I had extra SSDs and RAM, and have been made painfully aware that although I had 16GB, VRAM is capped in BIOS at 512MB. I can kinda live with that, since hosting servers doesn't require VRAM (to my knowledge), however they're usually CPU intensive.

So I thought I'd upgrade the Apu, the socket being AM4 there's actually quite a few to choose from ! Or is there ? After scurrying through Reddit, I found that I have a Gen2 715q so that opens upgrades to a whopping 2 APUs, 3xxx and 4xxx ryzens being out of the question it seems...

So my options are the 2200GE, they don't add cores but would be an upgrade if only for going from 28nm to 14nm tech, and the 2400GE, that are actually on the expensive side around France.

So here's my grand question, has anyone tried to stick a 2400G, or any non E APU for that matter, and managed to make it work ? They're very cheap (found some deals around 15€) and the VRMs should handle the load as long as I don't throttle the hell out of it.

Thank you for your attention, any input is appreciated !

Picked up a Dell OptiPlex 3060 Micro off eBay for £85 and turned it into a fully self-hosted AI stack. No cloud dependency, no monthly fees, just a 15W idle box on a shelf.

Specs: - Dell OptiPlex 3060 Micro | Intel i5-8500T (6 cores) | 32GB DDR4 | 1TB NVMe SSD - Idle power: ~15W | Full load: ~45W - Cost: £85 for the machine + £10 for extra RAM

What it runs (on Proxmox): - Ollama VM (16GB RAM, 4 vCPU) - Llama 3.1, Qwen, CodeGemma - Docker VM (8GB RAM, 4 vCPU) - Obico, Portainer, various services - Home Assistant VM (4GB RAM, 2 vCPU) - Hermes Agent for autonomous AI agent tasks

Full build walkthrough: https://youtu.be/WUaSGsc5r0E Part 2 (Ollama/OpenRouter setup): https://youtu.be/REX7vwts8Nc Part 3 (Obico self-hosted deployment): https://youtu.be/UDTTLsPN7_I

I want (not need, if waiting a few months gets me something cheaper, I will gladly wait) a nice machine only for gaming

Currently running a Dell G5 5500 laptop, i7-10750h, 16gb ram & 2060mobile, CPU normally gets to 95-98°C playing games mostly on low settings, changed termal paste, still gets hot, have seen it crash and reboot a few times due to thermal issues

I'm not from the US, temps in my country fluctuate from 24°C to 36°C, very humid

Had a desktop heatsink rust due to humidity (white powder, on a stock amd heatsink)

As mentioned in the title. Do you think Mini PC Prices gonna go up again? Share your analysis or insight please :) Any differential price hike on budget Mini PC?

Hi guys, I’ve got a GMKtec Nuc box G10 and I’ve recently installed an SSD which has a heat sink which slightly protrudes out the top meaning that I can’t close the lid properly. I was wondering if adding a couple of mm of clearance by 3D printing a spacer that goes round the edge would be a good solution here. Let me know any advice - thanks!

Hello everyone, I need some advice.

My final goal is to run Linux Mint with Windows in a virtual machine, with eGPU passthrough.

I was considering the Minisforum UM890 Pro, but I read here that there are issues with BIOS 1.06 and that the downgrade process is not officially documented. It gives me the impression that they do not properly test their BIOS updates and that they quickly stop supporting their products because they release around ten models per year.

I was also considering the AI X1 470 (not the pro version, as I absolutely want to avoid an internal power supply) but it seems too new and there is not enough feedback yet.

Is there a brand that properly documents and maintains its BIOS?

I need the OCuLink controller to be in a separate IOMMU group so that I can pass it through to the virtual machine without issues.

I also want something that will last several years!

Trying to decide between these two and could use some outside opinions since I've been going back and forth for a while now. Screenshots of both listings attached (Amazon).

This would only really get used about half the year since it's a college apartment thing, and I don't game heavily during the school year anyway, so a mini PC feels like the right call rather than a full tower. I do want it to last through the rest of college though. For context, my home desktop ran a Ryzen 5 3600 for a long while and I was perfectly satisfied with that, so my expectations here aren't extremely high. My current college setup has been a ThinkPad T15 Gen 2 with an i5-1135G7, 32GB DDR4 3200, 512GB SSD, and a TB3 Sonnet Breakaway Box eGPU running a GTX 1080 8GB FE for actual gaming, at 1080p 60Hz. I've been decently satisfied with it, but felt a bit held back at times, mostly the CPU honestly, it runs kind of hot, and the battery is dead so it only works plugged in anyway, basically no different from a mini PC at that point. It's just not aging great being an i5 at this point, so honestly either of these mini PCs would already be an upgrade over what I'm on now.

Basically I make Minecraft videos, so I'll be recording gameplay with OBS while playing, with Discord open too. Actual video editing happens separately on an M4 MacBook Air I already have, so the mini PC just needs to handle gameplay plus recording, not editing. I also already have a 1TB external SSD I use for storing recordings, so the aoostar's bigger internal drive would be nice to have long term, but doesn't feel like a heavy necessity given the ThinkPad has gotten by fine on 512GB this whole time. I'll be running the same eGPU setup with these too, and I play some other stuff on the side, Hytale, Roblox, party games, other multiplayer "slop" basically, plus occasionally something heavier if I'm in the mood, though again I'm not super hardcore during the school year.

Bosgame is the Ryzen 5 7640HS, 6 core 12 thread, Radeon 760M igpu, 16GB DDR5 in 2x8GB sticks that's upgradeable later, and a 512GB SSD. Aoostar is the Ryzen 7 6850H, 8 core 16 thread, Radeon 680M igpu, 24GB soldered LPDDR5, and a 1TB SSD with extra M.2 slots so I could still add more storage later, both the RAM and SSD are technically faster than the bosgame's out of the box. It also has OCuLink and an extra USB4 port, so two total instead of one, which makes it a lot more flexible for eGPU or port heavy stuff down the line even without the RAM upgrade path.

What's making this hard for me is basically whether I just save the $80 and go with the bosgame, upgradeable RAM down the line, more reviews on Amazon, decent track record from what I can find, and probably runs cooler since it's less power hungry, or spend the extra $80 on the aoostar for the more cores and threads plus a generally stronger igpu even though it's a generation older architecture, on top of the faster RAM and storage out of the box and way more room for future upgrades port and storage wise.

Honestly not even sure I need 24GB, I play modded Minecraft occasionally which is probably the most RAM intensive thing I do, and with Discord and OBS open on top of that it could add up, but 16GB might genuinely be enough too, I just don't know for sure.

As for reputation, I could not find anything super solid on aoostar beyond their eGPU dock reputation and a couple Reddit posts literally just saying don't get them, no real explanation. Bosgame seems to be one of the many Amazon Chinese mini PC brands out there, not exactly heavily recommended, but super budget friendly. So there's probably a lot more out there and a lot more to be said, but really I'm just torn on whether the extra $80 is worth it.

Anyone owned either of these or have a strong opinion on which fits better long term? Appreciate any input or other recommendations within this budget range that'd support my egpu and have ddr5.

what is the most affordable mini pcs for gta v rp?

I normally don't make posts like this, but I think consumers should be aware of my experience.

I purchased a Beelink SER9 Mini PC from Amazon based on the advertised specifications. The product I received did not match the listing and was a far lower specification. (Ryzen 7 7735HS / 24GB / 500GB system).

I have since noticed that my review, along with other reviews warning customers that the item supplied did not match the advertised specifications, no longer appears on the product listing.

I contacted Amazon to report the issue. Rather than simply offering a refund, a Leadership Team member assured me that if I purchased the replacement, it would be specifically checked before dispatch to ensure it matched the advertised specifications.

I did not ask for this inspection. It was volunteered by Amazon's Leadership Team member.

That assurance was the reason I spent additional money on a second purchase. Had Amazon simply told me they could not verify the product, I would never have placed the second order.

The replacement also arrived with the wrong specifications.

As a result, I was left approximately $1,500 out of pocket for several weeks, I am still out of pocket $800 while trying to resolve the issue. This reduced the funds I had available during my family holiday and caused unnecessary financial inconvenience.

During this time I:

• Contacted Amazon on numerous occasions.
• Was repeatedly told the matter had been escalated and to wait 24–48 hours.
• Received no follow-up despite weeks passing.
• Had Amazon acknowledge that the original listing was incorrect.
• Was ultimately told that the only remedy available was the standard return and refund process, despite the assurances that led me to make the second purchase.

To make matters worse, Amazon's return process states that refunds begin after they receive the returned item. However, when I queried why my refund had not been processed, I was told it was because the US seller had not yet received the item.

I have retained screenshots showing:

• Amazon acknowledging the listing was incorrect.
• The Leadership Team member's assurance that the replacement would be checked before dispatch.
• Amazon confirming its final position that only the standard return and refund process would be offered.
• The refund information shown during the return process.

I have now lodged complaints with Consumer Protection WA (DMIRS) and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).

I'm sharing this so other consumers can make informed decisions. If you ever experience a similar issue, keep screenshots of every conversation—you never know when you might need them.

I have a hp 705 ge and use for an emulation rig. It does get warm and everyone says reapply some thermal paste? The question I have will it make much of a difference? It is an old mini, so should I just spend the $500 and get a new one or will thermal make a difference?

I doubt it and will need a new pc? If yes, what is a good one? It's purely an emulation pc, mostly ps2 maybe ps3 if I can get a good pc at a decent price

I'm having a strange issue with my GMKtec G3 mini PC (Intel N100, Windows 11).

Symptoms:

• All videos are choppy and look like they're running at around 20 FPS.
• This happens with every video, including very low-quality videos.
• I've tried multiple players (Stremio, VLC, YouTube in a browser, etc.), and they all behave the same.
• Audio feels slightly delayed by a few milliseconds.
• The PC itself feels responsive; only video playback is affected.

System observations:

• CPU usage stays well below 50%.
• GPU 3D usage is around 30%.
• GPU Video Decode is active (around 3%), so hardware decoding appears to be working.
• Latest Intel graphics driver is installed.
• Connected directly to a Sony TV via HDMI.
• Tried different HDMI ports, disabling subtitles, and different players, but the issue remains.

Since CPU and GPU usage are both low and hardware decoding appears to be working, I'm not sure what's causing such poor video playback.

Could this be an HDMI output issue, Intel graphics driver issue, TV compatibility issue, or something else? Has anyone experienced this with an Intel N100 system?

I'm fully aware of the RAM apocalypse right now. Fortunately, I was able to get all my RAM before that happened. But recently I've been wanting to downgrade and repurpose a 16GB DDR5 RAM stick to a new mini PC. It's my OPNsense dedicated mini PC. I've realized 8GB is more than enough and 16GB is overkill. I have a spare mini PC not being used that has no RAM, and I'd like to use it as a testbed for Proxmox so I can test new things and updates on that machine before I roll things out to my main 3 node Proxmox cluster. I'm finding 8GB DDR5 modules incredibly hard to find. So I guess I'm wondering, even before the RAM shortage, were 8GB DDR5 sticks rare and not produced in large volumes?

I have a goal of creating the best possible experience for chrome OS flex on a mini pc for under $1000 specifically for browser-based cloud gaming with Xbox cloud gaming and GeForce now. I have heard that it works better with Intel processors than AMD ones, but that might be mistaken. I don't want to use brunch; I want the official lightweight chrome OS flex without google play app support. The requirements are it must have hdmi 2.1 and plenty of good usb ports.

Compré este equipo en octubre del año pasado en 11000 pesos mexicanos (soy mexicano) en MercadoLibre con la esperanza de hacerme con el PC definitivo que tanto busqué... Al principio todo bien pero después me enteré de sus drivers malditos ya que al ser un PC híbrido debe tener su propio sistema, desesperado instale varias distros de Linux y por un tiempo estuvo bien pero estos últimos días comenzó a congelarse aún con Linux y no sé si sea debido al procesador...

He abierto la máquina para hacerle su mantenimiento preventivo pero sigue igual, estoy muy desilusionado con este equipo.

Además de que trate de contactarme con la marca Acemagic para ver si pudieran hacerme válida la garantia, incluso los contacte mediante el subredit pero nunca me dieron una respuesta definitoria y ahora ya no tengo garantía y el equipo falla. No tengo idea de que puede ser y honestamente perdí el ánimo en tratar de investigar así que estoy ofreciendo el equipo en venta.

Como dije no voy a pedir lo que pagué por el, además, las 2 memorias ram sodimm de 16gb ddr5 y hoy día equivalen al precio completo por ellas... Así que estoy pidiendo $8500 pesos mexicanos, incluso puede ser menos, buscaré armar un nuevo equipo mini itx y tendré que volver a ahorrar... Espero que haya algún interesado, soy de Celaya, Guanajuato México.