Mini PC

[The People's Hero]

35 minutes ago, davieG said:

Thanks, I use CCleaner and Malwarebites regularly where I check the registry and run the Cleaner.

 

 Start up I only seem to have IAStor Icon - Intel and Security Health Microsoft listed on CCCleaner. If I do Control Alt Delete - Task Manager there's only Chrome running as I write this.

 

Don't know anything about ini type stuff  or bloat.

 

 

Okay - you've been through enough here. Defenestrate the computer and let's get you a new one!

 

All in ones can be terrible; the components are often specialised to fit in the form factor (at the expensive of performance). My son has one as he has such little space in his room, but I wanted him to have a decent sized screen as he's mainly playing chess and watching youtube etc; but that does frustrate me at times; it can take 5 seconds to react to wanting to open a browser and that's with me regularly running scans and eradicating all bloat.

 

Ignore the spec for the moment; but would you have space for something like this form factor: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/computers-for-next-day-delivery/1238/

 

I know very little about the AMD Athlon 3000G there (I'd bet its pants) but you can see that for under £370 inc VAT, you're getting a machine with 8gb RAM (not the best RAM in the world, but you don't need the best RAM in the world), an SSD (not the biggest, but doesn't sound like you're necessarily after loads of storage) and windows 11 Home pre-installed. The mobo/processor might be naff, (I don't know) (just checked - its a dual core so yeah pretty awful) but this form factor may be the way forward. Do you have the room?

 

Edit: If going for the AMD chip, go for something that says RYZEN, not ATHLON. If someone else could clarify if this will blow the budget, that would help? The Athlon's are usually 2 core/ 4 thread (I think?)

 

 

Edited 22 November 2021 by The People's Hero
Bit of detail on AMD

[Innovindil]

1 hour ago, davieG said:

I've looked at quite a few of them and they all seem to suffer from noisy fans or excessive heat according to the reviews.

 

Do you think if I upgrade my Ram from 4GB to 16GB it would make a significant difference?

 

 

https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/computers/intel-silent-pc/

 

Supposed to be quiet as hell from what I've heard. Uses passive cooling instead of fans.

 

And if you are using things like chrome then yeah, 16gb ram is probably the min I'd put up with. 

[davieG]

1 hour ago, The People's Hero said:

Okay - you've been through enough here. Defenestrate the computer and let's get you a new one!

 

All in ones can be terrible; the components are often specialised to fit in the form factor (at the expensive of performance). My son has one as he has such little space in his room, but I wanted him to have a decent sized screen as he's mainly playing chess and watching youtube etc; but that does frustrate me at times; it can take 5 seconds to react to wanting to open a browser and that's with me regularly running scans and eradicating all bloat.

 

Ignore the spec for the moment; but would you have space for something like this form factor: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/computers-for-next-day-delivery/1238/

 

I know very little about the AMD Athlon 3000G there (I'd bet its pants) but you can see that for under £370 inc VAT, you're getting a machine with 8gb RAM (not the best RAM in the world, but you don't need the best RAM in the world), an SSD (not the biggest, but doesn't sound like you're necessarily after loads of storage) and windows 11 Home pre-installed. The mobo/processor might be naff, (I don't know) (just checked - its a dual core so yeah pretty awful) but this form factor may be the way forward. Do you have the room?

 

Edit: If going for the AMD chip, go for something that says RYZEN, not ATHLON. If someone else could clarify if this will blow the budget, that would help? The Athlon's are usually 2 core/ 4 thread (I think?)

 

 

It looks a bit big for me as a tower would be difficult to fit in.

43 minutes ago, Innovindil said:

https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/computers/intel-silent-pc/

 

Supposed to be quiet as hell from what I've heard. Uses passive cooling instead of fans.

 

And if you are using things like chrome then yeah, 16gb ram is probably the min I'd put up with. 

I'd need the bigger storage and is that i3 10100 that much better than my current i3 7130U

 

Budget wise I had in mind about £500 but would go further for something I was convinced would resolve my problems.

 

With the All in one proving to be a no, no I think if I could get a mini pc that wasn't noisy, over heating and performed than that would be my best option.

[Innovindil]

49 minutes ago, davieG said:

It looks a bit big for me as a tower would be difficult to fit in.

I'd need the bigger storage and is that i3 10100 that much better than my current i3 7130U

 

Budget wise I had in mind about £500 but would go further for something I was convinced would resolve my problems.

 

With the All in one proving to be a no, no I think if I could get a mini pc that wasn't noisy, over heating and performed than that would be my best option.

 

Your current one is on the left, that mini one on the right. And on that mini one, you can change out the SSD for a bigger 2TB HDD, that brings the price up to £678 though.

Edited 22 November 2021 by Innovindil

[davieG]

2 minutes ago, Innovindil said:

 

Your current one is on the left, that mini one on the right. 

I'll take that as a yes. I'll take a look at it, a bit more that I wanted to pay and quite big, I need to find out if it fits on the back of a monitor.

[Innovindil]

Just now, davieG said:

I'll take that as a yes.

Yeah 

 

That's the trouble with all these names though. One i3 can be vastly different to another i3. 

 

https://www.userbenchmark.com/ is a great website for comparing many different components. 

[The People's Hero]

The i3 10100 is a decent chip; easily good enough for what you need. Pair that with 16gb of RAM and you'll notice a huge difference over your current set up.

 

You ideally want something that can just sit on the back of/behind your monitor as you say.

[Innovindil]

1 hour ago, davieG said:

I'll take that as a yes. I'll take a look at it, a bit more that I wanted to pay and quite big, I need to find out if it fits on the back of a monitor.

 

[davieG]

15 hours ago, Innovindil said:

https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/computers/intel-silent-pc/

 

Supposed to be quiet as hell from what I've heard. Uses passive cooling instead of fans.

 

And if you are using things like chrome then yeah, 16gb ram is probably the min I'd put up with. 

Couple of questions

It seems a bit light on USB ports as I'll need 2 just for my keyboard and mouse and then I have an external drive for my backups, printer, DVD and Webcam which I use on occasions.   They do say under the ? icon - Before you order, make a quick list of devices you currently use which require a USB Port. If you think you need a more than the standard ports, then add a 4 Port PCI Card or an External USB Hub to your order. But I can't see where you might add that and the cost.

 

What's your thoughts on the Wireless options, is it worth paying a bit more for ne of the other options.

 

I can't see any mention of HDMI connection or indeed any connection for a monitor or a TV which I would like.

 

Oh and I've just got this when proceeding to order -  Please select an alternative product: Akasa Euler TX Thin Mini ITX Fanless Aluminium Case - Silent! (ETA: 01-12-2021)

[Innovindil]

1 hour ago, davieG said:

Couple of questions

It seems a bit light on USB ports as I'll need 2 just for my keyboard and mouse and then I have an external drive for my backups, printer, DVD and Webcam which I use on occasions.   They do say under the ? icon - Before you order, make a quick list of devices you currently use which require a USB Port. If you think you need a more than the standard ports, then add a 4 Port PCI Card or an External USB Hub to your order. But I can't see where you might add that and the cost.

 

What's your thoughts on the Wireless options, is it worth paying a bit more for ne of the other options.

 

I can't see any mention of HDMI connection or indeed any connection for a monitor or a TV which I would like.

 

Oh and I've just got this when proceeding to order -  Please select an alternative product: Akasa Euler TX Thin Mini ITX Fanless Aluminium Case - Silent! (ETA: 01-12-2021)

At work right now bud but I'll have a look when I get home. 

[davieG]

1 hour ago, Innovindil said:

At work right now bud but I'll have a look when I get home. 

Thanks, no rush.

[The People's Hero]

5 hours ago, davieG said:

Couple of questions

It seems a bit light on USB ports as I'll need 2 just for my keyboard and mouse and then I have an external drive for my backups, printer, DVD and Webcam which I use on occasions.   They do say under the ? icon - Before you order, make a quick list of devices you currently use which require a USB Port. If you think you need a more than the standard ports, then add a 4 Port PCI Card or an External USB Hub to your order. But I can't see where you might add that and the cost.

 

What's your thoughts on the Wireless options, is it worth paying a bit more for ne of the other options.

 

I can't see any mention of HDMI connection or indeed any connection for a monitor or a TV which I would like.

 

Oh and I've just got this when proceeding to order -  Please select an alternative product: Akasa Euler TX Thin Mini ITX Fanless Aluminium Case - Silent! (ETA: 01-12-2021)

On the USB port issue; if you are going to mount the thing to the back of your screen anyway; I'd use that for your backup drives and webcam etc to keep the cables hidden and then buy an Anker (or any other brand really) USB hub; which you can have on your desk for ease or access; save you reaching around the back of the screen. You shouldn't end up spending more than about £15 on Amazon or wherever for a similar port.

 

Another point is that I only plug in my webcam when in use and have a unified wireless receiver thing to pick up both mouse and keyboard which are wireless. Naturally, you may not want to go wireless; but its another way to cut down on USB port usage.

 

I'm not sure if I'm reading the spec wrong but I actually think it has 4 ports on the back and 2 on the front? So 6; which ought to be plenty? Minimum of 2 are USB 3.0 also (use for your backup drive definitely)

 

I've checked the mobo (just by clicking the question mark next to the spec) and I think it has 2xHDMI and possibly displayport output; I would imagine they all work and are always wired up? Looks like they exist in physically being present form on the I/O. You should get pretty decent I/O with this mobo (in fact v good) considering the size of the actual unit; with RJ45 networking slot as well (although it comes with wireless card/chip), and your usual speaker/headphone/mic, USBs, graphical interface and power input. Anything not present can be solved by USB solutions or a HDMI/DP/DVI converter. Or whatever.

 

Hope this helps. In short; I think your concerns are understandable; but don't actually apply here. They could make the USB thing a bit more obvious probably since most people are unlikely to really interrogate the MOBO and its I/O but there we go. Computer websites are like that even when aimed at retail customers.

 

You may want to wait for Innovindil to check and confirm what I'm saying here as I get the impression they know what they are talking about?

 

 

[Smudge]

On your existing computer have you tried looking at the task manager (CTR ALT DEL or Windows button + X, Task Manager) when you are waiting for something to load? If you click at the top of the CPU column to sort large usage downwards, you will see what programs are hogging your CPU.

Edited 23 November 2021 by Smudge

[davieG]

2 hours ago, The People's Hero said:

On the USB port issue; if you are going to mount the thing to the back of your screen anyway; I'd use that for your backup drives and webcam etc to keep the cables hidden and then buy an Anker (or any other brand really) USB hub; which you can have on your desk for ease or access; save you reaching around the back of the screen. You shouldn't end up spending more than about £15 on Amazon or wherever for a similar port.

 

Another point is that I only plug in my webcam when in use and have a unified wireless receiver thing to pick up both mouse and keyboard which are wireless. Naturally, you may not want to go wireless; but its another way to cut down on USB port usage.

 

I'm not sure if I'm reading the spec wrong but I actually think it has 4 ports on the back and 2 on the front? So 6; which ought to be plenty? Minimum of 2 are USB 3.0 also (use for your backup drive definitely)

 

I've checked the mobo (just by clicking the question mark next to the spec) and I think it has 2xHDMI and possibly displayport output; I would imagine they all work and are always wired up? Looks like they exist in physically being present form on the I/O. You should get pretty decent I/O with this mobo (in fact v good) considering the size of the actual unit; with RJ45 networking slot as well (although it comes with wireless card/chip), and your usual speaker/headphone/mic, USBs, graphical interface and power input. Anything not present can be solved by USB solutions or a HDMI/DP/DVI converter. Or whatever.

 

Hope this helps. In short; I think your concerns are understandable; but don't actually apply here. They could make the USB thing a bit more obvious probably since most people are unlikely to really interrogate the MOBO and its I/O but there we go. Computer websites are like that even when aimed at retail customers.

 

You may want to wait for Innovindil to check and confirm what I'm saying here as I get the impression they know what they are talking about?

 

 

I have a USB Hub somewhere so that's good idea.

I have a Wireless mouse and keyboard but they work separately so that's 2 USBs. 

Can't see where it says about the HDMI on the MOBO  ? I presume they're described in a different way.

 

[davieG]

1 hour ago, Smudge said:

On your existing computer have you tried looking at the task manager (CTR ALT DEL or Windows button + X, Task Manager) when you are waiting for something to load? If you click at the top of the CPU column to sort large usage downwards, you will see what programs are hogging your CPU.

Will check that out although strangely it's working better today.

[Innovindil]

37 minutes ago, davieG said:

I have a USB Hub somewhere so that's good idea.

I have a Wireless mouse and keyboard but they work separately so that's 2 USBs. 

Can't see where it says about the HDMI on the MOBO  ? I presume they're described in a different way.

 

Yeah it says it has 6 USB ports altogether.

 

And it says the Graphics supports 3 monitors, so must be 2 HDMI 1 DP probably.

 

Though if in doubt, just send em an email and I'm sure they can answer it. It's unclear from the pics they've posted.

 

Think everything else has pretty much been covered. 

[davieG]

2 minutes ago, Innovindil said:

Yeah it says it has 6 USB ports altogether.

 

And it says the Graphics supports 3 monitors, so must be 2 HDMI 1 DP probably.

 

Though if in doubt, just send em an email and I'm sure they can answer it. It's unclear from the pics they've posted.

 

Think everything else has pretty much been covered. 

Thanks, only problem now is they don't have any cases in stock.

[Innovindil]

1 hour ago, davieG said:

Thanks, only problem now is they don't have any cases in stock.

Due some in on 1st December right? Only a week away 

[davieG]

If this is my solution then I'll have to put it on hold as they are short of Heatsinks which they've had on order but have no info on when the might receive any.

 

In the mean time I'll keep looking but with a bit more knowledge than when I started.

 

Any further suggestions are welcome

 

Thanks for all have posted especially @Innovindiland @The People's Hero who've lasted the distance so far.

[The People's Hero]

48 minutes ago, davieG said:

If this is my solution then I'll have to put it on hold as they are short of Heatsinks which they've had on order but have no info on when the might receive any.

 

In the mean time I'll keep looking but with a bit more knowledge than when I started.

 

Any further suggestions are welcome

 

Thanks for all have posted especially @Innovindiland @The People's Hero who've lasted the distance so far.

No worries. Nice to get a thankyou as opposed to a ban!

 

 

[davieG]

@Innovindiland @The People's Hero

 

 

Any thoughts / advice on this?

https://inside-tech.co.uk/product/intel-i7-10th-gen-mini-pc-nuc-desktop-computer-triple-display-supported/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAhf2MBhDNARIsAKXU5GQ3c2F0rHe7C7LKuAUSRrZSaV6x9WDu4WFq0UU_7UaUaySkZzUno80aApWKEALw_wcB

[Innovindil]

32 minutes ago, davieG said:

@Innovindiland @The People's Hero

 

 

Any thoughts / advice on this?

https://inside-tech.co.uk/product/intel-i7-10th-gen-mini-pc-nuc-desktop-computer-triple-display-supported/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAhf2MBhDNARIsAKXU5GQ3c2F0rHe7C7LKuAUSRrZSaV6x9WDu4WFq0UU_7UaUaySkZzUno80aApWKEALw_wcB

 

Cpu comparisons. The one you posted on the left, the one from pc specialist on the right. Decent enough considering the price difference tbh. Although the one you've posted doesn't say anything about the gpu, I'd assume it's the same standard built in one. Would recommend if you're going for the cheaper one to pay out a bit for maybe 16gb ram. And might need more storage space also. 

 

Also no idea how quiet it would be. When sellers describe something as "quiet" it can range from a low hum to a turbo jet engine in my experience. 

[davieG]

1 minute ago, Innovindil said:

 

Cpu comparisons. The one you posted on the left, the one from pc specialist on the right. Decent enough considering the price difference tbh. Although the one you've posted doesn't say anything about the gpu, I'd assume it's the same standard built in one. Would recommend if you're going for the cheaper one to pay out a bit for maybe 16gb ram. And might need more storage space also. 

 

Also no idea how quiet it would be. When sellers describe something as "quiet" it can range from a low hum to a turbo jet engine in my experience. 

Thanks, yeah it's the quiet bit that bothers me, yes I would upgrade the ram and storage that was just the basic would it defaults to on the link.

 

There seems to be a lot of these NUC boxes around like this one. Here's another but with the i3 1011U option. 

 

The irony is my hearing is so bad that the noise wouldn't bother but MrsG can hear a tree fall in the wood when she's miles away.  So I need to be really careful on that issues.

[davieG]

@Innovindil

Can you check this out for me as it looks the same, not sure they can deliver but wanted to check it first.

 

https://inside-tech.co.uk/product/mini-silent-intel-pc-9th-10th-gen-passive-pc/

 

If you can suggest choices for some of the more technical options that would be much appreciated

[Innovindil]

1 hour ago, davieG said:

@Innovindil

Can you check this out for me as it looks the same, not sure they can deliver but wanted to check it first.

 

https://inside-tech.co.uk/product/mini-silent-intel-pc-9th-10th-gen-passive-pc/

 

If you can suggest choices for some of the more technical options that would be much appreciated

 

If you need wifi and/orbluetooth then keep the yes to wifi+bt, if not then don't bother. I'd say 16gb ram is pretty much a must. The other question to answer is how much storage you need, it seems these only supply them with SSD instead of normal HDD so the upgrade on space will cost a significant amount extra.

 

 

The G6400 is on the left, it's okay. But for the extra £70.80 I would really consider the i3 10100. I know it keeps popping up, but for good reason. The i3 10100 really is a nice bit of kit for the price.

 

The setup on pcspecialist with an i3 10100 and 2tb HDD comes in at £678, with 1tb HDD at £631. The one you've posted with the i3 10100 and a 500GB SDD (realistically the minimum I'd recommend) comes in at £673.19. Though you can knock that down to £602.39 if you go for the G6400.

 

Edit: Thinking about it you could always use an external HDD if you don't mind one more thing to mess with. Then you could just grab a small enough SDD to hold windows on.

Edited 26 November 2021 by Innovindil