So I’ve been looking at upgrading my PC and it looks like I can get a better “micro” pc than my current (ancient) desktop for significantly less money than a full blown gaming rig. An example of such a rig is this.
I don’t have high gaming requirements - I play mostly old games, I think the newest games I play are from 5+ years ago.
What reasons are there for not buying one of these (over a comparable “proper” desktop)?
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These types of machines certainly have their place, and if it meets your needs, go for it.
The big downside is going to be a lack of upgradability. Most of the core components will be soldered to the motherboard, so no CPU or GPU upgrades, and no replacements if something breaks. I know the one you linked was just an example, and not necessarily “the one,” but its on-board graphics are similar in power to a GTX 1650. Lots and lots of games available at that level, but you’ll be locked out of anything newer with no clear upgrade path later.
For reference, I own something similar, but even older, as a secondary machine. It’s fine for what it does. Just be aware of the limitations. There are ways to build a similar-powered full desktop for about the same price. At that point it’s a tradeoff: would you rather be able to upgrade later, or do you want the simplicity and small form factor (portability, aesthetics, etc)?
I have almost this exact mini PC. It was ok for things like StarCraft 2 and the Sims 4. I tried playing a newer game like Stormgate and it couldn’t keep up.
I’ve since spent a bunch of money getting an eGPU set up, and have yet to have more than 5 gaming sessions in a row without a crash.
I probably could have saved a lot of money if I’d just gotten a PC with some headroom for upgrading, but I really didn’t think I’d want to.
There is nothing wrong with that PC but there is an opportunity cost to be aware of - upgrades.
A PC like that is static - you pay £600 and you get the PC, but after a few years if you’ve out grown it then you need to get a whole other PC. It’s the same with laptops.
However if you spend the £600 on a case, a motherboard, a cpu with a gpu, ram and storage you have a full starter PC. You can even save money by not paying for windows (built into the price of the mini PC) and get Linux for free. PCs are modular and any component can be upgraded and switched out at any time later.
So in a couple of years you may decide the PC is slowing down, or you’re out growing it, and you can swap in some more RAM or upgrade the CPU. Or you decide you can afford a dedicated graphics card, you can just buy the card and slot it in, and every £ goes into getting a great graphics card instead of starting again from scratch
Think of it like this: if you buy an all in one device you might spend £600 now and say another £600 in 3-5 years if you need to upgrade and fully replace it, and probably are still very limited in what you can get. A replacement will still have integrated graphics and still be behind cutting edge games, and just be a newer version of the same problem you have now. But with a full PC build you might spend £600 now for an OK PC and in 3-5years time you pay £600 just to add a great graphics card and have something way better than any mini PC. Or you spend £400 now and £200 in 2 years and £100 in 3 years and £500 in 4 years and gradually keep the PC how you want it without having to start from scratch. You end up with a decent PC now and gradually something powerful but without the upfront cost and without “wasting” money having to get a new device with a new motherboard, new cpu, new power supply, new RAM every time.You want an uplift .
It’s a crude example but the point is a full size PC can be expanded and switched up continously, and you can adapt it, and likely get something far better for the same money long term, while a fixed spec all-in-one device can serve a purpose for now but then needs total replacement when you outgrow it.
Building a full PC from scratch is easy - genuinely it’s plug and play, and only takes a bit of basic research to see what components are best to buy. There are loads of tutorials on how to put it together. Meanwhile your money goes much further over the longer term as you’re not having to buy a whole new PC everytime you need/want an upgrade - you can instead focus your money on the bits that need to change.
Even if you get a prebuilt tower PC now (ATX or Mini ATX) your money will go further AND you have something that you can upgrade and adapt. Although I think building from scratch is the best option as prebuilt Pcs are a false economy - they save money with cheaper components and you pay for labour on the build, when you can build it yourself for free and put every £ into better components.
Don’t be intimidated by building a PC - it’s nowhere near as difficult as it seems, and is an easy to obtain skill but worth learning as it’ll save you money, and allow you to fix and problem solve if you ever have problems in the future.
If.you have a PC now - even if it’s a pre build from a manufacturer - you can very likely open it up and start upgrading it now, and your money can go much further.
You can do better. I’d get a miniITX form factor of your choice that supports a video card, but omit the card for now.
An amd with igpu might be decent for your needs today and slap a dgpu in later if your needs change.
Three concerns:
- Heat - Will degrade faster and perform worse than it likely can because it will throttle itself
- Upgradability - Looks like only SSD and Memory are serviceable.
- Warranty - How is customer service? I have heard mixed reviews on most mini PC manufacturers.
This, this, and this.
As computer cases have gotten smaller the heat buildup has gotten bad. My mother in law had one of the SFF pc’s from 10 years ago and after about a year the HDD died. Replaced it with a used one I had that was 7200rpm vs 5400rpm and it was dead in 6 months. That drives twin still works today but was always in a tower case.
Heat kills CPU’s, RAM, MoBo’s, and everything else in the computer.
Upgrades are limited to RAM and SSD but those upgrades generally mean even more heat so then you end up thermal throttling. You could get an external GPU but now you have a huge brick sitting next to your little box pc. IMHO they agree great fir something like retro gaming/emulation but you will generally be better suited by a full size computer especially if you buy a board that has a long lived socket.
Warranties are great but the issue is that the warranty fairy will try to get out of it as often as possible. Generally this is done by pushing the blame onto someone else, usually the purchaser.
I personally buy a cheap case without a psu, then get a good power supply. A mid range MoBo like an AM5 B850 with a cheap compatible processor. Add some RAM and a SSD with a budget GPU then you end up with something to get started and closer to the end of the socket lifespan you can grab a better cpu and GPU then buy a cheap case and MoBo and have something you can sell, give to someone else, or use a a server. You will start with a better computer and end with a MUCH better system.
I started with an x470 with a Ryzen 1600 and 16GB of RAM and a used 1080ti. I doubled my ram (not as easily done on with ddr5 sadly) upgraded to a 5800x and am waiting for a GPU that isn’t outrageous in cost but will double my fps. My old cpu was dropped in a B450 with a used RX480 16GB of ram and a 1TB SSD for my stepson to use as a gaming machine similar to a steamdeck (ChimeraOS) and he upgraded the GPU to an RX7600.
You are FAR better off buying a used gaming rig than a mini PC…
Those boxes have heat issues, are not at all user-servicable, and really are only designed as a web browser box.
Great for media players / HTPCs, attrpcious for trying to game on.
Buy a 5 year old gaming system
+1 on the Steam Deck train. I’ve been in the hospital the last few days, it’s been a godsend, playing Silksong between doctor visits.
You can get a dock if you want a full sized monitor or a real mouse & keyboard. The deck also has two trackpads, which is sufficient for slower mouse games like city builders while in handheld mode.
Because Valve is selling a lot of Decks, game developers are starting to use it as a watermark for low-end performance when tuning their games.
I will admit the Deck’s CPU is a few years old, you can probably get a faster portable if you really want, but SteamOS makes things pretty easy. Technically I can drop the Deck into desktop mode with a Linux KDE environment, but I can’t remember the last time I had to. Maybe when I was trying Minecraft?
I suppose it’s not solely for gaming which turns me off the deck option; it would also be serving as the entry point for some self hosted stuff I’m running on the clunky old unit that’s still chugging along.
Ah, well, it does have a desktop mode, but it’s Linux + KDE, not Windows. It can probably do what you want, but it would be some adjustment to the new environment.
So possibly a false economy then?
I guess the scale of the unit is appealing - even a micro HPX doesn’t come close; but that’s the trade off I suppose.
Yeah. You’re basically buying a laptop crammed into a small box. May as well get a laptop if you need the small footprint and portability or a desktop if you need the price-to-performance.
Also, the Steam Deck thing people keep repeating is terrible advice. Even these can power their components somewhat robustly. A docked Steam Deck is still a 10W APU for no good reason. It depends on use case, in that you also get a handheld out of the deal, but if you’re looking for a primary device even a laptop would be a better choice.
What games? Note that I’m not just asking about the 5+ year old games you are playing today, but also asking about some potential game that isn’t even announced yet that it might turn out you really enjoy in the near future? I’m also asking about non-game things that you might do (though for most games are what needs the most power it is worth mentioning that you might do something non-game that needs are powerful machine.
Some games will be better on a more powerful machine. Most such games have a limit though, and so you may be just fine with a less powerful machine (particularly if it really only is 5 year old games). However without knowing what game nobody guess how much power you need.
For my uses machines such as you link are good enough. Sure they can’t be expanded much, but everything I’d want to expand them with that isn’t built in sits off a USB hub anyway. That doesn’t mean that will work for you though.
I have one almost exactly like the one you posted. Same processor, same brand.
It’s fine. It can do 1080 on most games. BG3 runs at 40fps at 1080. My wife uses it mostly, and she doesn’t mind.
One big annoyance I have with it is it’s got terrible Bluetooth connection. The controller needs to be within ten feet to have a reliable connection.
All in all, I would say it’s worth it if your needs are a good fit.
You’ll get a lot better performance if you spend a bit more (like ~$650) to get a system with a dedicated graphics card. Even an RX 6600 will be quite a bit better.
I play with a Mini Itx and things do get a little hot so keep that in mind.
The machine you linked should be fine for light gaming. But for not much more money you could get a full blown gaming PC. That will be a lot more powerful and you can upgrade it. If convenience is your main priority, go with the mini PC.
I agree with most of the comments in this thread, and I’ll add: there is zero need to purchase Windows 11.
Something something, Mass Grave.
Also, if you specifically want Windows, get Windows 11 IoT Enterprise LTSC edition. It’s Windows 11 minus the crapware.
I think only you have a grasp of what’s important for you.
There’s obviously thousands of options here, and a micro pc is definitely one of them
I think an important question is what is your current desktop? You might be able to upgrade a single piece and get better performance than that micro PC. Also note that micro PCs tend to run hot (which causes performance issues) and you can’t replace or sell used parts easily.
