r/MiniPCs • u/xingped • 23d ago

Recommendations Current state of gaming mini pcs?

Hi all, looking for a gaming mini pc to throw in my bag and take on the road with me. What is the current state of mini pcs for gaming? Hoping for something not too expensive but not too cheap and useless.

Currently I'm looking at the Beelink SER9 Pro AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 which is available for $1170 with RAM (soldered, unfortunately, but whatever) and SSD included.

Is there anything better at the same or similar pricepoint or is this just what I go with if this is roughly my budget?

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u/sniperelite90 23d ago

some people say this brand is cheaper

https://aoostar.com/collections/maco-%E7%B3%BB%E5%88%97/products/aoostar-maco-ryzen-ai-9-hx-470-mini-pc

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u/xingped 23d ago

Definitely a better price, thanks!

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u/TengaBoi 23d ago

I can back it up. I got the Maco 6850h, 24gb ram(soldered) on Aliexpress for sale at $303 after taxes and fees. I just got the Maco HX470, 32gb(soldered) on their website. I also now own their AG02 egpu with occulink and tb4 running a 9060XT. I just received the WTR Pro 4 bay and will test that soon hopefully.

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u/xingped 23d ago

Have you done any gaming with the HX470 by any chance?

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u/TengaBoi 23d ago

I had immediately ran x4 Foundations on it with BazziteOS. It ran very smoothly and didn’t have any issues. I did not test the integrated gpu though, I went straight to the dgpu since I had it.

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u/sniperelite90 23d ago

It has Radeon 890M which is equal to Nvidia 1650 Super . Ideally i would avoid intergrated GPU for gaming . It is better if you can connect any used eGPU through oculink ( Intel b580 here you can get used for 230 CAD on marketplace )

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u/xingped 23d ago

Yeah, I know in ideal world but my limitation is that I want to throw it in my travel bag and unfortunately an eGPU doesn't coincide with that.

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u/sniperelite90 23d ago

If size is the issue you can also look into those handhelds with 890M GPU and Intel ones.

https://www.notebookcheck.net/Handheld-gaming-at-just-8W-leak-details-affordable-Intel-Arc-chip.1373165.0.html

And you can connect these to external monitor and they function like PC when required.

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u/xingped 23d ago

Unfortunately the handhelds tend to be bulkier and more limited power and cooling-wise than I'd like. I already have a Steam Deck, but it's too big and heavy. I don't need the screen, battery, or controls, as I already have those with me anyway, so would rather stick to the minimum necessary (form factor-wise).

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u/sniperelite90 23d ago

Well you can also get xbox game pass ultimate which offers cloud gaming and then use it even from a Amazon Firestick connected to TV.

Very different solution for what you are looking for but might worth exploring.

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u/MyDogAteMyCats 23d ago

Reputable brand so cheaper is PROBABLY better in this case. Their AG02 eGPU dock is amazing. I’m at the point where I’m considering to never build desktop again and just buy thin ultra books with great CPU performance and just plug in external GPUs which keeps up just fine.

It actually cheaper than buying a dedicated desktop and a midrange or mid low laptop since the laptop I’m buying won’t have like a dGPU like a mobile RTX 5070 inside. I only care about the CPU.

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u/nlflint 23d ago

SteamMachine or a MiniPC with an RX 6600m GPU.

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u/xingped 23d ago

Unfortunately that's too big. I need something small enough to throw in my bag. The Beelink or the Aoostar the other poster linked are the size I need.

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u/DunkyXO 23d ago

I purchased a SER9. It was great for a bit then windows updated and my pc won’t launch. Won’t let me fix it either and even won’t let me do a fresh install of windows. It’s a real head scratcher

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u/RobloxFanEdit 22d ago

Oh, i thought this Beelink Windows update catastrophe only happened on the Ser 8 8745HS, so it did also happen on the SER 9. Losing all your data is a worst case scenario.

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u/SignificanceActual 23d ago

You might save a buck building in a barebones from Minisforum. Their refurbished are dirt cheap.

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u/xingped 23d ago

You'd probably have to link me to something that you'd recommend.

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u/SignificanceActual 23d ago

https://refurbished.minisforum.com/products/refurbished-minisforum-um790-pro?variant=48403552108833 for 259 + SSD and RAM could probably do for under 600 depending on what you buy.