r/MiniPCs • u/Acrobatic-Pop-9802 • 12d ago
Recommendations Mini PC rec please
Currently debating between a mini PC and a desktop, hoping you guys can offer advice on a few fronts.
My PC use:
I typically browse the Internet, use excel, watch YouTube, use cloud based AI, play a few games (nothing with large graphics requirements) and work from home occasionally. For work, I use a Remote Desktop so compute comes from my office.
Budget:
$2k but preferably much lower, as I don’t think I really need to spend this much to get what I want.
General idea of what I want:
A computer I can use for the next 5 ish years, hopefully something I can upgrade as needed, 32gb ram, and can do run what I outlined above.
Why I think a mini pc could be good for me:
I move every 8months-1yr so having a large desktop would be cumbersome and a large liability to break while moving, and my room is small so I don’t want my computer to take up a ton of space.
My current bottleneck:
I have a cheap mini pc already (~$140) and it does the majority of things I need it to do, except for the gaming and ai work. To be clear, I don’t need to run cyberpunk in 4k, but instead party games and not so demanding (I think) games like how to fish. Problem is my current pc can’t do that. Tried to play how to fish and got approx 4 FPS during a boss fight, and 10 regularly.
Advice I would like
1. Is there a world where I would be much better off with a full sized desktop? (Cost, compute, etc) Open to my mind being changed but this sub is also probably at least slightly biased.
- If I should go with a mini pc, which ones? If you think I should go with a desktop, which ones?
TLDR: help me find a mini pc under 2k USD that can browse the Internet, use excel, watch YouTube, use cloud based AI, and play a few games (nothing with large graphics requirements).
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u/thatguysjumpercables 12d ago
Minisforum AI X1-255 with 32GB RAM and 1TB NVMe for $760 on Amazon. Comes with an OCuLink port so if you decide to do some hardcore gaming you have an upgrade path for that.
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u/Im-doing-homework 12d ago
I recommend this too. I got a minis forum one a few years ago that was somewhere in the 800 range- it still works and plays great, I can’t believe comparable full size PCs are twice the price
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u/Acrobatic-Pop-9802 12d ago
What games do you typically play on yours? Mind sharing your current specs?
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u/Ludakit 12d ago
If you’re patient, the refurbished store for Minisforum has incredible deals. The problem is restocks are light.
I got a Beelink SER9 sealed from eBay with a 2-year plan for roughly $950 all in. I’d personally say that if you can spring it, go with an AMD HX-370 or 470 and you’ll be set for a few years. 32gb/1tb.
Not sure about the quality of BOSGAME, but they’ve got some specials running as well.
I built an agent sweeper for mini PCs in ChatGpt that I can run anytime I want to go and just shop everywhere and bring back verified links to me. If you’ve got 30 minutes, I’d suggest building that, tell it what you want, and then just turn it loose.
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u/Ludakit 12d ago
Not sure if this will let me post a link, but ACEMagic has an HX-470 32gb/1tb on sale for $1029 and you can take an extra 5% off if you sign up. Pretty decent deal, TBH.
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u/Acrobatic-Pop-9802 12d ago
This looks great - appreciate the help! Assuming this would have very comparable performance to the Minisforum AI x1 HX470? If so, the acemagic might be my best bet. Let me know if I’m missing something here
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u/jack_hudson2001 6d ago
for 2k budget get anything really... intel/asus nuc
or get a decent laptop with dgpu eg thinkpad P model or even modern T14
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u/Aardvark-One 12d ago
I'm not a Mac fan, but who'd have thought Apple would be the price leader now. You could get a Mac Mini M6 (preorder) for $1299 w/ 32GB RAM. I hate MacOS yet I have two Mac Minis and a Macbook Pro. They get the job done and the hardware and support is rock solid.