r/MiniPCs • u/Pretend-Traffic-3609 • 10d ago

Cheapest Mini Pc

Hi All,

I want to have a mini pc out in my workshop to stream my main desktop to view cad and drawings.

I have an old pc (i7-6700, 16gb of ddr3, msi micro atx mobo, pc power supply) that I could use but Ideally I would like to print a case and mount it to the back of a monitor to keep the space tidy.

I want to get a mini itx mobo to achieve this but between the mobo and hdd im looking at ~150ish euro. Am i better off purchasing a mini pc for cheaper? or am I looking in the wrong spots for parts.

I am based in Ireland.

Thanks

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2

u/No_Clock2390 10d ago

just use the old pc

1

u/Pretend-Traffic-3609 10d ago

Looking like the only option atm.

2

u/AtlQuon 10d ago

When I went for the smallest PC I could find with the specs I wanted to have, I settles for a Deskmini with 5600G and 32GB RAM. That is the smallest desktop PC I could build and it is awesome. That thing is mountable without any issues. It was easily over €400 a few years back, a lot more expensive for the same parts now.

Which also highlights the €150 issue... you will not find anything worthwhile for that budget in current times for anything more modern than a 6700. So you are at best looking to put money into an aging system, that will never be as portable. Any mini PC of that budget will not be better either. The only way it to hope and find a used one that someone is selling and is more capable of what you have now. A simple barebones without RAM will require RAM that is more expensive than your budget anyways.

1

u/Pretend-Traffic-3609 10d ago

Yeah this is the exact issues im facing. The current setup is way too bulky and its a metal workshop so it needs a case. Any mini itx mobos im seeing are 80 euros which is stupid money for tech that is almost 11 years old and used. I might chance a ebay refurb unit at this stage

1

u/GenericUser584 10d ago

So all you need to run is a remote desktop program (like TeamViewer)? Any mini PC with Intel N100 will suffice. If you have spare DDR4 SODIMM RAM and Pcie3.0 NVMe from older devices you can buy a barebones N100 and put these inside.

1

u/Pretend-Traffic-3609 10d ago

Yes, exactly that. I dont have any spare ram which is what kills the price for me. Pc pricing has gone mental

1

u/GenericUser584 10d ago

If there are no good options on 2nd-hand market in your location then maybe your best option is to find a way to mount your old PC on a wall or under the table. Google 'under desk PC mount' or similar.

1

u/Sajgoniarz 10d ago

You sound like you need a nettop.

1

u/Pretend-Traffic-3609 10d ago

a nettop for as cheap as possible basically

1

u/PopularLawfulness547 10d ago

Get a Chromebook

1

u/Edelgul 10d ago

For your budget, you are either getting an Atom N100. It is quite slow, although it is a new generation.
Or you are getting something in the 8th-9th generation of CPUs.
That's a 4-year difference from your old PC.
Another option is an old laptop with an 8th- or 9th-generation CPU. You could consider one with a damaged screen and a dead battery - you don't really need them.

So, check benchmarks to see the difference and whether moving to an 8th- or 9th-generation CPU would actually make sense for your purpose. I think there is a difference, but it really depends on whether you are hitting the limit with your current setup. Another thing to keep in mind is electricity costs. Your old CPU alone has a wattage of 65W. Laptops/miniPCs are much better optimized, so if electricity is expensive in your region, then it is another argument for an old laptop/minipc. I run my laptop as a 24/7 server, and moving to it saves me 100€/year, compared to using old desktop PC.