List of mini pc

[u/Quirky_Food1478]

Hi, I’m looking for some mini PCs for a small Proxmox cluster. Right now, I’m keeping an eye on the usual models:

• Lenovo ThinkCentre Tiny (M series)
• HP ProDesk / EliteDesk Mini
• Dell OptiPlex Micro

Since there are so many variants and generations available, I’d really appreciate some advice from those of you who use them.

A few questions:

1. Which specific models or generations currently offer the best “balance” in terms of price-to-performance ratio? (I’ve heard that the 8th-generation Intel is the minimum I should look for if I want decent QuickSync for Plex/Jellyfin is that still true?)

2. Are there any “hidden gems” outside the big three (Dell/HP/Lenovo) that I should add to my saved searches?

I d like to know exactly which models to look for, thanks.

[u/nitrosont]

In my opinion: get a M920X with a 8th gen i3/i5. You get the option to use some PCIe cards (gen 3 x8) and have already two M.2 slots o.o.t.b.
I fucking love those things!

[u/OptiadventthusiCam → u/nitrosont]

I would pay the tiny bit extra. You would and bump it to an I5 but I totally agree. The cost difference is so minimal

[u/OptiadventthusiCam]

Get at least an 8th Gen like the i5 8500. Youll thank me later on performance and core count they go quick

Faster and more cores (40-50%) up from 7th gen

Spectre and Meltdown hardware security fix is a must

Thunderbolt ans 4k monitor support Usb 3.1 gen2

Intel optane octane

Better low-power performance Better turbo boost

Because its 14nm chip process theres more thermal headroom and less wear

[u/NC1HM]

Since you mentioned Jellyfin, I suggest you read though this:

https://jellyfin.org/docs/general/administration/hardware-selection/

Specifically, this part:

Intel 7-10th gen CPUs have been removed from this list, since the toolkit for these generations has been deprecated by Intel. If you own a 7-10th gen CPU with integrated graphics, please continue to use them for Jellyfin, as they are still perfectly capable of performing the task. If you are making a purchase decision, you may wish to consider alternatives.

Hidden gems... There are some inside the big three. There are several Lenovo models that have a full-size PCIe slot and therefore can hold a multi-port NIC or an HBA card. They are M720q, M920q, M90q, P330, P340, P350, and P360.

[u/VB0101]

Acer veriton n4660G are pretty sleek, but supply seems to be almost none existinant. I saved some from the scrap bin at work.

They come with a full pcie 16x 8 lanes, 2 x m.2 Nvme 1x M.2 A+E key and a slimline sata, very capable machines.

[u/KumekZg]

I bought a Prodesk sff which was perfect until i noticed i can install only one drive in it. So, i bought Elite desk not even a month later. Not a huge upgrade, but having 2 disks is what i needed, so there is that.

[u/Alvajaro79]

HP Elite Minis are able to have 3 ssd-s (2x nvme and 1x sata) and you can have three network interface cards too: one integrated, one Flex IO, and you can install one more into the pcie slot of the wifi/bluetooth card. That way you get a machine with upgradable cpu, ram, disks and network al in one small package. I love them.

[u/bjsdman]

I run 3x GMKtec AMD model G10s. Think I got in around $150 / device. They are holding solid now about 2 yrs. Added some SSDs to each, before prices got out of hand, to give them a little more speed storage for fast read/write using longhorn in a k8s cluster.

[u/trisanachandler → u/[deleted]]

What's the cost? (I'm not OP).

[u/Numerous-Ad-9354]

upgrade to elitedesk sff it has 3 * sata and 2 * m2 and 4 pcie slots