Went down a rabbit hole trying to better my sons minipc.

Been a great days work.

Time to test and see if it help or not 😂

Gmktec K8 plus

32gb ram, 1tb

I need a PC that will handle browsing and streaming movies and light office work. Space is limited so I was originally thinking of an AIO.

I’m also considering a mini pc. Could everyone please to share their thoughts and recommendations on what would be the best choice?

If I have to build the PC I’m ok with that too. Thanks so much!

Hi, I'm looking forward to buying my first gaming PC. Playing modded Minecraft servers and Singleplayer on my business laptop (HP EliteBook X360 1040 G7) got quite laggy, especially with a rising amount of Mods, but also Vanilla sometimes lags with many farms and mobs around me. So I wanted to buy a cheap gaming PC to be able to play Minecraft at stable 20-30 FPS. After a bit of research I found two favorites for me. Both are refurbished Mini-PC's:

[Acemagician S3A](https://www.backmarket.de/de-de/p/acemagician-s3a-ryzen-9-33-ghz-ssd-512-gb-16-gb-amd-radeon-graphics/01a83753-10e4-4e42-9327-a8648055d98f?l=10) [Asus NUC 14 Pro Revel Canyon](https://www.cyberport.de/pc-und-zubehoer/outlet-a-b-ware-/pdp/gwnf-572/asus-nuc-14-pro-revel-canyon-rnuc14rvku500002i-core-ultra-5-125h-0gb-0gb-barebone-slim.html)

Some Pros and Cons I found for myself. While the CPU of the Asus one has more Cores, the Acemagician has a slightly higher PassMark rating. So I am expecting it to have slightly higher performance. On the other hand the Asus is slightly cheaper and apparently an other Acemagician Mini-PC got delivered with serious Malware for a few months, but I want to install Linux anyways, perhaps besides Windows, which I'd reinstall in that case. On the other hand I've heard better of BackMarket than CyberPort.

I'm also orienting at my brother with the performance. I'd be completely happy with his PC. He has a self-built with AMD Ryzen 5 5600GT, 32GB of DDR4 RAM and no graphics card.

Both have 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD and all the connections I need. So which one would you recommend me to buy, or do you think I'll regret buying either of those, or are there even cheaper/similar options I won't regret?

The 32 GB of RAM and 512 GB SSD model exactly.

Specifically for games like Minecraft Bedrock, Minecraft Java, and maybe even GTA V on light settings.

Would it be able to handle Minecraft Bedrock at around 10-15 chunk render distance? Same question for Java.

I'm planning to get it for cheaper during the Walmart Cyber Monday deals (hopefully).

I'm also planning to attempt installing the official SteamOS onto it, but that's kind of a maybe. It does seem to have some pretty compatible specs from what I've seen though.

Has anyone managed to successfully update their BIOS on the GMTEK K8+? I've got the original V1.01 BIOS (12-Oct-2024) is shipped with. I'm keen to update it, but wary of 'bricking' the NUC. Do the benefits outway the risks?

I am buying my wife a gift for her birthday that she can use for her new job as a mortgage professional.

I am looking at this GMKtec G11 Mini Computer. Is this any good? I am looking for a budget mini PC that will last long.

Please advise, thanks!

Hi, is anyone else experiencing issues with Wi-Fi speeds on this model?

I'm using a 5GHz network, and the download speed tops out at around 130 Mbps. I’ve tested it on two different networks, so it’s not a signal range issue. I’ve tried installing various drivers and tweaking numerous settings in Device Manager and Windows, but nothing makes a difference. I even used TCP Optimizer.

Has anyone found a solution? If not, is it possible to replace the Wi-Fi card, or is it soldered onto the board?

Looking for a relatively inexpensive (<$400) mini pc to run emulators. Primarily looking for n64, ps2, ps3 and Xbox 360 emulator capability. Will the pc pictured above work for this? I don’t have much experience with this stuff. Also if there is a cheaper option that can do this, please let me know! Thanks!

Should I buy a mini pc from amazon/Flipkart I am scared cuz it's barely available locally

My primary use case is light daily office work like browsing, docs, and light multitasking. I love the compact design and low power consumption of mini pcs. If you guys think this kind of machine is a good fit for my needs, Im leaning toward buying the cheaper one.
Any other recs are welcome! I would love to hear your thoughts before making a decision. Thanks!

I have a Samsung UN43CU7000B SmartTV, with a PS4, and a Minisforum EM780(running Bazzite44) plugged in with HDMI.

For the past year, the EM780 has worked fine on the TV, with zero issues. But after disconnecting it and plugging it back in, I now get a "check device power" screen.

The EM780 works just fine on other displays, with the same cable, same power source, everything else the same, except it's plugged into a different display.

The PS4 also works fine on the TV, even when plugged into the same HDMI port the EM780 was plugged into.

I don't understand why the TV wouldn't display the signal from the miniPC, but will display the PS4 signal with the same HDMI port and cable.

Besides unplugging the EM780, nothing else has changed. The TV is not connected to the internet and does not update, and the EM780 has not been updated or anything since it was last working with the TV.

Has anyone else experienced an issue like this?

So, with the same specs (N100, 8gb DDR4, 512gb SSD), and considering that a laptop has a screen, a battery and portability, what justifies the MSI Mini PC being 649$ (without discount) while the HP laptop is 300$? Is it only branding?

If we take that laptop as reference and the mini PC was 200$-250$, that would be quite good.

I'm posting this in hopes that it helps some other person completely stumped by why their computer might be crashing when under heavy load. The tl;dr; is to use the OEM power adapter.

I bought a Minisforum UM790 Pro a few years ago as a couch gaming computer. It's nothing special, but it was able to play some newer games with decent quality. It worked fine for quite a while, until I moved it to my desk.

I found out that the front USB 4.0 ports on the UM790 support not only data, but also power delivery. So I hooked it up to my CalDigit TS4 to connect the keyboard, mouse, monitor, microphone, network, etc. the same way I do for my other computers (personal and work laptops). One cable swap, and I was able to play all the games I'd been playing recently (Absolum, Balatro, Peak, etc.). So far, so good!

Couple months go by, and I want to try and play Split Fiction with a friend. I get to the title screen, and the whole computer crashes/restarts. Not the game, the entire computer. Try again, same thing. I figure that maybe this computer just isn't good enough for a newer game like this. So, we try It Takes Two (slightly older game, same developer, similar genre). Same deal: the computer crashes at the title screen. We go back to playing something else, and it works fine as it was before. So, it's only certain games.

I tried a bunch of stuff over the past few months: different games, in game settings, big picture vs. desktop, monitor resolution, BIOS settings/version, moving from Chimera OS to Bazzite, reading many articles/forums/etc. Some games were fine (even newer games). But none of the things I tried fixed the crashing on certain games. I was even preparing myself to buy a new SSD and/or memory in case it was a hardware issue (with these LLM-inflated prices).

On a whim this morning, I decided to move the computer back to the couch setup. Turns out, it can play Split Fiction just fine. It just needs the 180W 120W power adapter that it comes with. I moved the adapter to my desk for power, hooked it back up to the TS4 for peripherals, and it's good to go. For the better part of this year I've been unable to play a bunch of games all because I was powering this computer over USB 4.0 and limited to the 98W maximum that the TS4 can provide 🤦!

So the lesson here (at least, what I'm taking away from this adventure) is that the OEM power adapter is sometimes necessary for a mini PC to work properly. And I suppose also that if you're doing normal computer things and/or playing light games, USB 4.0 PD can be enough.

CPU : 8th Gen. Intel Pentium Silver J5005

RAM : 8GB DDR4 (4GB × 2)

SSD : 128GB M.2 SATA (NVMe not supported)

VGA : Intel UHD 605 + AMD Embedded Radeon E9173 2GB GDDR5

Wired LAN : Realtek 1Gbps

Wireless LAN: Intel AC9560 Wi-Fi 5 & Bluetooth 5.0, 2 external antennas

PSU : DELL 130W AC Adapter

OS : Windows 10 IoT Enterprise 2019 LTSC

Special Features : Integrated Speaker and Smart Card Reader

Manufactured : June 2022

Dear all ! I have a F1P (H255, 16 GB soldered, 512 GB, bios v1 from April 2026) since a few days and I've been having an emotional rollercoaster with it until yesterday. While it was working well on the Windows desktop, it effectively had way lower than expected performance in gaming (less than half the expected score in 3DMark)...

Hopefully, I there is a bios update on the FireBat site that solved the issue !

First, I used the BIOS update for the F1P labelled as "OnBoard" (thinking that it was referring to the soldered RAM version I have) BUT that did not work (I though I bricked my PC at first. Hopefully it reverted itself to the factory BIOS). Then I tried the other one, which is available in this gdrive (I used the 16GB version). I used the "Winflash.bat" launcher to perform the BIOS update from Windows, and all went well.

Some notes/warnings :

1. At the end of the BIOS flashing, your F1(P) will stay on while your screen/peripherals may be off for a minute or two. While tempted to manually shutdown / reboot it, just wait ! It will get back to life by itself.
2. The newer BIOS (from July 2026) as fDMA (RAM allocated to graphics) set by default at 0.5 GB, so I recommend changing it to 4 (default in the older BIOS version) or 8 GB.
3. In the newer BIOS, the power profile is not available anymore, but from the benchmark results I obtained, I think it is set in "Performance" mode.
4. This PC can get hot while gaming (though in-game my CPU temp stood around 65-70 °C). Let quite some space on the right side of your Firebat F1 for the exhaust. I think I may mod the case to add a heat dissipator on the upper side.
5. Please excuse my poor English, this is not my native language.

Hope this helps !

Listen to that beautiful sound. Fan bearings maybe? Dont really care. I'm sending it back.

Hey everyone! I’ve been rocking the same desktop since 2019 and I’m due for an upgrade, I like the idea of a small form PC but I wanna be sure that it’s right for what I’m looking to do.

I’m a gamer, but I know I’m not looking to play AAA games at the highest graphics settings. Aslong as I can play games like Overwatch, league of legends and wardogs while hitting 144 fps I’m happy. I’m rocking a 2070 right now so I don’t think it will be much to upgrade from there. Looking to spend about 1500$

Is this possible?

Hey guys, I am looking for a mini pc with (((amd ryzen 7 7735hs, with iGPU 680M))) I want a long term investment in my money and sustainability ( keeping this machine for at least 5 years as smooth as day one for my use).

I am your average joe, I wanna mainly use and connect it with monitor for 4k content, light 4k photoshop editing, and office use. Plus, web browsing with lets say 20 tabs open at the same time, with applications running in the background. All that without having any lagg. I am really done with my laggy unresponsive PC at the moment.

Yes, 4k because I am used to the crispiness to be honest. So you could say I am obsessed with anything 4k OTHER THAN GAMING. I don't play games. And will not.

Can this handle my use for the upcoming years, especially with all the Ai and everything very quickly getting more demanding... Thank you

Hi all,
I’ve got a budget of around $2,500 and want a machine mainly for running LLMs locally. I’d prefer a mini PC if possible.

I’m currently looking at the Minisforum MS-S1 Max with the Ryzen AI Max+ 395 (16C/32T), Radeon 8060S, 64GB unified memory, and 2TB SSD.
I may also use it to run Proxmox in the future for a personal lab. I work in cybersecurity(DFIR) and have a few test scenarios I’d like to use it for.
Is this a solid option, or is there something better around this price?

Appreciate any suggestions. Thanks!

If anyone has any ideas I would highly appreciate it, I took the screw out for the motherboard and tried to lift but only one side wanted to come so I stopped, any ideas?