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Mini PC??

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Jsmoothie

Jsmoothie

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Should I get a Mini PC? Specifically one from Minisforum. I have five more questions: Is a mini pc more/as powerful as a typical gaming pc? Is it as/more affordable than a gaming pc/laptop? Is it worth it or should I just get a regular affordable gaming pc/laptop? What/which type of mini pc should I get? And, Is it powerful enough to run [Insert demanding games] on max settings? If it can run games like Doom Eternal, Horizon Zero Dawn, RDR2, GTAV, etc. preferably all on max settings then it should also be able to run games I'm also interested in like Persona, Minecraft, and Sonic Robo Blast 2, all perfectly fine. Just to name a few.
 
Last edited by Jsmoothie,
The mini's often have less connection-options (for example only one M2 slot, less pcie slots etc. Also CPU-coolers can be very large! Cost-wise the choice of the graphics card is more likely to hurt your budget... Choose your graphics card wisely and if it fits in a mini and it can power it: go for it!
My girlfriend really hates my large tower (compensation I guess), my next one might be the tiniest one I can fit all my stuff in...
 
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-It's not. Keep in mind that even a gaming laptop is nowhere near as powerful as a tower gaming PC.
-It is more affordable. Especially in the computer environment, you pay what you get. If you pay cheap, expect cheapness from it unless we're going after prebuilts or sharks
-If you're going "on a budget" your best bet would be single pieces and then you either avoid prebuilts or you pay someone to assemble everything for you
 
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Honestly, if you want a compact gaming PC, just get an Xbox Series X. It has the performance of a $1000 PC for $500
Most of the games you mentioned are on it and there's also Gamepass which is pretty good value, especially if you do the upgrade from XBL Gold trick.
 
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AncientBoi said:
Very good call. I just looked at:

Intel i5-10400F Dell G5 Gaming Desktop Computer​


As a mater of fact, Would this be any good also?
Click to expand...

These are pretty popular. Should be fine for Arma 3 and maybe some GOG games too. Depends on what you play outside of Arma 3. Not sure if it's faster than your laptop but it's cheap for what you get in a case as small as that. The i7 (4 cores, 8 threads) is probably worth it but there are plenty of those with the i5 that are much cheaper from another seller.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/234582429004?hash=item369e33cd4c:g:8GAAAOSwZA1in~N6
 
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ILuvGames said:
These are pretty popular. Should be fine for Arma 3 and maybe some GOG games too. Depends on what you play outside of Arma 3. Not sure if it's faster than your laptop but it's cheap for what you get in a case as small as that. The i7 (4 cores, 8 threads) is probably worth it but there are plenty of those with the i5 that are much cheaper from another seller.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/234582429004?hash=item369e33cd4c:g:8GAAAOSwZA1in~N6
Click to expand...

I shall make a sound decision when my check comes in next month. TY for the info.
 
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Is a Ryzen 5700G APU still good for cheap PC builds and the like? I sadly don't have much money to spend on graphics cards, and the 6000 line is exclusive to laptops. I'm mainly interested in emulation up to the PS2, OG Xbox and GameCube/Wii
 
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I ended up going with an intel nuc PC in my living room, It does not have a graphics card though. It works well enough and it will connect to my PC with a graphics card in the office and stream the games over lan. If you have a set up or could have a set up like that it isnt bad. If not i agree with above, You'll want something with a graphics card. I looked at the corsair one because its form factor but not sure if that is a good size for what you want.
 
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Cris1997XX said:
Is a Ryzen 5700G APU still good for cheap PC builds and the like? I sadly don't have much money to spend on graphics cards, and the 6000 line is exclusive to laptops. I'm mainly interested in emulation up to the PS2, OG Xbox and GameCube/Wii
Click to expand...

This guy's Youtube channel is great for that kind of stuff. He does APU reviews, tablet reviews, single board computer reviews, mini PC reviews, gaming phone reviews, gaming handheld reviews, android sticks and android mini console reviews etc, and he 'loves' a bit of gaming emulation. He has 'more than a handful' of videos specifically for the 5700G and several more for others in that series. Here's the one he has that I thought might be the most informative to you as he tests it without a dedicated GPU.

 
Last edited by ILuvGames,
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ILuvGames said:
These are pretty popular. Should be fine for Arma 3 and maybe some GOG games too. Depends on what you play outside of Arma 3. Not sure if it's faster than your laptop but it's cheap for what you get in a case as small as that. The i7 (4 cores, 8 threads) is probably worth it but there are plenty of those with the i5 that are much cheaper from another seller.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/234582429004?hash=item369e33cd4c:g:8GAAAOSwZA1in~N6
Click to expand...

Sorry to bother you again, but would this do for what I want? Then I would have to get a keyboard. I plan to use the HDMI n hook it up to my 36" TV as a monitor. Take note of my selections. using it for like Arma 3, and other games on the GOG site.

mini pc.JPG
 
AncientBoi said:
Sorry to bother you again, but would this do for what I want? Then I would have to get a keyboard. I plan to use the HDMI n hook it up to my 36" TV as a monitor. Take note of my selections. using it for like Arma 3, and other games on the GOG site.

View attachment 325736
Click to expand...
No, i dont think so, your better off with a real desktop, a Cheap dell with a random GPU would offer better performance than that

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1446378767...qiJ8K+PK1CKpBSd8KNGAvqhKQ=|tkp:Bk9SR5Tg8p7hYA

with a GPU would be better
 
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sombrerosonic said:
No, i dont think so, your better off with a real desktop, a Cheap dell with a random GPU would offer better performance than that

https://www.ebay.com/itm/144637876711?hash=item21ad16d9e7:g:P28AAOSwl5xixxdm&amdata=enc:AQAHAAAAoL4PXyyhgxILtBSQmT4DUnHy4E/ePQDW8TB/wt+/SkQyKFlHXo1Pten+OMljC8zM+CPITMCsDfT3Tj4K9Af1CV+oB+rOHM/mVzOMZcCZe5u8WfY0bSWn2zQxP9TdWJAvhj86iHj5UKPF8q/H0gE5bT+KolT2fCS1QvG2JUqjUTIXQfoyHYhwpWMN/X2yWXqiJ8K+PK1CKpBSd8KNGAvqhKQ=|tkp:Bk9SR5Tg8p7hYA

with a GPU would be better
Click to expand...

GPU.. Vas Ist GPU? Darn, No power cord to it. So Now I gotta find Power cord, and a keyboard, I have a wireless mouse. Edit: Says it comes with power cord. So what is this GPU? [general processing unit]?
 
Last edited by AncientBoi,
AncientBoi said:
GPU.. Vas Ist GPU? Darn, No power cord to it. So Now I gotta find Power cord, and a keyboard, I have a wireless mouse. Edit: Says it comes with power cord. So what is this GPU? [general processing unit]?
Click to expand...
GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) e.g. a dedicated gaming graphics card. Most laptops (except most gaming laptops), chromebooks, non gaming desktops, have a CPU/APU (processor) with integrated graphics (Including the one I linked to). This means that part of your ram will be used as video ram of sorts. Although there have been leaps and bound made in integrated graphics in more modern CPU/APU's, unless you have the budget for them integrated graphics is the bottom tier for gaming. That Lenovo has integrated graphics. This is a cheaper listing for the Lenovo with the choices you made.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/294416858989

Sombrerosonic is right in that a cheap proper desktop with a dedicated GPU is the way to go for better value for money and better upgradeability compared to the Lenovo. If you had a certain price you would be wiling to pay up to, it would help. I don't mind trawling ebay listings for the best deal for you if it would help you more.
 
Last edited by ILuvGames,
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ILuvGames said:
GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) e.g. a dedicated gaming graphics card. Most laptops (except most gaming laptops), chromebooks, non gaming desktops, have a CPU/APU (processor) with integrated graphics (Including the one I linked to). This means that part of your ram will be used as video ram of sorts. Although there have been leaps and bound made in integrated graphics in more modern CPU/APU's, unless you have the budget for them integrated graphics is the bottom tier for gaming. That Lenovo has integrated graphics. This is a cheaper listing for the Lenovo with the choices you made.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/294416858989

Sombrerosonic is right in that a cheap proper desktop with a dedicated GPU is the way to go for better value for money and better upgradeability compared to the Lenovo. If you had a certain price you would be wiling to pay up to, it would help. I don't mind trawling ebay listings for the best deal for you if it would help you more.
Click to expand...

Look at my recently bought or got post on that thread. :)
 
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