Posted on 01/07/2023 2:50:24 AM PST by Cronos
Has anyone used a mini-PC. I'm looking at
Mini PC Beelink BT3-X 4/64GB Intel J3355
the specs are:
or the Beelink GKmini 8/128 GB
Any experience with these or other mini-PCs?
Following.
I use a similar device on my TV. I use the TV as a monitor with a wireless keyboard and mouse. It is a few years old but for watching movies off the internet and Youtube videos it serves its purpose. The only downside is the small amount of memory.
A friend just got one. He moves about from location to location and liked it being easy to carry. He is doing cad work. Other than that, can’t much answer your question.
I use one at work. It supports everything a work computer needs to do without a problem. As long as your needs are modest, they work.
You get what you pay for, remember.
Working flawlessly and silently as my YouTubeTV device for a couple years now.
Used one at work too. Covid struck and the organization I work for bought everyone who has an office job a laptop so they could work at home.
I just got an HP elite mini with Intel Core i7 to replace my desk top. Its probably 3 inches by 6 inches. My former desk top, about 7 years old, was massive.
This is quicker and more powerful. About $1600. The only thing i really needed to do was to get a USB port hub that plugs into the wall as i have a lot of devices and my computer guy said don’t go overboard with the devices that draw power from the main board.
Yes I have, but it’s been a while. I was an IT director for a company that owned some gyms, and I bought them mini PCs to use at the front desk so they wouldn’t have to have a big computer taking up counter space or a desktop set up in a poorly ventilated cabinet space (which got towels and jackets thrown on top of it)
It worked well, but they preferred all-in-ones (which were a maintenance nightmare).
I also used a Chrome Box to provide content to a TV. With all the streaming services available via a browser it was great. I played a little bit with the other functions and was not impressed, but years ago and it served it’s function very well. I think a smaller computer with the right operating system would be a great desk system. Apples mini does just that. There are windows and Linux units also available. May need external storage if dealing with large amounts of data. eBay is a great place to get a cheap used one to play with....
https://windowsreport.com/top-windows-10-mini-pcs/
I used a Mac Mini to run my home studio for a while.
Actually, it is a good idea anymore - compact all the compute power w/loaded memory. I used three external drives and a CD burner. BT keyboard and mouse.
No issues.
The Celeron is a VERY underpowered chip. The on-chip graphics combined with the weak processor and the minimal RAM (4GB) and storage is on an inherently slow SD card. 64GB will be half gone just for the OS. If you keep your e-mail on it and don’t delete regularly, you will run out of space eventually.
Maybe you can run FR on it, but everything else will be frustratingly slow. One good thing, MS will NOT be nagging you to upgrade to Windows 11, it ain’t happening.
A poor choice for a primary PC, almost regardless of your needs.
Generally they work great, not familiar with that spec one.
Funny you should ask that. I just bought 2 of them.
Beelink New 8th Generation Intel 4 Cores 8 Thread i5-8279U Processor(up to 4.1Ghz), Mini pc with 16G DDR4 RAM/500GB NVMe M.2 SSD, Support 4K Dual HDMI Display,WiFi5,BT5.0, 4*USB 3.0
Beelink 11th Gen Processor N5095(2.0GHz to 2.9GHz), Mini S Mini PC with 8GB DDR4 + 128GB SSD, Mini Computer Supports 4K UHD Graphics/Dual HDMI / 2.4G + 5.0G WiFi5 / BT
The top one I got in a flash deal on Amazon (saved $90 on the current price). It’s my main computer. I liked it so much I bought the bottom one to use as a media box for bedrooom TV (it come with a mount to mount on the back of the TV which is pretty neat). They are exactly what I needed. I’m not a gamer, and I don’t store much and what I do is on an SD card. I’m a streamer and surfer. I watch TV and surf through my computer connected to a surround sound receiver and then through my TV, and I use a wireless keyboard and mouse. Bottom line; the mini computers work for me so far (I’ve only had them a couple of weeks). They are both very fast. If price is a factor, though, Amazon has some refurbished Dells with the same specs for less money. You might want to take a look at those. If you have any questions I’ll be glad to answer what I can.
These things seem to basically be a cheap laptop without a built in keyboard or monitor. A few years ago I snagged an equivalent laptop for $200 (AMD equivalent instead of Intel) which is fine for most single tasks but is really slow to switch tasks. Depending on your needs, it may be a decent alternative.
Not buying the story of doing CAD work on a Celeron.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.