Mini PCs 2023 - any good?

[SaitouSad]

did you all reinstall windows 11 on your mini pc?

I always hear some ppl say they do, but im not sure how to do so. Scared I cannot recover my original factory set ssd. Or I screw up some drivers.
If anyone can share how, I might wanna try.

 

[NightRaven49]

oh, if want to change wifi card, why dont choose Qualcomm wifi card? i heard its very fast.

they might be, but they are generally quite expensive, costing ~2.5x as much as a mt7925 based on pricing i see on taobao.

 

[Devilsire]

I always hear some ppl say they do, but im not sure how to do so. Scared I cannot recover my original factory set ssd. Or I screw up some drivers.
If anyone can share how, I might wanna try.

nothing to be afraid of
i bought my barebone Ser6 pro set from tb and rams+nvme ssd from amazon
installed everything from scratch without issues i.e fresh win11, bios update, drivers updates
just download everything first from beelink

 

[sumako]

they might be, but they are generally quite expensive, costing ~2.5x as much as a mt7925 based on pricing i see on taobao.

NCM865 $50 only. wifi 7, 3 channel

 

[MaoZeDuo]

based on this image from a review:

any supported m.2 e key wifi card should work, something like @MaoZeDuo's 2nd link (bare mt7925, dunno why the text is for tplink pcie card): https://www.amazon.sg/dp/B0F4D8TCFP. many times those pcie cards are usually just adapters, so it may be possible to extract the bare wifi card and install it in this slot.

Thx for sharing the review and links fixed.

 

[MaoZeDuo]

oh, if want to change wifi card, why dont choose Qualcomm wifi card? i heard its very fast.

i didnt change mine. just changed the new antenna beelink sent me.

The 5GHz wifi issue that happened to my unit when I connected a second monitor is gone now, but I still requested it just in case it returns.

did you all reinstall windows 11 on your mini pc?

Nope for me

NCM865 $50 only. wifi 7, 3 channel

Will check it out thx!

 

[sumako]

The 5GHz wifi issue that happened to my unit when I connected a second monitor is gone now, but I still requested it just in case it returns.


Nope for me


Will check it out thx!

i connected to 2 monitor too. what's your old issue with 5GHz?

 

[MaoZeDuo]

i connected to 2 monitor too. what's your old issue with 5GHz?

Weak connection, similar to the issues discussed on reddit.

 

[sumako]

Weak connection, similar to the issues discussed on reddit.

i changed mine to the new one beelink sent. speed increased by 250%

 

[windwaver]

did you all reinstall windows 11 on your mini pc?

I did, went uneventful.

 

[windwaver]

I always hear some ppl say they do, but im not sure how to do so. Scared I cannot recover my original factory set ssd. Or I screw up some drivers.
If anyone can share how, I might wanna try.

I just download from Microsoft, boot from USB then install.

Pretty straight forward.

 

[windwaver]

I see. what SSD did you go with? Looking to grab maybe a 2-4TB SSD to slot into the 2nd slot to install my stuff.

The default SSD that came is 1TB KINGSTON OM8PGP41024N-A0.

You bought M4 too?

 

[windwaver]

BTW, I happen to have a JCALLY JM6 Pro lying around for my IEMs and thought why not try it on the M4 since the audio output is mediocre.

The JM6 Pro is CX31993 with MAX97220 and it definitely made a difference in the audio quality.

Although a dedicated PC DAC will be better, I'm quite amazed at how much of a difference something less than $20 made .

 

[SaitouSad]

The default SSD that came is 1TB KINGSTON OM8PGP41024N-A0.

You bought M4 too?

haha yah. i already have a beelink Ser6 pro from 2 yrs ago which i use for everything. but always considered another so i can use 1 for torrenting, media etc. and 1 to run emu and games more exclusively (still can be used to also run media in living room perhaps). Furthermore it having an oculink makes it kinda tempting to consider an egpu in the future. The price to specs ratio was what really tempted me though.

I tried to find an affordable 4tb ssd and ended up with the samsung 990 evo pro cause i got screwed over on the seller for the 990 plus. Was a little scared dismantling to install the 2nd ssd cause first time doing lol.

I am no expert lah, so just exploring the possibilities.

 

[windwaver]

haha yah. i already have a beelink Ser6 pro from 2 yrs ago which i use for everything. but always considered another so i can use 1 for torrenting, media etc. and 1 to run emu and games more exclusively (still can be used to also run media in living room perhaps). Furthermore it having an oculink makes it kinda tempting to consider an egpu in the future. The price to specs ratio was what really tempted me though.

I tried to find an affordable 4tb ssd and ended up with the samsung 990 evo pro cause i got screwed over on the seller for the 990 plus. Was a little scared dismantling to install the 2nd ssd cause first time doing lol.

I am no expert lah, so just exploring the possibilities.

How about using an external drive? These days external drives are blazing fast too.

 

[SaitouSad]

How about using an external drive? These days external drives are blazing fast too.

I've been using external SSDs and 1 HDD for my existing Beelink, because the 2nd slot on that unit was SATA but it would block the fan, so I never bothered with it.

But I want to free up ports and keep setup neater on the M4. I will still attach an SSD or 2 for occassional torrenting, media and maybe emu though. Keep the 990 evo 2nd SSD for installing games inside for now. Reason is also because some modern games demand for SSD.

 

[sumako]

32gb crashed and auto restart on me a few times. upgraded to 64gb, this mini machine doesn't crash or auto restart anymore for 3 months. looks like i'm a power user. this tiny thing is definitely very fast sia.

 

[windwaver]

I've been using external SSDs and 1 HDD for my existing Beelink, because the 2nd slot on that unit was SATA but it would block the fan, so I never bothered with it.

But I want to free up ports and keep setup neater on the M4. I will still attach an SSD or 2 for occassional torrenting, media and maybe emu though. Keep the 990 evo 2nd SSD for installing games inside for now. Reason is also because some modern games demand for SSD.

Get those 7 ports USB 3.0, 3.2 hubs with external power source.

 

[windwaver]

32gb crashed and auto restart on me a few times. upgraded to 64gb, this mini machine doesn't crash or auto restart anymore for 3 months. looks like i'm a power user. this tiny thing is definitely very fast sia.

Wow, what apps you running?

I'm using it for office so 32GB even with shared video RAM is good enough.

 

[jasvonvios]

I am looking for a mini gaming PC, budget below 1k, any recommendations?