So I’ve been looking at upgrading my PC and it looks like I can get a better “micro” pc than my current (ancient) desktop for significantly less money than a full blown gaming rig. An example of such a rig is this.
I don’t have high gaming requirements - I play mostly old games, I think the newest games I play are from 5+ years ago.
What reasons are there for not buying one of these (over a comparable “proper” desktop)?
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Three concerns:
- Heat - Will degrade faster and perform worse than it likely can because it will throttle itself
- Upgradability - Looks like only SSD and Memory are serviceable.
- Warranty - How is customer service? I have heard mixed reviews on most mini PC manufacturers.
This, this, and this.
As computer cases have gotten smaller the heat buildup has gotten bad. My mother in law had one of the SFF pc’s from 10 years ago and after about a year the HDD died. Replaced it with a used one I had that was 7200rpm vs 5400rpm and it was dead in 6 months. That drives twin still works today but was always in a tower case.
Heat kills CPU’s, RAM, MoBo’s, and everything else in the computer.
Upgrades are limited to RAM and SSD but those upgrades generally mean even more heat so then you end up thermal throttling. You could get an external GPU but now you have a huge brick sitting next to your little box pc. IMHO they agree great fir something like retro gaming/emulation but you will generally be better suited by a full size computer especially if you buy a board that has a long lived socket.
Warranties are great but the issue is that the warranty fairy will try to get out of it as often as possible. Generally this is done by pushing the blame onto someone else, usually the purchaser.
I personally buy a cheap case without a psu, then get a good power supply. A mid range MoBo like an AM5 B850 with a cheap compatible processor. Add some RAM and a SSD with a budget GPU then you end up with something to get started and closer to the end of the socket lifespan you can grab a better cpu and GPU then buy a cheap case and MoBo and have something you can sell, give to someone else, or use a a server. You will start with a better computer and end with a MUCH better system.
I started with an x470 with a Ryzen 1600 and 16GB of RAM and a used 1080ti. I doubled my ram (not as easily done on with ddr5 sadly) upgraded to a 5800x and am waiting for a GPU that isn’t outrageous in cost but will double my fps. My old cpu was dropped in a B450 with a used RX480 16GB of ram and a 1TB SSD for my stepson to use as a gaming machine similar to a steamdeck (ChimeraOS) and he upgraded the GPU to an RX7600.
I run an older sff office PC with ryzen 3400g. I don’t have any issues running whatever I want on it. I don’t play AAA games or fps so it’s fine.
What games do you play?
Do you care about fps and graphics settings?
Is it solely for gaming?
I think the big negative is that you can’t keep anything, even when just one aspect if the micro PC really needs an upgrade.
If I were you I’d try to build a cheap computer around the AM5 socket, using the PSU and Case you already have. Then you have a way forward open.
I think an important question is what is your current desktop? You might be able to upgrade a single piece and get better performance than that micro PC. Also note that micro PCs tend to run hot (which causes performance issues) and you can’t replace or sell used parts easily.
I play with a Mini Itx and things do get a little hot so keep that in mind.
If your tight on money, building a system will always come out on top in the long term, specifically in terms of upgrade paths to keep up with the times. In that mini pc you won’t have any upgrade option except maybe swapping the SSD, and not even this is guaranteed - could be soldered on too. So the only thing you can do is replace the whole thing again, having the full cost again.
Get yourself a mainboard, a nice Ryzen CPU, an dedicated GPU, 32 Gigs of RAM and an NVME drive, a Case and PSU your done.
I’ve done the works for you and slapped together an entry level gaming pc with lots of upgradeability:
https://geizhals.at/wishlists/4654924
This system is expandable in every way:
- The Cpu is on an current AM5 socket and you can upgrade whenever it starts to be the bottleneck
- You can simply double the ram when you decide to, but 32 GB is fine for now
- The PSU is decently sized and should support pretty much every sensible upgrade, just have an eye on it if upgrading the GPU
- The Mainboard has a lot of M.2 slots available to add more fast disk space and you can add sata disks in addition
- The Case has cable management, place for 2 hdds for tons of storage if needed and good connectivity (usb3, usb-c, audio, sdcard)
- The GPU is fast enough for current titles in 1080p, and older titles should run on 1440p too.
Disclaimer: i don’t know where you are so i took that graphics card because it’s a good price here and has nice performance without burning a hole in your purse, ymmv depending on where you live. You can definitely take a tad slower card and be fine - look up the card on https://www.videocardbenchmark.net/ and look for a card in that range that is priced good at your location, but dont go below 8 gb vram or you wont be happy.
And the next time you think your pc is too slow identify the slowest part and replace it (and sell off the old part), meaning that every few years you invest a little bit instead of a completely new mini-pc. same with broken parts - simply replace the part instead of the whole pc. it’s better regarding e-trash too.
Regarding the Steam Deck: it’s a nice device and i love mine to death, but for a main gaming rig it’s neither powerful enough nor upgradeable enough - you would be back at playing about the same stuff performancewise you do now.
The steam deck can only play pretty recent titles because it only runs on 1280*720, and uses upscaling, which doesn’t matter on the small screen, but it matters a lot on a larger display - i haven’t tried using my steam deck to play cyberpunk hooked up to the TV, and i won’t try it, because it’s clearly too underpowered for that and would simply suck.
If your tight on money, building a system will always come out on top in the long term, specifically in terms of upgrade paths to keep up with the times.
If you’re actually strapped for cash, buying a used system will always come on top. If you’re patient, watch goodwill and other spots for home-built systems that have new enough components to have an upgrade path in the future.
That’s a great midrange/budget rig!
Looking at OP’s link it’s still twice the cost though, and given their gaming requirements it may be overkill.
I would agree if space, portability, and modularity aren’t factors then your build is a very good suggestion.
Edit: I’m looking at a different Amazon than you probably, i didn’t think of that when i commented.
It really depends on the cost and availability of the GPU. I tried to look up the costs for the US, but those price spikes (some cards that go here in europe for 200€ run for 2300$ there, wtf?) make it hard - therefore it’s really a case of “what is available and in the performance/buck range i’d like”.
That said, you CAN get away with an about 1/3 Passmark score slower card for entry, which should open the field even on the US market.
Further probable cost reductions are the NVME drive - you can halve the space, but with game installations for AAA games cracking the 100GB mark, i wouldn’t recommend it unless you have a lightning fast internet connection and dont have an issue with swapping the installed games in and out.
You can further reduce costs at the PSU by reducing efficiency (i went for 80 plus GOLD standard, which gives you around 88% efficiency according it’s certificate), but what you save there at buying you pay with your energy bill.
Last thing you can do is reduce RAM to 16GB - for normal operation it’s still enough, but we’re very close to the point where 32GB become mandatory for good performance and it would be the first thing to upgrade - at least it would be easy and not very expensive to do so.
Taking all that together you can surely drop the costs here in the EU by around 100-150€ without losing upgrade potential, at the cost of dropping detail levels in AAA games to medium and probably some swapping issues with very RAM-dependent games (i’m looking at you, modded minecraft ⎝❮Ỡ益Ỡ❯⎠ ).
I think only you have a grasp of what’s important for you.
There’s obviously thousands of options here, and a micro pc is definitely one of them
There is nothing wrong with that PC but there is an opportunity cost to be aware of - upgrades.
A PC like that is static - you pay £600 and you get the PC, but after a few years if you’ve out grown it then you need to get a whole other PC. It’s the same with laptops.
However if you spend the £600 on a case, a motherboard, a cpu with a gpu, ram and storage you have a full starter PC. You can even save money by not paying for windows (built into the price of the mini PC) and get Linux for free. PCs are modular and any component can be upgraded and switched out at any time later.
So in a couple of years you may decide the PC is slowing down, or you’re out growing it, and you can swap in some more RAM or upgrade the CPU. Or you decide you can afford a dedicated graphics card, you can just buy the card and slot it in, and every £ goes into getting a great graphics card instead of starting again from scratch
Think of it like this: if you buy an all in one device you might spend £600 now and say another £600 in 3-5 years if you need to upgrade and fully replace it, and probably are still very limited in what you can get. A replacement will still have integrated graphics and still be behind cutting edge games, and just be a newer version of the same problem you have now. But with a full PC build you might spend £600 now for an OK PC and in 3-5years time you pay £600 just to add a great graphics card and have something way better than any mini PC. Or you spend £400 now and £200 in 2 years and £100 in 3 years and £500 in 4 years and gradually keep the PC how you want it without having to start from scratch. You end up with a decent PC now and gradually something powerful but without the upfront cost and without “wasting” money having to get a new device with a new motherboard, new cpu, new power supply, new RAM every time.You want an uplift .
It’s a crude example but the point is a full size PC can be expanded and switched up continously, and you can adapt it, and likely get something far better for the same money long term, while a fixed spec all-in-one device can serve a purpose for now but then needs total replacement when you outgrow it.
Building a full PC from scratch is easy - genuinely it’s plug and play, and only takes a bit of basic research to see what components are best to buy. There are loads of tutorials on how to put it together. Meanwhile your money goes much further over the longer term as you’re not having to buy a whole new PC everytime you need/want an upgrade - you can instead focus your money on the bits that need to change.
Even if you get a prebuilt tower PC now (ATX or Mini ATX) your money will go further AND you have something that you can upgrade and adapt. Although I think building from scratch is the best option as prebuilt Pcs are a false economy - they save money with cheaper components and you pay for labour on the build, when you can build it yourself for free and put every £ into better components.
Don’t be intimidated by building a PC - it’s nowhere near as difficult as it seems, and is an easy to obtain skill but worth learning as it’ll save you money, and allow you to fix and problem solve if you ever have problems in the future.
If.you have a PC now - even if it’s a pre build from a manufacturer - you can very likely open it up and start upgrading it now, and your money can go much further.
You are FAR better off buying a used gaming rig than a mini PC…
Those boxes have heat issues, are not at all user-servicable, and really are only designed as a web browser box.
Great for media players / HTPCs, attrpcious for trying to game on.
Buy a 5 year old gaming system
These types of machines certainly have their place, and if it meets your needs, go for it.
The big downside is going to be a lack of upgradability. Most of the core components will be soldered to the motherboard, so no CPU or GPU upgrades, and no replacements if something breaks. I know the one you linked was just an example, and not necessarily “the one,” but its on-board graphics are similar in power to a GTX 1650. Lots and lots of games available at that level, but you’ll be locked out of anything newer with no clear upgrade path later.
For reference, I own something similar, but even older, as a secondary machine. It’s fine for what it does. Just be aware of the limitations. There are ways to build a similar-powered full desktop for about the same price. At that point it’s a tradeoff: would you rather be able to upgrade later, or do you want the simplicity and small form factor (portability, aesthetics, etc)?
You can do better. I’d get a miniITX form factor of your choice that supports a video card, but omit the card for now.
An amd with igpu might be decent for your needs today and slap a dgpu in later if your needs change.
It seems to me that mini ITX is small enough to cost a little bit more. The cheapest seem to be micro ATX boards.
Sorry for the unfamiliar platform, but here’s a comparison I recently made for a friend looking to build a computer around the AM5 socket.
1 CHF = 1.25 USD, but of course prices are different across the continents, so a direct comparison would be difficult. I just hope the fundamental price difference between sizes holds globally.
mITX is more expensive but is smaller and has some other advantages.
Are there any advantages that are worth it for that budget range?
The only one I know of so far was short DDR traces and a reduction to two slots for extreme memory overclocking.
I think the packaging also leads to better audio quality due to inherently lower emi.
I have almost this exact mini PC. It was ok for things like StarCraft 2 and the Sims 4. I tried playing a newer game like Stormgate and it couldn’t keep up.
I’ve since spent a bunch of money getting an eGPU set up, and have yet to have more than 5 gaming sessions in a row without a crash.
I probably could have saved a lot of money if I’d just gotten a PC with some headroom for upgrading, but I really didn’t think I’d want to.
Can we persuade you towards a Steamdeck?
Main thing with those is a lack of extensibility and support from Chinese manufacturers.
At worse you buy one of those, find its limits and then upgrade to something else and use it for homelabing. I have some of them for that purpose.
Seconding steam deck, but also need to add in the docking station. That formfactor has stolen my heart, it does mobile gaming, along with having the horse power to be a PC substitute at home.
In addition to SteamOS, but ill let others promote linux and sticking it to microsoft now that linux desktops are finally crossing the “it just works” finish line.
I agree with most of the comments in this thread, and I’ll add: there is zero need to purchase Windows 11.
Something something, Mass Grave.
Also, if you specifically want Windows, get Windows 11 IoT Enterprise LTSC edition. It’s Windows 11 minus the crapware.
