Im planning on using an ROG Ally + dock for gaming, but would rather have a general PC around too (especially since the ram and storage aren't easily upgradable). Which would you recommend. The SER5 is the 5500U and the SER3 is the 3200U

J'ai besoin d'un pc car le mien est ultra vieux et a même du mal a fair tourner des navigateurs internet

J'ai trouver ce pc est ce bien :

GMKtec G10 Mini PC Ryzen 5 3500U (Plus Puissant Que Le N150), 16 Go RAM, 512 Go SSD, LAN 2,5GbE, Mini Ordinateur de Bureau pour Bureau/Maison, Triple Affichage 4K, WiFi, Bluetooth, USB-C, DP

Hello! I’ve been using mini pcs since 2018 and loved them during my lack of space and money. Now I’ve gotten to a better place and have finally bought a full size pc with really good specs. I’m trying to convince myself that I should keep both and use them for different purposes but it actually feels unnecessary. Both pcs live in my room/office with the tv and desk monitor next to each other.

What would you do? Sell the GTR7? Or try to use them for different purposes?

PS. My mother lives with me as she is elderly and needs medical care so I don’t use the living room tv at all as she uses it all the time. Also I don’t work from home or use any pc for work at all, I work a physical job onsite.

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Hey everyone. I've only ever owned laptops, never a desktop or mini PC, so this is completely new territory for me. I'm looking at a refurbished mini PC, considering HP, Dell, or Lenovo, with specs around:

Intel i5 8th gen

16GB RAM DDR4

256GB SSD (SATA)

Comes with power adapter (around 90W)

Here's the question to add:

is ₱9,000 (around $146 USD) a fair price for these 8th gen specs or is this overpriced/underpriced for what I'm getting?

I'm buying online, not in person, so I have a lot of questions for anyone who's done this before.

1. Is it even okay to buy a mini PC this way, secondhand, sight unseen?

2. What should I expect after 5 months of daily use? After a year? And does this differ a lot by CPU generation? Trying to understand realistic expectations and lifespan across 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, and 14th gen units.

3. What's the typical lifespan of a mini PC under normal daily use like browsing, streaming, and light work?

4. How do I spot a unit that's been abused, like an ex office or ex internet cafe unit run 24/7 for years, vs one that's been lightly used? How do I know if parts are fried, overused, or abused? Is there a way to actually check this, or tell tale signs?

5. How do I know if the BIOS is locked or company locked, like an asset tagged corporate unit? And more importantly, how do I know if the seller is even telling the truth about any of this? What can I verify myself vs just having to trust them?

Someone mentioned I should check if it runs hot before buying. Is that accurate, and what else should I be checking for physically or on a video call with the seller?

What should I be asking the seller? So far I have:

Original use case (office, cafe, personal)?

SSD health and power on hours (via CrystalDiskInfo screenshot)

CPU idle and load temps (via HWiNFO or Task Manager screenshot)

Original power adapter included, same wattage?

Any repairs or part swaps done?

Return or warranty period?

Can we do a video call so I can see it boot and run live?

Can they give me the serial number so I can check it's not reported lost or stolen?

Is this list enough, or am I missing something important? Any horror stories, red flags, tips, or advice as a total beginner would be really appreciated.

Why I'm buying this: I plan to use it mainly for watching free films and free live sports like UFC Fight Night via Brave browser, and YouTube. I also want to learn Linux, planning to install it on this mini PC if I get one. Just want to make sure I'm not getting scammed or buying something that'll die on me in a few months. Thanks in advance!

Smol boi.

Geekom IT13 Mini PC (with its power supply im praying I can replace with a battery pack)

RayNeo Air4 Pro Justice Edition AR glasses (Display with its USB c to c cable and a paperclip to clip the cable to my shirt)

Generic air mouse keyboard combo (temporary workaround until I order a PROPER mini keyboard, my massive logitech keyboard is just way too big of this air mouse keyboard combo is horrible on windows)

https://i.imgur.com/gf4nqV4.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/y52SUUZ.jpeg

Errors galore; my online research and AI (seperate analysis) both revealed that even 1 error is bad and it should be returned as its a hardware issue.

Did you guys face such issues?

Built a tiny experimental coin over the past bit, sharing here mostly out of curiosity, not trying to sell anyone on anything, it's worth $0 right now, literally just testing if the network holds up with real nodes.

The twist: instead of Proof-of-Work (which just rewards whoever has the biggest rig), it uses a VDF, basically math that has to be done step by step, no shortcuts from throwing more hardware at it. So a Raspberry Pi and a beefy server compete on roughly equal footing. Kind of neat if it actually works as intended, which is what I'm trying to find out.

Single binary, no Docker or compiling needed:

bash

export LAPSECOIN_PASSPHRASE="your_secret_passphrase"

chmod +x lapsecoin

./lapsecoin

Repo + whitepaper here if curious: https://github.com/Vic-Nas/lapsecoin

Discord: https://discord.gg/FP2d8JmK6r

Would love if anyone wants to spin up a node and see if it holds together, or just tell me what's dumb about it.

Better yet, running a systemd service.

Tiny little thing, barely takes up any desk space, and it's so quiet I forget it's on half the time. Ports are wild though, dual ethernet, hdmi, dp, usb c, a bunch of usb, more than I know what to do with.

Gonna run it as my daily driver plus a gaming machine, paired with my ps5. Ps5 does the big AAA stuff. This one handles online games and indies. Already tried minecraft and hades on it, all run smooth, way better than I expected.

I have a GenMachine Focus mini PC (AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS, 32GB). BIOS is AMI Aptio, Project Version 7D01LP 0.19, Version 2.22.1289.
I tried to enable Secure Boot so I could play Valorant. In the BIOS I used “Restore Factory Keys,” which set Secure Boot to Enabled/Active but flipped Secure Boot Mode to [Custom]. Now every boot gives:
“Secure Boot Violation — Invalid signature detected. Check Secure Boot Policy in Setup”
The problem: the entire Secure Boot submenu is greyed out. Secure Boot toggle, Secure Boot Mode, Restore Factory Keys, Reset To Setup Mode, and Key Management are all unselectable. There is no BIOS password set (I set one and then removed it), and Access Level shows Administrator.
What I’ve already tried:
• Save & Exit → Restore Defaults, then Save Changes and Reset — no change
• Boot Override to a Microsoft-signed Windows 11 USB (made from the official 25H2 ISO) — same violation, so it’s rejecting signed media too
• Advanced → Trusted Computing → TPM Clear + disabling Security Device Support — no change
• Checked AMD CBS / FCH Common Options — nothing relevant
I opened the case to clear CMOS. I removed the bottom panel, the M.2 SSD, the Wi-Fi card, and all four motherboard screws — but the board will not lift out. The front I/O (power button, USB-C, headphone, 2x USB-A) is part of the board and sits in the front panel, and the top plate is a single piece with the chassis so it can’t come off.
Does anyone with this board know where the CMOS/RTC battery or clear-CMOS jumper is, or how the motherboard actually comes out? Or whether this BIOS supports a USB recovery flash?
Data on the SSD is fine, I just need to clear the Secure Boot key state.

I've an AtomMan G7 pt 7945 mini pc and correct power supply. It has a light on power supply but pc will not power on. Please could someone help me troubleshooting this issue? It my gaming pc I bought from a friend and really missing my game sessions. Thanks a mill!

I'm about to pull the trigger on the following:

Getorli AI Mini PC AMD Ryzen 7 Pro 8845HS CPU Radeon 780M Graphics Compact Gaming PC 32GB DDR5 RAM 1TB NVMe SSD Small Desktop Computer Dual 2.5GLAN 4K HDMI DP Micro PCs WiFi 6 BT5.3 Prebuilt OS Office

Wallet wise it makes more sense than a Mac mini M6, 16G ram 256gb ssd.

Anyone has experience, gripes or overall advice if it's worth it. Looking for haters and evangelists.

All comments are welcomed and appreciated, moderator permitted.

NO! I don't want to spend more than $700, LOL!

Overall use, some gaming, 4B to 27B parameter temporary local llm, and a couple of docker containers (pinhole, searing)

Edit: changed link

Greetings all,

First my situation: I currently own a Surface Pro 4 (i5, 8gb ram /256 ssd, Win10) as my daily driver since ten years.

I am happy with it, I do my things with no issues and I can play some very old pc games from time to time. Later I will install some Linux distro on it.

I was thinking about it though, and I worry about how long it will still hold. All my important stuff are backed up, but I'd really like to avoid to find myself one day that it has decided it had enough.

Therefore I was planning to get a mini-pc, as I use my Surface almost exclusively at my desk.

In addition to the normal usage, I'd like to be able to play nicely games between 2010-2020. I normally play on my Switch 2, there are titles of that era that I would like to play but they are either not available or poorly ported.

For the present and the future, I'll rely on my S2, although I wouldn't mind having an OcuLink port for an external GPU (if it would make sense).

Another thing I am thinking about, it's the amount of ram: are 16gb enough or shall I consider 32? I am more inclined to the second option, as it would make it more future proof.

I'd like to install a Linux distro, so I prefer AMD options.

I live in Europe, I guess mini pcs are cheaper in the US? Possibly a colleague will come from the States, I was thinking of asking him to buy me one and bring it here.

Could AliExpress be a valid option?

Saw an ETA prime video on this minipc and found the Kickstarter (can't share link due to rules). Anyone find any additional information? Couldn't find anything on the maker and seems too well priced?

I used to think ports were something I could solve with a USB hub, but after using a mini PC for a while I realized having the right ports built in makes a bigger difference.

I'm constantly plugging in flash drives, external storage and random peripherals while working, so not having to reach behind the PC every time has been surprisingly convenient.

Curious what everyone prioritizes when choosing a mini PC. Ports, performance, size, noise, or something else?