133
Fanless Intel N100 stick PC bundles Windows 11, 16GB RAM and 256GB eMMC into a tiny form factor
(www.tomshardware.com)
this post was submitted on 17 Mar 2024
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I'm still on the hunt for an affordable mini PC with a decent GPU. Everything I've seen is well into the $1500+ range. I'm not talking about getting a 4090 or anything. Like, if I could find a mini PC with an 8G 2070, I'd be happy.
I just want to play games on my TV for around the same cost of a PlayStation or Xbox.... And be able to do it with a mouse and keyboard if I want. If I wanted to use a controller 100% of the time, I'd just get a console, but I don't.
Why not buy a Steam Deck?
Because it will be permanently connected to my TV.
It seems silly to buy a handheld that will never be used as a handheld.
I mean it does exactly what you want and has the benefit that if you really feel like it you could take it somewhere, but you don't have to, if you buy it it's up to you exactly how you use it.
Fair enough.
I don't think it's silly. It does what you want and is reasonably priced.
I understand your point. I'll examine the option.
I'll need to get a dock for it so I have all the required ports, but that's not a big deal. It just adds cost, so I'll have to factor that in.
I just need the system to be small enough to tuck in behind my TV, so it doesn't end up being an eyesore. I don't think that poses a huge issue for the steam deck.
you can buy a mini pc with the new ryzen apus that are more powerful than the steam deck
Do you have any pointers? I've been an Intel and Nvidia guy for a really long time, so I have a hard time making heads or tails of what generation or power I can expect from an AMD CPU/GPU/APU from the model number.
If you could give me any idea what to look for it e avoid, I'd appreciate it. Apparently the APU in the steam deck was not officially released outside of the steamdeck, so it doesn't have an official model number.
id recommend a Ryzen 7 8700G, it has the best integrated graphics out of any cpu ever. (quite a bit better than teh steam deck)
Check out Miniforums HX90G/HX99G. Might be exactly what you're looking for.
I am currently still using my HX90G daily and when travel more than a week
This is one that is on my radar, a bit on the more expensive side, at least compared to the console alternatives, but that's expected. You always get a discount with a console since they're counting on profits from game sales to make up the difference.
Performance is slightly better than the Intel/1070 combo I'm using in the interim. The current system is a huge eyesore, which is why I'm trying to replace it.
Before finding this gem, my front running idea was to pair a framework main board with a thunderbolt eGPU, but buying even a used GPU with the cost of an enclosure was going to add more than $1000 to the cost. It's likely more performant than even the minisforum options and others, with the ability to swap the GPU for upgrades, but I'm not sure how likely that is in the first place.
The current system is older and in a medium tower case, it's a full custom build. Way too big to hide and needs pretty much everything upgraded, so rather than keep the eyesore and spend the money on a new main board/RAM/CPU/SSD etc, getting a smaller and more descreet system is preferable.
The HX-whatevrG definitely will be much better in term of look and size.
I would not go the eGPU way. Interested from the first time it was a thing, and still now, and still no buy. They are stupidly expensive, and tbh, a fucking eyesore. They are size of a normal SFF case, but now you lose all the benefit on performance. And the small one from GPD with a 6600M? Cost nearly the same as my HX90G, and even for oculink, it is still have less bandwidth than my HX90G.
You could get an older gaming laptop
Sounds terrible.
That would be worse than the steam deck, since you're still making the compromise of a mobile/integrated GPU, and most gaming laptops are larger than their non-gaming counterparts. It's going to take up 3-4x as much space compared to the Steamdeck.
I appreciate the idea, but laptops just have a lot of unnecessary components for my use case, making them too large to be practical for the purpose.
I only suggested it because I’ve been using an old 15in laptop to stream from my pc. It easily hides behind my tv. And I could fit a bigger one.
Laptop gpus will give better resolution than a steam deck.
If you are budget conscious, you can’t always pick up something new that’s exactly fit for purpose. Though I understand that you have a different use case
Game streaming is not the ideal. My network is certainly up to it, I just don't prefer it, since it requires that I occupy two systems when I'm playing a game.
If the Mrs wants to play a game then my system would be busy rendering the game, so I would be unable to use it until she's done.
There's a lot of utility in having another system capable of playing games. Both she and I have gaming capable systems, regardless if they're a little dated. In optimal conditions we could have both her, a guest and I can play games at the same time, possibly together. Streaming precludes that, since another system will always be occupied while someone is playing a game on the TV.