The most DISAPPOINTING Mini PC I've Ever Reviewed - Khadas Mind

The Khadas Mind was pitched to me as a 'Workstation Replacement Mini PC' and a 'Mac Mini M2 KILLER'. (Their words, not mine). On paper, the specs are fantastic. In the flesh, the Khadas Mind exudes premium quality. So why do I hate it so much?

But first... What am I drinking???

All Ways Down Hopburst Double IPA, 10 Barrel Brewing, Bend, OR (9.0%)

*Links to items below may be affiliate links for which I may be compensated*

Support me on Patreon and get access to my exclusive Discord server. Chat with myself and the other hosts on Talking Heads all week long.

Time Stamps
0:00 - Buy Somethin', Will Ya!
0:52 - Intro and Specs
3:20 - Docking Station through 'Mind Link'
4:40 - Not a Workstation
6:45 - Not Fast Enough
8:47 - Too Expensive + Kickstarter-y
10:01 - Let's Re-invent The Wheel!
12:48 - Twice The Price, Same Value
15:00 - Outro and Beer Review

[TheObsesedAnimeFreaks]

Everyone: khadas has a proprietary docking connector.
Me: ah yes just like they have a proprietary rca jack that does ballenced output...
Everyone: it is only useful with the proprietary docks
Me: I think it works with any dock with PD charging.
Everyone: price!!
Me: if you have a problem with it realize they are not Dell and can not produce this thing at the scale where it can be made cheaply. If it catches on maybe and only then will the price go down.

[JamieStuff]

The base system is the SAME price as the Minisforum UM790 Pro Venus with 64GB and 1TB on Amazon. I have one, and it will eat the Mind for lunch, and crap it out for dinner. Yes, it's a bit bigger, but it has All The Things<TM>.

[notfunny]

There was a recent mini pc unveiled which is powered by a single ethernet cable via PoE.

That would be cool to cover.

[typerightseesight]

Can confirm it doesn't fit in a wallet. And believe me, I'm broke.

[RubyRoks]

For the price of the standard Khadas Mind, you can get a Framework mainboard with the same CPU as the Mind Premium and the Cooler Master case to go with it, giving you more than 0 options at all for memory expansion, and more options for SSDs. Even loading it for bear (in comparison) with memory and storage keeps you under the price of the premium Mind

[deechvogt]

Jeff, really appreciate the honest review of this product. It is hard thing to do to point out a products short comings.

[KiraSlith]

Marketed as an "Apple competitor", designed like an Apple device, thermals like an Apple PC, sold like an Apple product. Khadas is out of their mind if they think this is going to work out for them. 😂

[JeffGeerling]

They're charging Apple-level prices... without an Apple-level ecosystem.

[HopsAndBrews]

I didn't hear a thing you said. I was mesmerized by that really nice looking glassware you had there.

[ThBeowulf]

Wow... when I saw this Kickstart, I thought the price was pretty high for what it was and that proprietary dock format was a turnoff.
Hearing that the price went up from the Kickstart changed this from a non-starter to nonsense.

Thank you for your perspective and for comparing it with similarly equipped laptops. That really seals this fate and changes it to a niche/vanity product, not a serious and general purpose workhorse.

[MysteriousFigure]

The glassware and the travel mug + the affordable shipping to those of us who happen to live across the oceans enticed me to grab some, happy to support the channel, love functional merch!

[pyroslev]

Even if you ignore laptops, Minisforums are just gonna slap this thing down. But maybe Minisforum will look at this and standardize some of the ideas here.

[chanm]

I remember this thing from Eta Prime's channel last year. Man, what a sleek little package. It's like a nicer LattePanda. But you're right. For the price, there are more practical options, and not many use-cases that would justify this premium just for the form factor.

[arthuralford]

For me, the most practical use for a mini pc is in a small footprint desktop unit. There's a legitimate case to be made for a computer that doesn't take up more space than a monitor, like at reception desks or nurse's stations in hospitals. These places often have space at a premium, and having a full-function pc that can attach to the backside of a monitor (using a VESA mount), or to the base, has its place

[chromerims]

Your writing is superb 👍 Another great video. Great presentation and production quality.
Khadas Mind . . . locked ecosystem . . . run. *RUN!*

[HackxBox]

Thank you for this. This were exactly my thoughts when I saw their kickstarter campaign - a 1-2 year expiry date funky e-waste.

[denverag]

I like this concept, the problem is that they're at the price point of Dell, HP, Lenovo, and Apple's corporate computers.
You cannot price your hardware the same as established business class hardware, while cutting out much of the features of the Tiny/Mini/Micro serviceability.
On almost all of their modes not only is the RAM and SSD serviceable, but so is the CPU and GPU, sometimes even the networking.

As a hardware admin i'd consider this for some of my users that never open their laptop, instead just cary it from dock to dock, if it used standardized USB-C(say slotted in from the side into the dock rather than top-down), and came in at a price point around $450-$500, but thats only if the SSD and RAM was replacable and the machine easily serviceable(the major brands usually only have 1 screw to access everything)

[segamanxero]

I like the form factor, and the idea of it. Having it in place of a work laptop, being able to plop it down into a dock at each desk I would be able to do work at would appeal to me. Love its small size too.

But you are totally right; at the same price point you can have a fullsize laptop with maybe expandable ram and such, and also be able to use it anywhere and not just at specific desks with docks in place. And with most laptops now a days you can even use USB-C docks with HDMI out and whatnot which can be had cheaply.

My work provided laptop kinda can be cumbersome with all the wires coming out of it to connect to my dual screens, but I live with it. Also a alternative to the Khadas Mind would probably be the Framework laptop motherboard on its own with a Coolermaster mainboard case. Just use whatever 4 framework modules you want, and you can expand the ram and m.2 SSD easily.

[yllib]

There may be others but, this is the first review I've seen on this PC that didn't come off as a shill for the company. I looked at this one early on and my conclusion mirrors yours Sir. WAY too expensive for what you get and calling it a "workstation" is a stretch of the imagination. Your honesty is appreciated. This is coming from a (former) Khadas fan.

[postnick]

Spot on. We have thunderbolt docks everywhere and those have been useful for 2 so far and possibly 3 more generations of laptops at work. We can go to meetings and not need extra docks. Laptop is the answer for this solution, maybe making better docking stations.