Mini PCs in 2023 - worth buying?

Mini PCs have always been popular, but historically have been cheap and low quality- but in 2023, this is no longer the case! You've got impressive low-end options, the M2 Mac Mini, the Ryzen 9 UM690 for $700... should you buy a Mini PC in 2023?

You can find the UM690 from Minisforum here -

0:00 - Mini PCs in 2023
2:10 - Mac Mini vs Mini PC
5:02 - Cheap, Low End MiniPCs
6:24 - Minisforum UM690
7:46 - MiniPC Gaming
10:31 - Conclusion

Music:

(I'm not affiliated with Minisforum, but I did receive the UM690 for free to review.)

[Tech]

Mini PCs are about as great as they've ever been, and the UM690 is really darn impressive- Ryzen 9 6900hx, 16gb DDR5 ram, 512gb nvme, an expansion bay- all for about the same price as an M2 Mac Mini, which is a great option as well.
Anyone out there using a Mini PC? Do you think they're worth it in 2023?

[dothesick]

I’m watching this on a Mini-PC right now. And let me tell you, they run SO well if you put Linux on them.

[SuperFredAZ]

I needed a small low-power Windows machine for a spare. It is the Minisforum UM450 6 C, 6T 500 GB storage and 16 GB dram computer that does everything I need: Office, Web-surfing, video viewing, etc (no games) for a mere $300. It boots up quickly runs at very low power and serves my needs just fine.

[cwhitley.sawlabs]

AMD has come a long way, and it's cool to see that they're becoming a very viable option for these extremely small PCs since their integrated GPUs (courtesy of when they bought ATi back in the 00s) kick butt compared to their Intel contemporaries.

[Pressbutan]

I think the advent of the 7000 series makes these pretty redundant unless they’re very inexpensive.

[drblitz]

the way i see it
gaming pc- gaming
macbook pro- entertainment and youtube/web browsing
mini pc-office work

[roqueadeleon]

Always wanted something like this as an emulation machine and media center.

[PhoenixsWorldVideos]

Youtube algorythm is slacking on ur videos for me rnnn, I always gotta search ur channel and see u posted. Lucky I always rember to check. Gotta remind myself to hit that notification bell for once lmao

[tonycollazorappo]

For me, consoles are for gaming and all PCs are for serious work. I don't find constantly upgrading a PC with the fastest and latest hard just to game, some of us are poor. I would get this PC because of the size and the workstation power it has and value. I use only the basics on a PC, which includes office work.

[Bacavoit]

All these type of Mini PCs say they run multiple screens at 4K 60Hz but none say if they are able to run 2 monitors at 2560x1400p at 120Hz each. Is this possible with that iGPU and those ports?

[Zictomorph]

That was a decent knife for pulling off rubber feet 😁. Thanks for the info.

[Raphtor]

Would have liked to hear about emulation performance.

[PrimeRibb]

I got one off Amazon for $200 with 12gb ram and 256gb ssd. Added an internal 1tb had. Good fit for just internet and office stuff.

[seamusmcfitz]

Why don't you mention the HEATING PROBLEM??

[cmd_f]

Cheap mini pc for a netbook style of workload. Spendy single or multifan PC like this for the good stuff: audio and video editing, powerpoint presentations for the church potluck office meeting etc... They're also great servers and programming boxes. Just load some compilers and let the fun begin,

[Exterminator]

Well, what about overheating issues? Mini-PCs have very small cases, which often cause such issues! Next question, what about noise? Without answering these two questions, I don't think we are able to draw right conclusion about the device!

[Steven-bglo]

Does it have built in WiFi or do you have to add it?

[gloomyvale]

Can you plug this into a new tv and play steam games ?

[broderp]

"Not affiliated with the company" but the next sentence you are thanking them for sending you a free PC that you plan to use. Sounds like you are pretty affiliated with them to me.

[SalivatingSteve]

The prices have come down significantly. You can get a mini pc with Ryzen 7000 series, Radeon 780m, 32GB RAM and 1TB SSD for $469 now.