10 Bad Things About Mini PCs

Today we take a look at 10 bad things about Mini PCs. Potential downsides of a mini PC include, limited upgradeability due to its small size, which leads to the next problem with potential overheating issues due to compact size and limited cooling system. Next is limited port selection, because of the small size of a mini pc, company's are limited to the number of ports they can use. Cheap mini pcs are made of plastic and use cheaper unbranded components which could also lead to another problem in driver support. Also a lot of mini pc have custom windows iso with drive already installed, which could lead to issues if you have no source to download windows image if you need to reinstall windows. Deactivating Windows OS is another issues some people have had. Soldered components like CPU could be an issue if something goes wrong with the motherboard, some motherboards are unbranded and not easy to repair or replace. Poor ventilation on some mini pcs are another issue. Some more high-performance models may be significantly more expensive than desktop computers. Thermal management is another issue and with locked BIOS hard to control thermal throttling.

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[thetatoken]

I have several mini pc's and never had any issues but I don't run any games on them. Best bang for the buck in most cases.

[nschulz]

Had my Beelink mini for over a year with no issues conveniently installed on the back of my display monitor. It's only used for web browsing so I'm not pushing it's limit. I've only heard the fan once for about 20 seconds. I'd buy it again.

[AMansTech]

I had one mini PC similar to the one you have. It had a Ryzen 5 5625U and 16GB of RAM. The SSD it came with from the factory only lasted a few months, and was from a no name brand. Swapped that out for an Samsung SSD, but the motherboard ended up frying itself entirely a few months later. Thankfully, I did buy an insurance plan with it, so I was able to return it with a full refund. I’m never buying a mini PC again unless if it’s from a reputable brand.

[edalder]

MiniPCs are laptop parts in a case. They are usually under 1L in volume, so heat and noise are issues shared with laptops. 3 USB ports, and HDMI, DisplayPort ports. I actually got USB powered speakers that have additional USBs on them.

I had a Beelink SER5 for about 2 years. It was a good productivity machine.

I wanted to do some gaming. Titles that are a few year old. I got a SER7 with 780M graphics and a Ryzen 7 7840HS laptop CPU. The 780m is equivalent to a GTX 1060-I think. The Ser7 is all metal and temps are fine.

I would build my own tower if I wanted to do AAA gaming or graphical work because I could set a budget and pick parts for purpose.

[jimstockman]

I bought a Geekom A7 after one of your reviews. I don't game, but I use Sketchup, a fairly graphics intensive program, without issue. When the AX8 came out, I purchased it and now use the A7 as a Plex server. While it's not a problem, I do wish that there were another DP or HDMI port on the back. I have 3 monitors, and it would be nice to free up the type-C port. Also, would like to see a type-C port on the front. The fan can be a bit noisy, but I've gotten used to it and hardly notice it anymore. All of that being said, I'm very satisfied with both. I appreciate your reviews, Brian. Keep up the good work!

[pj]

I have built my desktops in the past and still have two in service. I've had a mini PC form factor in service for about a year (mid-level price range). I don't game and use it for media internet streaming and some video rendering with no issues of consequence to mention. I understood it's limitations going into it and can deal with it's minor short comings, and for my use, I appreciate the small footprint and unobtrusive feature.

[MikeBob]

The *worst* bad thing about mini PCs is that I don't own one.

Yet. 😋


Thanks, Brian! 👍🏼

[MrPirfree]

I've been using mini-pc's for a few years now. The form factor is great as long as you don't need expansion. For general use, such mini-pc's tend to be quiet, and work well.
Most are Beelink's and one or two MinisForum. I used to use an old dell desktop PC; it was very very noisy by comparison. I really didn't realize how much I like the quiet until I turned the dell off; mind you, it had been powered on 24x7 for years. A fair majority of mini-PC's in the "mid" price range tend to be 8 core/16 thread, which is an upgrade from those with older 4 core or 4 core / 8 thread machines. Usually this is in part because one is not just upgrading cores, but upgrading to NVME, and doubling or quadrupling the memory.

So, while there are obviously some bad things about mini-PC's, there are also good things; and overall one has to weigh the advantages over the disadvantages. There's good reasons for both regular PC's and mini-PC's in today's world..

[ylxyegb]

When my tower PC failed, I bought a Lenovo mini PC as a stop gap. In all, I'm reasonably impressed. I've put a 4Tb SSD in, expanded RAM to 32Gb (care is needed for these operations), and my port extenders are now vital. It does slow down a little sometimes, but no heat problems yet; it has good ventilation. I will build a tower PC, and use this as supplementary. It's an exciting experiment for me, though I looked down on them in the past. I always use Ninite to install much of my software, things like the GIMP, LibreOffice. There is so much that can be specified in a Ninite installer, that I no longer feel the same sense of dread that I used to, and I recommend it. I use the free version.

[argetech]

I see nothing bad at all! Ram is upgradable, HD is upgradable, My GMKtec nuc is metal all around! I have 2 HDMI ports and 4 usb 3 ports.
Also has an extra slot for a 2nd m.2 drive! Fits under my monitor. No overheating at all!

[ouijim]

October 2024 I purchased (Amazon $180) GMKTEC G3 N100 Mini PC with Windows 11 Pro. This Windows 11 Pro booted to Local User Account bypassing MS Login Requirement. I like this. I added 256gb M42 SATA SSD and installed latest Ubuntu. Dual Boot Linux Primary Computer is running 24/7 since October until present January 2025. I use it for daily internet browsing, finances, movie streaming and Amateur Radio. Good basic computer for my needs, pretty pleased with its operation. ; )

[gregwolking]

I have a MinisForum U820 that has been in continuous (24/7) service for almost 2 years. I immediately upgraded it to a 2TB WD Blue M.2 SSD, 64GB of DDR4 RAM, and added two internal SATA 2.5" 2TB SSDs. The unit came with Windows 11 Pro on it and has worked without a hitch since day one. It has an Intel Core i5 8279U quad-core (8-thread) CPU at 2.4Ghz. It's my work machine, which I use primarily for remote access into Linux POS systems for tech support. I did add a 7-port self-powered USB hub for more expandability, but that was mainly for convenience. The built-in network, HDMI, and USB (A and C) ports are adequate, but I got the hub for more power-demanding devices (e.g., external 2-bay 2.5"/3.5" SATA "spinning iron" HDDs/SSDs). The cooling fan runs constantly but rarely ramps up to noticeable noise levels. The unit normally runs just slightly warm to the touch, even with the 2 internal SSDs. Have not had any issues with thermal throttling. I almost never have to reboot the thing except when Windows Update requires a restart.

[PoeLemic]

Very good points. Thanks for helping us understand what might be an issue if we get one of these mini-PC's. To me, it's amazing how powerful some of those Mini's are, along w/small size.

[jimw]

my mini pc won the award for best cooling. Its also very much silent. Its the minisforum NAB900

[snoot]

I've read somewhere that these computers tend to fail only after a year of usage, be it the processor cooler, ram or motherboard.

[tony--james]

my brother had one of these, mini PCs, Intel NUC 11 Mini PC Intel Celeron N5105 4 Cores 4 Threads Up to 2.9 GHz - Win 11 Pro, it lasted 3-4 weeks, then cooked itself, I should add, he wasn't using it for gaming, and he was able to return it,

[mordechai]

The first thing befors buying one is to check that the manufacturer website has a windows usb iso image with the drivers built in.
2nd point : prefer dual fan layout.
3rd point : always prefer plastic cases for best wifi reception.

[lsepolis]

Can you do a video: is it better to buy a mini-PC newly released or buy a used Workstation tower 5-10 years old, for use as a Software Development PC...?

[obtrunco]

Also it’s good to look out for it having a good BIOS. I bought a barebones one which came with an Asus like BIOS which offers great features.

[excollier]

Just came across this video. I bought a Geekom A5 last year (my old desktop finally died). It came with Windows 11, I wiped that, upgraded the M.2 drive to a 1TB also added a 512 GB SSD. Now dual booting MX Linux and LMDE, runs beautifully