i did not realise this, sorry
was referring to the mac mini, though
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Fan-less silent PC
- Thread starter rwortman
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was referring to the mac mini, though
Ogremic
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Yeah, macmini is different. Still, a external ssd is tiny and can have a lot of storage space. If I would be in dedobots position, I would not build the pc he is asking. A miniPC is cheaper, quieter, small, beautiful. Only if I wanted gamimg, I would go for building a discreet parts desktop, to have a graphics card. Else, if my silent pc failed today, I'd get the Beelink SER9 and be done with it. Powerful CPU, nice GPU, quiet, small. Without a doubt. And I value silence, hence build the Streacom fc8 pc in 2021 with a AMD 5700G that I still have, but beelink really did a nice job with cooling solution on the SER8-9 that I could buy those in a pinch
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somebodyelse
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I agree with @Ogremic - video playback isn't that demanding when the GPU is doing the decode, let alone audio. Even an N100 can handle it at 4k - see for example https://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=375492. Depending on how retro your gaming is it might be ok for that too.
I'd also consider trying LibreELEC on your existing hardware given Windows 11 support seems to be the only problem. Or perhaps SteamOS plus Kodi if you want more gaming options.
I'd also consider trying LibreELEC on your existing hardware given Windows 11 support seems to be the only problem. Or perhaps SteamOS plus Kodi if you want more gaming options.
charlielaub
Active Member
Why restrict yourself to Intel? It's lagging AMD these days... the Windoze OS could care less which you use. A budget of £1k is very high for what you need (not including mouse, keyboard, and monitor).
Your current CPU is quite slow compared to current products out there. I like to use the web site https://www.cpubenchmark.net/compare/ to compare the performance of different CPUs in a system, and get an idea of GPU performance. Your older i5 has a CPU rating of 4962, while a Raspberry Pi 5 earns a mark of 3284 can do 4k@60Hz and costs like $65 (although I would not suggest you buy one). You could basically get any low-powered mini PC (even with a CPU that is a couple of generations old) and as long as it would support 4k video it will probably be just as fast as your current machine. You do not need any more than 16GB memory but a 1TB drive is worth the small upgrade cost.
IMHO it is not worth the cost penalty to get a true fanless system. Computers are consumables and should be expected to last 5-6 years at most. Look for one with a "silent" fan and a CPU with a TDP (typical max heat generation) of no more than about 45W and you will never hear the fan. I have a 45W system 2 feet from my head and I never hear the fan unless I am really making all cores work hard, for example doing complicated scientific calculations.
If it was up to me, a system with one of the following CPUs could work nicely for you:
Ryzen 9 6900HX:
45W TDP, has a CPU rating five times more than your current computer
Example system: https://www.minisforum.uk/products/elitemini-hx90g
My own system is from Minisforum and uses the 5900HX, which has a lesser GPU compared to the 6900HX. Well under your budget. Small and quiet.
Ryzen 7 8745HS:
45W TDP, has a CPU rating six times more than your current computer
Example system: https://www.bee-link.com/en-de/products/beelink-ser8-8745hs?_pos=2&_fid=10c66655a&_ss=c
Beelink is a reputable company for mini PCs but I do not have any personal experience with the SER8 platform
These are just a couple of examples to think about. Beelink offers the SEi series if you are fixated on Intel products.
Steve Dallas
Major Contributor
What is the message you get from Windows Update RE Windows 11 compatibility?
Much of the time, it is a TPM error. Many PCs have TPM on the motherboard, but it is not turned on by default. You can boot into the BIOS and turn it on. Then Windows Update is happy.
If your PC does not have TPM, there is a registry setting you can add to turn off the requirement for it.
Jimster480
Major Contributor
Z There are a few misconceptions here. You definitely do not need to drop Windows 10 before the official support time ends. In fact, you can keep it for eight more years as they have a support through 2032 for enterprises and these patches will trickle down to everybody else. Secondly, Intel-based systems should be avoided today as Intel has been a disaster...
They have had far too many chips fail in the last years... If you aren't playing games, iGPU definitely is enough today as you can easily game on an iGPU. The rest of what you mentioned can be done on Any system.
there is indeed a mention of the TPM settings, which i cannot find in my bios.
but it also states that my cpu is not supported on win11.
having read the replies so far, i am happy to go down the Ryzen route instead of intel.
have just noticed that my current pc is in fact 11 years old now (dont know where that time went!!), so i am keen to update.
with these mini pc's that have been suggested, do they have just a single hard drive? as opposed to system drive and storage drive for example.
have just noticed that my current pc is in fact 11 years old now (dont know where that time went!!), so i am keen to update.
with these mini pc's that have been suggested, do they have just a single hard drive? as opposed to system drive and storage drive for example.
Ogremic
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The SER8 AND SER9, both Beelink that I suggested have 2 drives, one would be safe for a system drive, second for music/film/games. Both are unde 1000€, seeing you keep your pc for a long time, I'd get the newest one.
I would not agree with the silent pc not being a good route. In the case of a long lasting system, I'd argue that is it's main benefit, as there are no moving parts and there is less dust circulation, less points of failure. I guess my pc will be nice 5 years from now and I've already been having it since January 2021 (started as a 4650G and morphed into 5700G when it was available, as that was my desired cpu) . If you need something small, I'd just get the miniPC but if you want to build something, you can get a Streacom case, or Hdplex and build a completely silent pc, but it's bulkier, heavier, and costs more.
Edit: https://www.bee-link.com/products/beelink-ser9-ai-9-hx-370
It's even having a 50€ coupon, bringing it to 900€
I would not agree with the silent pc not being a good route. In the case of a long lasting system, I'd argue that is it's main benefit, as there are no moving parts and there is less dust circulation, less points of failure. I guess my pc will be nice 5 years from now and I've already been having it since January 2021 (started as a 4650G and morphed into 5700G when it was available, as that was my desired cpu) . If you need something small, I'd just get the miniPC but if you want to build something, you can get a Streacom case, or Hdplex and build a completely silent pc, but it's bulkier, heavier, and costs more.
Edit: https://www.bee-link.com/products/beelink-ser9-ai-9-hx-370
It's even having a 50€ coupon, bringing it to 900€
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anome
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Hardkernel odroid H4 series are worth a look, the ultra at TDP 15W
Petrushka
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I have an elderly BeeLink i3, and just had to clean the dust out of the fan. I disassembled it, which wasn’t as easy as it should have been. Next time I’ll jus use canned air.
Jimster480
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Personally, if you don't have a space constraint, I would not really waste your time with a mini PC. You can build some of the smaller systems out there for a very low price. But mini PC is definitely restricted in terms of upgradability and total storage.
It's mostly to have a small setup that some people consider looks clean versus a tower. But the reality is that even a small tower has way more options than that of a mini PC.
I own several mini PCs and a few of them are co-located for server usage. They can definitely be good options. However, something like an AS Rock desk mini or its larger counterpart, which I believe is a desk mate, is much more flexible and allows for upgradability.
Building a smaller PC offers much more upgradability throughout time. While everything he does is definitely possible to do with Zen 2 or Zen 3 being systems, it is definitely beneficial for him to build something on the AM5 platform, considering that he will still have upgradability for the next year or two, meaning that in the future he will be able to upgrade his system.
My gaming PC today is still rocking a MSI Carbon X370, which I purchased in early 2018. So it is literally seven years old now. It is running a 5800X3D with an RX 7900X. The gaming performance versus the best flagships on the market is only about 10% down.
Since he has mentioned wanting to store music globally, it would be better for him to have a large SSD and then possibly a hard drive for backup.
Ogremic
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I agree with the upgrability part but in his case that is not needed. He has the same sistem for 11 years, his compute needs are so low that even a N100 system would work. And if he wanted, he would have done it but... He didn't.
Any pc from Beelink would work for him. I'd personally get the newest ones because of longer life.
Any pc from Beelink would work for him. I'd personally get the newest ones because of longer life.
Jimster480
Major Contributor
The N100 would actually be slower than his system sometimes. Even if he could get away with an N100 setup lol
I have the 3rd one as my "mini workstation" with a 9600x, 32GB Ram, 2TB SSD, Thermalright x36 cooler
i am still edging towards a traditional tower system.
could build myself , as i have before, but i just dont want to.
flat out with work and little spare time.
in the past i have had various bits fail on my pc and always managed to fix myself.
had usb ports fail, are these easily changed on a mini?
considering this...
just going to price up individual parts, out of curiosity, to see how much i would be paying for the build/warranty.
i forgot i will also need an optical drive for ripping my cd's, i know there are external usb drives but i like the convenience of having it built in.
and yes i am a dinosaur!
could build myself , as i have before, but i just dont want to.
flat out with work and little spare time.
in the past i have had various bits fail on my pc and always managed to fix myself.
had usb ports fail, are these easily changed on a mini?
considering this...
just going to price up individual parts, out of curiosity, to see how much i would be paying for the build/warranty.
i forgot i will also need an optical drive for ripping my cd's, i know there are external usb drives but i like the convenience of having it built in.
and yes i am a dinosaur!
charlielaub
Active Member
I think that the "right" approach depends on what you envision the future use case to be for your computer and how long you really think you need to keep it around. My personal opinion is that computers are now "cheap consumables". This does not mean they are "crap", but rather are commodity items and not super special electronics. I feel the same way about DACs, for some comparison to the audio world... Computing power evolved rapidly, and after 5-6 years today's systems will already be getting slow even if you buy a "fast one" now. For that reason my personal approach is to get a middle tier system that will last about 4 to 5 years and does not cost too much. This period of time is not so long that components will need to be replaced. Instead after 4-5 years you again buy a middle tier system. In this way you immediately get a boost in performance in CPU and GPU and everything about the system is new again. This does require migration of programs and data, but to me that is not so terrible and flushing out all these old apps and programs that I no longer use is a great exercise to do every few years. On top of that, you can still keep the old system around in case you need that one obscure program that is no longer available, etc. For example I had for about 8 years an old Win10 mini tower system in the closet so that I could fire up an old DOS program.
Anyway, my perspective is certainly different from others who are posting in this thread. It may or may not suit you. I just don't personally see the merit in planning for and buying an expensive computer system that may last a long time but will just be very much behind the times for the last half of its lifetime.
Anyway, my perspective is certainly different from others who are posting in this thread. It may or may not suit you. I just don't personally see the merit in planning for and buying an expensive computer system that may last a long time but will just be very much behind the times for the last half of its lifetime.
Ogremic
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It all depends on the allocated budget, preferences and needs. I'd get a small miniPC and a USB CD drive to use it only when needed (as I do now, I actually have a DVD drive that collects dust in a drawer and that I use it maybe once, twice a year... And do not want to have it in the system, occupying space.
He wants a traditional tower desktop. It's his own money, so we can only offer advice from our pov. My preference is for miniPC because it's already built, it's functional, quiet and takes as little space as possible. I'd get a 560€ SER8 OR 850€ SER9 (and as you said, in 5 years see if it's needing a replacement I'd do that).
He wants a traditional tower desktop. It's his own money, so we can only offer advice from our pov. My preference is for miniPC because it's already built, it's functional, quiet and takes as little space as possible. I'd get a 560€ SER8 OR 850€ SER9 (and as you said, in 5 years see if it's needing a replacement I'd do that).
i have no arguement against this at all.
though i see the system from Scan as middle tier.
its neither cheap or high end.
Ogremic
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Might be possible but I'd bet that after, say 5 years it's gonna be next to impossible as they've moved from building that specific miniPC. Some I see are going for modularity (yeah, Bee-link
) ) but others are still on the mainboard. So... I'd still use the assumption that no, it is not replaceble