mini PC Recomendations

[bjstare]

I'm looking to get a mini pc (like a mac mini, but I don't want a mac), and I'm looking for recommendations on:

- the pc itself
- wireless keyboard
- wireless trackpad

I won't be doing any gaming with this, the purpose is to always be plugged into my TV. I will be using it to stream things, watch downloaded content, possibly do some torrenting, etc.

I don't have a strict budget, but I want good value. It doesn't need to be high-end whatsoever, as I'll never be gaming or anything with it.

TIA!

[schocker]

I would just get a nuc if you want really small:
http://www.memoryexpress.com/Search/Products?Search=nuc
You need to supply keyboard/mouse, hard drive, ram and operating system.
There are also other mini ones available but I only have use the nucs
http://www.memoryexpress.com/Category/DesktopComputers?FilterID=b575a46d-6e69-9b31-ff7b-16d8b94af235
Not sure if that is too small as obviously the costs go up as you go smaller but you could also build something in mini-itx size which I believe this is one of the smaller cases:
http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/MX60418
Dimensions 370 x 380 x 87mm

[D'z Nutz]

The price and size of this Lenovo ThinkCentre caught my eye a couple weeks ago. You'd need an HDMI adapter if you're hooking it up to your tv though.
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=139640

If you're just using it for media, a Raspberry Pi 3 is also an option.

[speedog]

The small size of some of these computers is just amazing and they are also more than capable of being adequate for probably well over 90% of home desktop users. Personally, I do not see the need of a standard computer case in our home ever again and in fact, the last PC we bought was a small form factor unit that is considerably smaller than a standard case.

[revelations]

I've setup about a dozen of these various mini units for clients.

Never again, moving parts - fanless.

https://www.amazon.ca/MINIX-NGC-1-Braswell-Fanless-Windows/dp/B01BGBENA4/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1492877022&sr=8-7&keywords=mini+pc+fanless

https://www.amazon.ca/Partaker-Rs232-Fanless-Desktop-Computer/dp/B00XORNLPM/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1492877022&sr=8-14&keywords=mini+pc+fanless

[bjstare]

Thanks guys.

I like that Minix one revelations posted, preloaded with Windows, etc. Is there a reason you suggested that one out of the many other Minix options?

Also, they offer a really inexpensive wireless keyboard/touchpad that seems to have ok reviews. https://www.amazon.ca/Wireless-Keyboard-Touchpad-Directly-Technology/dp/B01N6LVM52/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1493015388&sr=1-1&keywords=minix+neo+k2

[Xaroxantu Zero]

One thing to note is that if you plan to watch Netflix at 4K via Windows, then you'll need a PC that uses a Kaby Lake CPU. The best value processor you can get right now is the Pentium G4560, which is currently on sale for $79.99 (https://www.mikescomputershop.com/product/8119836). I'm currently preparing for an ITX build with this, and it should only cost about $500 in total (not including keyboard & mouse).

[revelations]

Originally posted by cjblair
Thanks guys.

I like that Minix one revelations posted, preloaded with Windows, etc. Is there a reason you suggested that one out of the many other Minix options?

Also, they offer a really inexpensive wireless keyboard/touchpad that seems to have ok reviews. https://www.amazon.ca/Wireless-Keyboard-Touchpad-Directly-Technology/dp/B01N6LVM52/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1493015388&sr=1-1&keywords=minix+neo+k2

No I just chose a few at random - just to indicate the prices and specs of the units.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Strictly for media consumption and streaming, this is the obvious choice:

http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/MX64888

If you want more downloading and have something with Windows and reasonable specs, this would be pretty well perfect IMHO and it's a tiny 8" X 10" cube:

https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/list/TPwmHN

You could also put on an older copy of windows and save another 20%. Obviously you can still tweak that build either way a little bit but for the price it's awesome.

I was looking at them myself for a secondary PC in the house and it's amazing the value you can get right now.

[bjstare]

Originally posted by Mitsu3000gt
Strictly for media consumption and streaming, this is the obvious choice:

http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/MX64888

If you want more downloading and have something with Windows and reasonable specs, this would be pretty well perfect IMHO and it's a tiny 8" X 10" cube:

https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/list/TPwmHN

You could also put on an older copy of windows and save another 20%. Obviously you can still tweak that build either way a little bit but for the price it's awesome.

I was looking at them myself for a secondary PC in the house and it's amazing the value you can get right now.

I want something pretty much exactly between those two. I don't need much power at all, and would rather have something more compact than 8x10 cube.

Won't be streaming 4k in the forseeable future, so that's not an issue either way.


Thanks for the suggestions! If anything else comes to mind, I'd appreciate more feedback.

[spike98]

Originally posted by cjblair
Won't be streaming 4k in the forseeable future, so that's not an issue either way.

Then you can even save my going with the MiBox. Unless windows is a must, if you dont need 4k its the best option.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Originally posted by cjblair


I want something pretty much exactly between those two. I don't need much power at all, and would rather have something more compact than 8x10 cube.

Won't be streaming 4k in the forseeable future, so that's not an issue either way.


Thanks for the suggestions! If anything else comes to mind, I'd appreciate more feedback.

If you already own a computer, I would just use that for your torrents and grab an Nvidia shield. Everything streams wirelessly and perfectly. It's also super small and the remote doesn't need line of sight so you can hide it. You get the fastest and most polished support for Plex, Netflix, and Kodi that I've ever come across as well. As long as your computer is on, you will have full access to everything. Getting a slow mini-pc for torrenting seems unnecessary if you already have a pc or laptop in the house, and everything else the Shield will handle. As a bonus you get 4K and other future-proofing.

[Hero_X]

I second Mitsu! The Nvidia shield is a beast and it can do so much!

If you want a very cost effective solution, I'd say Raspberry Pi would be a great option. It's fairly easy to set up and is often used for media streaming.

[ZenOps]

You could always just get a cheap laptop.

Celeron N will be ok for everything but 4K content, they are basically throwing in Windows 10 for free nowadays anyhow. Around the same $200 price as a non upgradable video mini ITX, with the advantage of having a screen, battery, keyboard and pointing device built in.

[Xtrema]

Logitech K400 is a decent keyboard/trakpad combo that always go on sale between $25-$30.

I 2nd Mitsu's Shield idea. You really don't need a PC connected to TV any more for media consumption any more. You just need a Windows machine in you home network somewhere as a media server.

[Mar]

We use these at work, they're amazing:

Intel Computestick ($190 at Memory Express)
http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/MX62102

http://media.memoryexpress.com/Assets/Products/MX62102/intel_compute_stick_boxstk1aw32sc_0.jpg

Lenovo Ideacentre 300 ($130 at Memory Express)
http://www3.lenovo.com/ca/en/desktops/ideacentre/stick-300/?gclid=CKyiqvnnw9MCFYZXDQodydsO9A&cid=ca:sem|se|google|All_Products|NX_Lenovo_All_Products_DSA&ef_id=WOW5tAAAAHoX6tFF:20170427043613:s

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/91Yv6sjPs3L._SL1500_.jpg