Mini Desktops... Could any be worthy of being a daily driver?

[Senorcat7]

My first LTT post! =D

Try to imagine it with me:

A computer small enough to chill on the corner of your desk, yet drive a full HD display and do the dirty work a decent tower can without a hitch. Paradise!

We all know of the mini desktops, we know their prices and see their small, appealing size. But the hardware always disappoints as much as the price. We all shun them; the price heads for the clouds as the package grows smaller, and we are footing the bill for the novelty with little return.

 

VivoPC VM62N

Top Spec: i5-4210U Processor with GeForce 820M 1GB

$600 USD

 

HP Stream Pavilion

Top Spec: 1.9GHz Intel Core i3-4025U with HD Graphics 4400

$320 USD

NUC5I5RYK

Top Spec: i5-5250U Processor with HD Graphics 6000

$376 USD

 

Linus thrashed the performance of the ambitious Gigabyte Brix BXi5G3-760 for being obnoxiously loud, and performing poorly by failing to stretch the legs of its Desktop GTX760. Nobody likes a nice, heavy thermal throttle to rain on their parade!

We all shared  universal disappointment to see the poor outcome of a potentially brilliant computer, yet I see hope on the horizon.

 

The NUC isn't brilliantly powerful, it never truly has been. Yet with Intel's Broadwell U class i7 powering the new NUC5i7RYH, Is there a chance people like me could spend the ~$500 for one of these and still live a productive desktop life, while still being able to launch a game and actually enjoy the experience?

The Broadwell U processor isn't encouraging, the "U" might as well stand for "U wanted more?"

Not to mention the i7-5557U's low TDP of 28W, but that might just be thanks to broadwell's process. And iris 6100 might have what it takes to run games. Trust me, I know it's not enthusiast, that's not the point. But the i5-5250U leaves a lot to be desired, and seeing how this i7 NUC targets people like me, things are getting interesting.

 

 

I would love to hear thoughts and opinons about everything above.

[thekeemo]

internet/streaming machines nothing else

[Totallycasual]

My little 250D is small enough for me  

[c3p0_]

Would be an update for an old fashioned tv to make it "smart" or for someone who only does browsing, documents with no space under the desc. Otherwise no justify for that tablet wise performance compared to a regular system. itx also has a small footprint and performs as good as a fullsize gamingtower.

 

To be honest I think they are useless for most of us on here 

[paprikman]

Could be a nice office machine for some accountatns and etc, 'cause lots of office machines are so damn slow and LOUD as a boeing.

[Phillyphries]

Great HTPC's

 

You should have a main rig for game streaming anyways + a gigabit network at home if you want to play games on a very small machine.

 

As for streaming movies, and using WMC, it's perfect.

[Geekazoid]

I wonder what inspired the creation of these mini PCs?

*cough*Mac Mini*cough* JK

[Swndlr]

if youre using them as light work pc's for things like word processing and browsing and other stuff like that then yeh, but there are still a lot of things they need to work out until i would consider buying one for the living room or something like that

[TheMidnightNarwhal]

My little 250D is small enough for me

 

Same

[TheMidnightNarwhal]

I wonder what inspired the creation of these mini PCs?

*cough*Mac Mini*cough* JK

 

*cough* Linus *cough*

[Senorcat7]

internet/streaming machines nothing else

If these machines are still improved as time goes on, and they become more and more powerful and better designed, would you still say that?

That's what I'm saying about the i7 NUC, and the Gigabyte Brix, they are becoming more than just surf-boxes.

 

I wonder what inspired the creation of these mini PCs?

*cough*Mac Mini*cough* JK

You're not wrong though! =D

Seriously, where else would the insipration come from? The thing is, the mac mini doesn't come in any variant with a decent chunk of horsepower.

[thekeemo]

If these machines are still improved as time goes on, and they become more and more powerful and better designed, would you still say that?

That's what I'm saying about the i7 NUC, and the Gigabyte Brix, they are becoming more than just surf-boxes.

 

You're not wrong though! =D

Seriously, where else would the insipration come from? The thing is, the mac mini doesn't come in any variant with a decent chunk of horsepower. I

the brix sure can game but most mini systems no in the future yes

[Geekazoid]

You're not wrong though! =D

Seriously, where else would the insipration come from? The thing is, the mac mini doesn't come in any variant with a decent chunk of horsepower.

Yeah, I was mainly being silly, but that's where I believe the inspiration for these Mini PCs did actually come from.

[Geekazoid]

Linus

LOL. :lol:

[Geekazoid]

if youre using them as light work pc's for things like word processing and browsing and other stuff like that then yeh, but there are still a lot of things they need to work out until i would consider buying one for the living room or something like that

I 100% agree mate!

[Tiby]

Use my 250D as my daily driver without having any second thoughts of making this decision (mind you I was aware from the start that there will be some downsides to it, mostly regarding prices and availability .. AMD I am looking at you here).

250D is still big for this (but I wanted more then decent cooling in it and a full size PSU) but there are smaller options out there.

Will others buy into this .. don't think so.. Which one in their right mind will pay 100 bucks for a tin can when there are nice big cases out there in the same price range.. The prices of motherboards that fit into is also high because most of them come with integrated wifi and dual ethernet port which in all honesty apart from HTPC you don't need it. The time you invest into building this is also much higher than your regular ATX build and unlike ATX builds, here you don't get much room for fitting all types of components.

The OEM versions are usually smaller but don't come with your regular CPU and GPU options. They are actually their mobile versions that are no longer fitted in a laptop but a shinny tin can you can put somewhere. For streaming should say is a very good solution (even though now you also have tablets that do this very well).

I sure hope the manufacturers will invest more in building components for this form factor, but right now it's either you like it or don't like it.

[techguru]

just so everyone here knows...no NUC is ment for gaming...and its retarded to think of them as that

they are office pc's...HTPC...streaming boxes....netflix..servers..upgrade of a dumb tv to smart tv...etc....

not everything has to be about gaming

[vanman69]

You could daily drive one for anything but gaming. For right now, none of these types of computers have the cooling capacity for a good GPU. Even a laptop has more surface area than one of these, which makes it easier to cool things like a mobile GPU. The mini desktops just don't have the area to provide adequate cooling yet.

[Techdude154]

I really like the intel NUCs and their IRIS graphics have really come a long way. They could be used as a daily driver for just about anything that doesn't require a GPU and would make a good way to save space.

 

Plus it's fun to take the sound thing out of the box and stick them to various drawers like I saw someone on youtube do.

[slightlyjaded]

Proper application of technology. If you're using a nuc for GTA V then you're doing it wrong. These are decent computers with a miniscule form factor, they're not meant to replace your sli 980 rig. They're meant to hook up to your TV and replace a console (albeit at less than optimum settings) or used as a HTPC replacement.

 

If you need something more, try using it as a node with a remote, and far more powerful computer..

[TwOne]

I'd say these are great for general/home and office use, especially if space is an issue. For gaming (and other heavy workloads) however, I think miniITX even has a bit more to go before we can think about tiny gaming PCs.