Yes!

I was annoyed with the constant fan ramping on my 4800u genmachine device.

So I pulled the cooling system, that I previously lapped and repeated with better thermal paste, bought an old cooler with longer heatpipes, removed the mounting hardware, went at the base with a grinder and dremel, and some "delicate" filing for detail work. Cut a bit of a hole in the case, seated the heatsink with new thermal paste (weight only for now).

Ran some cinebench tests. Even upped the power to 45w in the bios and now she runs cool, no thermal throttling and pulling over 2100 on cinebench multicore. Max temp on cpu below 70 degrees C, mostly hanging about at 50 degrees C.

Just need to make a couple of little brackets to pull the heatpipes lightly into the socket to stop a cat knocking if off the die :D

No more ramping, higher power, lower temps and nothing but the gentle hum of an 80mm 5v ran running from USB.

I am tempted to use the header from the motherboard and splice in a low current 12v 80mm fan and play with the fan curves for even more quiet!!

I've been wanting to get BL4 for the longest time, and I haven't had the hardware to actually play it. Is there a mini pc that can do that, and if so, what would it be and how much would it cost?

Alternatively, any other decent budget choice will also work; I just want the ability to have a sit-down console experience with the benefits of a pc (wanted a Steam Machine, but that's a bit pricey)

Hey r/MiniPCs,

I'm looking at pulling the trigger on the GMKtec M6 Ultra (Ryzen 5 7640HS, 32GB DDR5, 1TB NVMe) currently listed on Amazon UK for ~£501.

My plan is to use this as a compact primary workstation running Zorin OS. Daily workloads will be:

• Productivity & Media: Web browsing on Zen Browser, 1080p YouTube playback, CD/FLAC audio ripping.
• Virtualization: Running 1–2 background VMs simultaneously via VMware Workstation / VirtualBox.
• Emulation: PS2 (PCSX2) and Xbox 360 via Xenia Canary, specifically targeting racing titles (Forza Motorsport 4, Forza Horizon 1/2, and Need for Speed classics).

I intend to put the unit through a strict Day 1 stress testing protocol (MemTest86, 30-45min s-tui CPU loops, Unigine Superposition, and NVMe SMART checks) to catch any early silicon/thermal defects while in the Amazon return window.

For anyone with hands-on experience with the M6 Ultra or similar Zen 4 / RDNA 3 boxes:

1. DOA & Long-Term Reliability: How has GMKtec’s QC held up on these Zen 4 units over time? If it survives initial stress tests, are there hidden motherboard or VRM issues to watch out for down the road?
2. Stock Thermals & Fan Noise under Linux: How is the dual-fan setup during sustained heavy loads? Does the stock fan curve behave reasonably under Linux kernel 6.x+, or is a custom BIOS fan profile edit necessary to prevent aggressive ramping?
3. 760M Performance for X360 Emulation: I plan to run Xenia Canary via Proton at 1080p (or 720p native buffer) with a 30 FPS or 60 FPS cap via Gamescope. Does the 6-core 7640HS + Radeon 760M hold its own well under Ubuntu/Zorin base compared to 780M models?
4. Value at £501: Configured with 32GB DDR5 and a 1TB SSD out of the box, is there anything under £550 in the UK market right now that beats this for a dedicated Linux mini PC?

Appreciate any insights, benchmark expectations, or setting tips!

Hello redditors,

I've been plugging away with a (now old) M2 version of this mini pc brand and it works well. But the fan is SO loud. I've searched for product replacements with uncertainty, and I've seen amazing case mods, even 3D prints, but they don't work for this specific model. M2 has the fan under the top of the box, not the bottom, so it requires disassembly and inversion to reach (whereas newer models you can remove the bottom plate and it's right there).

I'm not handy and I don't have soldering tools. What would you recommend: replace the fan with a similar one or destroy the case altogether?

Not sure what setting has changed on my GMTEK K8+, but my CORE Boost is now not exceeding 3.7Ghz, even in a single CORE 'bench or stress test'. I don't recall changing any BIOS settings.. POWER is set to 'PERFORMANCE'. When I originally purchased it, & bench tested it with 3DMark, CineBench & GeekBench_7, it was getting much higher scores & CORE Clock frequency than it is currently.

Windows system 'CMD' indicates Power is set to 'Balanced' as does HWINFO64 (50% Balanced). There is no Thermal, Current or Power throttling on the CPU (via HWINFO64) - temps, even during 'bench' or 'Stress' tests don't exceed 50C.

Memory & iGPU temps are low. iGPU (780M) bench test maxes out @ 2700 Mhz - no Thermal or Power Throttle, just CURRENT.

Windows System Power Plan is = BALANCED (I can't set it higher) PPM is set to 5% = Minimum Processor state. 100% = Maximum Processor State.

I've tested it with Passmark 'Burn Test_11' complete range of 'bench & stability' tests.. which it passed. Max power draw on extreme test was 71KW, no thermal, power or current THROTTLING. Max Core Clocks were just above 3670Mhz & iGPU 2700Mhz. Core Temps never exceeded 74C - CPU fan was about 2800rpm.

K8+NUC = Operating System: Microsoft Windows 11 Professional (x64) Build 26200.9168 (25H2)

BIOS Version: NucBox K8 Plus 1.01 BIOS Release Date: 10/12/2024

System BIOS Version: 5.29

64GB Kingston HyperX DDR5 5600 / 2x Samsung 990Pro_1TB (2nd party heatsink) & 2TB version (Samsung heatsink). System fan replaced with 5V Noctua premium NF-A12x25 PWM, so very cool running.

Any ideas folks?

Hi, I have Xbox Ally X for gaming and docked as main pc. I use it with monitor and xr glasses, play with steam controller, so build controllers and screen is unnecessary. I thinking about selling it and mini pc that don’t look like a toy, but its same or better in performance. Would use it with power bank, build battery would be huuuge benefit.
Any suggestions? What is best way to do it? budget smth like 1000$

Hi, my parents (UK based) now need to upgrade their PC because of Win11 upgrade and their year of additional updates is soon to end.

Main uses: General home Outlook, Excel, office use and browsing etc. Grandkids might also use it for homework in a couple of years.

Im thinking specs along these lines:

SIZE: Mini pc or Small Form Factor

Preferred brands: Lenovo, Msi, Dell.

Also open to other brands but trying to avoid cheep build quality, and dont like HP domestic products.

CPU: Intel i5

RAM: 16GB

STORAGE: 1TB SSD

GRAPHICS: 1920 X 1080 (1440p with 120fps would be nice but not essential).

Bluetooth would be nice. Wifi not essential.

Budget: £500 to £1000

Do you know of any PCs or retailers that would fit that spec?

Thanks in adance for any suggestions!

i bought the Geekom Ax8 max, after what I thought was intensive research with goals in my mind. I wanted to play sims atleast on medium - mediu/low settings. But with lots of DLC and mods. Usqually my mods folder is less than 100gb it never reaches 100gb exactly and want to use Gshaders. I been trying for days to get my game to run smoothly and now it’s to the point I’m considering returning it. I upgraded my ram in hopes to fix my situation from 16gb to 32gb But lagging still permits. I also have my mods on an SSD drive in hopes that it would lighten my pc up a bit. Also on Amazon it’s listed as a “frequently returned“ item. I don’t wanna give up on this pc yet. But would like to know good affordable options, and even just how to fix my problem. I also experience weird lags like my mouse glitchy and not showing sometones and delayed keyboard typing.

please if anyone can help me. with any knowledge on how to make my pc better, recommend settings, whether I should return it, or if you have mini pcs that would recommend for moderete sims 4 gaming that is affordable.

Estoy creando mi setup y estoy observando mucho la asus nuc 14 pro+, me gusta bastante su diseño y su características, el punto negativo es por el precio ya que me podría comprar también una Geekom, pero el diseño de esta nuc me fascina, entonces no sabría qué elegir.

Checkout the results on a repaste with PTM7950 on my Ryzen 7 8840u 8C/16T/32gb system. almost a 30% increase in performance and 20C drop in temps.

RAM is sold out for the next 5 years. Prices already 5 times what they were a year ago. Even used or old equipment prices are starting to climb. If you're trying to make a plan, you'd better do it sooner than later -- https://wccftech.com/samsung-locks-70-of-memory-capacity-into-2031-deals-long-term-hbm-deals-run-5x-cheaper-than-spot-as-ai-demand-chokes-the-dram-market/

I am looking to build a new mini pc for a small lab. My basic needs:

- 2 rj45 ports

- 16 gb ram

- 128 gb ssd

It will be accessible via network, don't care much about gaming, or media center. I may couple it with a NAS at a late point.

Looking to spend upto $400 and help a 10 year old how to build it.

Not looking to buy a used sff/mini pc from ebay or marketplace. Not looking for a raspberry pi.

I looked at protectli and other systems, but it would be pre-built.

Any recommendations?

vorrei comprarmi un mini pc per un gaming leggero, budget 350€

So I want to start gaming on pc and thought I'd get a mini pc, but I'm horribly confused by all them letters and numbers. I don't plan on being a hardcore gamer, I just want to play games I can't get on my switch and need a budget friendly recommendation by someone who's far more well versed in gaming stuff than me.

Some games I wanna play:

Rdr 1, 2 and online

Baldurs Gate 3

The Sims (with mods and cc)

Hogwarts legacy (with mods)

Assassin's creed black flag

Windrose

Eden Ring

Alice: madness returns

I also dunno what else I need if I decide on a mini pc so I'm thankful for any further advice.

(Please don't come for my uneducated ass lol)

Hello everyone! My nephew’s birthday is coming up, and he’s really into gaming; especially games like Grand Theft Auto. He doesn’t have a father figure in his life, so I’m trying to step up and get him something he’ll genuinely enjoy. He’s also pretty knowledgeable when it comes to electronics, so I’m a little out of my depth here. I’ve been doing some research on my own, but I figured I’d ask for some advice from people who know more about this than I do. I’m essentially looking for a compact gaming PC or tower that offers the best possible performance for the money. My terminology may not be completely accurate, so I apologize in advance, but I’d really appreciate any recommendations or guidance on what specifications I should be looking for. Thank you!

A couple years ago I saw some promotional content for the GEEKOM computers and it intrigued by interest as I noticed how well it performed for it's price. I'm not looking to run cyberpunk or anything, I just want to know if the GEEKOM A6 is a good choice. How do the graphics work for it? Do I need to install an external GPU? Does it fare well against other PCs. If the A6 is not a good choice, are there any other PCs in the similar price range that perform well?

Another Free Mini PC Giveaway!! For those of you who have entered in the past there is no need to re-enter - for those that haven't see the rules below:

Specs:
HP EliteDesk 705 G1 DM – M5Z83UP#ABA
AMD A8 PRO-7600B R7, 3.1 GHz
Hewlett-Packard 225E
256 GB SATA SSD – LITEON IT LCS-256L9S-HP
8 GB (1 x 8 GB PC3-12800 DDR3)
AMD Radeon R7 Series
Broadcom BCM5762 NetXtreme PCI-E
Intel Dual Band Wireless-N 7260 AGN
ATI/AMD Kaveri – High Definition Audio Controller

Rules and How to Enter

1. You must be in the United States or have a US Mail Service that delivers to your country
2. Check website for Dates to see if a Micro/Mini/SFF PC giveaway is ongoing
3. Subscribe to my YouTube channel here
4. Provide evidence that you have Subscribed by contacting me with your a screenshot - Example here. Choose any of these: a) Email: giveaway@digitaljoshua.com (Make sure you whitelist emails from DigitalJoshua.com and check your spam/junk folders for my reply) b) Reddit Msg/Chat: https://www.reddit.com/user/joshuamarius/ c) LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuamarius/
5. If you have been selected to receive the Mini PC on the day the giveaway expires, I will provide you the shipping details and you can use UPS, Fedex, or USPS to provide me with a shipping label. The PC will ship from Bradenton, FL 34205
6. I will then close that Giveaway, announce the Winner and then stay tuned for the next one.

All PCs will be diagnosed, cleaned, checked for defects and ship with a power adapter. All you have to do is plug in, power up and enjoy.

Giveaway direct link: https://www.digitaljoshua.com/free-micro-mini-sff-pc-giveaway/

Currently debating between a mini PC and a desktop, hoping you guys can offer advice on a few fronts.

My PC use:
I typically browse the Internet, use excel, watch YouTube, use cloud based AI, play a few games (nothing with large graphics requirements) and work from home occasionally. For work, I use a Remote Desktop so compute comes from my office.

Budget:
$2k but preferably much lower, as I don’t think I really need to spend this much to get what I want.

General idea of what I want:
A computer I can use for the next 5 ish years, hopefully something I can upgrade as needed, 32gb ram, and can do run what I outlined above.

Why I think a mini pc could be good for me:
I move every 8months-1yr so having a large desktop would be cumbersome and a large liability to break while moving, and my room is small so I don’t want my computer to take up a ton of space.

My current bottleneck:
I have a cheap mini pc already (~$140) and it does the majority of things I need it to do, except for the gaming and ai work. To be clear, I don’t need to run cyberpunk in 4k, but instead party games and not so demanding (I think) games like how to fish. Problem is my current pc can’t do that. Tried to play how to fish and got approx 4 FPS during a boss fight, and 10 regularly.

Advice I would like
1. Is there a world where I would be much better off with a full sized desktop? (Cost, compute, etc) Open to my mind being changed but this sub is also probably at least slightly biased.

1. If I should go with a mini pc, which ones? If you think I should go with a desktop, which ones?

TLDR: help me find a mini pc under 2k USD that can browse the Internet, use excel, watch YouTube, use cloud based AI, and play a few games (nothing with large graphics requirements).

So i always had this problem where after i moved the pc the fan would start grugling like that, after lightly tapping the cover it would stop. Today for some reason it didn't. I opened the oc, tried to tighten the fan screws, still nothing. Does anyone have any solution ir at least an idea of what is happening? ?