This is the second (I think) "top 5" where there is a different winner for each category - I like this format, and it's fun to see what you pick. I'm always tempted by that fanless Minix Z100, if just because it seems to well made, though with the 5560U coming in under $250 it's hard look at an N100.
Did you pick one? Pc components are named so ridiculously its hard as a consumer not to mess up and not realize you're buying a new thing built out of ancient pieces 😢.
Please be warned about the SER5 5560u. I bought it and 4K60 did not work. The image cut out to a black screen sporadically when running 4K60HZ - no matter if I used windows, linux etc. Customer service asked me to clean the ram, take a picture of the bios screen and ensure that the fan was connected - I kid you not. Of course I returned it immediately, when I realized customer service was not interested in helping. Besides these issues it was a great pc, really quiet and could run some PS3 emulator games like Tekken6 buttery smooth at 60fps (but then again others like God of War III were more like 12fps) - but it won't cut it. Imagine watching a movie or playing a game and then the image and sound cuts out? Fail.
To give a bit of perspective on this 5560U and what it can do, mine runs ChimeraOS SteamOS) and plays No Man’s Sky with enhanced settings at 720p at around 55-60fps. Up some settings or resolution to 900p and it still manages over 40.
Been looking at that one for a while now. Planning to buy it and doing some Proxmox stuff. People commenting that they like it (for the price) is always a nice to know when looking around.
@@Luke-san I've been looking at that too for the past week. But I keep getting distracted by the Gmktec M5 barebones on sale this week for a similar price. Some friends have spare RAM & SSD I can probably buy for cheap so I'm really, really tempted. Ryzen 5700u is 8c/16t and the box comes with dual 2.5G LAN, dual NVME. Compared to my current NAS/Jellyfin/Immich server which is an old dual core i5-6300U laptop that took >3 days to process my Google Photos backup.
Awesome content! Have been watching your reviews for a bit now and have purchased 2 Beelinks. 1 N95 and 1 N100 based units for running some game servers. With 16g RAM they both do quite well as several hosts as well as everyday tasks. I look forward to you releases and browsing your previous videos. Thank you much for your efforts
Everyone has different needs so I'm glad he breaks it down. I have zero need for zero decibels lol. The low white noise of a pc fan is simply not a priority for me. And Intel seems to have conceded to AMD now when it comes to even casual gaming so only the Beelink would be a consideration for my usage. I'm hoping he does a Top 5 For Gaming list.
Im a huge simmer and roblox player . Every now and then, a few games off steam . My problem is I can't decide between Geekom or the Beelink. Could you or anyone please help me make a final choice . I have to stay with in this budge being I have 4 kids 2 that are still in diapers . For right now, those things lol cost more than my wants and needs. I have to be smart about it, and hubby said $500 is my 😢limit, being i still have to purchase a monitor . Please and thank you for any help u can give
These are clean. Was a problem with ACEMAGIC minis (which has been resolved at least the last one I reviewed) and Kamrui minis which I haven't reviewed. Got one coming up though.
Hi again Rob, having hard time deciding in between two brands ; Geekom air 12 vs Minix Z100, which one would you suggest for me to purchase? Also, thank you for making these great review videos for us, they assist me a lot in my decision process, but this time I would like your honest opinion 😅 cheers from Turkiye.
Do you want something silent (Z100) or better performance (Air12)? The Z100 has external Wi-Fi and the best reception. The other differences come down to ports and features. Both are great choices.
I'll answer my own question. Bought a Nipogi Intel Alder Lake N100 for £180 on Amazon. Added a _512GB SSD card also from Amazon £27. Very impressed with the it.
I would like to know which of these mini pcs companies is the most reliable and stable. I want a computer that is durable and that I could keep for at least 7 years. Beelink changes too much and has too many models, like android phones but on steroids
Reliability data isn't available. However, Intel NUCs were rated for 24/7 use with 3 year warranties and widely regarded for their reliability. The division was moved over to ASUS (ASUS NUC). Not under $250 though.
I need one that handles browsing the web, microsoft office tools and can push 4k video playback (weather downloaded or online.)....and hopefully good both blutooth and wifi connections I have a decent setup but don't want to pay for power I'm not going to use. Which one would you suggest for me?
Not to be disrespectful or anything but if the reviewer is affiliated with the brands, how can viewers trust the review to be completely honest? If the reviewer says anything negative about the product, the company could cancel the contract. So the reviewer will always have the insensitive to ignore or downplay the negatives. This is just the nature of brand affiliation. I'm not trying to say anything about this guy.
Maybe you can watch one of my reviews before casting judgement? All have the pros and cons listed and all issues found are revealed. Like my most recent review where I mention the mini comes with pre-installed malware. Also I'm not affiliated with any of the brands. I have an Amazon, AliExpress and Shareasale affiliate link. If the mini PC I review isn't listed on one of those stores, I link directly and earn nothing. What you should actually be worried about instead of affiliate links is undisclosed paid reviews, which are rampant. Pretty easy to spot, channels which claim every product is awesome and don't point out any issues. Oh and Amazon reviews, which fall into the same category.
Hi Rob - thanks so much for your awesome reviews. For the MOREFINE M8S, I'm discovering yet more options/indecision. Any recommendations on whether it's better to go DDR5 8GB (or 12GB in places), vs DDR4 16GB? Here's hoping you can help. Thanks!!
The only M8S N100 I've seen comes in a 16GB configuration. DDR5 is a few percent faster in graphics. I'd rather have more memory, especially if it's 8GB vs 16GB
Can I ask for some assistance? I purchased a GC3 Golf Launch Monitor/Simulator. I need a PC to run the SIM software. I have all Mac’s in my house so I’m looking for a PC for this one and only use. Can you send me an affiliate link for the mini PC you would recommend that fits this criteria: PC operating Windows 7 or greater Recommend processor speed i7 (Gen6) Must have NVidia GeForce 1050 Ti video card or greater I will be using this outdoors, on a Big TV as the monitor and will bring it inside when not in use. Thank you in advance for any advice/recommendations.
I haven't reviewed many minis with an Nvidia graphics cards in it. I don't like making recommendations for units I haven't looked at, but something like this fits the specs easily amzn.to/3z7b5ta. No idea on how it performs etc.
My laptop screen has lines on it and it's outdated. It doesn't do Windows 11 so I was looking for something I can replace my everyday laptop with only games. I really play on my laptop. Are those big fish type games.
I see these on E bay and Amazon,Computer is right tiny,Might get one maybe one day,Then again,I got two desktop gaming computers,One new,One been gutted out ready for new upgrade,One day,I end up with the internet cafe at my Flat next
@@Robtech You're right. I wasn't looking right. The 5800H one is about $130 more. But to me that's not a deal breaker if the performance is much more. I'm guessing from watching your vid on it that it's not. I'm coming from a Dell XPS15 i7-9750H. The scores on the 5560U are better than it. Would real world be too?
Has anyone ever bought a mini and a full sized case and built them out into a full sized pc? I'm thinking about it but I've also never build a pc in my life (even if that would just be upgrading). 😂
Gmktec M5 (Upgraded) is on sale right now. Ryzen 5700U, dual 2.5G LAN, dual NVME. The barebones SKU is $235. The problem is they don't list out the full spec so I can't figure out if it's M.2 PCIE 3.0 x4 on both slots or not.
Hi I was wondering if you knew how to zoom out of a 500% zoom I was messing with my pc and its so zoomed in 500% i can only only see my windows key and the date N time 😂 if I dont get a response by a few days most likely factory reset
Does anyone know anything about the funyet mini pcs with 12th gen alder lake n95 im thinking about buying one i want something that can run ats it doesn’t have to look great i just want to be able to play
@@Robtech ok, thanks for the reply, i think i will have to get a regular size desktop tower, the mini-pc's are just not cutting it.plus i can get a tower much cheaper that can do more than a mini
Hi bro, I need your advise in buying this devices 12th Gen Mini PC Beelink SEi12, i5-1235U 10-Core 12-Thread vs Beelink SER5 Max, AMD Ryzen 7 5800H 8-Core 16-Thread 4.4GHz Processor - Majoj Purpose is office work, gaming & 3d work
Not much inside the mini Computer,Makes ya wonder what computers be like for the future,Be even less things inside them next,Most likely be about as small as a chip next
This is the second (I think) "top 5" where there is a different winner for each category - I like this format, and it's fun to see what you pick. I'm always tempted by that fanless Minix Z100, if just because it seems to well made, though with the 5560U coming in under $250 it's hard look at an N100.
Hey mate a table showing all features compared across models would be really handy.
Now we need the top 5 from $250-$500. Im on the hunt now for one that can be used for work from home and diablo 4 when traveling for work
Did you pick one?
Pc components are named so ridiculously its hard as a consumer not to mess up and not realize you're buying a new thing built out of ancient pieces 😢.
Please be warned about the SER5 5560u. I bought it and 4K60 did not work. The image cut out to a black screen sporadically when running 4K60HZ - no matter if I used windows, linux etc. Customer service asked me to clean the ram, take a picture of the bios screen and ensure that the fan was connected - I kid you not. Of course I returned it immediately, when I realized customer service was not interested in helping. Besides these issues it was a great pc, really quiet and could run some PS3 emulator games like Tekken6 buttery smooth at 60fps (but then again others like God of War III were more like 12fps) - but it won't cut it. Imagine watching a movie or playing a game and then the image and sound cuts out? Fail.
I bought a 5560u based on your reviews
Me too. Ridiculously over performing machine for the money and practically silent to boot.
Are you from Australia ? How much did you end up paying for it ?
@@dannieduplessis2432UK. £233 from Amazon on a sale.
I'm going to do the same
To give a bit of perspective on this 5560U and what it can do, mine runs ChimeraOS SteamOS) and plays No Man’s Sky with enhanced settings at 720p at around 55-60fps. Up some settings or resolution to 900p and it still manages over 40.
would i be better off buying a beelink windows mini or a beelink android box for my emulation as well as adding kodi and other tv streaming apps?
I've got that GMKtec G3 and it's worthy of its title.
Been looking at that one for a while now. Planning to buy it and doing some Proxmox stuff. People commenting that they like it (for the price) is always a nice to know when looking around.
@@Luke-san I've been looking at that too for the past week. But I keep getting distracted by the Gmktec M5 barebones on sale this week for a similar price. Some friends have spare RAM & SSD I can probably buy for cheap so I'm really, really tempted.
Ryzen 5700u is 8c/16t and the box comes with dual 2.5G LAN, dual NVME. Compared to my current NAS/Jellyfin/Immich server which is an old dual core i5-6300U laptop that took >3 days to process my Google Photos backup.
@@tempeleng I see it for like 300 Euro which is more than doube the price. Did you see it on the official page?
I've just spent all day shopping for a mini PC and your reviews were invaluable. Thank you!
Thank you
Can you provide updated AliExpress links? They seem to be broken.
Awesome content! Have been watching your reviews for a bit now and have purchased 2 Beelinks. 1 N95 and 1 N100 based units for running some game servers. With 16g RAM they both do quite well as several hosts as well as everyday tasks. I look forward to you releases and browsing your previous videos. Thank you much for your efforts
Everyone has different needs so I'm glad he breaks it down. I have zero need for zero decibels lol. The low white noise of a pc fan is simply not a priority for me. And Intel seems to have conceded to AMD now when it comes to even casual gaming so only the Beelink would be a consideration for my usage. I'm hoping he does a Top 5 For Gaming list.
Im a huge simmer and roblox player . Every now and then, a few games off steam . My problem is I can't decide between Geekom or the Beelink. Could you or anyone please help me make a final choice . I have to stay with in this budge being I have 4 kids 2 that are still in diapers . For right now, those things lol cost more than my wants and needs. I have to be smart about it, and hubby said $500 is my 😢limit, being i still have to purchase a monitor . Please and thank you for any help u can give
I love that you’re doing these videos frequently! 👍🏾
Any concerns about backdoors and malware in these inexpensive devices? I seem to recall that as an identified problem not so long ago.
These are clean. Was a problem with ACEMAGIC minis (which has been resolved at least the last one I reviewed) and Kamrui minis which I haven't reviewed. Got one coming up though.
Hi again Rob, having hard time deciding in between two brands ; Geekom air 12 vs Minix Z100, which one would you suggest for me to purchase? Also, thank you for making these great review videos for us, they assist me a lot in my decision process, but this time I would like your honest opinion 😅 cheers from Turkiye.
Do you want something silent (Z100) or better performance (Air12)? The Z100 has external Wi-Fi and the best reception. The other differences come down to ports and features. Both are great choices.
I LOVE THIS VIDEO ❤ it’s exactly what I was looking for!! Even the Forza Horizon 5 Test, Thanks!!!
Mini pc is the future. I has 5 mini pc from AMD alone and not disappointed.
Beelink SER7 Ryzen 9 6900hx currently super affordable and can play most 2024 game 1080p.
Price? And is it silent like the SER 5 5560U?
As a non gamer, what's the ideal one for budget of £180-220?
I'll answer my own question. Bought a Nipogi Intel Alder Lake N100 for £180 on Amazon. Added a _512GB SSD card also from Amazon £27. Very impressed with the it.
Aloha Robtech,
What would you recommend for running most modern games? Thinking BG3 or Tiny Glade. Thanks in advance.
Minisforum HX99G or Atomman G7 Pt.
@Robtech thank you for the recommendations!
3:05 Yes! That's me! Hahaha on point!
I would like to know which of these mini pcs companies is the most reliable and stable. I want a computer that is durable and that I could keep for at least 7 years. Beelink changes too much and has too many models, like android phones but on steroids
Reliability data isn't available. However, Intel NUCs were rated for 24/7 use with 3 year warranties and widely regarded for their reliability. The division was moved over to ASUS (ASUS NUC). Not under $250 though.
Are mini pcs decent enough for use for stock trading?
Beelink SER5 5560U should be able to handle with stock trading!
Watch in 1.5 speed. You're welcome
Thanks for all your useful reviews. Can the Beelink SER5 play Manor Lords reasonably?
I'd like you to compare the SUR5 vs the NAB9 to compare video editing ability.
SER5 1080P at best. NAB9 4K. Big difference.
Any of those or similar price tag minis is usb-c powered, to use universal chargers and not to carry brick size of the computer itself?
The MiniAir 12 supports USB-C power delivery. And the Morefine M8S uses a USB-C charger for its power supply.
How well does the beelink SER5 run Fortnite I am 13 and about to get this PC and would like to know thanks👍
th-cam.com/video/gFRDUuzhO4U/w-d-xo.html
@@Robtech thanks bro very happy👍
when u say plug n play.. is windows pre-installed on these or any of these? thx newb i know
All of them come with Windows 11 pre-installed. It'll also be in the product description on the purchasing page if you want to double check.
@@Robtech tyvm very appreciated . enjoyed the video cheers 👊🤞
Only game I want to play with this is StarCraft 2 😔 let me know if one of these can work for me , thanks
I need one that handles browsing the web, microsoft office tools and can push 4k video playback (weather downloaded or online.)....and hopefully good both blutooth and wifi connections I have a decent setup but don't want to pay for power I'm not going to use. Which one would you suggest for me?
A mini with Intel's N100 should do the job.
Doing the proper work mate- tysm! :,)
The Beelink link now shows a different beelink model. The EQR6 at $349
Thanks. Updated.
Not to be disrespectful or anything but if the reviewer is affiliated with the brands, how can viewers trust the review to be completely honest?
If the reviewer says anything negative about the product, the company could cancel the contract. So the reviewer will always have the insensitive to ignore or downplay the negatives.
This is just the nature of brand affiliation. I'm not trying to say anything about this guy.
Maybe you can watch one of my reviews before casting judgement? All have the pros and cons listed and all issues found are revealed. Like my most recent review where I mention the mini comes with pre-installed malware. Also I'm not affiliated with any of the brands. I have an Amazon, AliExpress and Shareasale affiliate link. If the mini PC I review isn't listed on one of those stores, I link directly and earn nothing.
What you should actually be worried about instead of affiliate links is undisclosed paid reviews, which are rampant. Pretty easy to spot, channels which claim every product is awesome and don't point out any issues. Oh and Amazon reviews, which fall into the same category.
Hi Rob - thanks so much for your awesome reviews. For the MOREFINE M8S, I'm discovering yet more options/indecision. Any recommendations on whether it's better to go DDR5 8GB (or 12GB in places), vs DDR4 16GB? Here's hoping you can help. Thanks!!
The only M8S N100 I've seen comes in a 16GB configuration. DDR5 is a few percent faster in graphics. I'd rather have more memory, especially if it's 8GB vs 16GB
@@Robtech hero! Thanks for the education :)
can you make video about mini pc's with AI chip processors under 250?
There are none that I'm aware of
Will the best performing mini pc 5560U play fortnite as well as a PS4?
Type "5560U Fortnite" in TH-cam search for the results.
can you review Minisforum MS-01 please, thanks
Great list, thank you 👍
awesome video
Can I ask for some assistance?
I purchased a GC3 Golf Launch Monitor/Simulator.
I need a PC to run the SIM software. I have all Mac’s in my house so I’m looking for a PC for this one and only use. Can you send me an affiliate link for the mini PC you would recommend that fits this criteria:
PC operating Windows 7 or greater
Recommend processor speed i7 (Gen6)
Must have NVidia GeForce 1050 Ti video card or greater
I will be using this outdoors, on a Big TV as the monitor and will bring it inside when not in use.
Thank you in advance for any advice/recommendations.
I haven't reviewed many minis with an Nvidia graphics cards in it. I don't like making recommendations for units I haven't looked at, but something like this fits the specs easily amzn.to/3z7b5ta. No idea on how it performs etc.
My laptop screen has lines on it and it's outdated. It doesn't do Windows 11 so I was looking for something I can replace my everyday laptop with only games. I really play on my laptop. Are those big fish type games.
I see these on E bay and Amazon,Computer is right tiny,Might get one maybe one day,Then again,I got two desktop gaming computers,One new,One been gutted out ready for new upgrade,One day,I end up with the internet cafe at my Flat next
The link you attached for the MOREFINE is incorrect
Fixed, thanks.
Need the best desktop (for office) replacement please.
All of them should do the job, but if you want something faster, then the SER5 5560U is plenty.
@@Robtech would you pick it over the ser5 with H chip though? Only a little more money
Which one? The only one popping up for me on Amazon is the SER5 MAX which is a very different mini PC and costs quite a bit more.
@@Robtech You're right. I wasn't looking right. The 5800H one is about $130 more. But to me that's not a deal breaker if the performance is much more. I'm guessing from watching your vid on it that it's not. I'm coming from a Dell XPS15 i7-9750H. The scores on the 5560U are better than it. Would real world be too?
Is the coupon for the GEEKOM MiniAir 12 in the US still active? Doesn't seem to be working for me. Thanks in advance!
I'll ask.
Are you in the USA? robtecha12 on this link until the end of the month amzn.to/4bUbrlv
@@RobtechYes, I am. Thanks for checking.
Has anyone ever bought a mini and a full sized case and built them out into a full sized pc? I'm thinking about it but I've also never build a pc in my life (even if that would just be upgrading). 😂
Please keep an eye out for minis with two nvme ssd slots. I want to dual boot, with an OS on each drive. Thanks!
Gmktec M5 (Upgraded) is on sale right now. Ryzen 5700U, dual 2.5G LAN, dual NVME. The barebones SKU is $235.
The problem is they don't list out the full spec so I can't figure out if it's M.2 PCIE 3.0 x4 on both slots or not.
@@tempeleng Thanks for the info
If buying for emulating up to PS2 games, would any of the N100s do?
They can perform very differently depending on the mini.
I just want one for world of Warcraft, any suggestions ?
Beelink SER5 5560U will be okay
I've been considering the Beelink SER5.. Thanks for the reviews.
Is there even a Mini Pc that had a very unique feature: say you can use a microscope or something ? That would be cool !
How is the z100 for Microsoft office and adobe?
Does fine. Video editing up to 1080P works okay for simple projects.
Hi Rob, thank you for this great review. I have a question; can I upgrade the 16GB ram to 32GB in z100 in the future?
Good job, keep it up 👍👍👍
Will the value one play fallout 4 at 1080
Hi I was wondering if you knew how to zoom out of a 500% zoom I was messing with my pc and its so zoomed in 500% i can only only see my windows key and the date N time 😂 if I dont get a response by a few days most likely factory reset
Windows key and the minus key at the same time is zoom out.
Can the beelink ser 5 5560u run sims 4 and sims 3?
Yeah I can run it on my 800 G2 6600T your good 👍
best power efieciency category?
All the N100 are pretty similar, but you can check one of the reviews for the power draw number comparison.
EQ12 does no longer make it to the shortlist?
Still a good option if you need the dual network ports. But the price hasn't dropped since launch making it a little less attractive.
Maybe new category: lowest power consumption ?
1 Kw is $0.20 somewhere expensive like NY or LA adding an extra 35w to a computer is less than $0.20 a day in power consumption
do you have plan for minisforum s100 (N100 pc stick) ?
I've got the UN100D at the moment.
Does anyone know anything about the funyet mini pcs with 12th gen alder lake n95 im thinking about buying one i want something that can run ats it doesn’t have to look great i just want to be able to play
looking for a mini-pc that can handle ps3 games
You'll have to go with something more expensive than $250. A mini with a 7735HS would be the cheapest.
@@Robtech ok, thanks for the reply, i think i will have to get a regular size desktop tower, the mini-pc's are just not cutting it.plus i can get a tower much cheaper that can do more than a mini
we have clearly different meaning of word "budget"
They need to be cheap they aren't like a desktop PC that gives you an upgrade path.
Can you say Mac Mini M4?
I knew you could. 😀
4 mos later and these prices have changed. Time for an updated review.
Hi bro, I need your advise in buying this devices 12th Gen Mini PC Beelink SEi12, i5-1235U 10-Core 12-Thread vs Beelink SER5 Max, AMD Ryzen 7 5800H 8-Core 16-Thread 4.4GHz Processor - Majoj Purpose is office work, gaming & 3d work
5800H beats the Intel boxes in gaming.
much appreciated!! honest review! Are any of those available on AliExpress?
I've added an AliExpress section in the video description.
Not much inside the mini Computer,Makes ya wonder what computers be like for the future,Be even less things inside them next,Most likely be about as small as a chip next
Fun Fact: 0dB is NOT silent - it is a low level of noise. Silent would be -infinity dB.
(I'm an engineer with OCD. Sorry.)
Just assume it's to account for possible coil whine. Hope that helps your OCD.
This is all well and good, but are you like... a Mini PC expert? ;)
Is anyone?
@@Nicnackity I was being sarcastic. Robtech is a God.
@@screenplayhouse4932 so was i lol. problem with texting.
👍🏻
100th comment!