My current setup consists of a Raspberry Pi 4 with 4gb RAM and a 1tb external SSD. I’m thinking of getting a used mini PC for around 100€ to replace that tho because it would give me a lot more power and especially RAM (I currently need to use an 8gb swap file). My plan so far is to get a used mini PC that’s quiet, has a built-in SSD and at least 8gb of RAM (16 would be better). Because of the built-in SSD, I could also sell the external SSD and buy an 8-12tb HDD instead.

Does anyone have recommendations for what mini PC to get or things that I should look out for?

Edit: Thanks for all the help! I decided on the Firebat T8 Pro Plus with 16gb RAM and 512gb internal storage because that really seems to be perfect for my use case.

  • leanleft@lemmy.mlEnglish
    42·
    9 months ago

    i dont think alot of ppl need a super small comp. it comes with disadvantages. harder or more limited upgrades.

    • BearOfaTime@lemm.eeEnglish
      2·
      9 months ago

      I’d say the opposite - most people work fine on what’s available in minis/tiny today (which is surprisingly a lot).

      It’s us power users/gamers that need more. Even then, some minis have impressive specs.

      As for upgrading, well, it’s not like you can swap in the next gen of cpu - memory and storage are pretty much all you can upgrade even in a full desktop. Even video is limited to the generation of the motherboard.

      • leanleft@lemmy.mlEnglish
        1·
        9 months ago

        thats kinda true. (even excluding gemini lynx user like myself) comps and phones have reached overkill for most users. therefore sff is totally fine for most users.
        truth is… only reason i dont have a bigger pc is that i want flexibility to move apt if my landlord raises rent. thats literally the only reason.
        otherwise i would have dual socket, 8 sticks memory, full sized gpu, etc.
        i dont mind not having all that. although, it could be used for something… currently it would be used for nothing.

        • BearOfaTime@lemm.eeEnglish
          1·
          9 months ago

          I’ve been building monster machines since… Well, a long time ago - back when cases were one color, and black wasn’t an option yet.

          We all dreamt of big towers, numerous hard drives, multiple fans, so we could play whatever game we wanted.

          I’m blown away at what we can do today within the volume of a box of tissues, or less, and at a price that is frankly, cheap.

    • Possibly linuxEnglish
      2·
      9 months ago

      It is much more expandable than a single board computer. A small form factor allows for expandability in RAM and storage while being small and easy to work on.