As the school year approaches, more friends are consulting about building machines. However, some with special requirements have mentioned that due to dorm room space constraints, they cannot use standard-sized machines and do not want to buy laptops. They are looking for suggestions on purchasing mini PCs. Indeed, when buying a mini host, there are different considerations compared to standard builds!

In fact, starting with a mini-ITX motherboard is purely the DIY route.

As mini-ITX motherboards and cases have gradually increased in the market, it has become very feasible for DIYers with strong hands-on skills to assemble a mini-ITX machine that meets their needs.

For example, currently, ITX motherboards cover the latest B760 chipsets, allowing you to use 13th generation Core or Ryzen 7000 series processors, keeping you in line with mainstream configurations. The prices of core motherboards range from entry-level models priced at several hundred yuan to high-end models from major brands priced at over a thousand yuan, providing a wide selection for builders.

The biggest advantage of buying an ITX motherboard to build a mini PC is the high degree of control over configuration, and it is relatively complete. Current ITX motherboards generally still offer sufficient expandability, with complete PCIe 4.0 M.2 slots, dedicated graphics card slots, and standard dual-channel DDR4/5 memory slots, meaning you can choose mainstream components for assembly. The only thing to note is that the size of the cooler, memory, and graphics card needs to match the size limitations of the chosen case.

But what problems does it bring? To achieve a “true mini” build, your case, power supply, cooler, memory, and graphics card will be much more expensive than standard-sized products due to size constraints.

For example, if you choose air cooling, generally speaking, to achieve better cooling performance, you can only select some high-end brands’ low-profile coolers, which are usually very expensive.

Cooler Master’s NH-L9i is only 37mm high, making it very suitable for mini PCs, but it costs around 300 yuan.

If you opt for water cooling, due to the size of mini-ITX cases, in most cases, to achieve a true mini, you can only choose water coolers with a maximum size of 140. Similarly, powerful 120/140 water coolers are also very expensive.

In terms of memory, due to interference with the motherboard and reducing heat, in most cases, you can only choose narrow, non-heat spreader, non-RGB memory.

The situation for graphics cards is even worse, as the selection of dual-fan or even single-fan cards is even smaller, or simply more expensive.

Currently, mainstream single-fan cards are available, but their performance ceiling has significantly decreased due to thermal constraints.

Relatively speaking, there are many choices for cases. From standard ITX to extremely mini ITX cases, prices range from over 100 yuan to over a thousand yuan. The smallest cases have reached a volume of 3.5L, fully meeting the needs of builders for miniaturization. However, cases as small as 3L generally need to integrate the power supply.

A 100-yuan 3.8L case size

OK, if you have strong hands-on skills, a sufficient budget, and can accept the issues mentioned above, then building a mini PC is definitely feasible.

When it comes to pre-built or semi-system mini PCs, many friends will surely mention Intel’s NUC. The Next Unit of Computing (NUC) by Intel is a small device or computing element that provides a complete desktop PC experience, a complete gaming experience, or a complete edge device experience. NUC contains all the features of a standard PC: processor, memory, solid-state drive, LAN or Wi-Fi, and supports integrated and discrete graphics options.

Compared to general mini PCs, NUC pays more attention to standardization and power performance density, thus achieving more powerful computing performance in a compact body. Therefore, it does not have specific size limitations, with very slim models as well as relatively larger products designed to meet the gaming experience. It can also cover Intel’s newer platforms.

However, machines that meet NUC specifications (both Intel’s own and certified manufacturers’) are generally more expensive. There are many benefits, mostly from big brands, ranging from basic office and internet light models to slightly larger machines that require certain performance for audio-visual entertainment and gaming experiences, offering many choices. Even gaming machines equipped with discrete graphics are still half the size of regular desktop PCs.

General mini PCs are easier to understand, as they are mini systems launched by various manufacturers. In terms of performance, extreme gaming mini PCs, such as MSI’s Aegis RS3, directly pack an i7-13700F/RTX3060 gaming configuration into a super compact case with only 3.72L in volume, allowing it to be easily carried in a bag that fits a 16-inch laptop.

Since general mini PCs cover a wide range of uses, from office work to gaming, the size differences are also significant. Smaller products are roughly the same size as an Android TV box, making them a great choice for compact living arrangements in living rooms and dorms.

Some mini PCs from Huaqiangbei have achieved astonishingly small sizes.

OK, now excluding the most hands-on requirement of building it yourself, let’s consider semi-finished systems and pre-built machines. Then the detailed issues need to be considered.

Unlike tower computers, the upgrade capabilities of mini PCs are very limited. Smaller dimensions mean that motherboards do not have many slots to install different components, nor is there any physical space to install those components.

Some pre-built machines even have CPUs that cannot be upgraded because they are soldered. Their memory, like some thin laptops, is also soldered and cannot be upgraded. Even if it can be upgraded, when you open the case, you’ll find that it uses smaller laptop memory sticks.

In small mini PCs, it is generally very difficult to install 3.5-inch SATA hard drives. The space for hard drive installation mainly depends on the number of M.2 slots on the motherboard and whether there is a mini hard drive rack. If the case has a mini hard drive rack, then you can also install 2.5-inch SATA solid-state drives or slim notebook mechanical hard drives.

This mini PC, which can install a second M.2 SSD and memory (note that it’s laptop memory), is quite rare.

Due to Intel’s dominance in the NUC market, Intel platform products are the most common in the brand pre-built machine field. From ultra-mini machines using low-power N series CPUs to gaming mini PCs using the 13700F, there are many options available. Of course, for a long time, Intel’s platform has had an advantage in the mini PC field, especially for machines using low-power N series CPUs, which have achieved astonishingly small sizes, making them very suitable as living room media players or dorm office machines.

Some Huaqiangbei Intel N processor machines are surprisingly small.

However, for users without discrete graphics who still want decent gaming performance, choosing AMD platforms recently would yield better performance. Mini PCs equipped with the 7840H processor have started to hit the market, such as the Mechanical Revolution Wujie S semi-system version, which launched at a price of just over 2500 yuan. With the performance of the 780M, the gaming experience is definitely better.

The Mechanical Revolution Wujie S, powered by the 7840H, has shrunk to 0.8L while maintaining decent gaming performance.

If you’re not in a hurry, my suggestion is to wait. The reason is simple: for friends looking to get discrete graphics, some brands will release single-fan or knife-style RTX graphics cards in the fourth quarter of this year. For those wanting gaming performance with a small footprint, the number of finished machines equipped with AMD 7840H processors is still limited, so it’s worth waiting for manufacturers to roll out more options before making a purchase.

Editor: Xiong Le

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