Long ago, mini PCs were seen as low-performance products. However, with the release of SNB and the proliferation of ITX motherboards, mini PCs are no longer the underperformers they once were; various powerful options are now available. Many college students need portability in their computers, but laptop CPUs are still too weak at present. Until the release of the 8 series, laptop CPU performance was basically stagnant. At this point, mini PCs became a good alternative. Their small size allows them to be easily packed into a suitcase during holidays, and once home, you can simply connect them to a monitor and continue using them. I had such an idea during my college years. However, at that time, there were too few options for mini cases, and most had to be solved through DIY. The performance of short cards was also generally weak. So this idea only existed in my mind. However, things are different now; there are plenty of cheap and practical mini cases to choose from, and various high-performance short cards are emerging. Since this is for college students, we won’t discuss impractical options like split water cooling. Let’s talk about how to assemble a mini PC that suits you.
First, unlike general PCs, the first factor to consider for a mini PC is the case. The case determines your expansion options, such as graphics card length, cooling height, and whether the power supply is ATX or SFX. Since college students primarily rely on their parents for financial support, saving money is the top priority; we mainly consider cases priced under 600. Here, I personally recommend two main cases: one is the JONSBO C2, and the other is the PULLY MAGIC P115E. Actually, the Little Crow is also a good choice, but it’s too expensive and not particularly small, so we won’t consider it for now. However, note that the P115E only supports SFX power supplies. The C2 can accommodate ATX, but both have high requirements for CPU cooling height.
After selecting the case, the next step is choosing the motherboard. Although both the C2 and P115E are mini cases, the C2 can accommodate thin-MATX motherboards as long as the width does not exceed 21.5 cm. However, this comes at the cost of sacrificing the side hard drive position; you need to remove the hard drive slot to fit it. However, considering that most motherboards now have M.2 slots and a 3.5-inch drive bay at the bottom, this isn’t a major issue. The P115E only supports ITX motherboards. If you are scavenging, I recommend buying a B75M-D3V thin MATX motherboard combined with an i5 3570 for the C2, and avoid purchasing an ITX 1155 motherboard as they are too expensive. No M.2? No problem; as long as the 2.5-inch SSD doesn’t get in the way, you can stick it in a corner, and pairing it with a 3.5-inch HDD is sufficient for general needs. If you are building a new machine, I recommend purchasing the P115E with a Z370 ITX motherboard or a B350 ITX. The CPU can be paired with an i5 8400 or R7 1700.
Due to budget constraints and CPU performance issues, I do not recommend purchasing the 8 series Core CPUs; while they perform well in gaming, currently, only Z370 motherboards are available, and Z370 is too expensive, with the overall CPU performance significantly behind Ryzen. Therefore, I personally recommend using ITX B350 or X370 motherboards for the Ryzen platform.
After selecting the motherboard, the next step is the graphics card. Although the C2 supports longer graphics cards, considering the wiring and cooling issues, I personally recommend purchasing a 17cm length ITX graphics card, and the Inno3D GTX 1060 ITX graphics card is a good choice. While Gigabyte also offers one, the overhanging PCB is a significant issue, and MSI is also a good choice if you are not short on cash. EVGA is the best, but its availability on JD is limited; if you have patience, you can wait. The 1060 itself has low power consumption and heat generation, making it perfect for dorms with strict total power limits, and it can handle most 1080p games without any problems. The P115E has more flexibility since it allows for back wiring; you can use a dual-fan graphics card, but be careful not to buy products with overhanging PCBs, such as MSI’s GTX1060 GAMING X. If the dorm has a higher power limit, purchasing a reference version of the 1080ti is also an option. This can support graphics cards up to 305mm in length.
Next is the power supply issue. The C2 supports ATX power supplies, but when selecting an ATX power supply, please ensure it is not too long. Keep it within 15cm for easier wiring; of course, you can also choose an SFX power supply and install it on the side panel using an adapter board. Although it may be more expensive, the benefit is that it provides more cooling space and reduces the height requirements for CPU cooling. The P115E only supports SFX power supplies. For easier wiring, I personally recommend purchasing SilverStone’s fully modular SFX power supply or Corsair’s SFX power supply.
Finally, there is the cooler. For the C2, I personally recommend looking for the original Intel copper-bottom cooler; while it’s quite noisy, its efficiency is still quite good and the investment is minimal. The cooler used in the C2, the Noctua L9I, has average efficiency and is not significantly better than the original. Therefore, I do not recommend spending a lot of money on it. Additionally, JONSBO’s HP200 is also a good choice. For the P115E, you can purchase JONSBO’s HP625; moreover, the P115E can support a 120mm AIO cooler, considering that the P115E is a side-window case. Buying a 120mm RGB cooler would also be nice, but note that using an AIO cooler will slightly reduce the supported length of the graphics card.
With this guidance, we have essentially concluded. What? You ask me what to do about other components? For memory, if you are scavenging, please buy DDR3 memory; for new platforms, choose DDR4 based on your preference. As for SSD recommendations, the Brain Bar Testing Room just recommended some the other day, so I won’t repeat it here. In fact, as long as you put in some effort, building a high-performance mini PC is not a difficult task.
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