Mini PC - First time looking or Laptop?

Sweeney47

Well-known member
Hi Everyone.

I'm due an upgrade (yay!). Just to preface my requirements before I post what I'm looking at currently.

I'm looking to have a more mobile build (I currently have one of those 20ft Cooler Master cases on wheels that needs planning permission to move), there's two reasons for this, one is VR... I've had VR for a little over a year now but my office isn't big enough to support it, so currently have cables crossing the hall into the living room because it's just too bulky to move the PC. There's also the issue when I want to take my VR places, the logistics of moving my current PC is a headache. Second reason is purely down to lifestyle, getting older, things will change, want to be more nimble.

I was initially looking at getting a gaming laptop to support my needs. A couple of concerns I have here are primarily around heat and overheating. Also concerns around getting value for money from the components and the required performance and additionally, finding a laptop with a DP for the Index is difficult... unless I'm blind. This led me to look at mini-pc's which I've never done before (I just assumed they were small office PC's!).

I'll post my Christmas list setup below but list my issues first.
1) Power - Highest it will let me pick is 750w. Now I would want a 3080 (or whatever powered up version will be available down the line) and I'm concerned that 750W limit is going to cause issues.
2) Cooler - You'll see I've picked a fan cooler below, I would like to go water cooler for the better performance but I've had one leak on me before so I'm hesitant. Anyone used this case before, what's the cooling like for it? Will the fan suffice considering I don't OC or anything?
3) Am I sacrificing anything important for the mini-PC? I'm no specialist on the components but from what I can tell, all but the motherboard and CPU are available for a standard desktop. Am I sacrificing power for size or are we talking comparable tech here (same concern I have with a laptop)?

I'll post the config I'm looking at below but any advice much appreciated.

Case
CORSAIR CRYSTAL SERIES 280X RGB GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i9 Ten-Core Processor i9-10900K (3.7GHz) 20MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX Z490-I GAMING (Mini-ITX, LGA1200, USB 3.2) - ARGB Ready
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB PRO DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 16GB) [I know ott now but want to future proof]
Graphics Card

NONE, I ALREADY HAVE A GRAPHICS CARD [3080 ideally but won't let me post with it in the configuration]
1st Storage Drive

2TB Samsung 870 QVO 2.5" SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (up to 560MB/sR | 530MB/sW)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3300MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 750W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Noctua NH-C14S Ultra Quiet Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Extra Case Fans
2x 120mm Black Case Fan (configured to extract from rear/roof)
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
GIGABIT LAN PORT + Wi-Fi
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 4 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00001]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Warranty
3 Year Platinum Warranty (3 Year Collect & Return, 3 Year Parts, 3 Year labour)
Home Installation
NONE
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 11 to 13 working days
Price: £2,194.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/intel-z490-sff-gaming/EQuNP0VDHP/
 

Sweeney47

Well-known member
When are you looking at buying this? You mentioned Christmas?
Hi Spydertracks. Potentially any time after the 3080 is released to be honest. Sorry, I was using "Christmas list" as an expression, more or less meaning, this is everything I would want.
 

SpyderTracks

We love you Ukraine
Hi Spydertracks. Potentially any time after the 3080 is released to be honest. Sorry, I was using "Christmas list" as an expression, more or less meaning, this is everything I would want.
Ha ha, no worries, was just double checking as there are new CPU's and motherboards being released next month (the AMD Ryzen 4000 desktop series). TBH, I would wait for those to be announced, I think on the 9th October.

What monitor are you looking to pair this with, what resolution and refresh rate or make and model if you're unsure?

All the rumours are that they will finally smash intel in the single core space as well as utterly destroying them in multicore and thermals. One of those paired with a 3000 series GPU will be pure magic!

But I'll draw you up a spec now to give you some idea.

This is an AMD equivalent that would be far better for a 3080 or 3070 GPU:

Case
CORSAIR CRYSTAL SERIES 280X RGB GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 3800XT Eight Core CPU (4.7GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4) I would personally wait for the 4000 series CPU's to be announced early october
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX X570-I GAMING (DDR4, USB 3.2, Wi-Fi) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB PRO DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2080 SUPER - HDMI, 3x DP GeForce - RTX VR Ready! Placeholder for the 3070/3080
1st Storage Drive
2TB Samsung 870 QVO 2.5" SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (up to 560MB/sR | 530MB/sW)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3300MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 750W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET Will be fine for either of those GPU's
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H60 2018 Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler Cooler comes with high quality paste pre applied.
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
GIGABIT LAN PORT + Wi-Fi (Wi-Fi excluded on A320I-K)
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 4 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00001]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Warranty
3 Year Platinum Warranty (3 Year Collect & Return, 3 Year Parts, 3 Year labour)
Home Installation
NONE
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 11 to 13 working days

Price: £2,756.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-sff-gaming/!YAz2UwYzB/
 

Sweeney47

Well-known member
Thanks for the build. I'm in no rush so I may take your advice and wait until the AMD announcement.

My main monitor is the Acer Predator XB271HUA, 2560x1440, 144Hz.
 

SpyderTracks

We love you Ukraine
Thanks for the build. I'm in no rush so I may take your advice and wait until the AMD announcement.

My main monitor is the Acer Predator XB271HUA, 2560x1440, 144Hz.
So with that monitor, the 3060 would be more than enough, anything over that just won't get used and won't be any better as the monitor will be the bottleneck. The 3060 / ti is due to be released in October as well.
 
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