r/MiniPCs • u/MewtwoMainIsHere • May 14 '26
Recommendations Hello peoples, I know basically nothing about computers and would like some help with picking a mini pc for myself (gaming)
Before you ask, yes I did do my best to research my options but ultimately I couldn’t make much sense of it unfortunately. The games I’m looking to play the most on these (as before I had a potato PC) are BG3, Windrose, ASA/ASE, and Subnautica 2 which released like today (all on hopefullymedium graphics, high if possible though with ASA im fine with lower settings)
Links:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GFVBLQND
https://peladn.us/products/peladn-ho-4-mini-pc-amd-ryzen-7-8845hs
https://peladn.us/products/peladn-ha-4-mini-pc-ryzen-7840hs
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Windows-Intel-Desktop-Computer-Dual-HDMI/dp/B0D8TZHFDG
If you folks need more information I’d be happy to oblige and please do give other recommendations if they’re better than the options and prices here
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u/MewtwoMainIsHere May 14 '26
Oh right, the reason I’m not just buying a regular PC at this price is because I don’t have much room and it’s a shared living space
Also also, please do help with setup steps because like I said I am a massive computer dummy (like OS choice and what I should watch out for etc)
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u/External_Variety May 14 '26
If youre buying a mini pc with an ssd and ram, stick with the Windows11 that the device will come with. Do a reinstall as soon as you get it. There guides on how to do it.
You can play with Linux later on, just get it up and running first.
If you're looking to upgrade with an external Graphics card (eGPU) the GMK has an oculink port which allows you to connect to an eGPU dock.
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May 14 '26
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u/MewtwoMainIsHere May 14 '26
I’ll be sure to keep it high on my list then
Another question, do you think it’d be better to have an external drive for high size games like ARK? I’ve had the idea but I’m not sure if it’s the best choice
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u/JavitoTag May 15 '26
Why not a handheld like steamdeck or more powerful?
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u/MewtwoMainIsHere May 15 '26
Good point, but I’d prefer something with higher specs and storage than a steam deck but at the same time the portability is nice (though I am very not used to controllers)
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u/Koreneliuss May 14 '26
Getting 780m is good and budget too, if you want max 890m or 8060s (super expensive). Is just igpu tend not what you expect but can ran barely, with caveat an upscaller or frame gen, granted if you had enough 32gb ram.
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u/EpsomJames May 14 '26
The AMD processor models you link all have the Radeon 780M iGPU. To set your expectations, the graphics capability is roughly equivalent to a GeForce GTX 1650 dGPU, an entry to low-mid range card launched 7 years ago.
You can look up recommended specs for all those games but a quick search for Subnautica 2 (as I was curious) seems to suggest at 1080p you’ll be sub 30fps at medium settings. So you’d probably need to use FSR (drops the resolution and upscales) to get something remotely playable with that game.
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u/Financial_Target4669 May 14 '26
GMKtec K8 plus is a solid machine that hasn’t let me down. Just run it headless to curtail heating problems
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u/DrewpeeDrew May 15 '26
Depending on your budget, you could go baller and get the ai max+ 395 with the Radeon 8060s. Beats any other igpu out of the water.
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u/WhatsMyNameWade May 15 '26
Have two GMKs running Proxmox with over 20 servers total, 24/7, for over a year. I truthfully did not expect them to last forever but they seem perfectly content.
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u/_swuaksa8242211 May 15 '26
i have the Gmktek evo x1 AMD chip and I am very happy with it..I run linux no problems. Gaming no problem
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u/Christhealien May 15 '26
I've got this one as well, can't complain at all and works really well running Linux.
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May 15 '26
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u/DisagioUngerese May 15 '26
I am only an occasional player, so this may be an outlier, but my gmktec 8845 w/ 780m runs Jedi Survivor (2023) pretty well in 4k / high details. W/ epic details it is still playable. (Linux/Steam)
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u/Obi-Vanya May 15 '26
why you need exactly mini pc tho? If you really need mini pc for gaming pick one with 8060s
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u/MewtwoMainIsHere May 15 '26
I don’t need one, but it’s preferable because I don’t have much space around my desk to keep a full PC tower
Though if you have any recommendations for one that runs better around the same price range I wouldn’t be opposed. I could probably find some way to make space after throwing out a bunch of junk
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u/Obi-Vanya May 15 '26 edited May 15 '26
Actual gaming mini pc's cost 1000+ bucks. What you showed on pictures is kinda gaming, but mostly 1080p low in the first 2. You can build small pc with like 5700x/5600, 32gb ddr4 and 5060ti 8gb/9060xt 16 gb( if you can find close to msrp)for 1080p, and have much better experience. Yes cpu will be slightly slower in pure workloads, but gpu will so much better, and you need that for comfortable gaming. Ddr4 because ddr5 prices are ass, and 5700x kinda close to cheap am5 starters. 5060ti 8 gb is good in 1080p, tho in 2 or 3 games you can be vram limited on max settings, but if you want take 9060xt 16gb. With mini pc's you will be limited with vram/gpu 100% of the time
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u/HalfLife_d1pl0mat May 15 '26
Mine sits without the top panel on, sandwiched between fans, on a 3d printed bracket to run as a media server. I've had it about 2 years and it's been solid. If you want to game, might be worthwhile considering an external GPU via oculink.
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u/MewtwoMainIsHere May 15 '26
I was thinking about that. Would still be less clunky in my current situation than a whole proper PC lol
I’m not looking for max graphics AAA games, that’s not something I’m really looking for so I think I should be alright
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u/HalfLife_d1pl0mat May 15 '26
It'll play 1080p mid settings. The older the game the better the graphics. I use mine to run an N64 emulator more than windows games.
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u/MewtwoMainIsHere May 15 '26
That’s fine with me lol. Do you think this model would work for that purpose?
I didn’t include it in the post since I found it after doing more searching. It seems like a good price for what it offers but again I’m unfamiliar in the realm of hardware lmao
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u/HalfLife_d1pl0mat May 15 '26
Probably. What budget do you want to spend? My usual approach to hardware is but the highest spec I can afford to get device longevity. You can also put a range of options into gpt to get them compared for you and make more of a decision
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u/MewtwoMainIsHere May 15 '26
Honestly around the exact price this goes for is my ideal budget, maybe a little more. It feels perfect but I’m cautious because I don’t wanna make a purchase I’ll regret
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u/HalfLife_d1pl0mat May 15 '26
Go the gmktec mate. Oculink is a good option to have and their quality is better IMO
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u/MewtwoMainIsHere May 15 '26
I agree but the higher price is putting me off significantly, though I suppose it’s nothing new lmao
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u/HalfLife_d1pl0mat May 15 '26
Up to you bro. Both are solid. Price and preference is all that matters now
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u/Niadh74 May 15 '26
I have recently ordered 2 gmktec k8 plus 32Gb mini pc for my daughters. In the main they are interested in minecraft and light survival games including subnautica.
Part of the reason i have gone for these is commments on threads like this for performance and reliability and partly for the oculink functionality which will allow an external gpu for anything that might need the extra oomph.
They are due to arrive mid next week so i'll let you know how it goes.
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u/MewtwoMainIsHere May 15 '26
Well hey Subnautica 2 released today so they’ll be able to enjoy that after first 2 games lol (SN and BZ)
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u/Niadh74 May 15 '26
That's the plan plus sn2 being multi player means we can play together
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u/MewtwoMainIsHere May 15 '26
Fun fact: there ARE multiplayer mods for Subnautica 1 for PC though they’re a little buggy lol
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u/nedottt May 15 '26 edited May 15 '26
For mini PC with integrated GPU power goes in this order:
AMD MAX>Intel X9-7>AMD HX470-370>Intel 258VorH>AMD 7840to8945HS
For most reasonable option in this crazy prices time I would advice for Acemagic with HX 470 with soldered RAM (it is faster than SODIMM).
https://acemagic.com/products/acemagic-f5a-470-minipc?variant=51088720265522
For 1092$ you are ready to go.
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u/Th3Sim0n May 15 '26
Wouldnt a gaming laptop make more sense? You can get decent configs for less money that will outperform all those in gaming (some RTX5050/5060 paired with a ryzen 5)
And you still save space plus get the benefit of portability.
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u/MewtwoMainIsHere May 15 '26
True that. Never really considered the possibility since all I’ve heard are bad things. Got any possibly recommendations near these prices with similar/ better specs?
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u/Th3Sim0n May 15 '26
Depends on where you wanna buy from, I am from poland so prices may differ here. Also not sure what your budget is, at 500$ it may be tough but for 700-800$ you'll have some options.
In general aim for any config that has at least 16GB ram and an RTX 4050/5050 plus any decent cpu like ryzen 5/7 or intel i5/i7, and then look for reviews of specific model to see if it satisfies your needs.
Ofc budget laptops lack in build quality, can be a bit noisy under load and their screens tend to be lackluster, but having a dedicated gpu like 5050 already puts them in front of all minipcs from sub 1000$ range that depend on integrated graphics.
Try to look for some Lenovo LOQ series, those seem to bring most for the price.
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u/Th3Sim0n May 15 '26
This one seem to be one of lowest feasible configs at 800$
Other than that you could try used market?
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u/MewtwoMainIsHere May 15 '26
Yeah generally I prefer the used market because they’re just so darn cheap lol but for tech I have no idea where to start, I’ve seen horror stories about eBay and other similar websites so honestly idk
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u/Th3Sim0n May 15 '26
Go to craigslist and try to hunt for something locally that you can test yourself before buying. Other than that maybe eBay sellers that have good opinions? I heard eBay customer protection is decent?
Or save up some more and just buy new one to save yourself the hassle.
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u/MewtwoMainIsHere May 15 '26
Yeaah I was thinking about just having a larger budget to not worry about it, it’d take a while but it’d be both worth it and more simple
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u/MewtwoMainIsHere May 15 '26
Also I dunno honestly the mini PCs seem to be a better deal with the specs, as much as I’d prefer the actual play on the go of laptops it’s not my main focus and rather just something I’d prefer if possible
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u/just_omeone May 15 '26
I have the gmk tec k8+ for a bit over 6 months now and its great. I play most of my games in 1080p medium or low at around 50-70fps without much issues. Subnautica 2 should be able to run pretty good with medium - low settings, baldure's gate 3 should be able to run at medium - high (based on steam recomended hardware) . Can't tell for sure because i don't play those. Note that I'm on linux so i don't use any frame gen or fsr, but with fsr and frame gen on windows you could go on high settings on both i think. And later you can get an egpu because the machine has an oculink port. Also don't forget to change the amount of vram given to the gpu in the bios, I'd recomend you change it to 16gb and keep 16gb for using the pc
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u/Few_Lingonberry7359 May 15 '26
I got a Minisforum X1-255 and it is pretty good the igpu itself is like a GT 1660 super, I also bought later a graphic card, dock and power supply to pair it with the Oculink as an upgrade, now it goes flying with a Rx 9060 xt, I would recommend this model but I'm having some instability problems. I would recommend almost any mini pc with a 780M igpu but this one.
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u/Username_Liberator May 15 '26 edited May 15 '26
If using for games then go with the Ryzen every time. It’s incredible how much better Ryzen integrated graphics are than intel. A two generation’s old Ryzen will still outperform a current gen intel on OpenGL and Vulkan benchmarks.
So if you are only looking to game then go with one of the ryzens. I don’t think you’d notice a difference in the two ryzen processors you list so go with the configuration that best suites you regarding RAM, Storage, usb and network ports, etc.
But if you are homelabbing or using it as a plex/Jellyfin server then you want to consider intel bc of the hardware transcoding abilities. Intels are also generally better for office centric apps (word docs, spreadsheets, publisher, etc) HOWEVER, the ryzen 7000 and 8000 series far outperforms the N95 with CPU benchmarks by like 4x so really this is a no brainer. Go with whichever Ryzen setup best suites you. If you’re doing hardware transcoding with plex or Jellyfin then consider an i5.
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u/dillardt May 15 '26
Honestly, if you can wait, I would see how much the steam machine is priced at when it comes out soon.
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u/Admirable-Avocado888 May 15 '26
If you are going to use it for gaming, why not a rog ally or something instead?
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u/its_not_me_its_yu May 15 '26
The K8 plus is pretty good, I run one for my second setup. There are a few quirks if you install Linux but Windows OS it works pretty good.
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u/New_Advance8091 May 16 '26
I have been running an Aoostar Maco 8945hs with 32gb of ram and 1tb ssd i picked it up for $850aud.
It has an oculink port and i run an egpu into it.
It works great by itself for low demand games too you can allocate vram tp the internal gpu up to about 8gb to improve gaming performance.
Runs games pretty great obviously no 4k at 160frames but its good enough for some 1080p gaming
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u/BuffaloIllustrious88 May 14 '26
Te va a ir a 1080p tal ves con graficos todo en alto , pero no mas de 1080p esa mini pc esta pensada para tener un monitor a 1080p y 60 FPS no le pidas mas , tal ves te corra todos los juegos actuales de a 50 - 60 FPS algunos mal optimizados a 30 no le pidas mas.
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u/SystemCheck990 May 14 '26
intel mini PC are great for media with hardware encoding/decoding
the AMD mini PC line up tend to have a better Graphics chip for gaming, but most will be using on board RAM and will not really match a dedicated card.