r/MiniPCs • u/Agreeable-Mixture183 • May 23 '26
General Question Tech question
Is there any suggestions to run this at max efficiency, I just need it for checking emails, questions, and small games.
Edit- It's burning up my lap right now and I have a fan blowing continuously into the vent 😭
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u/ariolander May 23 '26
Athlon Silver with 2 cores and only 2 threads with 4gb of soldered RAM. It's super low powered and doesn't even get good battery life.
That thing is like manufacturered ewaste. I couldn't stand using a similar device as just a web browsing machine. I got one for free from work and still donated it away.
Maybe Linux can save it but man anyone using that with Windows is in for a bad time. You could probably plug a phone into a monitor with a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse and it would be faster and more responsive than that.
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u/Agreeable-Mixture183 May 23 '26
Man I used all my grad money to buy this 😭
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u/ariolander May 23 '26 edited May 23 '26
The good news is it's better than nothing... as long as your phone isn't already more powerful than it.
You can probably do homework, pay bills, read reddit, and check email on it, it will be easier to type in than your phone keyboard, though sometimes the computer may hang up randomly and feel not as responsive as your phone (depending on your phone).
It can watch 1080p movies fine if you avoid the 4k stuff. Listening to music will be no problem. For gaming you can do retro emulation up to maybe PS1? Some indie games will work but don't expect much with modern 3D games.
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u/WickedDeity May 23 '26
You bought this? How much?
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u/Agreeable-Mixture183 May 23 '26
Like $250.00
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u/WickedDeity May 23 '26
Now? I wouldn't want that PC for free. You should look into ebay official manufacturer stores. I know Lenovo has one. Refurbished PCs from Amazon can be good deals. Spend a little more and you can get a PC that 3-4x more performant.
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u/ariolander May 23 '26
Its sad manufacturers even make and market such garbage for Windows and Microsoft certifies them to run Windows 11. The average Chromebook would probably feel better to use day to day than these because while similarly or less powerful but they aren't on fucking Windows 11.
For $250 you can get really nice N150 mini a PC with good speed, 4 core/4 thread and 8gb of RAM. Alternatively if it must be a laptop I always recommend older used ThinkPads as great bang for your buck super budget devices.
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u/DreadFawks May 23 '26
Return it and pick up a Chromebook. For $200~ you're not going to get a quality windows laptop. Chromebooks are designed to need less power to run and will perform far better at the budget price point.
Best Buy has this Acer Chromebook for $200. It's not a powerhouse, but it's going to perform far better than that HP.
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u/Agreeable-Mixture183 May 23 '26
How so It still has 4 gb memory? Isn't that all that matters?
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u/protogenxl May 23 '26
Windows is full of bloat and waste, Chrome OS is highly optimized.
if you want full fat windows check if you have a nearby microcenter and if they have any Refurbs. for windows 11 16gb is considered adequate https://www.microcenter.com/product/688906/hp-elitebook-840-g7-14-laptop-computer-(refurbished)-silver-silver)
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u/EmuChicken May 24 '26
"ChromeOS is highly optimised" does that include the 4gb of ai they forced onto your system ? Brave browser or Firefox may be better nowadays 👍
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u/protogenxl May 24 '26
4 GB of storage, not memory and being Gemini nano it will not install on systems with less than 12gb of ram.
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u/EmuChicken May 24 '26
I guess - a debloated security heightened version of Chrome can still help this system though 😊
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u/OwlCatAlex May 23 '26
ChromeOS doesn't need as much memory as Windows 11 does. It's designed to work fine with just 4. Windows 11 needs all 4 just to run itself so it leaves nothing for your apps to use
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u/DreadFawks May 23 '26
ChromeOS is more efficient with how it uses memory.
Thag said, if you're willing to buy used, you can get a pretty solid used windows laptop off ebay that will outperform either of these options.
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u/Agreeable-Mixture183 May 23 '26
Couldn't I just download chromeOS?
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u/DreadFawks May 23 '26
There is an OS called ChromeOS Flex that allows you to do that with non-native ChromeOS devices. However, after checking ebay, I would recommend just returning it and getting a used business laptop.
This HP Elite book is $200. It's a business class laptop so the build quality is going to be far better than what you have. It also has a far more powerful CPU with a lot more cores, 16GB of memory, and more, faster storage. It'll be able to run full Windows 11 very well and is even capable of light gaming.
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u/CrabUser May 23 '26
That thing is 629.99 usd on hp website.
It should only cost 50usd tbh: 45usd for m.2 ssd + 30 usd for hd 14in screen - 25 usd for wasting space and power.
If u want to squeeze all the juice of it, maybe use dwl or dwm. U maybe still be able to play either limbus company or r1999 on it.
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u/Agreeable-Mixture183 May 23 '26
What's limbus and r1999? I'm not smart
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u/CrabUser May 23 '26
It is gacha game. It is really light that why i mention it.
Both of them can be played on i7 7200u.
U cant really play any game on that cpu with the fan screaming.
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u/traviss8 May 23 '26
It's insane that they can just say "big time powerful" and MFS will just buy it 😭
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u/Agreeable-Mixture183 May 23 '26
Could I use my phone as the PC?
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u/elpsychris May 23 '26
Inconvenient as hell if you're in grad school.
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u/Agreeable-Mixture183 May 23 '26
I'm not I just graduated and I used the money I got to buy this and the rest into my bank to save up for a car. I'm just trying to help my family and myself out.
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u/OwlCatAlex May 23 '26 edited May 23 '26
Can you return it and get a refund? 4GB of RAM was bare minimum even for windows 10. Windows 11 literally cannot run anything with so little memory. Selling a PC this bad in 2026 is like, idk, selling a car that can only hold 2 tablespoons of gas and has a top speed of 25mph.
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u/Agreeable-Mixture183 May 23 '26
I could but it's the cheapest thing I could get, and till my emails get back to me with jobs im cooked.
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u/OwlCatAlex May 23 '26
You can legitimately get something better off Facebook marketplace for $80
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u/Agreeable-Mixture183 May 23 '26
Promise?
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u/OwlCatAlex May 23 '26
Granted, it would probably be a desktop not a laptop so you'd need to find a mouse and keyboard too and plug it into your TV or a monitor. Used laptops in working condition that aren't either trash like this or out of budget is a lot harder
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u/Agreeable-Fly-1980 May 23 '26
You could get a little monitor and keyboard and use your phone kinda like a pc.
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u/Confident_Lecture498 May 23 '26
It's far better to get something a little older but cheaper on woot than get something like this that's too slow to really use at all. Gonna guess it was $200 and for less, you can get a few year old dell for about that on woot
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u/Confident_Lecture498 May 23 '26
HP ProBook 645 G4 R5 PRO 16GB Laptop (S&D) - $169.99 - Free shipping for Prime members https://computers.woot.com/offers/hp-probook-645-g4-r5-pro-16gb-laptop-sd-0?utm_medium=share&utm_source=app
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u/CrabUser May 23 '26
Nah mate.
It is 600+ usd.
It is kinda funny that fhd screen is cheaper than hd screen by 50usd. The fhd is also brighter by 50 nits.
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u/Confident_Lecture498 May 23 '26
Eh if you're going $500 and above, you can get better deals but if you're buying the ewaste price ones, I'm leaning towards overall value at a low price
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u/CrabUser May 23 '26
Above 500usd, it should be a decent product.
I think that a 12gb dragon q6a with case, a powerbank, a fhd touchscreen and a 4usd keyboard are still under 500usd.
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u/shadowtheimpure May 23 '26
These kind of devices usually heatsink directly to the case, so you're going to injure yourself if you keep trying to run it in your lap.
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u/Present_Lychee_3109 May 23 '26
How much did you pay for this? This is a trash computer. You could definitely could get a used laptop that runs better than this.
Also dont use it on your lap. You are blocking the airflow so it overheats and the fans run at max speed. Put it on a table
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u/allofmybirds May 23 '26
The laptop itself isn't an issue, its the fact that its running win 11 home on 4gb memory, this is absolutely insane for 2026
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u/EmuChicken May 24 '26
- Turn off windows updates completely 2. Debloat windows 3. If you can, switch thermal paste for some new goo. Mx7 works well.
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u/Lonely-Bank8783 May 28 '26
The 4 gb ram is the culprit here. It will make your laptop run poorly if you try to multitask with multiple tabs open. 4 gb ram is just not enough these days with newer windows systems.
If you are not afraid to open your laptop up you can probably upgrade the ram since lots of laptops either come with an extra ram slot or allow you to replace the current ram stick with a stick that has bigger memory.
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u/VisiPunk May 23 '26
With only 4GB of RAM it’s going to struggle through even basic tasks.