What is a MINI PC
9 min read
If you are a computer novice who wants to learn something about computers, this article is recommended.
This field is not just a few English terms, but more of a combination of market trends and examples. If you don't know much about one of them, check it out with Bing.
What is a MINI PC?
The MINI PC category was originally defined by Intel as a 0.5L body (about the size of a bottle of Nongfu Spring)
Intel has been making NUC products since 2013, and has released 13 generations of them, each of which is named after a certain canyon.
At the same time, Intel defined three scenarios for the MINI PC that year, including the Black Canyon Gaming NUC, Industrial NUC, and Business NUC
Although Intel defined many scenarios, the NUC was extremely cost-effective at the time, with a screen for the same price as a screen without one. Isn't that bullshit?
By the way, Intel at the time offered four sales models: complete systems, quasi-systems, custom cooling modules, and chassis. These included solutions (a case without a CPU and motherboard), quasi-systems (without memory or hard drives), and standard products (with both memory and hard drives).
Why are minicomputers suddenly popular?
Why 2023 is the first year of MINI PC again? Why did it suddenly explode?
1. Since Intel introduced hyper-threading technology in 8XXXH processor in 2018, the performance of multi-core has skyrocketed, and the performance of single-core has also been improved.
2. The same year, our foreign partners officially entered the Ryzen era and GTX16 era
Intel said at the 8th generation launch event that the performance improvement of 30% was due to toothpaste blowing up a generation.
In today's CPU market, the 7th-generation Core processors face a double challenge: their performance is being outperformed by the 8th-generation Core, while cost-effectiveness gets crushed by Ryzen. The root cause of this predicament lies in Intel's strategic commitment to delivering substantial performance and competitive pricing in the 8th-generation Core series, as Ryzen continues to push forward with its technological edge.
1. As you know, traditional installations are becoming less and less popular.
2. A number of brands such as Xiaomi, Zero, and Jimo Ke have started to make MINI PCs focus on cost performance, hoping to replace some low-end Internet host configurations with MINI PCs.
Going online with a big case? That's ridiculous in today's world
1. Users are waking up and abandoning the idea that a computer can do everything.
2. Instead, they began to use different fields to distinguish computers: gaming computers for games, ultraportable laptops for business trips, and all-in-one machines for prison seats.
At the same time, in the post-pandemic era, users are waking up and their minds are clear.
After the tide of consumption recedes, they realize their actual needs are not that great. With the passage of time and the erosion of social stability, fewer and fewer young people who should have taken over the role of happy gamers remain. Instead, mobile games have become mainstream.
Under the joint action of these three reasons, MINI PC began to be discovered and popularized by the workers in the society.
Generally speaking, MINI PC uses the CPU of a laptop, and the overall power consumption is not high
The MINI PC is powered by the MINI core, which has a compact body that can easily fit inside your soda can.
The performance is not so strong, but at least it is absolutely enough. Especially for the ox and horse sitting in the office, it is ok to watch videos during daily office work.
The MINI PC originated as an industrial control machine
Industrial Personal Computer (IPC) is an enhanced computer host specifically designed for industrial environments. It is not the machine you think of as operating large machinery.
Industrial control computers originated from the MAC-150 class IPC computer of AD Corporation in the United States in the 1980s, and later IBM introduced the IBM7532, which is regarded as the initial maturity of industrial control computer technology.
This thing weighs 20KG...
The most common card gate you see in your daily life is usually an industrial control mini host inside:
But later, the industrial control computer became smaller and smaller until it became what it is now, so you will find that some of the current MINI PC generally retain the shadow of the industrial control computer —— firm, reliable and durable.
I guess that's why Intel is willing to give its NUC business to Asustek. After all, "Asustek quality is as solid as a rock" (the Prime and AYW series motherboards are very good)
I borrowed this C06 from a friend. It's as thick as a mouse, and maybe the whole machine is only two mouse-sized.
The one I'm holding here is an i5-1334U industrial control mini host. This machine comes from Brenuc, a company in the United States. You know what the word "Rui" means.
In reality, this company is Intel's core OEM partner and also capable of ODM manufacturing, with its own design capabilities. However, it was established in May this year, making it relatively young (imagine why an enterprise formed in May 2024 could become Intel's OEM partner? Where do the chips come from? And where does the ODM support come from?)
It can even directly enter the product matrix, like the MoDT motherboard that Er Ying often makes, and even the Element computing module similar to Huawei's, outperforming many manufacturers by a wide margin...
If you don't understand it, read this one. You'll understand
Back to the processor, Intel's 13th generation i5-1334U low-power processor, two large cores and eight small cores design, 10 cores and 12 threads, TDP is only 15W, three cache 12MB.
Despite its low power consumption and base frequency, this CPU boasts a 4.6GHz turbo capability paired with Intel's Iris Xe Graphics 80EU core display. The theoretical performance meets the requirements for running Genshin Impact. However, this graphics unit is primarily designed for encoding/decoding tasks – it's worth noting that Intel's core strength lies in excelling at these operations.
Pair it with the DDR4 memory made by Tsinghua University, pure domestic DDR4~
The installation is the same as a laptop, just press it,
This machine is obviously a commercial model, focusing on good durability and quality. In fact, some of the Lenovo machines we used when we were young are basically standard commercial models, and many machines older than me can still be turned on and allow Windows XP system.
Commercial models just like to spend money on shell materials, but they are not so concerned about configuration. Machines with the same price and configuration have better performance than it, but there are not many machines with more materials and craftsmanship than this.
The machine itself is 520 grams, but the weight of an iron plate at the bottom is exactly 100 grams!
The whole machine is made of metal, even the edges are CNC cut to further enhance the texture, and even the interface is not stripped down, so that the handle is armed.
This configuration, to be honest, is as good as the laptop's 4800U. It should also be noted that the TDP is only 15W, which guarantees sufficient performance while being cooler and quieter.
Generally speaking, pay attention to the noise problem on the desktop, I have suffered from it before...
For commercial machines, the interface is a key differentiator compared to consumer-grade devices. Notably, it features RJ45 network ports, DP video outputs, PD power ports, and even four USB3.2 Gen2 ports – configurations you won't find on laptops.
There are two types of MINI PC on the market: small blocks and large pieces
One is a small square, mainly equipped with a low-power CPU with a TDP of no more than 15W, commonly known as U15. For example, this i5-1334U, and even more extreme ones will choose the N100 and N305 configuration.
The other is the large chip, which is mainly equipped with P28 and H45 processors with TDP of 28W and 45W respectively, such as i5-1240P and i5-12500H. Even more extreme, there are even weird HX55 processors equipped with i5-12600HX.
For MINI PC, it is the same logic as ultrabooks, which do not require too high power consumption. Therefore, the CPU of these MINI PC and ultrabooks are basically the same.
Of course, there are some products that are going to hell with the Snapdragon...
Where are MiniPCs used and why not buy a laptop?
· The MINI PC is much larger than the same configuration desktop
· The same configuration laptop with screen, keyboard, trackpad, and speakers, so it's $2,000
In fact, from my personal point of view, I think it's mainly because the laptop takes up too much space, and it's expensive, and the screen is small.
For fixed office, the hard truth is that bigger screen = higher efficiency.
The Mini PC is about the size of a palm. It takes up minimal space in your workstation, and you can even use a large screen – like a 32-inch one. The office lady will definitely give you a second look when she passes by, hehe.
You can bring your own keyboard and mouse, especially if you buy multiple sets of keyboards and mice. Instead of letting them go to waste, why not use them to please yourself at work? Why use the company's garbage keyboard and mouse?
When it comes to performance, while many people say it's for office work, the Office 4-Pack is actually for office use. CAD and 3DMAX are also for office tasks. Even casual coffee-drinking and scrolling through netizens' water group messages count as office work. Would these activities ever be too much for the system?!
If it's at home, you can even skip the set-top box and just buy a 75-inch TV and MINI PC as a wall-mounted unit to slowly download 4K movies. It uses less power anyway.
If you can afford a yearly membership, you might as well go straight to the terminal
Of course, as mentioned earlier, Intel's core display is awesome at video codec.
So some tech-savvy folks figured: I've got a high-performance gaming console in my bedroom, but I want to play games on the big TV in the living room. The solution? Connect the MINI PC to the TV and use Steam streaming to transfer the console's graphics to the MINI PC for decoding. You can even play 4K games this way!
It can be done, but at a cost, with a slight loss of picture and a slightly higher delay. However, it is generally within acceptable limits.
The low-power MINI PC can also be used for other purposes, such as a video box, a virtual machine, a soft router, or even a server.
What are the competitors for MINI PC?
Some people will say, MAC mini!
No, in fact, the biggest rival of MINI PC is its former self—— traditional PC!
To be more precise, they are called "Taobao machines". After they are bought, they are unlikely to be upgraded during their machine life, and are even inferior to MINI PCs.
You really buy a PCIe adapter to use up the bandwidth when there are too many PCIe slots. I don't believe it
Although Intel has defined the Gaming NUC, I still don't think it's designed for playing games.
Look at the Thunder God 4060 MINI PC which peaked at launch and died instantly.
The MINI PC seems to be designed and optimized for corporate office scenarios
You'll find that this thing is even optimized for the corporate office environment.
You can imagine that if the performance is sufficient, it is cheaper than a laptop, and it can still be used with the old monitor. For the company, it is possible to replace the host without changing the monitor, keyboard and mouse. The boss will laugh!
You know, many companies have already sent away several waves of employees with their monitors.
At the same time, MINI PC has a perfect after-sales system compared to DIY desktop computer, and regular Windows and Office can be used, which can avoid Microsoft's lawsuit. The boss is even happier when he smiles.
Even the MINI PC was so small that I could stuff it into my bag after work and take it home to continue working. My boss's mouth would only be harder to suppress than an AK-47.
So do you need a MINI PC?
If you're a college student who wants a big screen but has limited desktop space, consider this MINI PC and throw it wherever you want.
If you are a new horse entering the society and feel that the computer configuration of the company is poor, you can consider getting one for yourself.
If you're building a factory, the entire N100 is a good industrial computer.
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Shenzhen Rising Sun Electronic Technology Co., Ltd.
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