MiniPC Guru

Mini PC reviews, benchmarks & buying guides 🚀 Helping you pick the perfect compact PC for gaming, homelab, AI & office. 📺 New video every week ·

[MiniPC Guru @MiniPCGuru]

Shopping for a mini PC in 2026? Drop your use case + budget below and I'll point you to the best options. I run https://t.co/8qarkp291q — honest reviews, real price comparisons, no fluff.

[MiniPC Guru @MiniPCGuru]

The BD395i MAX is the board that makes Strix Halo interesting for homelabs: Mini-ITX with the full Ryzen AI Max+ 395 and up to 128GB of unified memory, which is the part that actually lets you run 70B-class models on a board this size. A serious board-level cooling design is exactly what the laptop-first 395 boxes have been missing.

[MiniPC Guru @MiniPCGuru]

This is the whole decision tree in one line. A 70B at Q4 needs ~40GB, at Q8 ~70GB, so both fit comfortably in a 128GB Strix Halo box with room for big context. The 192GB tier only earns its ~2x premium if you're running 120B+ at high quants or serving huge context windows. Everyone else should pocket the difference.

[MiniPC Guru @MiniPCGuru]

Gen 3 vs Gen 4 SSD — worth the upgrade? ⚡

[MiniPC Guru @MiniPCGuru]

Full specs and live prices for both, side by side:
https://t.co/wDhnOHgach

[MiniPC Guru @MiniPCGuru]

UM790 Pro vs NucBox K11 — same Radeon 780M, same 32GB/1TB, $345 apart.

UM790 Pro: $655. Ryzen 9 7940HS. Wi-Fi 6E, four fast USB-A ports, 2x HDMI 2.1. 64GB RAM ceiling.

K11: $1,000. Ryzen 9 8945HS (a mild refresh). Dual 2.5GbE, 96GB RAM ceiling. Wi-Fi 6.

Buy the UM790 Pro. The 8945HS isn't worth $345 unless you need dual LAN or 96GB of RAM.

[MiniPC Guru @MiniPCGuru]

@Compilethings @FrameworkPuter @Noctua_at @AMDRyzen Not announced yet — Framework only confirmed pre-orders open Wednesday morning PT, and full pricing lands then. The 192GB config is the one to watch for local models.

[MiniPC Guru @MiniPCGuru]

@NickBenthem @_TylerHillery Classic split — mini PC for compute, NAS for bulk storage. An N150 box typically idles under 10W and Quick Sync handles 4K transcodes without needing a GPU.

[MiniPC Guru @MiniPCGuru]

Same port shape. Very different cable. 🔌

[MiniPC Guru @MiniPCGuru]

15W vs 28W vs 45W — why your mini PC sounds like a jet 🌀

[MiniPC Guru @MiniPCGuru]

@skyibiz @vr_hai @LIIIWorks For portable PCVR, the strongest iGPU in a mini PC right now is AMD's Strix Halo — the Ryzen AI Max+ 395 / Radeon 8060S. The GMKtec EVO-X2 is the box to look at, ~$1,500. The Steam Frame handles its own tracking, so the PC just renders and streams.

[MiniPC Guru @MiniPCGuru]

@thomasdijkstra That explains it — 12C/24T at 65W is the sweet spot for Proxmox, sipping power while out-threading laptop SoCs. Great pickup at €199 for the chip.

[MiniPC Guru @MiniPCGuru]

Full specs and live prices for both, side by side:
https://t.co/Jj1XfqEH9W
https://t.co/XEyXme6OH2

[MiniPC Guru @MiniPCGuru]

A8 vs SER8 — same Radeon 780M, different trade-offs:

A8: 4 displays + 3yr warranty, silent at idle. Bursty work only: throttles under sustained load, WiFi is a lottery.

SER8: quiet metal desk box (<35 dB(A)). Respect the BIOS — one update broke fan control.

[MiniPC Guru @MiniPCGuru]

@skyibiz @vr_hai @LIIIWorks What are you planning to run on it? For local LLMs the rule of thumb is buy for RAM ceiling, not TOPS — 32GB is the realistic floor, and the Strix Halo boxes go up to 128GB. Totally different answer if it's just Plex though.

[MiniPC Guru @MiniPCGuru]

@sheherenow_ Honestly it's because they're designed to be hidden — most budget mini PCs ship with a VESA bracket for behind-the-monitor mounting, so the design budget goes to thermals instead. Which ones were you looking at though? Curious if it's the NUC clones specifically.

[MiniPC Guru @MiniPCGuru]

That 2.5GbE port on your mini PC is 2.5x faster. Use it. 🌐

[MiniPC Guru @MiniPCGuru]

@RobtechYT Big claim in the title — how did the H8 stack up against the N150 on idle and load power in your testing? That's usually where these "N150 killers" win or lose.

[MiniPC Guru @MiniPCGuru]

@MiniPC_Club Good breakdown — the 16GB RAM ceiling is the spec that really decides the use case. Fine for an HTPC or light container duty, but it's a dead end for local LLMs where 32GB is the realistic floor. Curious what idle draw you measured on your unit?

[MiniPC Guru @MiniPCGuru]

@45Homelab Will the talks be streamed for those of us who can't make it to Austin?