New Forum Topic Mini/Micro Computers

ThumperTM any chance of creating a sub-forum for this topic As CPU based on thinner silicon wafers continue to be developed, that means less power requirements and therefore less heat and thermal related issues. That means you can pack a lot into a small case. I'd like to see if that is a current or future topic our members would be interested in. Add into that the continuing emergence of SAS and more and more functions including AI move to "the cloud" requirements will change from past needs.

Future systems will have emphasis place on who knows exactly what but with the exception of gaming and simulation systems, the giant boxes of today continue to fade away. Laptops (with the exception of those super expensive workstations) are definitely more useful than they were 5 years ago. There will still be a need to fill in the bridge between those environments. Storage of mass quantities of data for example. Laptops as they move to solid state storage media, very expensive, yet reliable in a mobile environment. Unless you move to a subscription cloud based storage that you trust is secure it requires some kind of magnetic storage, 3 1/' desktop drives being the most reliable. They can be attached via an outboard array with RAID or not via a very fast USB 3 connection owner can move or archived individual drives at will.

So with all those compelling reasons I would like to see a hardware discussion of brands, models, CPUs used and most important member's experiences as this field continues to develop. I suspect monitor discussions as they relate to the topic would be helpful and topic related.

So T what do you think, worth the trouble?

Hi @DVDR_Dog,

Thank you for the idea, i will add sub forum for mini pc and I will let you know.

Thumper

Good prices for computers and electronic parts

Sorry I have neglected this forum. I have been playing around with various new systems such as Acemagic, Miniforums. I am going to try and grab up some more as I can. Except for applications that require a powerful graphics card, these little guys get the job done with a very small footprint.
Hopefully I can add things here as I think of or come across them.

Mimi PC= Overgrown pocket calculator
Raspberry Pi = Think I have a Pentium 2 somewhere thats larger.

Tech gets smaller, however to get the smack for your buck out of it, a PC is needed. Office systems and networking definitely can use the Mini PC or its Android equivalent (I can hear the boss on the phone to me as I type.)
It depends on what you get and use, ours at the factory use PC VT and Android due to conflicts with phone interaction etc.
Definitely the phrase TOOOOO Many cooks etc springs too mind. Our network is supposed to be fully Cat 7 / 8 high speeed till it hits the switch units aqnd dont mention the S__V__Rs.

Fit for purpose, if that purpose is to play tic tac toe with itself then maybe.

DVDR_Dog said:

systems such as Acemagic

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Hope you checked that thing for viruses before using it. About a year ago there were reports that they were loaded with viruses from the factory. Supposed to be fixed but if you got an older model it could still be there.
Tom's Hardware article about Acemagic

starhawk69 said:

Hope you checked that thing for viruses before using it. About a year ago there were reports that they were loaded with viruses from the factory. Supposed to be fixed but if you got an older model it could still be there.
Tom's Hardware article about Acemagic

Click to expand...

Dunno. I have a practice of wiping a new system and using the OEM Microsoft version possibly tweaked a bit with Rufus. To address your comment there was some funny code a year or so with Acemagic pointing the finger at the subcontractor who produced the code for them, it's gone now.
Regardless, nothing like a clean install that I am aware of all the drivers sources and no other crap installed.

Diguelo said:

Mimi PC= Overgrown pocket calculator
Raspberry Pi = Think I have a Pentium 2 somewhere thats larger.

Tech gets smaller, however to get the smack for your buck out of it, a PC is needed. Office systems and networking definitely can use the Mini PC or its Android equivalent (I can hear the boss on the phone to me as I type.)
It depends on what you get and use, ours at the factory use PC VT and Android due to conflicts with phone interaction etc.
Definitely the phrase TOOOOO Many cooks etc springs too mind. Our network is supposed to be fully Cat 7 / 8 high speeed till it hits the switch units aqnd dont mention the S__V__Rs.

Fit for purpose, if that purpose is to play tic tac toe with itself then maybe.

Click to expand...

I was on the VoIP phone provisioning for years, I was laid off due to belt tightening to be sold which they have been, it's carnage over there now. Ideally there should be separate IPs and switching equipment for VoIP as well as complete separation from the data side.
Funny you mention the Cat 7/8 wiring. It gives the suits something to brag about even though the reality is it's like putting drag slicks on a Toyota Corolla. At least the wiring IS there should you upgrade. But going to the likes of Azure off site servers means Internet bandwidth is all she wrote. Such was the case at my last employer with Engineering constantly bitching how slow everything was. At least they were insulated from ransomware.

These little guys from Dell and HP have been used successfully in commercial environments for years and are surprising powerful. They do lack the I/O options their bigger brothers have, they mostly rely on USB 3.x. I find a couple (or more) are a good way to distribute duties. I currently have an i9 32GB RAM system which is pretty fast.