The Cheapest Mini PC You Can Buy! GMKtec NucBox G3 Hands On Review

[@JazzTechie]

Even the full price is reasonable. This is what the people who aren’t building stuff or using GPIO on the Raspberry should be buying.

[@farisomeragic8900]

Yes, but this pulls way more power than Raspberry Pi 5

[@Verhagenvictor]

Full price puts it waaaaaay to close to the minisforum UMxxx series with the ryzen APUs, at roughly 200 usd you can get so much more power and expandability, at 99 USD for this G3 though, that isnt a bad deal

[@Hawtep]

What's the best mini PC (in terms of performance) I can get right now for less than 200-150?

[@MayaPosch]

@@farisomeragic8900 Actually it doesn't. There's a reason why the RPi 5 has an actively cooled heatsink on it. Its power envelope is similar to the N100 SoC.

[@madson-web]

​@@MayaPosch Precisely

[@hugthemonkey]

Yes to Batocera! I’d love to see this tested as a bench for RetroArch, HTPC, etc.

[@RealQuickComics]

@@hugthemonkey did he ever make a video of this?

[@roqeyt3566]

I've bought this mini PC after a review from another tech tuber. The 99$ barebones price is just so attractive. I put in an old 120gb 2242 sata drive and 4gb of 2400mhz ddr4, and it runs Linux really well I basically only used spare parts, so it's 99 flat. Incredible deal, and I can highly recommend it!

[@uhack2417]

Do you think I can fit in both 2242 sata and 2280 NVMe at the same time on this mini PC?

[@francyspi4610]

In order to be more competetive Morefine should start on dropping the price for his M9 and M9S otherwise GMTteck will eat it alive....

[@Albert-lp6my]

Hi ETA PRIME! First time posting, I just want to thank for always doing the KZbin benchmarks, the 2K or 4K 60FPS etc. Please keep doing them!! For me it´s the most basic thing that a computer should be able to handle! Thanks again! Keep up the good work! :)

[@Crustenscharbap]

1:25: A 2,5Gbit/s Ethernet. This is a very big advantage compared to the Raspberry Pi 5. Perfect PC for home server. Its not much more expensive as the Pi5.

[@gamecollectorbr]

Have a similar one, generic from Alixpress, but N100. It has 16gb of ram, 256nvme ssd for boot and paired with 2.5' sata hdd that was laying around. Big box with my arcade games and emulation powerhouse. When needed, I just pack it with my external monitor and is a portable videogame on the go. I have a blast with my friends with Brawhalla and Mario Kart64 in this thing.

[@trwent]

I just got mine with 8 MB Ram and Windows 11 preinstalled, for about $140 on Amazon. Was delivered the next day after order was placed. Setup was very easy. I am retired, so really all I use a computer for anymore is browsing the internet, checking my email/sending emails, and creating/printing Word documents and [occasionally] Excel spreadsheets. It is absolutely perfect. My only regret is that I was not aware it was available in the silver color; I would have preferred that to the olive green (no real big deal though). So far, after 3 days of playing around with this computer, I totally LOVE it!! It takes up almost no space on my desk and I am able to have everything wired [internet via the ethernet port, and my 5 peripherals (monitor, speakers, keyboard, trackball, and printer) via the HDMI port (monitor), speaker port (speakers), and usb a ports (keyboard, trackball, and printer). I am a big believer in wired peripherals when it is possible to use them; no batteries to replace, no worries about losing your link; it is just cleaner and simpler!!

[@johnkapcoe8861]

I purchased one of those and use it as a dual boot windows / Linux device and it works really well.

[@knight_of_aces]

What would I need to run Ubuntu? In terms of hardware to install.

[@ValdeSanus]

I think the new and constantly updating ARC drivers are really helping out with these integrated graphics. They have improved a lot, especially on DX9 and 11 - they never used to sustain 60 in some of those emulation titles.

[@GuyManley]

I'd like to see Batocera on this. Been looking at old office PCs for a mini retro arcade build but this could be a better option.

[@Bareego]

I like that it runs on 12V, for people who consider using it on solar that's a big bonus.

[@sunder739]

sounds like this is the perfect media PC for anyone who want a PC but lives in an RV

[@IgnusFast]

I love this little thing. I imaged a 2GB Batocera drive to an SSD and added a 16GB SODIMM to make a nice little emulation machine! PPSSPP was running at ~45fps in 3x native res, but it runs well with Vulkan at 2x native. Absolutely locked at 60fps. I'm really impressed!

[@kadiryazici1558]

Do you also have a Bluetooth gamepad Problem in batocera 38, when WiFi is turned on? I have installed batocera on a microsd Card,which I inserted Into a USB-Stick, which is plugged in one of the USB 3.0 Ports. After connecting my gmktec with WiFi, my Bluetooth gamepad has latency Problems. (Tried for 3 different gamepads, and for all the Same Problem) I have Input delays and Sometimes the Buttons dont Work at all. My gmktec is connected in the 2,4 and 5 GHz frequency wifi. I switched to 5 ghz-only, but unfortunatelly nothing changed at all. Any ideas? Thanks!

[@cookieboy5300]

Thanks for the discount, used your code to get the barebone for $99. I've been wanting to get an N100 mini pc and this is perfect (Audio Jack in REAR! YES!!!!)

[@ctrig85art]

Very interested in a batocera spec build. I think this would be great for a lil living room set up.

[@tobiasmyllynen5999]

Amazing value at 99 bucks. Ordered. Will be my Geforce Now unit in the livingroom.

[@phychmasher]

$99 is exactly the price point I was waiting for on these N100 boxes. Time to pull the trigger and see if I can replace my kids' and wife's aging NUCs! 4 eCores seems juuuuuuuuust about right for school and office work!

[@ThePhantomviper]

I;d like to thank you for this review I had seen a previous review but I have learned to trust your reviews most.

[@phychmasher]

9:28 you KNOW we want to see Batocera on this bad boy! It would be cool to see an apples-to-apples comparison of some of the games you already tested.

[@PamBum28829]

More from GMK, please.. I see they have a lot of good stuff with low price..

[@denvera1g1]

I bought the minisforum for ~$159, because i wanted the dual LAN. 16GB may be overkill for a firewall, but i wanted the dual 2.5G ports and storage options for caching, and if i went down to a more reasonable processor and RAM they often drop down to 1G ports, or cut the storage, or both. But if you dont need the dual ethernet, this GMK is great

[@denvera1g1]

Actually, now that i think about it, the minisforum is a decent value, sure its $60 more, but it also came with 16GB of RAM a 512GB (cheap AF) NVMe, and windows, though, if i remember, when i tested it the key was not tied to the BIOS, so my normal process of wiping the SSD with a fresh install left me un-licenced, though that might have been a one-off error.

[@WMARUoriginal]

Yes please do do a Batocera build. Seems like this would be ideal for that.

[@rookieone33]

Thank you for the discount code! :) Nice video as always ;)

[@W4TRI_Ronny]

Finally a 12vdc unit! Thanks for mentioning it! Most end up at 19v

[@RebelPhoton]

There's dozen of models but it's surprisingly hard to find a n100 mini pc with 16gb or user replaceable lpddr5 (not ddr4 or 12 g soldered), at least one pcie3 4x lanes M.2 drive slot , 2.5 G Ethernet and support for 3 displays. They're always capped in one thing or the other.

[@Originalimoc]

Are you sure N100 support these?

[@RebelPhoton]

@@Originalimoc there are models with all of these features, but not all at once. Closest I've found is topcon/cwwk but I think those give up usb3 cause they're meant to be used as routers :(

[@MrPir84free]

Beelink N100 EQ 12 . Or if you want a bit more power, the EQ 12 Pro. (Have 32G working in the pro, haven't tried it in the N100 version ) Not sure what the M.2 is using.

[@wael4070]

There's beelink models or a cheaper option a t8 firebat, surprisingly coming with a ddr4 320mhz

[@evie_65]

I think the N100 just doesn't have enough I/O to avoid making a compromise somewhere. The 9 PCIe 3.0 lanes are actually high-speed IO lanes that must be configured to either PCIe *or* USB 3.2 *or* SATA *or* UFS, with restrictions on which can be which. If you want a PCIe 3.0x4 slot for an SSD, you lose either all* of your USB 3 ports, or all of your SATA (and UFS) ports. Which is why you see N100 mini-PCs with M.2 ports running with only 1 PCIe lane: there just aren't enough

[@Razumen]

Impressive, thinking about getting this to run some game servers 24/7 or even a small PC to bring to work.

[@richardworboys7212]

Would love to see this vs Pi5 vs ProDesk 600-G3 as a 16gb/256Gb SSD/7500T unit sits at about $85-$100 right now. I put LibreElec on a 600-G3 and it made for one of the best Kodi experiences I have yet seen. Way way better than a Firecube, and I'm also curious to see if the i3 version of the Prodesk would be even better for that with the faster yet fewer cores.....

[@michaelmcconnell7302]

this is exactly what i was going to say 😅 ...i picked one up for $40 a couple weeks ago.

[@grzegorz__]

I was on this path some time ago. Sure I love Dell Optiplexes or HP Prodesk BUT there are few but ;) - performance according to passmark of 7500T vs N100 is similar - N100 uses 6W while typical TDP for 7500T is ... 35W. - GPU performance will be much better with N100 - you have Wifi6 with N100 = much much better streaming, much better wifi speed - 2.5gigabit ethernet vs 1gb = again, better local network speed - USB 3.2 gen ports = much faster external drives All in all, if you want some NAS, linux machine, streaming device - I would say that GMK Mini PC , for this price is really amazing.

[@rogerlai3197]

I bought one with 16GB ram and 512GB NVMe SSD and it is real good for just normal web browsing and casual gaming, and usage...Good

[@JamesJones-zt2yx]

Would like to see how Linux works on it. Thanks.

[@squaddingquads]

I want to setup a webcam in my studio for streaming, is this the best thing to use? Tried a pi and it it's just not what I want you know

[@tshuper]

another great review. would love to see a batocera video and it's performance for a great price.

[@Kirby5588]

Beelink has the n95 pcs on sale for $140 with 16gb of ram and 500gb ssd.

[@jeffreybower5959]

i bought a used asus chromebox cn62 on ebay for around $30 and i converted it to windows 11 and it works and i love it and i bought another mini pc for around the same price and i use my 2.5 inch ssd of 2 tb with my windows 11 and this way i use one for my zoom and the other for gaming!!!!!

[@MrConcord75]

Thanks ETA PRIME. Ordered 1 for $99. Gonna try it for a firewall with an extra USB nic.

[@julioca918]

This would be great for a batocera build for everything gamecube and older!

[@Bourboelettah]

They should release N200 unit. Or i3-N305 ofcourse, higher price.

[@mdd1963]

I'm looking forward to seeing more N305 based units...! 8c/8t ftw!

[@CrowleyRises]

When you consider it comes with storage, power adapter, case and hdmi cable; it actually comes in cheaper than a pi 5. It's also x86 and not arm which is better for most people. The pi 5 is just too expensive.

[@markdawson25]

Watching this from a very similar box... Beelink EQ12 with N100/16GB DDR5/512GB NvME +2! 2.5GBps Intel NICs. So far does everything I need connected to a dual-monitor KVM switch at work. It was $189 a few months back but will probably go for $149 on Black Friday.

[@Isassi007]

@ETAPrime what mini PC would you recommend to play Microsoft Flights Simulator? Your extensive review and constant testing will help me narrow down my next miniPC purchase. Thank you!

[@jasejj]

Wow. Bought straight away, they even do free shipping with VAT for the $99 to the UK, that's not common! Thanks.

[@maxgood42]

Actually yes I would like to see that GMK running Linux like how it handles running a Linux Desktop and WINE apps ? Also could you do a video or make it part of one specifically about the different graphics settings you use for these Mini PC reviews (how to ...)?

[@Ancient_West]

This would be exactly what I would want for my 7 year old when she's a little older. Perfect for school research/projects and Minecraft/Roblox.

[@danielwee2001]

Is there a way to use a eGPU with this ?

[@eltsunamitropical9020]

i would like to see batocera on this, yes. im looking for a cheap device to put fast in a living room and doing all basic things from a pc. THIS will work

[@rookieone33]

Why is this video now unlisted?

[@makegaminggreatagain3907]

Been bingeing your mini pc reviews, looking for a replacement for my Chromebook. I wonder how mini pc's work with Geforce Now?

[@RolieKloeOlie]

This looks great! Amazing option for budget gaming pc.

[@mrbobgamingmemes9558]

Gaming ? Definitely no, but it is good for light task

[@mrbobgamingmemes9558]

Normal desktop pc make more sense than this for gaming

[@drakelangham4412]

Just started thinking about replacing a nearly decade-old, home built HTPC with a NUC-like device. Would love to see what you'd recommend for a Linux build for something like this. Something that could handle Plex transcoding of 4k video.

[@NyneIX9]

I've asked on a handful of videos, especially when there's an intriguing mini PC like this. I don't think he's ever showing transcoding performance ever again lol from what I see it can handle 4K to 1080p quite well. One guy managed to get (7) 1080p streams going on at once, but I don't think that's with tone mapping. At least, not yet. You might be happy with this one.

[@snotspat]

Thanks, I'll pick one up right away! :D

[@mraltoid19]

How does this compare to a HP EliteDesk 800 G3 Desktop Mini Business PC. Those eat more power, but usually have a 7500t @ 3.4Ghz (i think), but would like to see how an ancient (expensive at the time) small PC compares to a newer and much cheaper (new) one.

[@djcomo13]

Hello. I have recently started watching your content. I was hoping you could start adding some video playback (vlc) for the retro gamers who also find media on the high seas.

[@JogBird]

these nucs should all be usbc powered

[@Adam130694]

@@JogBird There are USB-C barrel jacks 12V converters.

[@rocvan8190]

I think would be interesting see a few distros of Linux on this mini PC, yeah.

[@AntiGrieferGames]

This thing beats a tab s7 performace, godly PC!

[@Beaut2013]

First time I've ordered something reviewed by ETA Prime. Let's hope it's good.

[@Straight_Free-Thinking_Male]

Same

[@nickcannon9574]

Would a used steam deck be better than these when prices come down? I have too many cheap NUCs already

[@JonathanRWY]

Will it run gamecube smoothly using a vulcan backend? Also I was looking at the N100 with 12 gb of DDR 5 ram will it make a difference in retro gamming?

[@farttelessstudios]

Would love to see how this performs w linux

[@mickfreeley6054]

Yes, please do a Linux review on this system. Plan to run LibreElec, minidlna and maybe a WiFi 6E AP if possible. 🤔

[@infinitydweller9675]

You planning on checking out the tank 03 at some point ETA?

[@JVSd-SG]

how it can up to 32gb ram if n100 may only 16? 2280 may, work with sata?

[@chromerims]

Intel ARK says 16gb ram for N100. Whereas most if not all the YT videos from around the world and US are showing 32gb as working if you try it. Dunno. Kindest regards, friends and neighbours.

[@JVSd-SG]

@@chromerims thnx

[@chromerims]

@@JVSd-SG 👍 "Work with sata?" The 2280 slot is M-keyed edge connector; it is not B-keyed. While M-key slots in general always support NVMe, not all will support Sata protocol. Have to check BIOS. You will need a m.2 Sata SSD that is keyed in B+M to test this out. M.2 Sata drives do not come in a M-only key variation. Whereas the adjacent 2242 slot in the GMKtec-G3 is a B-keyed edge connector, accepting m.2 Sata. Kindest regards, neighbours and friends.

[@JVSd-SG]

thnx

[@Comm0ut]

Do boot a Ventoy'ed USB with a distro or two. It would make a convenient portable Kali box.

[@HexOptimal]

Minecraft and hl2/CS source games allow the perfect baseline gaming testing for these little PCs

[@jann9294]

Hi there ETA prime, I was wondering if you have ever crossed your mind to review display tablets such as XP Pen and Huion Camvas. Both have 22-24 inch displays that support 2K to 4K resolution. Because I'm thinking of using them for both gaming and art

[@AndrewTSq]

This is a very good mini pc!. Ive heard that Debian Bookworm is the linux dist you will run on this cpu. Everything works out of the box on that one. It was even cheap for real :D usually the links will get me 25% tax, but not this one.

[@Pilaspilas911]

While $99 barebone is nice, realistically, you're spending close to $200 if you want to install your own ram and ssd. Last time I checked you have a lot of selection for that price.

[@phychmasher]

Did you ever try Batocera on this thing? I haven't been able to get it to boot it from any source...

[@thelastdruidofscotland]

the n series chips can overclock, if the bios allows it, some N series chips can achieve over 100% if they have decent cooling, simply because the chips are now able to run at full spec, my 6w atom pulled 38 watts full tilt, n series are just as capable.

[@sebotono6943]

I'd like to see it running on batocera too! Also his specs in DDR4vsDDR5 !

[@BriantDavis78]

i would like to see batocera test thanks.

[@ByteMeCompletely]

Sorry, I'm still unsure. The Nuc G3 has two M.2 slots, one being 2280 (NVME), the other 2240 (SATA)? Both slots are pcie 3, and restricted to 2 TB each? Will the 2nd slot also accept an nvme ssd?

[@mdd1963]

Got a quite similar Celeron N5105 (4c/4t) based unit from Alliwava, and I love it! (I want to see how well it runs Windows Server 2022 for an ADDS/DNS/DHCP role, as a pair of these are quite economical!)

[@jamiemaloney1552]

Definitely want to see Batocera on everything.

[@imbalolpro]

Ordered one to support you. Can you test if this will run ChromeOS?

[@madson-web]

Love those small x86

[@jaredhartley8458]

Could you try running Kodi on it? Might be a nice replacement for like a roku tv or somethin.

[@xxzmk]

What is that band on your wrist with the blue stone?

[@ГабриелКъневски]

Hi :) I want to ask, does the device (GMK G3) support upgrade from DDR4 3200 MT/s to DDR5 4800 MT/s?

[@jamiehardisonable]

I always want to see linux on all these little mini PCs.

[@benmobi]

Is there enough clearance for an NVME M.2 WITH Heatsink?

[@kennyjurgens9084]

Hi Prime, could you recommend a device that's not expensive that can run Goldeneye N64 good or should I just buy an N64 and get some HDMI - composite cable to get 720p? Thank-You

[@Abdulaziz-vz6op]

I was a little scared when it started 4 seconds without anything 😂

[@ionamygdalon2263]

May I ask, can it run modern indie games at 1080p? Battlebit, Disco Elysium, Hades, Sifu (to name some).

[@guitarandstuff3513]

Is this thing just for playing 30 year old games, spread sheets, watching youtube or is it a real computer? Could it handle something like Cubase music production software?

[@jeffreymakuch2493]

What is the fan noise like on this, at idle, low/ load, and max load?

[@Bigd40589]

very minimal, on idle doesn't even come on, it only comes on for like 2 sec couple time when i am streaming 4 k content

[@paologaggero6203]

Are there any coupons for NucBox G3? The last ones have expired😪😪😪

[@herosandwich7940]

What was the power consumption at the wall?

[@scottsfowler]

Looking for a mini PC or sbc for a car computer build. Any suggestions would be great. I'm thinking this might be a good option as a car/portable computer paired with a 7" (so it can be flush mounted in a double din bay) touch screen, and a larger non touch screen with keyboard w/ track pad in back for passengers. An SBC would run at 12v DC or under so really simple to wire in, but an AC isn't too hard either with an inverter (which I would use for other things too

[@snikenfixen]

What about the fan noise on the device?

[@pulp2560]

What don't you try gamecube at higher resolution to see when it struggle? Especially when we see 20% gpu usage 40% cpu

[@JoeSim8s]

I supposo RPCS3 is a lot hit an miss on this... but what about Yuzu?

[@srvuk]

I wonder if LPDDR5 5800 would be supported if inserted.

[@Queso305]

Would be interesting to see batocera run on it

[@leex187]

I’d like to see this run Botacera

[@chitan1362]

This thing would be absolutely AWESOME with a Linux distro on it.

[@Bigd40589]

so got this pc about 2 weeks ago, running great. The only thing is its not seeing windows 11 update 23h2 thru windows update, getting all the other updates just fine. I was probably thinking it takes a while to show up, but was wondering if anyone ales got it updated?

[@dr-zieg]

How about the fan noise?

[@shinefake48]

Do you think a 260$(after fees and tax) used 6700xt on eBay is a good deal? Or should I wait for Black Friday to see if there are any better ones?

[@uhack2417]

Depends where you live

[@tonyj7205]

Is the Momentplus 5600U for $199 on Amazon a good computer?

[@GustavoMsTrashCan]

Aww ye! Energy efficiency > all baby!

[@antoniorodrigo310]

Is there any way to make it boot after plug it to a power source?