Understanding and Improving Astro Imaging PC Hardware and Performance (Test Results Included!)

[@amitkokje6372]

Really like your detail series about setting and configuring the systems for AP. Almost none AP KZbinrs cover this side.

[@PatriotAstro]

So happy to help!

[@MADHIKER777]

Wow! Nobody covers this stuff in this depth and this clearly! Thank you!

[@jaybarnhisel1]

You did a great job being clear and concise. It is refreshing to watch a well-created video without the eye candy. Thank you.

[@tomdaigon8707]

I tried using Remote Desktop and No Machine to link my laptop to my Eagle 4. Connectivity was intermittent and slow. I live in an area of Las Vegas that is WIFI intense. So after trying to get decent performance, I gave up and just went wired since my rig in my backyard is only 15 feet from my laptop in doors. I also sold the Eagle. Sometimes the simplest solution is the best. Now my connection is fast and reliable. :)

[@PatriotAstro]

Makes perfect sense. I use Ethernet more often than WiFi as well for a couple reasons but my cable is connected to one of my eero mesh access points and then gets back to my laptop wirelessly from there. Sort of a hybrid approach. I found that my wireless, specifically outside the garage, had issues I think related to interference from the walls but I may never know.

[@adyjoy]

DO NOT PAY FOR THE PROFESSIONAL VERSION OF AOMEI BACKUPPER! (apologies for shouting). I recently got the Quieter2 from Amazon UK. Everything Chad says in this video is 100% excellent advice and I have already added an NVME m.2 drive and taken Option 2 of copying all the partitions over using Macrium Reflect Free. I tried AOMEI but didn't want to pay for pro. The Reflect software was straightforward and all partitions copied successfully (and quickly because of the NVMe) and I was able to choose to expand the main partition (to use the extra space) at the same time as copying the partitions. It's never possible to try all the software options so I can understand why you went for AOMEI Pro, but I can vouch for Reflect. This is still a great video - I learned some new things and was glad to see your performance tests backed up some other choices I had already made. Can't wait for the rest in the series (esp the software installs 👍)

[@PatriotAstro]

That’s fantastic info. I love having options. I’ll definitely include it in the next video as an alternate method! Do you know if that tool supports SSD alignment due to the use of 4K boundaries on the SSD?

[@adyjoy]

@@PatriotAstro - I know about partition alignment and didn't think about it at the time! (d'oh). I've checked now (and read their help file in more detail) and the good news is that because it came from an aligned partition that was already on an ssd, the clone is aligned. Confirmed with msinfo32 that the 'partition starting offset' is divisible by 4096.

[@PatriotAstro]

@@adyjoy I 'think' most of the time the math will work out in favor of alignment, but just in case... :)

[@huibwouters]

Clonezilla, it free, easy to use. I’ve used it multiple times to transfer a system to new faster/bigger drive.

[@Psychlist1972]

Really good video. Far more informed and factual than most PC selection videos out there, even outside astro. Personally, I don't do solar or planetary imaging, so drive speed is far less important, and a regular reasonably fast SSD is just fine. Same as what you mentioned for deep space imaging. Far more important for me was to have at least 8GB memory as running NINA plus PHD2 in multi-star mode, with a Remote Desktop connection, was really taxing memory. I have one of those small MeLE PCs. They are really nice for the size. One thing many people don't realize is that to set up a headless PC like the MeLE, you need a USB keyboard, USB mouse, and an HDMI display. You can't get into the BIOS without that, and you will need desktop access to set up WiFi access. For someone like me with lots of desktop peripherals around, not a big deal. But if you only have laptops, you'll find you need to pick up a few peripherals to make this happen. For my main astro rig, I use a PrimaLuceLabs all-in-one Celeron PC, which I've upgraded with more memory and a bigger drive. For folks who don't want to deal with OS setup and the extra hardware that requires, and want cleaner wiring and something that will properly mount to the scope, those are an expensive, but very nice option.

[@PatriotAstro]

Great comment and makes perfect sense! I added the KVM comment in video 2 but should have maybe mentioned it in 1 as well. Great point!

[@HogarthsAstrophotography]

Great video chad, I use Intel NUC i3’s on both my rigs, i would never go back to a laptop on a table now. One thing you didn’t cover, maybe it’s coming in a another video, is the power for mini pcs. My Intel NUCs us 12v 2.1/5.5 mm standard barrel connectors, but I see a lot of them lower spec CPU based minis using USB-C as their power input.

[@PatriotAstro]

Yep, I'm working through it now. As soon as I have a solution I am happy with I'll share it in a video. The USB-c connector is a bit tricky for battery power... :)

[@anata5127]

12V? Why is my 19V?

[@JoeBob79569]

I almost went with the MSI Cubi a few days ago, but luckily I eventually figured out that it needs 19v to run it instead of the usual 12v, so I cancelled the order. It looks like MSI kept that little detail very quiet in all of their specs and descriptions! I ended up going with a Trigkey G4 Green instead, since it has the new N100 processor, Wi-Fi6, 16GB memory and 500GB M.2. It was about $230. My thinking is that going with the newest CPU will give you the most power efficiency, and they generally come with the latest standards in other areas too, like Wi-Fi, so everything will be better in the long run. Before this I've been using a cheap N4020 laptop with 1 usb3 port, and 1 usb2 port that was shared with the wifi/bluetooth, and it was hell when I added a guide camera to the usb2 port, ASCOM errors everywhere..

[@PatriotAstro]

The N100 specs are definitely pointing in the fright direction. It seems the graphics rendering is better too. Let me know how it works out.

[@jimwaters304]

Wow. An exceptional, clear and very helpful video. Thanks

[@TMihelich]

Great video Chad. I have my new P2 M2.2280 here and ready for install. Very much looking forward to your next vid in this series.

[@PatriotAstro]

Part 2 released! Covers reinstalling or cloning the Windows OS over to the NVMe. Part 3 is coming soon but I need 1 more bit of clear skies to complete it.

[@davecurtis8833]

Great video Chad. This would be a good option for my observatory rather than dragging out my laptop each night.

[@PatriotAstro]

Totally agree!

[@No_no83]

Awesome video Chad! Highly educative. You could be a lecturer

[@PatriotAstro]

Glad you think so!

[@Arcteek]

I don't know what i'do without you! Great video

Great choice of topic, I already have a PC that works well but I see questions about this very often. Personally my biggest issue was the fact that the PC's recommended here and by others aren't always easily available worldwide without significant shipping and duty fees.

[@PatriotAstro]

I understand completely! That is why I tried to include information generically about the components and the importance of component selection as it relates to bus speeds, etc. Hope it ends up being helpful!

@@PatriotAstro I haven't had the chance to watch the video in its entirety yet, ive been thinking about at least switching out the small SATA SSD (or adding another one) so the test sounds interesting. Just leaving an early comment for the ol' yotube algorithm ;-)

[@PatriotAstro]

@ Thanks!!

[@danjensen9425]

So my wife tells me , I know what I’m getting you for Christmas but you have to do your research on it. Ok . A mini pc so you can be inside the house and not freeze you ass off or complain about you back bothering you because you’re staring at your laptop for hours and hours because something failed or needed attention. Great video for me . Just one question. Maybe a dumb question but can I use my laptop as my indoor pc. It’s outside now doing everything so I want to move it inside and do everything. It’s so nice to have someone explain things like autofocus for example to get it right. Thank you for your dedication to our improvements to the hobby .

[@claudioarchi]

Always great videos. Thanks for your time and effort. And wish you clear skies, I'm having none.

[@PatriotAstro]

Thanks Claudio!

[@Pilord]

What a timing! Just got my Melee Q3 and was thinking of swapping the system to a nvme drive! Lokking forward to part 2 thx in advance! 🙏🏼🙏🏼

[@PatriotAstro]

Do it! :) I hope to have the 2nd video done in 2-3 days. Then the other a few days after that. Almost everything is recorded. Editing… ugh.

[@Pilord]

@@PatriotAstro really appreciate your work on YT!

[@paulwilson8367]

What is a nvme drive?

[@paulwilson8367]

Very good video! As a non IT Professional, MUCH of the tech discussion was not understood by me. I have never been trained in computer tech one iota. But, even I could understand that for system performance, the (in my case), new Quieter 3 I just purchased needs to be upgraded prior to being stuck up on the scope. So I purchased the Crucial NVME and the thermal pad, a significant cost. I can follow the instructions to re-download Windows 11 if Chad makes them step by step. Chad is pretty obviously an IT professional.

[@fmiranda]

Awesome video, with lots of hints for beginers like me! I have a dummy question regarding MiniPCs: they do not have a monitor, how do you see the process in the field? Do you use a second portable laptop? Your Mobile phone? What do you recommend for locations without electricity? Sorry for basic questions, thanks for sharing all your knowledge with us.

[@PatriotAstro]

You can get some very low power small monitors that are either USB powered or take a very small power supply. Things like the touchscreen monitors used by raspberry pi, often work and have windows drivers as well. Otherwise, realistically what I do is remote control them using Windows remote desktop. I do it from my laptop and you can either run an ethernet cable to accomplish this or Wi-Fi. If you don’t have access to a Wi-Fi access point look up my video on how to ‘take the Internet with you’ which will give you some ideas on how to get a hotspot going with a very cheap USB powered access point you can buy from Amazon. There are some other ways to do this directly in windows by creating a hotspot but I haven’t tested that personally but I hope to make a video about that in the future.

[@craigskinner8489]

I do deep sky photography, save a sub every 5 to 10 min. Probably do not need much speed. I currently use a 2 year old Beelink.

[@PatriotAstro]

If it’s not broke, don’t fix it!!! :)

[@jmlocci]

Hello Chad (from Southern France). Thanks for this video, very helpful. Already 1.5 year old but I guess the principles are still valid. The N100 Quieter4C is now available; it is a good option but still wondering if it is worth the extra money compared to the N5105 Quieter3Q, my needs are standard (appart from very occasional PixInsight NINA plugin for live stacking).

[@PatriotAstro]

All of the models are still fine and suitable. Live stacking will always be more challenging, but for acquisition, I am using multiple models and they all function as expected.

[@Vventimiglia1984]

Great video Chad! Do you think the NVMe from crucial you linked would work on the newer Quieter 4C ?

[@PatriotAstro]

Since the primary drive is still an eMMC drive, I would still recommend using an NVME. The drive speed and longevity is dramatically different. You could always try it out first though, and make your own decision.

[@lesgatechair3907]

Agree with Madhiker777 below. Well done!

[@PatriotAstro]

Glad you found it useful! Let me know if you have any questions. I am always happy to help.

[@jackdeangelis6585]

New subscriber here. Stumbled on your channel and was immediately impressed by your ability to explain technical detail. One question - do you use a small monitor? Which one? Maybe this has been covered elsewhere. Looking forward to your new videos.

[@PatriotAstro]

Typically, I don’t, I use RDP from windows to remote control the system. When initially setting it up, I do that indoors and plug it into a monitor or TV to get started until I can get remote control functional. I have occasionally used some USB monitors or even some of the touchscreen 7 inch small raspberry pi style monitors that use very little power and are easy to keep near the mount because of their size, but again usually for me it’s remote control from another system

[@Nodalema]

You're amazing. Thank you for sharing your expertise.

[@PatriotAstro]

Thanks for watching!

[@calimark7448]

Thanks! Just ordered the stuff. :-)

[@user-lq7cp9pz2c]

Great Video. Very usefull.

[@PatriotAstro]

Glad to hear that you found it helpful!

[@wf7754]

Super info, thank you

[@showejr]

Hey Chad, Love your video's.

[@redabdab]

Thank you SO much! This is exactly what I needed!

[@hael8680]

Great video!! Again! But too late lol I got a Q3 already. It runs great without doing anything to it for regular astro imaging. It doesn't even heat up like I was afraid it would.

[@PatriotAstro]

Great! For most DSO I can’t see an issue out of the box. Drive speed is definitely more of a high FPS issue for sure.

[@hael8680]

@@PatriotAstro I don't think it would handle well the heat generated by lucky imaging, especially not when doing solar on a warm day. Maybe you'll prove me wrong.

[@ronrakos4165]

Hello Chad! Great video! I added my NVMe to my Quieter 3 and I do not see it in the BIOS. I have inserted the card 3-4 times and it is still not showing up. I have not be able to find any information on how to tell if the NVMe is bad (I purchased from eBay, bad decision) or the BIOS has to updated or other. Thanks! Ron

[@PatriotAstro]

As long as it is inserted properly it should show up in the BIOS. Do look quickly in the bios (either in advanced, or something like that...) Just make sure you don't see where NVMe is disabled anywhere. I just ran across another bad chip with another viewer last week. He replaced it and it showed right up.

[@ronrakos4165]

@@PatriotAstro Thanks for your very quick reply! I took a closer look at the SSD and it is defective. The Crucial label had pulled one of the circuits from the board. I will send it back . I was able to find a a 2TB P3 board online for ~$100. I did not see much of a difference between the P3 and P2. The 2TB P3 I found online was was less expensive than the 2TB P2 . Hopefully it will work!

[@3SistersAstroOldAcct-fh3hd]

Our family is looking at mini PCs now. Our concern is the heat in the desert. Any recommendations for that? Also, any mini PCs you can recommend that do not require an upgrade?

[@PatriotAstro]

As a father of 6 (4 Girls), I LOVE your Instagram page. OK, Sorry, I had to get that out of the way. LOL! If concerned with heat, and rightly so, you likely need to look at models with fans and stay away from fan-less designs. Lots of people are also using Beelink systems for Astro. I'm going to try to add a link to my next comment below this one with a very popular Beelink system (I'm concerned the comment will get auto-removed with the link... So, if you do not see the other comment. Go to my KZbin page about section, find my email address, and email me.) I do think that even this one needs more storage added, so adding the NVMe SSD to the one I link would be advisable but it is a very easy install in this model. If you still have questions, email me any time.

[@PatriotAstro]

OK, here is the comment part 2 that includes the link to the Beelink SEi8 that is very popular. As I mentioned, you may still want to add the NVMe SSD but this model is on sale and has a $50 coupon right now at Amazon. The fan based systems tend to cost more than the fan-less ones, but this is a pretty beefy system, and well worth it. Email if any more questions. See you on Instagram! :) amzn.to/3nlrDEW

[@3SistersAstroOldAcct-fh3hd]

@@PatriotAstro thanks so much for the compliment about our Instagram. We love doing this hobby as a family. Also, thanks so much for the recommendation. We picked up a the mini pc brand you recommended! Appreciate the help and advice!

[@alainduranleau2726]

are you using the romote desktop with the mele mini pc. Win11...H2 seems to have a connectivity issue.

[@quiquetorres5040]

Fantastic video! I'm still not understanding the speed issues. I have the MeLe quieter 2 and I made the mistake of not reading carefully the description: "Compatible with M.2 NVMe SATA 2280 SSD". I thought it contained an NVME disk inside but it is not the case and it is very slow writing files. I would like to upgrade to an NVME but I am confused on the speeds as some are listed as 6000 MB/s others 520 MB/s and others 6 Gbs. I would like to get a 256 GB NVME drive without overpaying for PCIe 4. I am also confused over SATA vs PCIe. Can you suggest a compatible M.2 NVMe SATA 2280 SSD of 256 GB? Thanks.

[@PatriotAstro]

First, double check PHYSICALLY to see if you’re quieter2 will accept a SATA M2 card. My newer model does not, but I think there may be some older models that do. I’ve seen a few people complain that the specifications online said one thing but they were shipped something else so it’s worth looking before ordering The best way to do this is to open up the case and look into that M2 slot. There will be some key slots inside it. (Like plastic dividers) Either one or two plastic dividers within the slot itself. If you need to look this up, they’re called M and B key slots. For SATA, you need to have 2 of those in your M2 slot. If you only have one in the slot, you cannot use SATA and need to use the NVMe SSDs I mentioned in the video. If it turns out you do need SATA, Just follow one of my links to Amazon and then search for ‘M2 SATA 2280’ then locate one that specifically says SATA in the description as well as those other search terms. You will likely find that it’s not cost-effective to get a smaller version and going at least 500GB or up to a terabyte may only cost you a few dollars more.

[@quiquetorres5040]

@@PatriotAstro Thanks.

[@michelmailhiot4848]

🙏 merci!

[@PatriotAstro]

De rien. :)

[@aradani3]

Great video!

[@hindesite]

There is another USB option. Use an external nvme enclosure and any old nvme drive

[@PatriotAstro]

This is true but you will be limited by the USB speeds to and through the bus which will likely be slower than expected in some cases depending on the miniPC. But yes, it can be a workable alternative.

[@dennismichels7194]

Thank you Chad, as always professional grade vidio. So could you please give us your recommendations in three categories for outside units 1 deep space 2 planetary 3 all-sky or is this the one size that fits all for about the same $$. And thanks again.

[@PatriotAstro]

If sticking with the miniPC route, I'd just go with the Quieter3 or a similar platform. I should handle all scenarios. All Sky is a bit different though, it depends if you want to run this a a permanent mounted solution 24/7/365 or just drag it out with the telescope at night. If it is a nightly solution, you could run something like AllSkEye on the same windows system as your telescope control and do it all there simultaneously. I'll cover that software at some point as well. Otherwise, for a permanent solution, you may want to look at a raspberry pi as an option with the github allsky software I recently did a video on.

[@skbsurf86]

Awesome videos as usual, Chad! I’m using a Melé Quieter2 for Astro imaging and I decided to go about file storage a different way. I’m using a NAS (using HDDs for now) because of the massive storage space for the family and personal cloud control. It’s cheaper in the long run by far than iCloud or one drive, etc. I have been using it as my main file saving destination, but that also means very slow write speeds. No problem for DSO, but for planetary it could be a show stopper. If I were to install an SSD into my NAS rather than the mini PC, would I still get the faster write speeds I’m needing for planetary?

[@PatriotAstro]

Depends on your wire writing speed over ethernet/wifi. You'd need to test. My assumption is that it would be slower, especially for wifi, but it may be worth a try.

[@rameshbhadri1294]

love your videos

[@starpartyguy5605]

Just got a mini pc myself. Hit a snag with ASCOM install. Win 11 uses .net framework 4.8. That ASCOM tries to install 3.5 and errors out. I’ve also got a n issue with the Microsoft store and suspect they might be related. Im rebuilding because there’s nothing on the computer

[@PatriotAstro]

Definitely keep at it. It’ll all work on windows 11. It may be your Microsoft account that’s having the issue currently. Keep giving it a shot and let me know if you have more questions. I can try to help where I can.

[@starpartyguy5605]

I think I got it. Keyboard finally connected and it looks like Ascom is installing. I’ll pick it up tomorrow with driver installs

[@PatriotAstro]

@@starpartyguy5605 Great!

[@starpartyguy5605]

Tomorrow I’ll start getting Nina and phd2 along with the supporting software

[@JeanfiC]

Thank you Chad for this excellent video. Currently using a Nuc i'am thinking in switching to a Mele Quieter or Mini. May be I missed something, but how do you power your Mele from a 12v source ? I see that an USB C port is used, 12v, to power the Pc. But how to convert a classic round 12v plug to an usb c ? I'am using a Pegasus Astro power manager that delivers 12v only through classic round plug.

[@JeanfiC]

Sorry, just saw you previous answer to the same question. I will wait for the video 🙂

[@PatriotAstro]

No problem! It is a very logical question. I'm working on it, testing in the next day or 2.

[@dougwill756]

Great video! I’m planning to pick up a quieter3q for running my rig. I am only doing deep sky right now, so I don’t need very fast read/write speeds. However I am looking for an easy/fast way to transfer the images to my processing computer. Would I be better off getting a external SSD like the one you tested rather than the internal NVME? Do you have an SSD you recommend?

[@PatriotAstro]

I completely forgot to add the high-speed external SSD to the video description! I just added the link below the Thermal pad link. This drive is really fast and I am quite happy with it. As an alternative approach, depending on your network speed and reliability, I am using 2 other methods to transfer my data, and as it happens, it will be one of the next video I release as soon as I get at least a partial night of clear skies. I am using the Remote Copy plugin in NINA to transfer the images during the session, and I have written a script I am using to transfer a bunch of other data as well. Be on the lookout for that video as well.

[@alexpol9065]

Chad hi. Thank you for nice video. Is it possible to use an iPad as a screen (monitor) for this mini PC? Maybe I missed something, but what do You use as a screen for this setup when in the field?

[@PatriotAstro]

Yes, but you will still need to use the RDP protocol to connect unless you install something like VNC Server or Team Viewer on the miniPC. Just make sure the client application you install on the iPad uses the same protocol as what is on the pc.

[@netwolfstar]

thx what are your thoughts in the larger versions that can also take a 2.5 sata drive. like the Mele PCG35.

[@PatriotAstro]

They are OK, but tend to consume more power. It can be a welcome tradeoff if it comes with a more powerful desktop processor and you need to do something more aggressive like image processing or live stacking large frames.

[@curtishustace]

How do you connect it to a 12v power supply?

[@TheMje1963]

Hey Chad, I'm looking at replacing my mini pc and was watching your 1st video. It may be in your other video's but didn't see anything for powering up the Mini Pc. do they come with a power setup or is that seperate?

[@PatriotAstro]

These models that I mention here come with an AC power adapter. It’s a USB-C connector on the mini PC side.

[@FFantasyXx]

great video. but can i ask you, where do you life? my specific question is, works the pc under zero and over 30 degree? I think this ist specification from the pc. I'm live in germany. today we have litte bit more then 30degree and in the winter in a clear night we can have about minus 20 degree. What do you thinking, about the pc. Do you think it will be able to do that?

[@PatriotAstro]

I live in Atlanta, GA. You should be fine, especially since it is a fanless design, but you may want to keep it warm if possible before you start it up initially and it can start generating it's own heat in that very cold weather. I just published my high-temp testing video just a couple minutes ago!

[@FFantasyXx]

@@PatriotAstro Thank you.. How cold can it get in Atlanta? is the lowest temperature zero degrees?

[@PatriotAstro]

@@FFantasyXx Our lowest temp in ATL in 2021 was just below 0ºC but we don't stay at that temp for days on end here. You will find others in the comments using these boxes at lower temps though. Feel free to start a dialog with them as well.

[@maxcrash44]

Just wondering if there's a reason you didn't mention AMD Ryzen processors. Compared to similarly priced Intel processors, the AMD processors are almost always more efficient and faster. Is this just a personal preference for Intel - and there's nothing wrong with that, or do you have an aversion to AMD processors - and if so - could you let us know why? Thanks for the great Vid

[@GrundleStiltSkin]

what amd processors under 15 watts?

[@1AngryDpg]

Fantastic - love your stuff. I am recommending many on Facebook to check out your various videos. I have a Mele2 I will be checking the 1TB & 2TB NVMe option, yah I am one of those that used a MicroSD 512 MB - has been working, but when shooting flats and dark flats in the morning after imaging the computer freezes for about 5 - 10 minutes while transferring the files from the imaging mini pc outside into the house to my processing computer. I have an older BeeLink U57 that said it would handle a 2TB SSD SATA3 2280 - it never did, so I am looking to either add a 1TB SSD drive $100 or trade up to a Mele3 Approx $220 + NVMe ~2TB $170 (This will eventually go on my new SW Esprit 120 - QHY268M Rig) Which would you do to future-proof my options and get the best performance? (very HOT Texas summer weather)

[@backgammonbacon]

Your transferring speed is likely to be governed by network speed more than disk speed. SATA3 SSD's will be capable of many times faster speeds than most home networks are capable of. Even the SD card speeds will be faster than some peoples home wifi will be capable of sustaining, would be quicker to take the SD card out and move it manually.

[@PatriotAstro]

The microSD can be very problematic, especially after using it heavily for a while. Freezing could be the drive or the network, it is hard to tell. As far as future proofing, ... I'm not sure there is a great answer in the miniPC world. There will always be a better mobile platform every couple years. I do think you would be surprised with going back to the U57 and adding the NVMe SSD and also doing a complete reinstall of the system onto that SSD. With that being said, if you also have a need for another system, maybe add the Q3 to the mix and once it is running, take the other system and do the work to refresh it as time and money permits. If this isn't a processing PC, we don't need to be cutting edge, so we often can get several years out of this equipment especially if we are willing to refresh the install from time to time. If your network is reliable, another option would be to use the Remote Copy plugin in NINA to transfer each image as it comes in throughout the night. This may limit the single transfer hard hit you are attempting in the AM. I have a video coming on that soon too! :)

[@1AngryDpg]

@@PatriotAstro I use a program called SyncThing, always been excellent for instant transfers & one to one or one to many encripted files world wide, file syncronization TBs of data handling. Rock solid without any failures for 2 years now.

[@ariebakx]

Hi, just installed a 3Q. It takes NINA over 5 seconds after selecting the profile and the screen reappearing. My dome starts lagging behind and my Touptek camera forgets to download images all the time. Disconnecting and connecting again required. Win11 is still on the native 256Gig drive. Before I invest in a nvme drive, would that cure the problems? When I am copying large amounts of files, nothing else is possible anymore. No multitasking. So far not really impressed. A old NUC i3 was performing better.

[@GrundleStiltSkin]

you have a dome, get a proper computer. these mini pc's explained are low power, in the field, image aquisition pc's

[@ariebakx]

@@GrundleStiltSkin I did put my Dell desktop back and it flies.

[@divye.ruhela]

Do lower memory SSD options (250GB/ 500GB) from the same brand instead of 1TB/ 2TB affect the speeds? Also, there are SSDs out there that are 2280 M.2 SATA, but not nVme. Do these work with the Quieter?

[@backgammonbacon]

PCIE speed is pointless in these small PC's as you won't be using fast PCIE cards or any PCIE card at all due to not having PCIE slots. SSD sata3 and NVME speeds in the real world don't really matter much so its really not worth worrying about which option you go with, benchmarks here are really misleading of what you will actually experience in real use. Having detailed FPS results for each disk configuration would be way more useful than pointless read write stats using synthetic tests that don't match any real world use case. I suspect the USB3 controller is way way more important in this area than disk speed ever will be. If Mele are paying you or have given you free stuff for these videos you need to declare it as part of youtubes terms and conditions.

[@adyjoy]

Hey, plank, not sure you can say the benchmarks are misleading - Chad explains in great detail what they all mean and which ones are just marketing hype - the whole point of tweaking the values to more real-world scenarios (like random read/write, and quoting read and write separately is to give you something that is reasonably representative but also repeatable so it can be universally compared. Everyone's real-world experience will be different because of the different capabilities of everyone's astro hardware. Chad also clearly says he isn't sponsored by Mele in the video. 😉

[@PatriotAstro]

I definitely tried to show some FPS statistics as well. I showed that sharpcap began to buffer 20% of the 500 frame capture only when writing to the eMMC but not to the NVMe SSD on the same system. PCIe performance definitely comes into play as the M.2 connector is tied to a pair of these lanes. You don’t need PCI cards to access a PCI Lanes. The benchmarks for the random tests are accurate, but I agree the higher end sequential write benchmarks are useless other than confirming the PCI lane bus speeds and the performance of the card itself from a marketing perspective. I hope I was quite clear in explaining that in the video. I hope I was also very clear when I explained that MeLE did not send me any equipment nor did any other vendor, and I received no payment or gear for any of this. This is all my own equipment and my own testing.