Who's Buying These? - MinisForum Elitemini B550

Buy a Seasonic TX 1000 PSU: geni.us/aryiquT
Get your Crucial DDR5 RAM today at: crucial.gg/LTT_DDR5
ATX? That's too big. Mini ITX? Nah, still too big. How about an upgradable NUC-alike where you can install your own AM4 CPU and slot the whole system into a bracket that holds a super powerful desktop GPU? Big when you need big, small when you need small. It's the perfect package. Or is it?
Discuss on the forum: linustechtips.com/topic/14385...
Check out the Minisforum Elitemini B550: bit.ly/3QOFf9g
Buy a Ryzen 3800X3D: geni.us/WDWDj36
Buy a Ryzen 5700G: geni.us/zyox9
Buy an AMD 6800XT: geni.us/JOgALCe
Purchases made through some store links may provide some compensation to Linus Media Group.
► GET MERCH: lttstore.com
► SUPPORT US ON FLOATPLANE: www.floatplane.com/
► AFFILIATES, SPONSORS & REFERRALS: lmg.gg/sponsors
► PODCAST GEAR: lmg.gg/podcastgear
FOLLOW US
---------------------------------------------------
Twitter: / linustech
Facebook: / linustech
Instagram: / linustech
TikTok: / linustech
Twitch: / linustech
MUSIC CREDIT
---------------------------------------------------
Intro: Laszlo - Supernova
Video Link: • [Electro] - Laszlo - S...
iTunes Download Link: itunes.apple.com/us/album/sup...
Artist Link: / laszlomusic
Outro: Approaching Nirvana - Sugar High
Video Link: • Sugar High - Approachi...
Listen on Spotify: spoti.fi/UxWkUw
Artist Link: / approachingnirvana
Intro animation by MBarek Abdelwassaa / mbarek_abdel
Monitor And Keyboard by vadimmihalkevich / CC BY 4.0 geni.us/PgGWp
Mechanical RGB Keyboard by BigBrotherECE / CC BY 4.0 geni.us/mj6pHk4
Mouse Gamer free Model By Oscar Creativo / CC BY 4.0 geni.us/Ps3XfE
CHAPTERS
---------------------------------------------------
0:00 Intro
0:53 EliteMini B550
2:11 What makes it weird.
4:41 The Bracket
5:35 The Cables
7:14 The Big Moment
8:37 Testing and Thoughts
11:16 Outro

[@der8auer]

Thanks for the feature :) Good to see that they definitely improved.

[@Theworldoftimo]

Agree but still needs work I wouldn’t buy it just yet

[@lordofstrandhill]

Aaaaah nice to see ya here 🤪👌🏻

[@trexitooo]

Alles gut 8auer

[@Dumify]

linus says your name and it sounds like devour XD

[@mycosys]

Its kind of embarrassing you didnt know what CFRP is and blasted a tiny company for the exact same marketing and materials used by the biggest companies in the industry like Dell. I guess easier target.

[@mikechu01]

i could see it as a engineering machine, since things like solidworks and inventor are basically cpu only, you can bring it to work/shared working space, do what you need to do with coworkers and everything and then you can bring it home and render some pretty images for the boss using a gpu overnight at home... idk

[@CuppaLLX]

i mean there are usb minitors i coudleasly see this thing and a minitor or 2 packed in a bag, then dockit at home for gaming, cause producivity you want multiple munitors but for gamining really just 1 so the dock at home has a nice big minitor the mobvle two small usb monitors, that will cost you a hell of a lot less then any duel side by side laptop on the market ATM. Consider these a usb c monitor designed to expand a laopto are aboutr 250-400 while a gaming laptop (that cant be upgraded) is 4k. This is 1k fully loaded, ad anothe 1k for a top gpu and 400 for a usbc monitor your still under half what a non upgradianble gaming latop costs and you CAN upgrade this

[@wiedapp]

Why would I give my employer MY electricity for free? If the boss wants something rendered for him, it has to happen within the workspace on company cost. And if that takes longer, then it is this way, period.

[@Gabu_]

@@wiedapp Try living somewhere that's not Europe/the good bits of Canada for a while.

[@metacerberusVT]

Yeah but again.... Laptop...

[@Kevin-fj5oe]

Makes me remember an engineering staff bringing his tower for work.

[@botlige27]

Love how it is not only shaped and sized like a gamecube, it also has mysterious connections on it's underside that no one will ever use

[@justinvanhorne9958]

also being embarrassingly messy, clunky and overpriced. what a great use of everyone's time. why cant people just build computers and put them in cases, this is asking for trouble.

[@andepen6820]

The Gameboy adapter för Gamecube tho 👀👀👏👏

[@VanSanProductions]

@@justinvanhorne9958 ITX builds are kinda difficuit. This isn't a great solution though. I think if they designed it so a sfx power supply was included and all you need to do is plug in a graphics card/storage in a tiny enclosed case. I think custom non-ITX could be good because ITX boards have natural limitations of being ITX as well so they could make a system that has 3+ NVME slots on a custom board.

[@s.i.m.c.a]

@@VanSanProductions the heck, my Asus rog miniITX board have 2 M.2 slots and couple of sata 3 ports. How much more you could even need?

[@1steelcobra]

@@andepen6820 Cue Korone streaming playing Warioware Twisted with the Gamecube adapter and playing by holding the entire system up and tilting it.

[@epirreman]

So, as a civil engineer I could see this working really well with some blueprint softwares, plus it could be useful being small form factor and disconnect-able since you have to travel a lot sometimes if you’re a contracting engineer and the mobility of it can make it useful away from home

[@anxiousearth680]

So the power and thermals of a desktop with the sorta portability of a laptop?

[@tincho11dp]

Get a laptop

[@diazzsama]

yeah no, nobody in the site project uses pc.

[@88porpoise]

If you are travelling a lot, wouldn't you rather have a laptop? This seems most suited to moving between a few specific locations that you have set ups. You have your monitors, peripherals etc set up at the office and at home but only need the GPU power at home. So you take this to the office and plug in your dock and power brick and then take it home and slot it in with you GPU. Of course I am still not seeing a significant benefit over a laptop which also has the added flexibility of laptops.

[@capsulate8642]

​@@88porpoise Dunno why Linus was so hard on this. Tons of people (and businesses) use laptop docking stations which this could completely replace. Peripherals and a GPU at home, basic peripherals at the office, and the PC costs $700 instead of a $2000 business laptop that supports docking. Hopefully it gets a 2nd gen version down the line where docking is even quicker.

[@Alias_Anybody]

I was really impressed until he added the external GPU and power supply. So 3 small-ish bricks connected with cables instead of one solid medium sized one?

[@firesurfer]

Exactly! Right at the end, he basically said that.

[@RandomMan1]

@@firesurfer if the PSU was Integrated better I could almost see it. People like showing off their GPUs, this is basically the ultimate in transparent cases

[@firesurfer]

@@RandomMan1 That's been done... a long time ago. It's called a test bed frame.

[@SyRose901]

@@firesurfer There are also some quite elegant open cases. I don't know if they are even smaller than this mini PC, but hey. This mini PC by itself is extremely good as a retro gaming console up to the PS3.

[@FastSloth87]

@@SyRose901 the XPROTO immediately comes to mind.

[@GregOughton]

This seems like something that started as a really cool idea and then it progressively became less cool as they made comprises along the design process.

[@shanematthews1985]

Yeah seems like it suffered from feature creep lol

[@chessprince1164]

The Idea of Barebones it's not new

[@Sup_D]

I think the idea for this is related to how many KZbinrs were connecting M.2 based PCIe slots extension to run an External GPU with Mini PC's (even JayzTwoCents did it once before).

[@BikingWIthPanda]

I live in an RV and I would love this thing. My 3700x system took up a lot of space. might've used one of these if I'd seen it before I got my laptop. it's far cheaper than a laptop, too.

[@leewinfield632]

It seems more like an early iteration on a good idea to me

[@wormspeaker]

I feel like this was a "GPU winter" idea that just took too long to bring to market. Back when you couldn't get a GPU the idea of buying an honestly very powerful Mini computer that you could later add a GPU to seems like a good idea for someone who didn't want to pay scalper prices for a GPU during that time. I bought the previous version of this computer myself actually. I figured I would go with a mini computer to tide me over until GPU prices came back to earth. Most of the games I like to play aren't that GPU intensive and the massive 16 thread capacity of the CPU did a really good job of running my favorite strategy games. Unfortunately in attempting to install Linux on it I apparently killed the BIOS on the mother board and had now way to recover it, but I was able to just take the CPU out and use it in a larger self build. (Unfortunately I wasn't also able to reuse the RAM as it's SODIMM and I couldn't find a motherboard that could slot an AM4 and SODIMM.)

[@anon_y_mousse]

No way to flash CoreBoot on it?

[@liev535]

well you can add a GPU later to basically any system that is running a CPU with integrated graphics, so I dont see how this would be any better than literally any other build, unless you really wanted something unusual. It takes almost the same area from your table as a full sized ATX case...

[@davidhudson3001]

@@ericalorraine7943lookup Priscilla Dearmin-Turner, this is her name online, she's now the real investment prodigy since the crash and have help me recovered my loses

[@dr.ervingalen1777]

@@davidhudson3001Thank you, Going through her profile in her webpage, she smashed all her state certificate and accreditation🙏

[@jewellwalker9808]

Investment now will be wise but the truth is investing on your own will be a high risk. I think it will be best to get a professional

[@kkgc5760]

10:38 this is actually pretty applicable for me, i'm someone who have to travel interstate for a week every one or two month. If i buy laptop it's doing nothing 90% of the time, not to mention i have to transfer everything and install same programs. Currently i'm just carrying a nuc with a vega gpu. I'd love to upgrade my gpu the setup in this video is quite tempting.

[@fatfurie]

like you travel with this? im confused how this is more beneficial than a decent laptop in any case. why would you need to transfer files? even then external harddrives and usb sticks.. so many better options

[@lejoshmont2093]

Why not get a desktop replacement laptop? Dock with epu and take it when ever you need to go.

[@Jehty_]

So why not just buy a SFF case? They are not that much bigger and a lot less hassle than this abomination.

[@kkgc5760]

@@lejoshmont2093 i actually brought a asus g14 before, I just couldn't stand the noise because I'm rendering stuff all the time.

[@kkgc5760]

@@Jehty_ yeah i'm still thinking about this option, i'm actually really tempted to go for the i7 beast canyon nuc and add a 3070, it's 8L and compact and little compromise.

[@rossharper1983]

Quite a clever design idea. I like it. Having to use an extra PSU kills it

[@krecikowi]

Exactly, I was like this is how it always should be. Wait EXTRA psu? No, thank you.

[@HarithBK]

i would say it is both to early and an inch away from genius. having a barrel plug for power means they must supply the PSU for mobile option once USB-C 240w becomes standard for gaming laptops (EU has already demanded it happen with universal charger it just doesn't need to happen in 2024) that won't be an issue so they can drop it and drop the price if you don't want it mobile. then there is the PSU and the cable mess is ruins the simple and easy design base unit you slot the "CPU" block and GPU into need to contain the PSU. add in some standardization to slot config and you are cooking with fire.

[@giancarloraphaeldeguzman8613]

It'd be cool if they built a tray with their own PSU underneath

[@nyftn]

vhb tape psu to the back or underside of desk.

[@Daniel-dj7fh]

@@krecikowi I thought you could run it with the brick as long as you're not planning on powering an external gpu?

[@sladewilson9741]

"You you you're still connected by cable" This man knows Linus.

[@JonMaier]

Also the "It's a real delicate cable" said with stress in his voice

[@unsuckified3192]

You could realistically figure out how many times Linus has dropped things, thrown things, and pulled out wires if you knew his total number of projects he has been involved in and then multiply that by about 1.5x.

[@matasa7463]

@@JonMaier because he knows if the boss man breaks the cable, the boss man ain’t fixing it himself.

[@conceptt]

I've been using a minisforum mini pc for a couple months now and its been pretty awesome to use as a daily linux box. It was reasonably priced, small and powerful. It is perfect for a desk that can't hold dual 27 inch monitors and a full desktop pc at the same time. In addition it had all the ports I needed, but still powerful and not limited by throttled by power limits or thermals. I think this is perfect for someone that needs a little more power from a gpu like some said engineering or machine learning. It's definitely easier to put together then building an SFF ITX rig and the possibly cheaper because ITX parts are not cheap.

[@PantheraTK]

Still going ok? Just trying to learn about Minisforum build quality

[@giovannip.1433]

The advantage here is is that it could be a work PC - which you use like a laptop between displays, monitors, projectors etc- which then can be taken home and becomes your home PC. With external storage your work and home life could be discrete but cheaper? Application: people who have to work at home due to quarantine issues - many companies now don't want you coming to work with even a sniffle, sneeze or cough. Upgradeability - the company effectively upgrades your CPU, RAM and motherboard for free. This frees up more cash for that expensive GPU that people desire for 'gaming' use.

[@julianbaker_E]

As a uni student I could see this being useful actually! Leave the gpu and power at my dorm so when I’m back I can hard core game and whatnot but maybe I wanna bring my system over to my friends room to run some party type games. It’s small enough to toss in my backpack and not worry about wrecking it and I wouldn’t necessarily need PCMR POWER to run something like jack box. Perhaps a little niche but I could definitely see myself doing it! Edit: I’m NOT saying it would be better than a laptop in anyway, just that it could have some utility not necessarily that it’s perfect.

[@readypetequalmers7360]

if they had the PSU mount and an option to run everything (the mini pc +gpu) from that it would be a nice portable system. They were talking like it was big, but to me it seems like it would still be good to take to LAN parties. It shouldn't get as hot as a laptop, so the parts shouldn't have a problem with heat and crumbling after 1-2 years.

[@brningpyre]

I feel like a small form factor PC would be so much better. The dangling PSU is jank af. I can't see why anyone would wanna do this over a laptop. EDIT: Just got to the part about how you can't upgrade it much. Why?

[@ibrahimhamed2519]

I had similar need and I have acutally solved it by simply buying an ultrabook that I can take to work/uni. At home I simply connect it to an eGPU through thunderbolt cable allowing me to game on a real graphics card together with a monitor and a keyboard hence giving me a real desktop experience.

[@jackielinde7568]

Except that small form factor cases, like the Corsair 1 do all that, but let you take the GPU and the PSU with. If you need smaller, there are the NUC's from Intel, that have the same footprint as this device. Thinking about it, I think this company could just ditch the PC stuff, and make the base a laptop dock for those who want to use a full size GPU with their laptop at home.

[@daylen577]

The price point is going to be the issue, at this point it would have to be a third of the cost of a macbook air (M1) to even be worth considering

[@SirSicCrusader]

I kinda love solutions looking for problems, they are a fascinating head space for design. I have no idea why this thing exists, but I am glad it does.

[@royk7712]

it basically enlarge intel NUC extreme

[@KJMcLaws]

I don't have any reason to need it but I want it

[@Yihaa22]

@@mical-9066 It actually does, an example why I'll be getting one (as soon as the 6800u drops) is that I'd like to run emulators in my living rooms (got no cabinets), and still have everything clean af (this thing won't be visible and will look dope on the shelf).This thing can run anything up to nintendo switch (and nintendo switch) (ps3,ps2 etc), so yea quite a nice retro "console", while still being able to play esport titles. And having to hook up my laptop configure it etc etc... yea no thanks

[@benwu7980]

At least it exists :)

[@MaybeAnnatar]

I can actually think of many reasons to want something like this. I have to move my PC between spaces a lot. It'd be nice to have something that can break down into smaller pieces for transport like this.

[@dhawthorne1634]

5:01 "Please tell me no one noticed that" Editor: "OOO! Gotta highlight that one!"

[@TrevHolland]

If they made a better enclosure for everything, I can see an argument for having this with the GPU and a nice monitor at home. Then, when you travel, taking the mini PC part out and getting a portable monitor. So you keep your PC and all your files with you wherever you go. You just forego the graphical oomph you get when you're at home. A lot of people have nice keyboards and mice that they'd rather take with them and use everywhere than deal with a crappy laptop keyboard and trackpad.

[@itisabird]

That is the key part. If everything was enclosed in some L-shaped case that looked like a usual rectangular-shaped case once the mini-PC is attached, it would be an ideal portable desktop computer. Most of us do not want to have a bunch of components and cables dangling around our desk when at home. The idea is good, but the aesthetics need still work.

[@ffwast]

Seems like this would have been better as a modular chassis with quick-disconnect plugs between enclosed blocks with standard hardware inside.

[@apondo100]

Man that would be something... With full size itx motherboard and everything

[@WyldWolfDragon]

So a LEGO-Like plug and play PC maybe. lol

[@LifeWulf]

@@WyldWolfDragon Would you buy a PC from LEGO? 🤔

[@WyldWolfDragon]

@@LifeWulf I said lego-like, not built from legos

[@ViliamF.]

@@SyRose901 Quick, destroy all evidence of this conversation before the fruity guys notice!

[@Drose811]

"You're also still connected by a cable." "Yeah yeah don't worry about it." "Yeah it's just a delicate cable.." 😂

[@A_d_e_k]

How is not everyone on planet Earth into mini PCs? The fact that they are so small is sooo practical in so many ways. I really hope they will become better and better over time.

[@okutaviof]

Such as LarkBox Pro , which has the now-old J4125, then the NucBox5 with the much improved N5105 We're now having devices with the N6005, which is great in benchmarks and you can add a nvme .. As for the other mobile-processer minipc... Not so mini, but their mighty.

[@NotUwU-_-]

I love pc but hate looking at them

[@Yilmaz4]

mini pcs have less customizability and compatibility, also they have less empty space in them making asthetics worse if not non existent

[@taleg1]

Sometimes I almost wish certain parts of computers could be added like they were lego pieces. Think about it, a storage tower where you just snap the drives together and you don't need wires or cooling, just snap to add a drive.. that would be nice. The dock solution in the beginning reminded me of that idea.

[@TheMaxilegs]

Like the 2009 Mac Pro HDD solution. It's pretty clever.

[@anxiousearth680]

Like a NAS?

[@taleg1]

@@anxiousearth680 Not quite, but part of a weird computer idea I had a long time ago where each part was a cube and if you wanted more memory, storage, cpu power, gpu, all you had to do was to slot in a second or third such cube and the right side of the core and it would be added into the group sort of. The idea came from that and the stack could be all added with one connection fro IO and one for power. Almost like a single raid stak.

[@eugene9852]

Except they invariably change interfaces, and then your base system quickly becomes incompatible with the latest versions of the add-on blocks.

[@cjwrench07]

@@eugene9852 that’s where EU’s *anti planned obsolescence & anti monopoly* regulations can come into play. No more Apple going to a proprietary connector, just so they can have a separate connection monopoly. Now the entire industry decides what is going to be the best new standard. (After the last is tapped out)

[@fuadhassanfaruk4540]

0:03 can everyone appreciate for a moment how smooth that catch was! Specially when it's Linus we're talking about

[@jabonought]

i bet it bounced off the floor a few times first lol

[@AndrewFrink]

that was take 17.

[@deadaccount6135]

@Fuad Hassan Faruk Waaat? You mean for once Linus didn't drop something?! Somebody call Guinness! Or.... maybe this whole time Linus isn't really that clumsy and has just been faking it. HE'S SECRETLY A NINJA! 🎶 dun dun dun 🎶 😁😁😁

[@nickyhr]

I just love seeing these types of builds, so interesting how people come up with different ways to fit more stuff in a tiny space, thanks LMG for showing it off!

[@fenixspider5776]

there this channel called ETA prime he always shows these kind of PCs and handhelds.

[@frankenstein3163]

This is exactly what I need for a backpack pc. I literally was dizining this same setup for the past few weeks. Multipool small box's.

[@mmaaRkers]

You should have said this machine may or may not be cool, but Crucial definetly is.

[@mmaaRkers]

💀

[@thederpling209]

@@mmaaRkers y u reply to ur own comment dawg?

[@mmaaRkers]

@@thederpling209 there were a bunch of spam bot replies bruh

[@JPMcBoyfriendFace]

Thanks for doing these. I know these types of projects seem confusing but the holy grail we're all looking for is a portable, Upgradable, Quiet system that gives you Desktop performance. Since most of us plug in for power already, creators (game devs, 3d artists) are looking for systems that could theoretically be taken to the office or travelled around with. Systems we don't have to replace every 2 years for $2500.

[@robrym2845]

Yes!. This is something that is difficult to make other people understand. I want a portable, upgradable system that I can just put on my backpack and travel to another place (Lan Party, Coworking Space, Friend's House) with the upgradability on mind.

[@xXxCobraCommanderxXx]

Is this a paid ad by the maker? This thing is DDR4 and AM4, it's already obsolete, let alone 2 years from now. Get a laptop.

[@sdesmtl]

@@xXxCobraCommanderxXx A laptop with a good dedicated graphics card is about 2000$. This setup with a good GPU is about 1000$. I like my money in my pocket, thank you. edit: I should rephrase that. If you want a laptop with a good GPU, you need to buy the high end model ($$$). Hard to get a basic cpu with a crazy-fast gpu...

[@elebirdz]

@@sdesmtl Add to that how absolutely garbage modern laptops are in terms of upgradeability and *ahem* repairability, something like this looks way better just for the peace of mind not needing to replace the whole system if one component fails

[@robrym2845]

@@xXxCobraCommanderxXx That's expensive. Maybe with $1000-$1200 I can buy this mini pc with a decent GPU. If I want to travel to another place while I'm still working I just go out with my mini pc and the gpu would be at home. If my mini pc gets stolen on the trip, I would be losing $700-$800, but my gpu would be safe at home.

[@zeke7515]

This looks perfect for someone who wants a Nuc they can travel with, and game with when they're home. Or a Nuc for Plex and a big boy GPU for transcoding.

[@Hakingafa]

As I travel a lot for work, and visit different places where I need my PC and my laptop isn't reliable enough for some applications, I could see myself using a machine like these, plugging an HDMI cable on hotel tv, wireless keyboard and mouse combo I could work from anywhere without relaying on a laptop that crashes all the time when I'm using certain applications, or poor internet connection and then getting home plugging it on a stronger GPU, yeah that would work great for me

[@megapet777]

I always found these mini computers cool. I think with AM5 there will be some serious potential in the mini PC market segment... but having external GPU and PSU like that doesn't make sense. At that point just build in sfx case.

[@Daniel-dj7fh]

Even this would be a super overpowered living room TV-pc.

[@Snookers_]

With a little bit more development, this is definitely something I'd be interested in. I like to have my GPU in my house for gaming, but when travelling I don't care too much. I do however, care about files and software I use frequently, and most of the work I do transfers very poorly between multiple machines. Having a top of the line desktop CPU with me is nice too. Currently I just stick my SFFPC in a pelican case, but a system like this (with kinks ironed out) seems much more appealing. I have a laptop as well, but I end up using it almost exclusively for Microsoft Suite applications.

[@vffbgx616]

Use a laptop with thunderbolt to be able to use external GPU when you're at home.

[@Ollv33]

lol... so you would rather have this and a bunch of cables and keyboard and mouse plus a monitor than a laptop?

[@Codewow]

Seems like a decent future-proof bulk buy for the bare bones APU model as a basic terminal when your employees are mostly doing web-app based work.

[@sjoervanderploeg4340]

Pretty cool, I was waiting for something like this for years now! Just a CPU with PCI-Express slot on the side, this makes testing hardware quite the breeze!

[@Scarlet_Soul]

7:52 oh Linus, you never disappoint

[@droneactiongermany]

ATTENTION!!! THIS IS FAKE! DO NOT CONTACT!

[@Samus11111]

For me, the capability to tear it down to components makes it easy to travel with while the full fat power makes it so that it's like I never left home. Laptops are great, but if you want more power you have to go with larger laptops. And even then, IO is a huge step up on this compared to a laptop. If this wasn't so quirky with needing a standalone PSU and some of the other bits, I'd seriously consider it for when I travel long distances.

[@Nadox97]

10:38 this video could really have just been this sentence lmfao. I love it.

[@MrIrondog55]

I can see this being handy for either an underdesk-mounted solution (you would need to make some serious brackets) for a gaming rig, or media unit to attach to a TV. It's niche but I'm sure someone has a use for it.

[@stephhugnis]

When traveling by plane I could see this being really useful. Moving even a standard mitx PC by airplane sucks.

[@kutilmartin]

why not just get a laptop and an external gpu bay?

[@brendantran3312]

You still need a screen...so your gonna carry a seperate screen when a laptop does it all in one

[@kutilmartin]

@@pixels_per_inch you could fit a desktop level CPU in a laptop with only integrated graphics and enough cooling. this mini-pc has comparably thr same heatsink area compared to higher powered laptops

[@chlorind]

My heart was stopped for a moment when Linus just throw the GPU, even it is already dead...

[@vandna5388]

It's a dummy one

[@bradhaines3142]

literally never worked to begin with

[@chlorind]

@@vandna5388 I know it is a dummy but still...

[@chrisspellman5952]

What I think they should do, is instead of that bottom thing being just a bracket for the most part, have it be a dock. It sort of then turns the mini into the classic "CPU" (remember when people would point at a computer and just call it a CPU). Especially if your someone who uses a laptop... but most if not all the time you simply use a dock, why not have something that has more potential and honestly would be easier to repair and upgrade while being FAR quieter. And if you happen to be at a meeting or something, they could have "terminals" that just have the KVM ready and you'd still be able to work easy. It's not for everyone, but same could be said about laptops.

[@vascr0]

I just purchased their HX90 based on ETAPrime's updated review regarding the liquid metal, and I'm enjoying it quite a bit. Minisforum seems like a legit company that's pushing the envelope regarding mini pc's.

[@travislowrider6623]

Can you use an egpu with it?

[@vascr0]

@@travislowrider6623 Yeah! If you check out ETA Prime's video on it, he showcases and links a nvme to pcie adapter that costs like $80. Apparently it works pretty well too.

[@AltNomad]

That intro pc flip was smooth AF

[@Boroda4Gaming]

5:19 Please. Do not.

[@Dfence22]

Hey Linus, as someone who works in entertainment production i could see this in my work setup if it could be rack mountable. small form factor is best as space is sometimes at a premium in our touring racks. i could run a multi million dollar concert from one if it were rack mountable

[@viktorpettersson9975]

Its strange to imagine that Linus has kids

[@AppoapsisStudios]

4 likes and it’s the first comment? That’s crazy

[@TZED_]

That Intro Tho, A mix of everything, laughing jokes and some sickk special effects lol

[@pesterenan]

Anxiety is defined in he dictionary as: "Linus handling PC parts".

[@jrko0]

Actually that could be usefull for someone like me living in to homes and constantly switching then I could just take the small mac mini sized box to one and leave the gpu and the other

[@Xanderqwerty123]

I just got a mini-itx board and, after a lot of troubleshooting with cases and cooling solutions, I settled for a testbench and a full noctua cooler. Looks hilarious but its the most powerful build I've done. This, however, looks like it would have solved a lot of my problems.

[@Fishvap]

I think a use-case I see for this, is where you're in an office environment and everyone's on the move but you want the power of a typical PC wherever you go, so workstations are setup everywhere in the building so that you can just plug and play.

[@owenyin3316]

the moment of fear at 5:02 is killing me lmao

[@roowut]

they definitely need to make another base part which would house the psu, and would probably be the best way of keeping it all neat

[@maadmaxx123]

I actually purchased one of these for my workstation at home. Don't plan on using the discreet graphics card anytime soon but I'm grateful for the expandability and the super small form factor.

[@demonwares]

I have an ncase m1 with a crosshair viii impact. There's no compromise there, until 4000 etc come out if the power consumption rumors are true. The max power for ITX is 750w, I wonder how much wattage the 4080 will demand.

[@Daffmeister187]

Silverstone has a SFX PSU that delivers 1000W. It's SFX though, not SF.

[@riba2233]

Coolermaster has 1100w sfx supply

[@deadmayday6702]

@@Daffmeister187 You mean SFX-L not SFX

[@davidfaustino4476]

Who cares.. the GPU doesn't get much power from the MB..

[@Jaymiecain1]

As an owner of the Crosshair Viii impact, there is a compromise. The VRM heatsink is so long it interferes with the PCIE lane. My 6800 XT red devil wouldn't fit, as the back plate would scratch against the stupidly long VRM heatsink and against the daughter board for the SSD. The X570i is inferior but doesn't have this stupid issue.

[@lastingluminary6573]

I love the idea of a platform for a SFF to integrate a full size GPU

[@benedictjajo]

My SFF case can fit a full size GPU. I don't understand what's so special about this one.

[@Axeinus]

the only upside I can think of is being able to properly separate the air flow to each component. I'm using a small form factor and it basically vents the cpu heat directly into the gpu air flow. this unit is a novel concept, which could use a lot more refining. I'm giving it a good pondering if it's going to be worth it to switch cause my issue could just be an overall air flow problem and my system is fine in its current config. will have to see if moving it closer to the window where there's constant fresh air helps

[@Bajicoy]

Minisforum really needs to figure out something for the PSU and cables... It's a fun idea for someone that wants a mini PC while waiting for GPU prices to go down and next gen GPUs to release. Certainly having all the mini PC docking connectors on one side would have helped a lot.

[@MaybeAnnatar]

HOT TAKE! I think it's perfect for me. I take my desktop with me a lot and having it in a package like this where I could just tear it down into pieces very easily to fit in my bag makes a lot of sense for me. I think with a couple improvements (having a fully featured PSU integrated into the chasis that I can just quickly route a cable from the main box to the GPU) this would genuinely be something I would buy.

[@emma70707]

Yeah, it seems like it could be good for a consultant or someone who travels a lot and stays in a place long enough that they want a full powered GPU in their hotel and also something that's not a gaming laptop when working at the client site.

[@DenDodde]

@@emma70707 But it would still be easier to just have a laptop, with a external GPU.

[@MaybeAnnatar]

@@DenDodde Not necessarily. Not for me at least. I do a lot of work where I need something like a 5950x and a powerful GPU. Mobile grade compenents will literally cost me money by the added time they take to do the tasks I need done. Also external GPU enclosures still usually take up a decent amount of space where I could just have a GPU, the PC, and the platform that puts them together.

[@elorrambasdo5233]

@@MaybeAnnatar What job do you have?

[@shy3306]

Put liquid metal over the whole thing and boom 7% faster!

[@Loop_Kat]

I can think of a few edge cases where this might be good for traveling, but honestly I just really like how it's a tiny, all-enclosed, modular unit that clicks in place with a solid "clunk". It really just tickles that primal engineering part of my brain that loves mechanical functions and sounds, lol

[@m7md95]

i totally see their point, i can use this for my home theater room and i travel a lot so i could take this with me where ever i want and need the extra power for the theater room

[@hardrivethrutown]

while I like full tower and other massive cases, I love the idea that I can just slot it into a dock and use a proper GPU

[@YoumuEnjoyer]

a cool thing for the platform would be to make it an enclosed space with mesh on the sides for breathability, so you have the full package wherever you go

[@englishman89]

I'm building something like that (small PC case with mini ITX) and thunderbolt as a cheaper alternative to laptop with desktop performance (it's high end i7 CPU and 64GB of RAM) for working on multiple locations. Ability to connect to external PCI x16 seems very interesting and might open other potential use cases or just reusing the PC for gaming at home (I'm not gaming though).

[@dehdesh]

I do like the idea of just popping in a whole-other workstation if something goes wrong. A tiny 4-drive sas shelf would be a cool addition so that it's just a mobo, ram, and cpu slotting into the other peripherals

[@abdulhkeem.alhadhrami]

Linus choosing the words to introduce the sponsor is always hilarious which keeps me coming back every time!

[@mrburnz884]

That was some tough logic hoops to jump through at the end there.

[@QuantumQuantonium]

I think you should check out more embedded platforms. They're usually an affordable compromise between a prebuilt and a custom built, like this build. In particular I got a board from Aaeon and built an OPNsense router with it, but there's all sorts of other features that the board offers, with an i5 CPU powered by a barrel plug, with sodimm, and it has a PCIe (I think x16) slot that I'm using to add a second 2.5g port, in addition to the onboard 1g and 2.5g ports. Accounting for the cost of the RAM, power brick, 2.5g card, and my 3D printed case, it's around the same price as prebuilding, without having to use a sketchy picoPSU or get a thick case just so the stock cooler and RAM can fit, and that's assuming the mobo would boot without integrated graphics if your CPU doesn't have any. But also the company sells more complete embedded systems like this, as well as displays and tablets. It's intended for commercial use or bulk ordering but I was able to get a single board shipped no problem.

[@joeygo0999]

I got mine last Monday! I'm pretty happy so far :D

[@tobimai4843]

One advantage over an ITX system is that it's definitly easier to assemble and in the end has similar performance, that might be interesting for some people

[@marcelroodt]

Problems aside, I love the attempt. One of these NUC-like SFF cases might actually elegantly solve its problems for them to be a reasonable alternative to ITX.

[@RantechRadio]

Docking stations have been a thing for a long time, som I agree fully onboard with the idea that all the connections should connect to the dock base and maybe just a dual mini cord coming off the top for the GPU that way the docking station is fully stationed and the PC itself can be detached in two actions…power off and pull up and off. Expandable GPU options are always fun to see, and I’d like to see this idea a bit better done with a laptop that has a rear bay full PCI hookup so the laptop can be a slim workstation with expand ability to have a full desktop GPU straight off a streamlined dock. (Perhaps with a flip down shroud. I likely could design that pretty easily as a visual prototype)

[@Emb3dStudios]

Love when Linus shouts out other tech KZbinrs. Steve and his team deserve all the love

[@BioGenx2b]

One way to think of the uses this machine has is that the docking module isn't just for GPUs, but it's a full x16 slot, so any expansion card you want, really. Perhaps that makes it a more appealing product, though I am also still struggling to determine who would be using it.

[@lolly166541]

I sat here for a few Minutes thinking "What would I need this system for, that a Laptop could not do?" And I genuinely couldn't come up with one. That's basically a laptop without keyboard, mouse, monitor or battery.

[@arivald6677]

@@lolly166541 It takes less room than a laptop. Mini PC are often used together with big televisions, basically like a super console.

[@Randon_Tain]

@@arivald6677 my thought as well, I see this as a compact desktop gamer PC that you can "undock" and bring to a friends house for console style couch gaming, for less than the cost of a "all in one" laptop that you can't upgrade.

[@MagnaV4]

I've really been wanting to go mini itx... this is actually really appealing to me. Going from my current 8700k to something like a 5600g isn't much of a difference

[@EmptyZoo393]

Mini-box has a couple of really nice mini-itx cases that fill a similar role. Haven't built with one yet, but they've got VESA mounting points on the back of the case so you can actually mount your miniature PC on the back of your motherboard. Just pick your cooler carefully.

[@ryangoff66]

This would be perfect for me in a very specific use-case. Using my pc for gaming in the office, and being able to take it into the garage with a separate monitor for live streaming automotive content, but that seems about it.

[@SudoYETI]

Its a cool concept I'm glad to see someone try but I don't know if I'd ever get it over than my love for tiny powerful builds.

[@Np-lm1nk]

If they do a good job with the bracketing for the additional power supply I could see myself buying a handful of these as company computers to replace the laptops we currently provide since it would allow us to provide some more top end monitors to work on while allowing people to detach and take them home at the end of office hours for scripting and our other non-graphic work. Might be biased a tiny bit by the fact I've had to replace more laptops than furniture because everyone has butter fingers and cant seem to keep their computers from finding their final resting place on some hard flooring...

[@minisforumofficial]

Here is the power supply bracket: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qmTJo2OgmJaMqpI

[@herochro]

That m.2 heat sink is a 5 dollar one from Amazon. Where the heat sink is rubber banded to the ssd. While heat sink is not really needed but this does not look very confidence inspiring.

[@Daniel-dj7fh]

if it's not needed it's just a plus

[@Migz_Ate_Nein]

Got mine today and I'm loving it!!!

[@maulerrw]

Would love one of those micro PSUs with it. If the base was slightly thicker you could even make it so it just slotted in and had internal wiring, or a mounting point on the frame if you want it to hang off

[@ndaruwibowo]

I was considering buying the bare bone, but, again, after double thinking, I should just get better laptop.

[@emilyshabang]

If you already have a gpu and PSU, then it'd probably be cheaper to get the barebone unit than a laptop that can run AAA games at decent fps

[@TheNpcNoob]

In most cases, you would get better performance from this than you would via a laptop. But it only really makes sense if you have some parts laying around and a need for it. I have a similar setup but run my gpu via thunderbolt and use a portable usb monitor (also has wireless display feature for cable free uses).

[@Daniel-dj7fh]

You're not gonna get a solid laptop under 800 bucks where the barebones, a 5000 series ryzen chip and some ram wouldn't annihilate .

[@Daniel-dj7fh]

@@emilyshabang Even if you don't a Ryzen5 3400g or 5600g doesn't cost a whole lot

[@Whole_Note]

I can see it being great for LAN parties and as an emulation station.

[@SweBeach2023]

Why, just get an ITX build.

[@christianhorn1999]

if you can live with playing in low settings on LAN, the 5700G is capable of doing it in most games with reasonable fps. all thats missing is a VESA mount to put it behind the display for easy transport. i've build something similar for the next party.

[@micksam7]

I definitely did the "bring my desktop to work" thing back when I couldn't stretch the budget for two machines or one beefy laptop. Did it with a silverstone hugo case. It worked for 2-3 years until I could afford more machines but goodness I never want to do that again.

[@yensteel]

So happy that somebody double checked the pin cable quirk before release.

[@0xA9F]

"Old fashioned" LAN parties might be a use case for the portability and the LAN party provides the monitor. For small factor enthusiasts I guess a complete enclosed solution is more what they want...

[@fermitupoupon1754]

I was thinking about that, then I remembered that none of the LAN parties I've been to since the 90's have ever provided a monitor. You typically get X*Y amount of table space, Z amount of Watts, a chair and an UTP cable.

[@DanielH212MC]

I'm curious, since it has a male 16x slot, can you plug this into a PC as an extension card and turn it into a compute module?

[@grahamstewart79]

My guess would be that you can plug it into a pc and turn it into a paperweight.

[@EmptyZoo393]

As PCIe stands right now, no. Had to look up the interface pinouts, but there's a couple of pins that all expect to be masters on the PC side. It could be possible, but it depends on the PCIe controllers baked into your CPU. Those things are slinging data fast enough I doubt there's any room for reconfigurable bits on them. Also, I just found out there are I2C interfaces present on PCIe ports that you could use for some hackery if you're so inclined. Support is iffy depending on the board though.

[@Ronke01]

That looks amazing!

[@mrgw98]

This is something similar to what I've been wanting from handheld PC's since the Sony UX-180N came out. Having that slider backlit keyboard was nice too. It would be cool to have the PC have a nice CPU that may be throttled when in handheld mode and using onboard graphics. When you get home, simply dock it in to get the full power of the CPU, plus the use of an external better GPU, use of an external power supply packaged in the dock with the GPU, and suddenly your handheld PC is a desktop instead. Similar to how Valve did the Steamdeck (glad someone did something of my idea), it has a handheld UI for on the go and then the full desktop UI when docked. It would work better than the thing reviewed because it still needs a monitor once you undock it. It would also be in a different segment than a laptop as some people want small, handheld, console like computers to play their games on like the Sony PSP, Nintendo DS series, and Nintendo Switch.

[@-Graham]

I love it! But I don't know why... I kinda feel this would suit your upcoming byoc lan party if moving the rig for tournaments happens. It does seem a little unpolished and I would hate to unplug the power as easily as Linus did, that happened a bit too easily. The barebones config does seem like a good deal though! I don't have a lot of money for upgrades atm and as a tinkerer this is oddly attractive, but as I said, I don't know why. I'd love to have a play with one though for sure!

[@roowut]

you could probably design and 3d print a simple bracket that would screw onto the back of the psu and just prevent the cable from being pulled out

[@-Graham]

@@roowut they're probably using a cheap port until its finalised or maybe the power cable shroud was just slightly too small. Easy fix either way

[@alvaroszi]

Great video as usual Linus! I'm actually going to build my own PC in the next month or two and I'm using your videos as guidance :D

[@Daniel-dj7fh]

remember to take your time. and if you have a cheaper motherboard be careful that the pins on the io-shield are bent correctly and don't damage your mother board ports. Bet thing is to put your io-shield on the motherboard and checking everything before clipping the io shield in the case.

[@alvaroszi]

@@Daniel-dj7fh will do! thanks for the tips :)

[@jakestocker4854]

I was building ASRock Desk Minis with a Ryzen apu for a while and people loved them. So tiny and even could buy a TV mount

[@flyingdiscproductions]

thanks for talking about this brand - i have seen the adverts

[@BlommaBaumbart]

This is an early version of what there will be in the future: A tablet computer to which you can attach external RAM and GPU for home usage. Similar to a Switch docking station. CPU development will primarily move towards power efficiency and modular construction in the future, so having power hungry parts detachable will tear down the line between mobile and desktop computers. Also, those huge ass GPUs eat power which you save by unplugging it. It might not much, depending on the GPU, but if you're an environmentalist, you think about these things.

[@christophervanzetta]

I’m pretty sure mining for metals for components in anti-environmentalist so from the start that’s contradictory

[@BlommaBaumbart]

@@christophervanzetta No, it isn't. Everyone has a PC anyway, the environmentalist approach is that if you get something, you get the least problematic version of it.

[@peterpuke2841]

But even though it has standard PC components inside it seems that it has not so much room for upgrade more than storage capacity and maybe faster RAM if you already had the maximum quantity available since as the not Linus guy said the computer does not even get full advantage of the CPU so just imagine thousands of these tiny computers thrown into landfills when they become obsolete and impossible to upgrade, even if they take care about that and make a new revision of the motherboard you still had to get rid off of the older one and that does not fix the problem either because you still need to buy the rest of the new components, even if its potential for working between two different places switching the system between both stations looks appealing is not a great improvement over a decent laptop if you need that portability and it has the added advantage to work with external GPUs as well as working independently everywhere so I don't see any real environmental advantage over the existing technology and it looks more like another cool but not very useful niche product.

[@BlommaBaumbart]

@@peterpuke2841 Yes. That is a problem with this design, I was more referring to the concept of a plugin-GPU in general. Framework, Pine64 and Fairphone are showing that you can do these things in smarter.

[@peterpuke2841]

@@BlommaBaumbart But that already exist, there have been external USB GPU adapters for a while and they have proven to be reliable and as far as I know some even work with Windows based tablets despite they are not advertised for ultrabooks and such, but maybe if they start from scratch and instead of this rather weird form factor they change their focus into making some sort of expansion device with a portable dedicated GPU that can be connected with an standard interface like USB and with a smaller but internal PSU since a portable GPU requires much less power than a full size desktop GPU it should be less of a problem to feed the card with power within a small form factor then they could have something really useful in their hands because the biggest problems with external GPU adapters is that they take too much room since they have to make big boxes to fit the GPU and the PSU so they still take a substancial quantity of space and weight making them still inconvenient for transportation so imagine what cool would be a device way smaller and thinner that you just pop in a USB type C and a power cable and you have a very powerful external GPU for your laptop but in a much more friendly format that you can throw in you backpack if you want to take it with you, that should be the real game changer to me.

[@brockfiree]

Actually this is the solution for who, like me, doesn't live in the same place for more than few months. Carrying the tower around, without the risk of braking it, is painful. I'll think about it, great vid!

[@-opus]

Wouldn't you have more risk of breakage with a naked GPU, cables, and PSU?

[@brockfiree]

@@-opus no because a graphic card isn't big like a tower and, even if you put something inside the tower, you'll risk to damage something. In the end, with the configuration they showed in the video, you can fill a backpack or a suitcase bag. Easier and surely light

[@-opus]

@@brockfiree good luck with that

[@mydigitalanalog]

I’d love to see what would happen if you plugged a second b550 into the other side of the pcie dock. It’s probably not a good result. But possibly fun to watch.

[@accrevoke]

It would be great if they tidy it up with the cables, I can see it being really good for enterprises as regular PCs, with the capability of turning into a CAD / flat-design / rendering station with just one flavour of workstation. It would also be perfect if it has a VESA compatible mounting plate, taking hot-desk to a whole new level.

[@MTheJukesOnYou]

"It's the dummy one" Linus: Throws 3090 across the floor Me: "what the F are you doing" then i realise it is fake lmao

[@MTheJukesOnYou]

@The T you spam videos trying to get subs that's not even content so i can't even say it's horrible and a waste of time like why make so many videos trying to get subs when you can just grind like a normal person that way when you reach 100 or 1k or how many you can actually be proud rather than use your subs you got from spamming bad content trying to get people's attention for clour or something, just don't waste your time so you can say to your friends oh look i have so and so subs because it doesn't work

[@hrq007]

I wish they had an Intel version of this. Such a cool system.

[@kdsm6424]

I found out that you can actually replace the cpu on this thing and that there's a barebones cheaper version of this so yeah you can definitely strap a Intel cpu onto this

[@KShauryaDwivedi]

@@kdsm6424 what are you going to do for the motherboard then?

[@robrym2845]

In the world of remote work, this is a great solution. I have been working remotely for 5 years and my laptop basically works as a home computer. I bought a mac mini m1 a couple of years ago and aesthetically I love it (Unfortunately there is not much to do to play games on it). So just having a computer that allows me to take it anywhere I need it in my backpack and if I want to play just connect it to a stand with a GPU, it seems like the ideal product for me. A laptop is not an option for me, I never use their screens and I can't upgrade their video card.

[@ThomasOsborn7]

I feel like if the base also included some pass through for USBs you could leave the 'dock' on a desktop, or the back of a monitor with all the cables for peripherals on it in place. De-tach it, grab the power brick and sling it to work etc. Where you just have a monitor cable and peripherals or blue tooth devices waiting for you. I's definitely pretty great for blow through GPU cards like a 3080.

[@MakeOrBreakSociety]

I have 2 really good use cases. The law firm I work at really wants to just have 100 of the exact same computer and also need GPU's for about 10 of them but the tiny form factor is a must. Also good for a small GPU test bench for IT at the same firm. (That's me)

[@Daniel-dj7fh]

Question, in a law firm what would you need pc performance for? I can imagine a chromebook couldn't handle going through a bunch of papers, but what would a gpu be of use? Like couldn't any laptop which isn't completely bad be enough?

[@MakeOrBreakSociety]

@@Daniel-dj7fh you'd think. Like I said there is only a few people using GPU's and they are mainly for the video and graphic designers we employ. Mostly for our commercials and the few apps we deploy As for the others excel spreadsheets can get really intense. I was shocked when I started here to see how hard they can be on a system.

[@MakeOrBreakSociety]

@@kitchenbriks3685 some are. But most of the ones in our firm don't even use computers lol. The assistants do 😂