Recommendations sought for mini pc

[danieltanner]

All,

I have spec'ed a mini pc I would like to buy. I don't understand enough to know where would be best to invest my money or about the quality of the brands. I would be interested in any suggestions for incremental performance improvements or cost reductions on the system below. Any suggestions appreciated. Thanks.

**CPU** | [AMD - Ryzen 5 1600 3.2GHz 6-Core Processor](https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/product/mV98TW/amd-ryzen-5-1600-32ghz-6-core-processor-yd1600bbaebox) | £137.94 @ Aria PC
**CPU Cooler** | [ARCTIC - Freezer 7 Pro Rev.2 45.0 CFM Fluid Dynamic Bearing CPU Cooler](https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/product/VRPfrH/arctic-cooling-cpu-cooler-freezer7prorev2) | £15.95 @ Overclockers.co.uk
**Motherboard** | [ASRock - AB350 Gaming-ITX/ac Mini ITX AM4 Motherboard](https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/product/nG98TW/asrock-ab350-gaming-itxac-mini-itx-am4-motherboard-ab350-gaming-itxac) | £98.05 @ Amazon UK
**Memory** | [Corsair - Vengeance LPX 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory](https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/product/sMbkcf/corsair-memory-cmk8gx4m1a2400c16) | £78.00 @ Aria PC
**Video Card** | [Zotac - GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB Mini Video Card](https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/product/NndFf7/zotac-geforce-gtx-1050-ti-4gb-mini-video-card-zt-p10510a-10l) | £146.99 @ Ebuyer
**Case** | [Fractal Design - Core 500 Mini ITX Desktop Case](https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/product/LvnG3C/fractal-design-case-fdcacore500bk) | £49.42 @ Amazon UK
**Power Supply** | [Corsair - CXM (2015) 450W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply](https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/product/FQ648d/corsair-power-supply-cp9020101na) | £49.99 @ Corsair UK
**Operating System** | [Microsoft - Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit](https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/product/96RFf7/microsoft-os-kw900139) | £82.38 @ Aria PC

| *Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts* |
| **Total** | **£658.72**

 

[Hellfire13]

You are missing storage. Optimized your build with better parts...

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 2600 3.4GHz 6-Core Processor (£158.39 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: ASRock - AB350 Gaming-ITX/ac Mini ITX AM4 Motherboard (£98.05 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LPX 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-3000 Memory (£93.59 @ Aria PC)
Storage: Kingston - A400 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£42.96 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: Zotac - GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB Low Profile Video Card (£156.98 @ Ebuyer)
Case: Cooler Master - Elite 130 Mini ITX Tower Case (£35.99 @ Ebuyer)
Power Supply: Corsair - CXM (2015) 450W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (£49.99 @ Corsair UK)
Total: £635.95
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-07-02 20:18 BST+0100

Note: You need to make sure that the board is shipped with the BIOS updated by the vendor.
You can activate Windows down the line. There will be no impact on performance... https://www.howtogeek.com/244678/you-dont-need-a-product-key-to-install-and-use-windows-10/

 

[WildCard999]

If your not streaming games or prefer not to overclock I'd suggest this.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i5-8400 2.8GHz 6-Core Processor (£147.97 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: ASRock - H310M-ITX/ac Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard (£64.99 @ Overclockers.co.uk)
Memory: Kingston - HyperX Fury 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2666 Memory (£78.72 @ PC World Business)
Storage: Western Digital - Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£34.74 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: Asus - GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB Phoenix Video Card (£146.39 @ Aria PC)
Case: Cooler Master - Elite 130 Mini ITX Tower Case (£35.99 @ Ebuyer)
Power Supply: Corsair - CXM (2015) 450W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (£49.99 @ Corsair UK)
Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit (£82.38 @ Aria PC)
Total: £641.17
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-07-02 20:24 BST+0100

 

[geofelt]

I see a few issues with your build list:
1. It does not include a drive for windows.

I will never again build without a ssd for the "C" drive. It makes everything you do much quicker.
120gb is minimum, it will hold the os and a handful of games.
But, many things default to the "C" drive.
When a SSD nears full, it will lose performance and endurance.
240gb is the recommended minimum.

If you can go 240gb, or 500gb you may never need a hard drive.

You can defer on the hard drive unless you need to store large files such as video's.
It is easy to add a hard drive later.

Samsung EVO is a good choice for performance and reliability.


2. ryzen is sensitive to ram speeds. And, you have a single channel ram stick.
a 2 x 4gb kit would perform better and faster than 2400 speed would be better.

3. ryzen 1600 comes with a bundled cooler that will be better than the unit you listed

The ryzen 1600 has a passmark rating of 12287 and a single thread rating of 1825.
The single thread performance is most important for games
Yes, the 1600 has 12 threads, but most games can effectively use only 2-3 threads.
I think the I3-8400 in the wildcard build would serve you better.
6 threads, and a passmark rating of 11783/2335.

I would buy a 2 x 4gb kit but there is no need for fast speed with intel processors; 2400 speed is fine.

 

[logainofhades]

If your goal is gaming, I would go with the i3 8100, and get a GTX 1060 6gb instead of the 6 core chips and GTX 1050ti.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i3-8100 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor (£92.34 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: ASRock - H310M-ITX/ac Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard (£64.99 @ Overclockers.co.uk)
Memory: Team - Vulcan 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-3000 Memory (£74.99 @ Overclockers.co.uk)
Storage: Crucial - MX500 250GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive (£55.77 @ Ebuyer)
Storage: Western Digital - Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£34.74 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce GTX 1060 6GB 6GB SC GAMING Video Card (£247.98 @ Amazon UK)
Case: Thermaltake - Core V1 Mini ITX Desktop Case (£36.98 @ Ebuyer)
Power Supply: Corsair - CXM (2015) 450W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (£49.99 @ Corsair UK)
Total: £657.78
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-07-02 21:21 BST+0100

 

[danieltanner]

All,

Thanks a lot for the amazing responses. I have updated my system design based on your combined feedback and have gone for the following, where: I have update to Intel i5, added an ssd HDD, removed windows (as I have a copy), and I have left a single 8Gb ram module (to allow me to easily update to 16Gb in the future, if needed). I'm aiming for a mid-range gaming machine, to run steam, so again any comments would be appreciated.

**CPU** | [Intel - Core i5-8400 2.8GHz 6-Core Processor](https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/product/LHYWGX/intel-core-i5-8400-28ghz-6-core-processor-bx80684i58400) | £147.97 @ Aria PC
**CPU Cooler** | [CRYORIG - C7 40.5 CFM CPU Cooler](https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/product/Lbhj4D/cryorig-cpu-cooler-c7) | £29.99 @ Amazon UK
**Motherboard** | [ASRock - Z370M-ITX/ac Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard](https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/product/7HYWGX/asrock-z370m-itxac-mini-itx-lga1151-motherboard-z370m-itxac) | £122.98 @ Amazon UK
**Memory** | [Corsair - Vengeance LPX 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory](https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/product/sMbkcf/corsair-memory-cmk8gx4m1a2400c16) | £78.00 @ Aria PC
**Storage** | [Samsung - 850 EVO 500GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive](https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/product/VrH48d/samsung-internal-hard-drive-mzn5e500bw) | £131.98 @ BT Shop
**Video Card** | [Asus - GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB Phoenix Video Card](https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/product/6hKhP6/asus-geforce-gtx-1050-ti-4gb-phoenix-video-card-ph-gtx1050ti-4g) | £146.39 @ Aria PC
**Case** | [Cooler Master - Elite 130 Mini ITX Tower Case](https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/product/6wR48d/cooler-master-case-rc130kkn1) | £35.99 @ Ebuyer
**Power Supply** | [Corsair - CXM (2015) 450W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply](https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/product/FQ648d/corsair-power-supply-cp9020101na) | £49.99 @ Corsair UK
| *Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts* |
| **Total** | **£743.29**

 

[Hellfire13]

This should be more balanced and better in performance...

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i5-8400 2.8GHz 6-Core Processor (£147.97 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte - B360N WIFI Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard (£86.99 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Kingston - HyperX Fury 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2666 Memory (£78.72 @ PC World Business)
Storage: Crucial - MX500 500GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive (£89.99 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: Zotac - GeForce GTX 1060 6GB 6GB Mini Video Card (£249.98 @ Amazon UK)
Case: Cooler Master - Elite 130 Mini ITX Tower Case (£35.99 @ Ebuyer)
Power Supply: Corsair - CXM (2015) 450W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (£49.99 @ Corsair UK)
Total: £739.63
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-07-02 22:40 BST+0100