Thoughts about onboard CPUs

[kiruna]

I'm in the process of building a mini-PC and was wondering which CPU to use.

Currently there are many mobos with onboard CPU available, such as the celeron J3160.

My question is how well do they perform for everyday use and how do they compare to a more "traditional" one such as a celeron G1840 or G3900?

 

[aquielisunari]

I'm in the process of building a mini-PC and was wondering which CPU to use.

Currently there are many mobos with onboard CPU available, such as the celeron J3160.

My question is how well do they perform for everyday use and how do they compare to a more "traditional" one such as a celeron G1840 or G3900?

If I had that question I would head over to Youtube and watch videos such as https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ms_P1gGMaX8 .I can read tech. specs and look over benchmarks but I need some boots on the ground. And videos like that offer me an additional avenue of research. What if I am looking to gaming and the more "traditional" CPU? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuP9rdN2VwI . I'd peruse user reviews from places like Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Intel-Celeron-2-60GHz-Processor-BX80637G1610/dp/B00B4BJYVU and Newegg. It's up to what you are doing with this mini-pc everyday and if your budget allows for a dedicated GFX card.

 

[kiruna]

Thanks.

Actually I only intend using it for simple tasks (office, browser, youtube...) and will install linux. No dedicated GFX needed for now.
Maybe i'm going to use it as an interface for some technical applications in future (system control, CNC).

My only concern is it getting sluggish and therefore frustrating.

 

[aquielisunari]

Thanks.

Actually I only intend using it for simple tasks (office, browser, youtube...) and will install linux. No dedicated GFX needed for now.
Maybe i'm going to use it as an interface for some technical applications in future (system control, CNC).

My only concern is it getting sluggish and therefore frustrating.

Even though the 3160 has multiple cores the 3900 beats it with sheer horsepower. It's GPU is also better. It also consumes less power meaning it will stay cooler. It's my recommendation with the choices at hand.

 

[k1114]

I would suggest staying away from amateur youtube vids. Simple tasks don't require much so braswell will do fine but they are very low end, near core 2 duos. Embedded cpus aren't all bad, there are some that are i7 but these soc are a different out of order architecture.

 

[bootcher]

For simple tasks really any CPU will do fine, as long as you have enough ram to run all applications smoothly. If you are concerned about multi-tasking and performance, I would recommend an i3, which is a dualcore with hyperthreading, making it perform more like a quad-core. Another good option, and a bit cheaper, is an AMD FM2+ APU quad (A8 or A10). They are also really good for these builds.

 

[geofelt]

Integrated graphics and low end intel processors are perfectly adequate for desktop work and HD movie playback.
The one key to good desktop performance is to use a ssd for your C drive.

 

[kiruna]

Anything i3 is probably overkill for my application, and also a bit out of my budget.
As for going AMD, sounds good to me, didn't thought about it. But since I don't have a lot of experience with AMD I should look deeper into it.

What about J1800 and J1900? Even if they feel outdated they seem to be still quite common within manufacturers, as you can find many mobos equipped with these.

Anyways are there any good reasons to go braswell instead of skylake (apart lower power consumption and fanless operation)?

 

[madmatt30]

The traditional celerons are close to twice a powerful mate.
On an integrated basis the older j1900 is more powerful than the j3160.

How small does this mini PC actually have to be ??

 

[kiruna]

I've found a nice case on ebay I'd like to order:
http://www.ebay.de/itm/M350-Mini-ITX-Gehaeuse-/400171118686?_trksid=p2141725.m3641.l6368#
It says it is 192 x 210 x 62mm

Also don't know how well the G3900 fan will fit in it. Maybe that's a considerable reason for going fanless onboard.

 

[aquielisunari]

I've found a nice case on ebay I'd like to order:
http://www.ebay.de/itm/M350-Mini-ITX-Gehaeuse-/400171118686?_trksid=p2141725.m3641.l6368#
It says it is 192 x 210 x 62mm

Also don't know how well the G3900 fan will fit in it. Maybe that's a considerable reason for going fanless onboard.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835608029 looks like a good option. It's compatible with LGA115x (LGA1150, LGA1151, LGA1155, LGA1156) socket. The G3900 is socket 1151.

I'd be worried about AIO closed loop water coolers. Where will you mount the 120mm radiator and fan?

(sans the stock cooler in the pic). The stock intel cooler will block a HDD bay.

 

[Ecky]

I've found a nice case on ebay I'd like to order:
http://www.ebay.de/itm/M350-Mini-ITX-Gehaeuse-/400171118686?_trksid=p2141725.m3641.l6368#
It says it is 192 x 210 x 62mm

Also don't know how well the G3900 fan will fit in it. Maybe that's a considerable reason for going fanless onboard.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835608029 looks like a good option. It's compatible with LGA115x (LGA1150, LGA1151, LGA1155, LGA1156) socket. The G3900 is socket 1151.

I'd be worried about AIO closed loop water coolers. Where will you mount the 120mm radiator and fan?

(sans the stock cooler in the pic). The stock intel cooler will block a HDD bay.

Why would you ever use a closed loop watercooler in this kind of PC?

 

[aquielisunari]

I've found a nice case on ebay I'd like to order:
http://www.ebay.de/itm/M350-Mini-ITX-Gehaeuse-/400171118686?_trksid=p2141725.m3641.l6368#
It says it is 192 x 210 x 62mm

Also don't know how well the G3900 fan will fit in it. Maybe that's a considerable reason for going fanless onboard.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835608029 looks like a good option. It's compatible with LGA115x (LGA1150, LGA1151, LGA1155, LGA1156) socket. The G3900 is socket 1151.

I'd be worried about AIO closed loop water coolers. Where will you mount the 120mm radiator and fan?

(sans the stock cooler in the pic). The stock intel cooler will block a HDD bay.

Why would you ever use a closed loop watercooler in this kind of PC?

The OP seems fairly new to building, hence the questions. Kiruna is considering an AIO because of the tiny footprint offered by the part that attaches to the motherboard/CPU. Yes, AIOs are sometimes reserved for high end builds. When space is at a premium they once again look to be an ideal CPU cooler.


How does that question contribute to this conversation? If you feel it's a bad choice you could let Kiruna know. An informed answer could get this parts list one step closer to a completed build. A question like that doesn't help the OP. The implications of your "question"....

 

[Ecky]

The part that confuses me is that Kiruna never brought it up, you did. I consider it a poor recommendation.

 

[aquielisunari]

The part that confuses me is that Kiruna never brought it up, you did. I consider it a poor recommendation.

So do I. I said as much. Constructive criticism? As opposed Why would you ever? Idk which one is better. I did see fanless. I thought AIO. Thank you so much for letting me know about my grievous error. Proves I am human once again. Refreshing your question was .Thankfully I spoke against them.

 

[kiruna]

Well, obviously I wasn't considering any sort of water cooling, I just made this question because as far as I know anything above i3 uses a taller cooler than what's seen in the picture above.

I just don't know what kind of cooler the g3900 uses. Here's what I mean:

 

[aquielisunari]

Well, obviously I wasn't considering any sort of water cooling, I just made this question because as far as I know anything above i3 uses a taller cooler than what's seen in the picture above.

I just don't know what kind of cooler the g3900 uses. Here's what I mean:

Which is why I suggested http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835608029&ignorebbr=1&nm_mc=KNC-GoogleAdwords-PC&cm_mmc=KNC-GoogleAdwords-PC-_-pla-_-CPU+Cooling-_-N82E16835608029 . Takes the guesswork out of the Intel coolers.I think the Intel cooler for the 3900 is 45mm tall but I can't be certain. I know the NH-L9i is only 37mm with the fan.

Sorry about muddying the water earlier.

 

[k1114]

What's your budget? Have you looked at nuc, prebuilt mini pc or barebone mini pcs?

 

[kiruna]

Budget is around 200-300 Euro. Personally I don't really like NUCs and barebones, they usually don't offer many usb and other ports I would need if I use it for system control and CNC (parallel port, rs 232).

I think I'm gonna stick with the G3900, it seems that where I live I can get a mini-ITX LGA1151 and G3900 for pretty much the same price as a well equipped mobo with onboard cpu.

Anyways thanks for your help and suggestions.