The MiniPC Revolution

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Electrical tangents: “dead lights”, landlords, and safety

  • Long subthread on a “dead” bathroom light turns into:
    • Confusion over whether bulbs vs fixtures vs wiring have failed.
    • Many renters won’t touch in-wall wiring, citing fear of electricity, height (stairs/ladder), or legal requirements (e.g., UK Part P, bathroom zones).
    • Dispute over whether basic tasks like replacing bulbs are “handyman skills” or trivial.
    • Strong sentiment that landlords, not tenants, should pay for electrical fixes; others argue simple fixes are cheap DIY.
    • Debate on whether using floor lamps in bathrooms is safer than touching unknown wiring; GFCI/RCD outlets vs unknown compliance.

What is a MiniPC? Form factor and vendors

  • Rough consensus: small, low-power boxes (NUC-like, 1L “tiny” PCs, Mac mini class).
  • Not limited to AliExpress: also Dell/HP/Lenovo “tiny” refurbs, Asus/ASRock minis, Mac mini.
  • Some argue 4–5L ITX towers are not “MiniPCs” but mini-ITX desktops.
  • Power input matters: people like USB‑C or integrated PSUs; hate external bricks.

Power efficiency and CPU choices

  • Many anecdotal measurements:
    • Beelink-class minis idling ~5–10 W; N100/N150 widely praised for perf-per-watt.
    • Mac mini cited as “most power efficient” by some.
    • Tuned ATX desktops can be brought down from ~100+ W idle to ~50–60 W, but still more than minis.
  • N100/N97/N150 recommended as Pi replacements: similar idle power, much higher real-world performance.

Storage / NAS-focused minis

  • New “Mini PC NAS” trend: 4–6 NVMe slots (e.g., Beelink ME Mini, Asus Flashstor), sometimes 6 M.2 SSDs.
  • Limitations: few PCIe lanes (often PCIe 3.0 x1 per drive), no 25GbE, but acceptable for dual 2.5GbE NAS loads.
  • Mixed views on using minis as serious ZFS/NAS boxes:
    • Some want multiple SATA + NVMe + lots of RAM, conclude that’s basically a full PC/NAS.
    • Others prefer separating storage (dedicated NAS) from compute minis.
    • USB enclosures and toaster-style docks are common for “cheap and flexible” storage; mixed feelings about USB with ZFS.

Use cases and homelab patterns

  • Common uses: Proxmox clusters, k8s (Talos), Home Assistant, media servers (Jellyfin/Plex/*arr), ad-blocking, Frigate for local camera AI, routers/firewalls, and single-purpose boxes (CO₂ laser, StepMania).
  • Some repurpose old laptops or ThinkPads as “miniPCs” with built-in screen/keyboard.
  • A few describe large mini fleets (ex-corporate Dells/HPs/Lenovos) treated as cattle (K3s, Proxmox, config mgmt like Puppet).

Gaming, Steam Machines, and consoles

  • Several see miniPCs as the realization of what Steam Machines tried to be.
  • Discussion of Valve’s evolution: Steam Machines failed (no Linux ports), lessons led to Proton and Steam Deck; dispute over whether that makes Steam Machines a “misstep” vs necessary groundwork.
  • Concerns that Microsoft could eventually attack Proton/Windows compatibility.
  • Desire for a quiet, console-sized “big Steam Deck” mini gaming PC; many argue physics/thermals make “silent + high‑end GPU + tiny” unrealistic.
  • AMD APUs (e.g., 780M, Ryzen AI Max+ 395) seen as promising for 1080p gaming and future “no dGPU” boxes, but expensive and still below high-end desktop GPUs.

Reliability, support, and e‑waste

  • Strongly mixed reliability reports:
    • Multiple stories of cheap minis (Brix, Minisforum, Beelink, generic Chinese) failing in 1–3 years: power-stage/MOSFET issues, bad caps, fan failures, weird reboot problems, little/no BIOS or warranty support.
    • Others report years of trouble-free operation with the same brands, and note that Mac minis and business-grade minis (Dell/HP/Lenovo) seem to “go the distance.”
  • MiniPCs often viewed as quasi-disposable; some worry this encourages throwaway culture and e‑waste.
    • Counterpoint: second-hand minis replacing landfill-bound office gear may be environmentally better; lower power draw and small materials footprint may offset shorter lifetimes, but participants admit hard data is “unclear.”
  • Debate over “cheap and replaceable” vs “repairable”; concern about soldered CPUs/RAM, though many minis still have replaceable SODIMM and SSDs.

Counterpoints: limits and non‑use

  • Some commenters find miniPC specs too constrained for: large backups, heavy AI workloads, big-memory ZFS, or long-term upgradability; prefer full towers with replaceable NICs, RAID cards, and GPUs lasting 10–15 years.
  • Others say upgradability is overrated when a $300–$500 box already exceeds typical needs and power efficiency is critical.
  • A few note they simply have no modern use case (no homelab interest, little local media, happy with light switches), and see minis as niche enthusiast gear rather than a true “revolution.”