BMAX B3 Mini PC: Intel 11th Gen N5095 (Up to 2.9GHz), 16GB DDR4, 512GB SSD

swy81

May 11, 2023 10:06 PM

903 Posts

Joined Feb 2004

swy81May 11, 2023 10:06 PM

903 Posts

Quote from echooff

:

Not an FP deal (not even a good deal, IMHO):
After spotting this post I got interested in the topic, spent 3+ hours on research (including reviews, comparing specs, etc., etc.). As the result got this one instead:
https://www.amazon.com/Beelink-La...0BVFKN7ZL/
(at the time $189 - $15 coupon).
Latest processor in the family (better than this OP): 12th Gen Intel N100 (up to 3.4GHz) + some better specs than this FP. Also with Win 11 Pro.
+ Amazon return policy

If not in a hurry, I would wait a bit when these come out with USB-C (more options for external connectivity): right now the cheapest of these with USB-C is $229 and has display issues. So I went with what I got instead, at this time

How would this compare vs an amd Ryzen 5 1400? My pc is old and used just for web browsing, ms office, etc.

I'm mainly looking for a budget mini pc mainly to save alot of space.

TheBigCPabster

May 11, 2023 10:07 PM

1,020 Posts

Joined Jun 2022

TheBigCPabsterMay 11, 2023 10:07 PM

1,020 Posts

Quote from Raines8416

:

Honestly seems like a great deal for a low power consumption Plex server or HTPC.

I would certainly want to use my own Windows install on this though rather than take the chance of it using a modified version of windows that's infected with malware.

Yes but the issue is you don't know if the BIOS or other chips on board are compromised from factory or in transit already. It's not just the suspect Windows installation you need to be worried about. And the same is true of any of these devices regardless of brand or logo or source as they are all from the same China production line.

JamshaidK

May 11, 2023 10:38 PM

439 Posts

Joined May 2017

JamshaidKMay 11, 2023 10:38 PM

439 Posts

To those saying this is old: Still better than buying a raspberry pi 4 and an enclosure and SSD. This is great for emulation box OR for plex server. Keep in mind, you can run a headless server off of this.

wolve3

May 11, 2023 10:42 PM

2,851 Posts

Joined Nov 2010

wolve3May 11, 2023 10:42 PM

2,851 Posts

Quote from JamshaidK

:

To those saying this is old: Still better than buying a raspberry pi 4 and an enclosure and SSD. This is great for emulation box OR for plex server. Keep in mind, you can run a headless server off of this.

No one here is recommending buying a Raspberry Pi, we are simply recommending significantly better hardware for about the same price. Also comparing these type of Intel based mini PCs to PI is an apple to oranges comparison.

But if people want to spend their money unwisely, no one can stop them.

Last edited by wolve3 May 11, 2023 at 04:44 PM.

Raines8416

May 11, 2023 10:54 PM

1,992 Posts

Joined Dec 2004

Raines8416May 11, 2023 10:54 PM

1,992 Posts

Quote from TheBigCPabster

:

Yes but the issue is you don't know if the BIOS or other chips on board are compromised from factory or in transit already. It's not just the suspect Windows installation you need to be worried about. And the same is true of any of these devices regardless of brand or logo or source as they are all from the same China production line.

Yeah, that's a really solid point.

CouponFinder99

May 11, 2023 10:58 PM

712 Posts

Joined May 2013

CouponFinder99May 11, 2023 10:58 PM

712 Posts

Quote from matdave

:

I recommend spending a few dollars more and getting an N100 model. The Bee Link N100 16gb/500gb model is $177 on AE, and about 25% more performant.

Thanks for the tip. That's what I got. Not like I needed another computer lol

niedernut

May 12, 2023 12:21 AM

121 Posts

Joined Sep 2011

niedernutMay 12, 2023 12:21 AM

121 Posts

Quote from wolve3

:

As a couple other people (including myself) have pointed out, the Beelink PC I've linked below is a better deal. Comes with more RAM, drive space and newer processor for $175 after coupon (compared to $160 for the one you linked).

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BVFKN7ZL/

But your link takes me to one with win10. Is that not antiquated? Again, be gentle, relatively newbie here.

wolve3

May 12, 2023 12:34 AM

2,851 Posts

Joined Nov 2010

wolve3May 12, 2023 12:34 AM

2,851 Posts

Quote from niedernut

:

But your link takes me to one with win10. Is that not antiquated? Again, be gentle, relatively newbie here.

You should be able to upgrade it to Windows 11 fairly easily via Windows Update.

niedernut

May 12, 2023 12:50 AM

121 Posts

Joined Sep 2011

niedernutMay 12, 2023 12:50 AM

121 Posts

Quote from wolve3

:

You should be able to upgrade it to Windows 11 fairly easily via Windows Update.

Gotcha. Didn't know you could do that. My gaming computer, which is only 6 yrs old, can't upgrade from 10. Says my processor can't handle win11, so I didn't know if this machine could manage the same. Thanks again for your insight!

MrCrispy

May 12, 2023 01:07 AM

1,759 Posts

Joined Sep 2008

MrCrispyMay 12, 2023 01:07 AM

1,759 Posts

If you want an HTPC, I suggest getting an AMLogic based Android box, e.g. using S905X2 or S922X, and run CoreElec (which is basically Kodi) on it. The S922 is the same speed as the Nvidia Shield wihich everyone recommends, the S905 is a bit slower. There are newer SoC's which also do AV1 but I don't know of any deals on those.

For running Windows/Linux HTPC you can get a used mini pc from Dell/HP, there are tons of choices which are a few years old refurbs and are still rock solid. These also make the best media servers, they are low power, you can get a SFF form factor which can have a couple of hdd's inside as well, and have tech like vPro for remote management. Or just a used old desktop.

Older mini pc's also make perfect desktop pc's for 99% of people. I use them for all my family/friends, zero issues. If you want Win 11 you will have to do it via Rufus and a usb, to bypass TPM checks. Or you can use Linux/W10.

Obviously not the same thing as buying new, but these are enterprise class hardware and IMO just as reliable or even more so than new consumer pc's.

MadPup

Pro

May 12, 2023 01:22 AM

12,662 Posts

Joined Jan 2007

MadPup

Pro

May 12, 2023 01:22 AM

12,662 Posts

Quote from brh

:

I picked one up a few months ago and it can transcode 2 4k steams easily

Good to know I was wrong! Smilie

bookmarkmywords

May 12, 2023 01:27 AM

31 Posts

Joined May 2022

bookmarkmywordsMay 12, 2023 01:27 AM

31 Posts

Quote from MadPup

:

These Celerons have been superceded by the Intel N95 and N100 which are about 25% faster and don't cost much more. Look up the Beelink S12 as one example. Also, it's better to buy from Amazon because of their easy returns.

https://nanoreview.net/en/cpu-com...ssor-n5095 [nanoreview.net]

Beelink looks pretty good for the price but pretty sad that they did not opt to include a USB C port Frown

jowaju

May 12, 2023 01:41 AM

725 Posts

Joined May 2006

jowajuMay 12, 2023 01:41 AM

725 Posts

Quote from ibm650

:

This machine is about equivalent of a 12 year old machine. The cpu rating is 4000, I would pick up a used machine with a rating of 15000.

What used machine would you get with a cpu rating of 15,000?

MadPup

Pro

May 12, 2023 01:54 AM

12,662 Posts

Joined Jan 2007

MadPup

Pro

May 12, 2023 01:54 AM

12,662 Posts

Quote from bookmarkmywords

:

Beelink looks pretty good for the price but pretty sad that they did not opt to include a USB C port Frown

These are base level PCs. I don't see any N series mini PC that has USB-C and it probably doesn't make sense. You have to get a more powerful processor and add at least $100 to get USB-C. If anyone can prove me wrong, please do.

bookmarkmywords

May 12, 2023 02:04 AM

31 Posts

Joined May 2022

bookmarkmywordsMay 12, 2023 02:04 AM

31 Posts

Quote from MadPup

:

These are base level PCs. I don't see any N series mini PC that has USB-C and it probably doesn't make sense. You have to get a more powerful processor and add at least $100 to get USB-C. If anyone can prove me wrong, please do.

It looks like the Beelink EQ12 has the N100 with USB C. It is $215 with only 8GB of RAM as opposed to the 16GB on the S12.

BMAX B3 Mini PC: Intel 11th Gen N5095 (Up to 2.9GHz), 16GB DDR4, 512GB SSD

$159

$229

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