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Plex does not require a lot of memory (if you run it in docker/linux) but if you are going to compare this box (which I bought for tailscale endpoint) was $100. It is N95 vs N100 but they are practically the same processor, speed, etc. This has two Eth and is pretty small cube.
When you look at these N sub 300 class (N95/N97/N100/N200 etc) the only real difference is graphics and they are all pretty similar. The N97 has a little extra CPU juice.
The question boils down to:
1. Ethernet. Do you need 1/2 gig, 2.5
2. SSD - Most of these come w/ SATA SSD so they are much slower than NVMe so you may pitch it
3. RAM - It's a single stick so you are scrapping if you want to upgrade.
Looking at that you are in the $100-$200 range. If you are running server apps and Linux/containers you likely can get away w/ 8 GB, and most likely the SATA SSD is adequate, it boils down to do you need multiple (for say like a router) or 2.5 GB.
Outside of that there is $20-$40 swing variance in componentry.
If you are running windows you prob want 16GB (you can get by w/ 8 tho) and the SATA SSD is REALLY going to drag. So if you start putting in 16GB and NVMe drives then you are MUCH better off starting to look at the Ryzen minipc which are much faster with better graphics solutions, NVMe, and higher RAM. The speed difference isn't even close.
I consider the N100 series server only it's really not fast enough for anything but a browser and even then its slow. I have multiple of them running server apps and for failover running rancher/harvester. They are excellent in that situation but they were also 16GB and had NVMe drives in them. You see in the last year they have gone through shrinkflation. They kept around the same price but went to 8GB no name memory (mine had crucial) and quietly swapped out NVMe drives for WAYYYY slower SATA SSD. If you run windows w/ sata SSD and this slow processor, go get your smoker warmed up before this thing boots up.
If you are keen yesterday Walmart had an N305 Acer laptop for $200 (8 gb tho) but that is significantly faster than these (2x or more) and you could swap out the storage but it is NVMe by default, and since it is a laptop solution it has a built in UPS (batt), and lower power signature, and a built in KVM .
If you MUST have Windows, I would steer clear of these machines and go for the next tier up and probably Ryzen solutions. The extra few coffees will be worth it.
Not sure why this is getting downvoted. Many of these devices from these obscure Chinese brands have been found to contain malware on arrival. It's a very legitimate question. Ace magician and a few others. You aren't dealing with Asus/Lenovo/Dell/HP/Acer here with a long track record that you can trust. Whatever you use this device for, I wouldnt be using it for sensitive things like Google or bank account logins.
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Quote
from EricJ3237
:
Not sure why this is getting downvoted. Many of these devices from these obscure Chinese brands have been found to contain malware on arrival. It's a very legitimate question. Ace magician and a few others. You aren't dealing with Asus/Lenovo/Dell/HP/Acer here with a long track record that you can trust. Whatever you use this device for, I wouldnt be using it for sensitive things like Google or bank account logins.
I think it's because most people who buy these mini pcs already know to wipe the OS and start fresh. It's a given.
Not sure why this is getting downvoted. Many of these devices from these obscure Chinese brands have been found to contain malware on arrival. It's a very legitimate question. Ace magician and a few others. You aren't dealing with Asus/Lenovo/Dell/HP/Acer here with a long track record that you can trust. Whatever you use this device for, I wouldnt be using it for sensitive things like Google or bank account logins.
I'm surprised you included Lenovo in that trusted list lol
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Quote
from kevzz01
:
A Beelink s12 mini pro would have a 16gb ram and 512gb SSD. Is it worth the extra $35?
Plex does not require a lot of memory (if you run it in docker/linux) but if you are going to compare this box (which I bought for tailscale endpoint) was $100. It is N95 vs N100 but they are practically the same processor, speed, etc. This has two Eth and is pretty small cube.
When you look at these N sub 300 class (N95/N97/N100/N200 etc) the only real difference is graphics and they are all pretty similar. The N97 has a little extra CPU juice.
The question boils down to:
1. Ethernet. Do you need 1/2 gig, 2.5
2. SSD - Most of these come w/ SATA SSD so they are much slower than NVMe so you may pitch it
3. RAM - It's a single stick so you are scrapping if you want to upgrade.
Looking at that you are in the $100-$200 range. If you are running server apps and Linux/containers you likely can get away w/ 8 GB, and most likely the SATA SSD is adequate, it boils down to do you need multiple (for say like a router) or 2.5 GB.
Outside of that there is $20-$40 swing variance in componentry.
If you are running windows you prob want 16GB (you can get by w/ 8 tho) and the SATA SSD is REALLY going to drag. So if you start putting in 16GB and NVMe drives then you are MUCH better off starting to look at the Ryzen minipc which are much faster with better graphics solutions, NVMe, and higher RAM. The speed difference isn't even close.
I consider the N100 series server only it's really not fast enough for anything but a browser and even then its slow. I have multiple of them running server apps and for failover running rancher/harvester. They are excellent in that situation but they were also 16GB and had NVMe drives in them. You see in the last year they have gone through shrinkflation. They kept around the same price but went to 8GB no name memory (mine had crucial) and quietly swapped out NVMe drives for WAYYYY slower SATA SSD. If you run windows w/ sata SSD and this slow processor, go get your smoker warmed up before this thing boots up.
If you are keen yesterday Walmart had an N305 Acer laptop for $200 (8 gb tho) but that is significantly faster than these (2x or more) and you could swap out the storage but it is NVMe by default, and since it is a laptop solution it has a built in UPS (batt), and lower power signature, and a built in KVM .
If you MUST have Windows, I would steer clear of these machines and go for the next tier up and probably Ryzen solutions. The extra few coffees will be worth it.
Last edited by elefante72 December 18, 2024 at 08:44 AM.
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@elefante72 I think you are exaggerating that n100 is slow and better used just for browsing. I have the beelink s12 mini pro running with frigate and homeassistant. Its fast enough and very efficient, running at 6W max consumption.
@elefante72 I think you are exaggerating that n100 is slow and better used just for browsing. I have the beelink s12 mini pro running with frigate and homeassistant. Its fast enough and very efficient, running at 6W max consumption.
100% agreed for server solutions. I was talking about using this for a regular Windows task work. I actually think they are awesome for server solutions. I have 4 of them in duty, and TBH way better then Rpi now for the price/performance.
Or get the ACEMAGICIAN N100 Mini PC Computers (also from Amazon), 12th Gen 12GB LPDDR5 256GB M.2 SSD Micro Pc for $120.10. YMMV, I was able to apply the $50 off coupon + 10% off.
Item(s) Subtotal:$189.00
Shipping & Handling:$0.00
Your Coupon Savings:-$50.00
Promotion Applied:-$18.90
Total before tax:$120.10
Estimated tax to be collected:$11.41
Grand Total:$131.51
I think it's because most people who buy these mini pcs already know to wipe the OS and start fresh. It's a given.
I didn't down vote for the record.
I've heard of cases where deleting the OS and installing it clean yourself didnt work for one product because the malware was part of the BIOS. It's a rare one in my opinion so wiping the OS is likely good enough 90% of the time.
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https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0DGQ1P667
When you look at these N sub 300 class (N95/N97/N100/N200 etc) the only real difference is graphics and they are all pretty similar. The N97 has a little extra CPU juice.
The question boils down to:
1. Ethernet. Do you need 1/2 gig, 2.5
2. SSD - Most of these come w/ SATA SSD so they are much slower than NVMe so you may pitch it
3. RAM - It's a single stick so you are scrapping if you want to upgrade.
Looking at that you are in the $100-$200 range. If you are running server apps and Linux/containers you likely can get away w/ 8 GB, and most likely the SATA SSD is adequate, it boils down to do you need multiple (for say like a router) or 2.5 GB.
Outside of that there is $20-$40 swing variance in componentry.
If you are running windows you prob want 16GB (you can get by w/ 8 tho) and the SATA SSD is REALLY going to drag. So if you start putting in 16GB and NVMe drives then you are MUCH better off starting to look at the Ryzen minipc which are much faster with better graphics solutions, NVMe, and higher RAM. The speed difference isn't even close.
I consider the N100 series server only it's really not fast enough for anything but a browser and even then its slow. I have multiple of them running server apps and for failover running rancher/harvester. They are excellent in that situation but they were also 16GB and had NVMe drives in them. You see in the last year they have gone through shrinkflation. They kept around the same price but went to 8GB no name memory (mine had crucial) and quietly swapped out NVMe drives for WAYYYY slower SATA SSD. If you run windows w/ sata SSD and this slow processor, go get your smoker warmed up before this thing boots up.
If you are keen yesterday Walmart had an N305 Acer laptop for $200 (8 gb tho) but that is significantly faster than these (2x or more) and you could swap out the storage but it is NVMe by default, and since it is a laptop solution it has a built in UPS (batt), and lower power signature, and a built in KVM
If you MUST have Windows, I would steer clear of these machines and go for the next tier up and probably Ryzen solutions. The extra few coffees will be worth it.
I didn't down vote for the record.
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Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank Andie
I didn't down vote for the record.
Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank elefante72
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0DGQ1P667
When you look at these N sub 300 class (N95/N97/N100/N200 etc) the only real difference is graphics and they are all pretty similar. The N97 has a little extra CPU juice.
The question boils down to:
1. Ethernet. Do you need 1/2 gig, 2.5
2. SSD - Most of these come w/ SATA SSD so they are much slower than NVMe so you may pitch it
3. RAM - It's a single stick so you are scrapping if you want to upgrade.
Looking at that you are in the $100-$200 range. If you are running server apps and Linux/containers you likely can get away w/ 8 GB, and most likely the SATA SSD is adequate, it boils down to do you need multiple (for say like a router) or 2.5 GB.
Outside of that there is $20-$40 swing variance in componentry.
If you are running windows you prob want 16GB (you can get by w/ 8 tho) and the SATA SSD is REALLY going to drag. So if you start putting in 16GB and NVMe drives then you are MUCH better off starting to look at the Ryzen minipc which are much faster with better graphics solutions, NVMe, and higher RAM. The speed difference isn't even close.
I consider the N100 series server only it's really not fast enough for anything but a browser and even then its slow. I have multiple of them running server apps and for failover running rancher/harvester. They are excellent in that situation but they were also 16GB and had NVMe drives in them. You see in the last year they have gone through shrinkflation. They kept around the same price but went to 8GB no name memory (mine had crucial) and quietly swapped out NVMe drives for WAYYYY slower SATA SSD. If you run windows w/ sata SSD and this slow processor, go get your smoker warmed up before this thing boots up.
If you are keen yesterday Walmart had an N305 Acer laptop for $200 (8 gb tho) but that is significantly faster than these (2x or more) and you could swap out the storage but it is NVMe by default, and since it is a laptop solution it has a built in UPS (batt), and lower power signature, and a built in KVM
If you MUST have Windows, I would steer clear of these machines and go for the next tier up and probably Ryzen solutions. The extra few coffees will be worth it.
Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.
Item(s) Subtotal:$189.00
Shipping & Handling:$0.00
Your Coupon Savings:-$50.00
Promotion Applied:-$18.90
Total before tax:$120.10
Estimated tax to be collected:$11.41
Grand Total:$131.51
https://slickdeals.net/f/18002274-ace-magician-mini-desktop-pc-intel-n100-12gb-lpddr5-ram-256gb-ssd-120-free-shipping-120-1?v=1
I have this and use it for Frigate and HomeAssistant. Thinking of buying another one for Plex.
I didn't down vote for the record.
I've heard of cases where deleting the OS and installing it clean yourself didnt work for one product because the malware was part of the BIOS. It's a rare one in my opinion so wiping the OS is likely good enough 90% of the time.
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Join The Conversation
Share your experience with the Slickdeals community
Share information with the community. Please follow our Community Guidelines and be kind!