How to choose Barebone Mini PC | GREATZC Factory

The advantages and disadvantages of the barebone mini pc are very prominent. What kind of users is suitable for using the barebone mini pc? From the cost perspective, it is not cost-effective to buy the barebone mini pc. But for IT products, there are no failed products, just for different user groups.

Compared with the traditional complete PC, the barebone mini pc has the characteristics of small size (less than one-third of the host), stylish appearance, and low DIY difficulty. According to several characteristics, the author thinks that it is a very good choice for the student group to buy the barebone mini pc. Because the student dormitory space is very small, if N PCs are placed at the same time, it will take up a lot of space. The barebone mini pc is small and exquisite, which can greatly facilitate students to purchase new computers. At the same time, if the students have certain mobility requirements for the PC, the barebone mini pc with the LCD monitor is a very good choice, and then choose a small keyboard, you can easily bring the PC home during the holidays.

In addition, for some ordinary home users who are neither hardware enthusiasts nor software enthusiasts, it is difficult for them to assemble a compatible machine by themselves, and they feel sorry for their wallets when buying a brand machine, and they will not pursue hardware. High performance, for them, a computer that can meet the general entertainment, work and study needs is a good computer. At the same time, in the minds of home users, as long as the performance meets the requirements, a small, stylish and quiet barebone mini pc is more attractive than a high-performance, dull and noisy desktop.

In addition, for small-sized home users, the use of a barebone mini pc can further reduce the space occupied. For users who rent, because they often have to move, using such a small PC does have certain advantages. In addition, computer players who are not very hands-on, want to taste the taste of DIY. Using a barebone mini pc is much easier and faster than assembling a compatible machine.

How to choose a barebone mini pc?

1.) Pick your favourite look of barebone mini pc

Now that the decision has been made to buy the barebone mini pc, the shape must not be sloppy. Now the barebone mini pc has become more and more family-oriented, except that the volume is generally only one-third of the ordinary ATX chassis, and the appearance design is also more and more like desktop audio. At the same time, most products adopt an appearance design similar to Apple computers. The beautiful metal casing and harmonious colour matching make it no wonder that people will love it.

2.) Pay attention to the combination of chipset and processor of barebone mini pc

The barebone mini pc generally does not have a processor, so pay attention to the combination of the motherboard chipset and the processor. Generally speaking, the author recommends that you buy a barebone mini pc product based on an Intel processor, which can be matched with a quieter cooling fan, making our barebone mini pc more like a quiet household appliance.

3.) Understand the difference between motherboard chipsets of barebone mini pc

For barebone mini pc, the main factor that determines its price is the motherboard chipset. For example, for the same chipsets that support Pentium4, the prices of Intel chipsets and SIS chipsets are quite different. Even if they are both Intel chipsets, I845 and I865 will cause a price difference of nearly 1,000 yuan for the barebone mini pc. Therefore, it is recommended that friends who are going to buy a barebone mini pc should make up the class before departure, even if it is a temporary ambition, it is still too late.

4.) Consider interfaces as needed for barebone mini pc

One of the great advantages of the barebone mini pc is that it has excellent multimedia capabilities, and "excellent multimedia capabilities" are largely reflected in the interface. Although some barebone mini pc are cheap and have excellent appearance, they can only provide some mainstream interfaces such as USB, audio output, etc., so such a barebone mini pc can only be an ultra-small PC. A barebone mini pc that really meets the requirements should have USB, IEEE1394, audio output, and video output, as well as dual VGA output and optical fibre output/input commonly used in multimedia.

5.) Balance heat dissipation and quietness of barebone mini pc

Since the barebone adopts a small chassis, the heat dissipation of the CPU, motherboard and power supply must be considered. In addition to the common fan design, the heat dissipation technology used by the barebone at present also adopts the heat pipe cooling technology used in notebook computers, and combined with the direct-blown case fan, it can provide a satisfactory heat dissipation effect.

Another problem worth noting is that heat dissipation and quietness must be "both". You can't buy a computer with good heat dissipation and a lot of noise, and you can't ignore heat dissipation to pursue quietness. Let yourself be satisfied with the barebone mini pc.

6.) Reasonable requirements for scalability of barebone mini pc

A major disadvantage of barebone mini pc is poor scalability, but adhering to the "best available" point of view, you should pay attention to the scalability of barebone mini pc when purchasing. Key aspects include:

What kind of processor, memory, hard drive, optical drive, and even keyboard and mouse does the barebone mini pc support? Some too small barebone mini pc can't even use normal 3.5-inch hard drives and 5.25-inch optical drives, and can only use the optical drives of smaller notebook hard drives, This makes the entire more expensive.