What is a Mini Gaming PC?
15 years ago, I bought my first Mac mini. It changed how I viewed home entertainment, part of which is gaming.
I now own two. I also manage a third Mac Mini and a Windows 11 mini PC for an older relative. They are not only trouble-free, they take up almost no space and use minimal energy.
What does that have to do with gaming PCs?
Once they figured out how to get something into almost no space, they kept going and made it a little bigger and a lot more powerful.
Some need fans and heat sinks because they run hot, but you can keep the sound isolated and still have a great gaming experience.
Note: AI was used to coach me through this, but the words are my own.
What is this thing?
A gaming mini pc is a small form factor computer with a fast processor, lots of memory, a decent amount of storage and very good graphics processor.
Gobbledygook? Let’s break it down.
Components of a Mini Gaming PC
Processor: It’s the heart of a computer. It’s the thing that takes stuff and converts it to text, pictures, graphics, and music. You want it to be fast and multi-tasking.
Two companies mostly make these processors, also called Central Processing Units (CPU for short). One way to measure how well they perform is through families of processors.
AMD labels families with the word Ryzen and a number. Intel with the letter i and a number. But they pretty much mean the same thing.
- 5 or lower: These are good for saying you do gaming. Maybe really simple stuff.
- 7: This is decent for gaming, but not the best. Could be a sweet spot for people who want to get into gaming but don’t want to pay a lot of money.
- 9: This is where the rubber meets the road.
Two other measurements are really important. One is cores and the other is speed. Cores or threads tell you how many things the computer can do at once. Four is probably an absolute minimum. Eight is better, twelve or higher? You have something there.
Speed is another important measurement as you might expect. That is measured in GHz (Gigahertz, billion clock operations per second). The faster the speed, the more operations the computer can perform. Usually, this is measured by what is called burst rate. The computer will mostly be going slower, but when it needs to it can do a lot of processing quickly.
Generally, anything under 3 GHz is not going to work well other than light gaming. When it approaches 4 GHz, you have something there. 5 GHz and you have something great.
There is as with anything, a drawback to this. Fast means heat. Heat means cooling. Cooling could mean, noise. Some gamers put mini-PCs in cases with special fans, heat sinks, and the like.
Memory: For computers to do stuff, they have to be able to keep track of a lot more than what they can hold in the CPU. The first layer of storage is called Memory for short, or Random Access Memory for long (RAM).
Random access memory is measured by how much and how fast it is. There are also two families of RAM just like there are families of CPUs. DDR4 is the older and slower family. It is also much less expensive. DDR5 is about 30% faster. That may not sound like a lot. But you want to get stuff to the CPU as quickly as possible, so that 30% has a serious impact when you are doing a lot of stuff and moving it between the CPU, Graphics, and other things.
For gaming, you want at least 8 GB of memory. 16 GB is better for multiple displays and high-speed graphics. 32 GB is probably enough for 5 high-resolution screens.
The disadvantage of memory storage is that it’s temporary. You want to move things quickly. But if power fails, you could lose what you are doing. Yes, there is something called Read-Only Memory (ROM) that keeps track of things, and even something sort of between them that allows fast reads and slow writes.
But you still need somewhere to keep track of the long-term state of affairs or store stuff you don’t need right now. That’s what storage is for.
Storage: This is where you put things for safekeeping. When computers first came out, Bill Gates made the statement that “640 KB ought to be enough for anyone.” Now Windows 11 needs about 64 GB! And most programs need a couple of GB. So 128 GB isn’t enough. Depending on what games you have, the sweet spot is probably between 512 GB and 2 TB.
Most computers come with around 512 GB these days of storage called SSD. These are cheaper and faster than the old HDD technology and have no moving parts so are generally more reliable.
Some computers allow you to upgrade the storage up to 2 TB. Another option is to put stuff you don’t need often on an external SSD. These are relatively cheap up to about 2 TB, and if you have a good USB port like USB 3.2, you’ll have fast access to it.
Graphics: The Graphics processor is what takes computer commands and converts them to images or videos. This offloads a lot of what CPUs used to do and lets little computers do big things.
The first measure of how well these things work is how many graphics displays it can handle. The next is what resolution they are. Typically they will run at 4K@60Hz. For sporting events or gaming, you probably want it to run faster than that.
A lot of minis also support 8K graphics. There are games that work in 8K. However, monitors or TVs that support it are still expensive.
Another measure is the speed of the graphics processor. There are three types of graphics processors:
- Integrated graphics: These are cards that come with a processor like the Intel UHD. They are not very good for gaming.
- Low-end GPU — Graphics Processing Units are standalone units that process graphics very quickly. The low end are units like the Radeon 680M or Radeon 780M. They can handle most games and are reasonably priced, adding a few hundred to the price of a mini PC. However, performance may not be what you want. For one thing, their architecture is to share memory with the system rather than having their own memory like the higher-end GPUs. Also, the Radeon 780M has over 700 cores, vs the NVIDIA RTX 4060 which has over 3000 cores.
- High-end GPU: These are mostly GPUs made by NVIDIA or ARC A770M, particularly the RTX series. They generally have 16 GB VRAM or more and have a lot more cores than the lower-end unit, so they can process more and faster.
Advantages of Mini Gaming PCs
Let’s look at the advantages of a mini pc over a laptop or desktop.
Space efficiency: They take up little space. Or no space because a lot of them can be mounted behind a TV or under a desk. That makes ideal for situations where space is an issue like a small bedroom or inside a home entertainment center.
Portability: These PCs are mostly under 3 pounds. The largest ones are no more than a quarter the size of a standard desktop. That makes them easy to transport. Great for gamers attending LAN parties, or those who travel often.
Aesthetics: A lot of these gaming PCs are more than just a metal box. Designed with style and customizable RGB lighting to enhance the decor of any room.
Disadvantages of Mini Gaming PCs
Upgrade limitations: To pack so much in such a small package, most of it is not upgradable. Some of the memory or storage is upgradable in some of the mini pcs, but a lot won’t allow you to do that. None that I know of allow you to upgrade the GPU, though you might be able to have an external GPU in some cases.
Cost: The lower-end models may be less expensive than their desktop counterparts. However, to get all that performance into a small package the mini gaming PCs can be more expensive when looking at high-end models.
Thermal performance: Because things are in such close quarters, cases may restrict airflow, potentially leading to higher operating temperatures compared to more spacious desktops. This is why some people take the insides of the mini PC out and put them in custom cases.
Should You Consider a Mini Gaming PC?
Mini gaming PCs merge functionality with style. Although they can offer a great gaming experience in a compact size, that comes at a price. However, these systems can offer an alternative to traditional desktops. Consider how a mini gaming PC might revolutionize your gaming life and space!