Mini PC vs Desktop/Mid-Tower PC

[JJ4SDR]

This may be too generic a question to pose here, but could someone shed a little light on Pros & Cons of running Thetis (I am using an ANAN 7000 DLE MKII) on a "regular" desktop/Mid-tower PC vs a mini-PC? I am also contemplating building my own PC, specifically, to run the radio only (and use WiFi for connection to the internet. Wanting 2-3 4K monitors (or 4K TVs) in future will likely tilt the balance towards a "regular" PC as I would imagine that mini PCs can't accommodate GPUs that I would need for that.

New PCs all come with entirely useless bloatware (at least to me) that a dedicated-to-ANAN-PC doesn't need. You can deal with some of that when building your own PC, de-bloating your machine as well, before you really do anything with the machine.

If there is a thread about the above, I would appreciate you post a link to it. On a quick search, none popped up.

Thank you!
Juha
NI2M

[w-u-2-o]

The form factor of the PC doesn't really matter except in terms of how much IO you want.

For a given CPU and a given amount of RAM the form factor is not going to make any difference to the performance of Thetis.

If it was me, I'd choose a form factor that allowed running a minimum of two 4K displays at 60 Hz. Three would be better

Of course more powerful CPUs generally come in larger form factors. Anyone who is paying a premium for a more powerful CPU is also generally looking for more bells and whistles, and that's how the market has arranged itself.

[JJ4SDR]

Hi Scott,

I value the response.

I/O: I need oodles, especially USBs (around 10).

Would a Mini-PC support 3 4k monitors?

I would imagine that a Mini-PC may be more expensive than a "regular" PC owing to the size ? In my case, I don't really care how large the PC is.
Some Thetis users have "fish tank" machines from what I have seen and, that makes me think that those may be more susceptible to RFI. Or, not
at all, depending on the overall grounding integrity of the entire station.

Thanks!
Juha

[w-u-2-o]

The machine described in your signature block is a pretty darn good setup. Better than mine, except for the graphics card. That implies you will not be satisfied with anything less than that, and probably want a good bit more.

Speed and ports cost money, how fast do you want to go?

At this point nobody can guide you. You have to make those cost and performance tradeoffs yourself. There are some damn fast mini PCs out there, but none of them will have a ton of ports simply because of the limited real estate.

[K1LSB]

JJ,

If lots of USB ports are a requirement I'd advise considering a USB hub that comnnects to the computer via Thunderbolt (so make sure your new computer has Thunderbolt).

Mark

[JJ4SDR]

Valid points Scott and I will be doing more research in cyberspace. Plenty of information can be had there. The reason I posted on this forum was mainly because that new PC will be a dedicated ANAN machine and I might get some more "relevant" input here. As I now have 2 ANAN 7000 DLE MKIIs perhaps it makes sense to get a Mini PC. On the other hand, building my own PC is intriguing as well and I don't think I would venture into building a Mini PC. For most bang for the buck, a non-Mini PC will likely be more attractive.

Hey Mark!

OK on the Thunderbolt....and I see some "Mini" come with that as well. I am using a Hub on my current "Mini Tower" PC, but the hub is plugged into one of the USB3.0 ports which brings some constraints. Some devices don't work with hubs like that, so am I to assume that Thunderbolt will help avoid that issue?

Thanks again for the feedback!

Juha ("JJ")

[SM3PZG]

My Andromeda have a NUC-7 mini PC with a Thunderbolt port. Have a Unisynk hub with 2 HDMI ports, 4 USB ports, 1 USB-C port and a Ethernet port connected to the Thunderbolt port and that works great. 2 monitors + the touchscreen on the Andromeda. USB to serial interface cables to control amplifier and antenna switching etc.

73/Sam

[JJ4SDR]

Tack sa mycket Sam!

Appreciate the comments.

73,
Juha
NI2M
(OH1HX)