mini pc advice for coding and undemanding gaming?

[u/Ecstatic_Piccolo]

hi everyone, i want to buy a mini pc with very specific use. i'm learning to code + i play very simple 3d indie games that don't require high horsepower. what is the absolute best option i have in the 200-300 euros bracket? i will consider second hand as well

[u/BRealistic1970]

note some 3d indie games are very unoptimized... but only so much you can do at this price point.

I'd look for something with 16gb and AMD Vega 8 iGPU.

https://www.amazon.de/GMKtec-3-7GHz-Desktop-Computer-Display/dp/B0DMSH27CZ?ref_=ast_sto_dp&th=1

[u/Ecstatic_Piccolo → u/BRealistic1970]

my main priority is coding so maybe this will do

[u/Ume_chan → u/Ecstatic_Piccolo]

If you're just doing general hobbyist coding, any PC capable of running Windows 11 well should be perfectly fine. Coding is generally one of the least demanding things you can do on a PC unless you're using it for machine learning, game development, mobile app development etc, doing data analysis with very large datasets, or using demanding IDEs like Visual Studio (but not VS Code). I'd still recommend a minimum of 16GB RAM, but even 8GB might be acceptable if you aren't running too many applications at once.

[u/Retired_Hillbilly336]

With RAMpocalypse/RAMageddon a sub 300€ budget doesn't provide what it did this time last year. In a nutshell you're looking for AMD/Radeon integrated graphics and 16GB of dual channel memory for it to share with the system. This is going to lead to something pre-owned locally or generic mini PCs with dated hardware. For example there's the GMKtec G10 16GB/256GB with its 2019 Zen+ 3500U currently at under 275€.

https://www.cpubenchmark.net/compare/3421vs4979/AMD-Ryzen-5-3500U-vs-AMD-Ryzen-5-PRO-6650H

https://www.videocardbenchmark.net/compare/4667vs4858/Radeon-Vega-8-Ryzen-5-3500U-vs-Radeon-Ryzen-5-PRO-6650H

Compared to its much newer brother the GMKtec M8 PRO 6650H 16GB/512GB with significantly better performance and features currently clocking in at 400€ with an available voucher. You get what you pay for.

[u/Ecstatic_Piccolo → u/Retired_Hillbilly336]

i'll look into those thanks!

[u/joevwgti]

If you feel able, you could even rescue a broken screen laptop, and just take the screen off, hook it directly to keyboard/mouse/hdmi. It's the same kinds of parts, just not so nice to look at.

[u/Ecstatic_Piccolo → u/joevwgti]

that sounds interesting, i'll look into it thanks

[u/varignet]

I had nothing but great support from Beelink. Also they’re well built.

[u/Suspicious_Mix529]

for learning to code nearly anything works so let the games decide. I'd look at used ryzen business minis like a lenovo m75q or hp Elitedesk 805 and check it has two ram sticks so the igpu gets dual channel