Mini PCs

[DanR]

I've asked this on a few forums without much response. Seeing that the Mac Mini (especially the M2 versions) seem to be popular with home recordists, I've recently become aware of mini PCs that are quite affordable. The two brands I checked out so far are NUC and GEEKOM. Has anyone here tried them out? The specs seem quite good.

[Fishermike]

I've been using a NUC for a number of years now. I was able to get a high-spec model for a very reasonable price (on Amazon, IIRC), and I love that it's quiet and has a tiny footprint. No issues to-date (knock wood!), and I run my engineering business on it, so it's been in heavy all-day use for the entire time that I've had it. There's a broad range of specs and prices available. Just be aware that it's not as DIY mod-friendly as a tower, but if you were looking at macs, that may not even be a consideration.

[FrankHudson]

I have good luck with Mac Minis over the years, but that seems to be a sideline to your question. PC companies like Dell, HP, and Lenovo that sell to businesses have more current models in that form factor, and usually a size that is slighly larger too. I'd assume they are more likely that current Macs to allow you to upgrade RAM or drives along the line.

My main knock on those form factors is that you usually get basic integrated graphics (fine for many uses, but not best for video editing or games) and the power supplies tend to model specific, so the miniaturized small internal power supply or the external brick fails you may find it difficult to improbable to replace. My main desktop has always been a regular "tower" case for ease of work inside it, and the ability to use it for a long period of time fixing or upgrading with standard, easily available parts when needed in the manner of "the old woodsman's axe."

[Rudy4]

Originally Posted by FrankHudson

I have good luck with Mac Minis over the years, but that seems to be a sideline to your question. PC companies like Dell, HP, and Lenovo that sell to businesses have more current models in that form factor, and usually a size that is slighly larger too. I'd assume they are more likely that current Macs to allow you to upgrade RAM or drives along the line.

My main knock on those form factors is that you usually get basic integrated graphics (fine for many uses, but not best for video editing or games) and the power supplies tend to model specific, so the miniaturized small internal power supply or the external brick fails you may find it difficult to improbable to replace. My main desktop has always been a regular "tower" case for ease of work inside it, and the ability to use it for a long period of time fixing or upgrading with standard, easily available parts when needed in the manner of "the old woodsman's axe."

The last couple of PCs I have purchased as "Refurbished" from Amazon, and the latest one is a "small form factor" Windows !0 Pro PC with 16 GB ram and a 512 GB solid state drive. It's not a "mini" bet it's pretty small!

Dell Optiplex 9020-SFF Small Form PC

I set these up with no internet connection and use them for audio/video editing (I use Reaper), CAD drawing, and a few other tasks like word processing. They are very reasonably priced and I've been very pleased with them. The new Windows 10 Pro PC is very nice in every way. The SSD really helps to make this machine fast and almost silent.

I got several years out of my old Windows 7 machine and if this one gives me that kind of bang for the buck performance I won't complain. The new machine was ready to go out of the box, requiring only answering a few prompts at start up.

[kurth]

Originally Posted by Rudy4

The last couple of PCs I have purchased as "Refurbished" from Amazon, and the latest one is a "small form factor" Windows !0 Pro PC with 16 GB ram and a 512 GB solid state drive. It's not a "mini" bet it's pretty small!

Dell Optiplex 9020-SFF Small Form PC

I set these up with no internet connection and use them for audio/video editing (I use Reaper), CAD drawing, and a few other tasks like word processing. They are very reasonably priced and I've been very pleased with them. The new Windows 10 Pro PC is very nice in every way. The SSD really helps to make this machine fast and almost silent.

I got several years out of my old Windows 7 machine and if this one gives me that kind of bang for the buck performance I won't complain. The new machine was ready to go out of the box, requiring only answering a few prompts at start up.

I did the same, after my nitro 5 died an unsuspecting death,and I was using my limited funds on other things and didn't want to throw away money on computers. I bought the 3050 sff Dell refurbished....6th gen i5 with 16gb of ddr4 for purely audio. I immediately put an M.2 ssd in, and that made a big difference. It has an M.2 interface on the MB. I use Mixcraft and am able to get up 15 or more tracks with dozens of vst's w/o any problem. I paid $200 for the compu. If you're just using the compu for audio, no need for a graphics card. Sometimes my recording is so packed it begins to crackle, but it still mixes down fine. Maybe I'll try adding another 16gb of ram and see if that helps, but it's only when my project is packed. I've had it now for about 8 months and cross my fingers, no problems whatsoever, but the M.2 is a necessity.

[phcorrigan]

Originally Posted by kurth

Sometimes my recording is so packed it begins to crackle, but it still mixes down fine.

It sounds like you may be having latency issues. I would suggest downloading LatencyMon (https://www.resplendence.com/latencymon) and running it for at least 20-30 minutes. If you do have latency issues download this: https://www.cantabilesoftware.com/glitchfree/
It will guide you through the settings that can help eliminate latency.

[kurth]

Originally Posted by phcorrigan

It sounds like you may be having latency issues. I would suggest downloading LatencyMon (https://www.resplendence.com/latencymon) and running it for at least 20-30 minutes. If you do have latency issues download this: https://www.cantabilesoftware.com/glitchfree/
It will guide you through the settings that can help eliminate latency.

ph...thanks but it's related to having too many vst's on too many tracks. It goes away if a turn off some vst's, or delete some tracks. And there are some specific vst's that are more egregious than others. When I got it, I put in the M.2 and installed windows clean....no bloatware whatsoever. It's just the limits of a 6th gen i5. But for 200 bucks I'm not gonna complain. And I'll do it again. Computers are getting way too expensive for my lifestyle.

[KevWind]

Originally Posted by kurth

ph...thanks but it's related to having too many vst's on too many tracks. It goes away if a turn off some vst's, or delete some tracks. And there are some specific vst's that are more egregious than others. When I got it, I put in the M.2 and installed windows clean....no bloatware whatsoever. It's just the limits of a 6th gen i5. But for 200 bucks I'm not gonna complain. And I'll do it again. Computers are getting way too expensive for my lifestyle.

Then that isn't usually a latency issue it's a Buffer size issue. There should be a way to increase the buffer in MixCraft to like 1024 samples

Or the other solution for larger sessions is if you have tracks with VI's that you feel are good/done , then commit/render them to audio and that will free up a bunch of additional processing space.
Also consolidating tracks with lots of separate clips/regions and then deleting unused clips/regions will free up processing power

[kurth]

Originally Posted by KevWind

Then that isn't usually a latency issue it's a Buffer size issue. There should be a way to increase the buffer in MixCraft to like 1024 samples

Or the other solution for larger sessions is if you have tracks with VI's that you feel are good/done , then commit/render them to audio and that will free up a bunch of additional processing space.
Also consolidating tracks with lots of separate clips/regions and then deleting unused clips/regions will free up processing power

thanks Kev...I'll try changing the buffer. I think it's at 512. And usually that's what I do...just by turning off the vst until I render, or freezing the tracks that won't change. Usually it's when I'm comparing like a dozen audio takes with each other...or comparing different guitar effects. And then when I finally choose which one I'm gonna use, just delete the rest, which fixes the problem as well. Some vst's take up alot of power, others not so much. but I'm gonna try changing the buffer and see what happens. Thanks