Beelink SER9, GMKtec EVO-X1 or something else?

Soldato
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I'm after a general purpose micro-PC to last me a good few years. If Mrs S has her way we'll be going into a retirement home and space in the ones we've seen is very limited. I have a Dell 32" 4K monitor which I'm not going to give up so something with VESA mount that will go on its back would help. From what I can see the Beelink SER9 and GMKtec EVO-X1 seem to be the best of the bunch and I can get them for the same price with the same spec (from the same supplier with a good returns policy). So, is one preferable to the other or is there something else better that I've missed?
 
Personally I would be going for miniforums a1 x1 if you must have an amd hx370 rig. Has built in psu rather than an external psu/brick and I've already got an earlier miniforums AMD machine which has been pretty solid.

Comes with vesa mount and vertical stand in the box too.
 
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Thanks, I had missed that one and the reviews certainly get it added to the list.

I had been thinking about a NUC15 Pro+ with an Intel Ultra 9 285H and potentially transplanting it into an Akasa Turing case but Asus don't seem to be in a hurry to get it to market and the TDP may be marginal anyway. I'm currently running an Asus PN51 in a Turing case and the silence is lovely....
 
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Aren’t minisforum really ropey for support/warranty or are all of the mini pc makers the same

Most of them are pretty hit and miss for support unless you go with like Dell or something. 1-2 brands like MeLe are a little more reliable but still something of a facade compared to established Western brands.

I'm also pretty leery on a lot of these no name or slightly established brands as many of them have a patchy history when it comes to security either lacking any real focus on preventing vulnerabilities, have or do bundle malware or have some slightly dodgy stuff which isn't directly malicious but probably intentionally leaves vulnerabilities for potential backdoors which could be activated later.
 
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The potential support issues were a large part of why I went with Plan A when the NUC15 Pro+ came up at a decent price at a competitor. I added two 24GB 5600MHz DDR5 and a 2TB MP600 Mini from Corsair plus a 2TB SN850X that I already had. It's been no trouble to get W11 and my standard set of applications loaded. I just need to choose a backup solution and configure Outlook and it'll be good to go. Oh, and something instead of Roxio NXT6 as W11 refuses to have anything to do with it....

At the moment it won't work in the expected Akasa Turing case as the power switch is different from the NUC15 Pro but I'm assured that Akasa and Asus are working together on a solution. Akasa UK were very responsive and friendly which was a pleasant surprise.
 
Dell Micro series devices? 2nd hand like a Dell OptiPlex 7060 MFF
get a vpro for remote managment also.
You should also have access to spares and plenty of support material just deends on actual requirements and cost.
 
Minisforum have a broad range, but there are many others with similar spec. Some manufacturers included: Beelink, Geekom, Gmktec, Trigkey.
 
Thanks, I had missed that one and the reviews certainly get it added to the list.

I had been thinking about a NUC15 Pro+ with an Intel Ultra 9 285H and potentially transplanting it into an Akasa Turing case but Asus don't seem to be in a hurry to get it to market and the TDP may be marginal anyway. I'm currently running an Asus PN51 in a Turing case and the silence is lovely....
My relatively ancient Nuc8i5 has been in a Akasa Turing case for probably over 5 years now. Running 24/7, pure silent.
Its a slow nuc by todays standards.
 
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