Aces High Bulletin Board

General Forums => Hardware and Software => Topic started by: caldera on October 24, 2026, 03:06:20 PM

Title: Looking at mini PCs
Post by: caldera on October 24, 2026, 03:06:20 PM
Would this run AH well?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BQHBWPYX/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A35HJUHS95KJDA&th=1
Title: Re: Looking at mini PCs
Post by: hazmatt on October 24, 2026, 05:36:53 PM
It would run it and maybe "well" at 1080p but it's a bit lacking on GPU and there's no way to upgrade it.

I think you have better options. Here's two I found on a quick search.

You'd probably get better performance from something like this if you're bent on the mini PC:
https://www.amazon.com/MINISFORUM-PCIe4-0-Outputs-Graphics-Computer/dp/B0DYP6Z8RN/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3QC16YES0YMTR&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.4ngzs0a6UXe3qkhi-gdmX2jfyifYyMYspM5kCWaxc-rkVo1eA4UHxOO6oANojgbBZEiGg8sHTZ_ftJsP7lwgCE_Xur73Pktm4TiA_oSLhtS-dYo6Hv9kEZh1yfsw_tXdCek8Ge7EJBrikvEmM98qJVkS3uD5H2ilJqi1uTt5AOpkCsf1OTYmNZAdkxrmBaIbtxp-Q2Vctwhre-Tw_zxoAQCmm2RTlypVg1I9iUYw960.rgBbHCSwYosc3F-I4HJaVm7Gc8zxd1WRTwUMDqCbq40&dib_tag=se&keywords=Minisforum+UM780+XTX&qid=1792880779&sprefix=minisforum+um780+xtx%2Caps%2C210&sr=8-1

Or you could get something like this with better performance for the same price.
https://www.amazon.com/STGAubron-Gaming-Computer-Desktop-Windows/dp/B0G59GCQT8/ref=sr_1_20?crid=3KT4CTFSN05CG&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.OomyIuw5OcV1Ue4YZxKDskR_AevIv1f257Er0g7yx-DVRfoBJFKrjJaFK264xj8JO5nE_2pZIQsl_qmWFmVPs13BB2nZbtkwFU43nhrg3qqnuV7_qXPVr1oQs3YBI9q-oyUa4xs0pEPAPjN8PphlsziwyMkxgE4jzvyVwDHoktly8hP0jF_470H74raRw8G8TyySu_eo77QEGqF1WnNNOTNeT_jLn-8bzVK0Rb58GzI.qSgKQ99-V_6NeYxnsJiI1OX7Z7YLyj9ZCcsTHTLbYws&dib_tag=se&keywords=renewed+gaming+pc&qid=1792880996&sprefix=renewed+g%2Caps%2C854&sr=8-20
Title: Re: Looking at mini PCs
Post by: caldera on October 24, 2026, 09:47:52 PM
Thank you sir.  So many choices.  Think I'll wait until Black Friday.
Title: Re: Looking at mini PCs
Post by: hazmatt on October 25, 2026, 01:12:24 AM
Try to buy something with a dedicated GPU. It doesn't need to be a 5090 but even a basic GPU would be better then integrated.
Title: Re: Looking at mini PCs
Post by: Bizman on October 25, 2026, 03:46:58 AM
Try to buy something with a dedicated GPU. It doesn't need to be a 5090 but even a basic GPU would be better then integrated.
That.

Although the graphics of AMD processors are much better than those on Intels, they still are way behind dedicated ones. As the description of the Minisforum mini PC says, "Featuring the AMD Radeon 780M(12 core 2.7GHz) with the revolutionary AMD RDNA 3 architecture, the performance is almost as close as that of the GTX 1650 discrete graphics cards". Although AH (2016) is graphically not too demanding compared to current AAA games, even the default settings put many moderate gaming rigs to their knees. An entry level video card from 2019 or something almost as close wouldn't provide much eye candy or stellar FPS.
Title: Re: Looking at mini PCs
Post by: hazmatt on October 25, 2026, 04:05:57 AM
That.

 "Featuring the AMD Radeon 780M(12 core 2.7GHz)

I think the one with the 780M is the newer version of this machine and costs a bit more:
https://www.amazon.com/ACEMAGICIAN-S3A-Mini-PC-dp-B0FXGK773Q/dp/B0FXGK773Q/ref=dp_ob_title_ce

His says: [MINI PC PERFECT FOR LIGHT GAMING] Powered by AMD Zen3 Ryzen 7 7735HS and AMD Radeon Graphics(680M)

On the dedicated GPU, you can get a gtx 1080 for less then $100 which should be more then enough to run AH3 even in vr and would be lots faster then the 680/780M.

The deciding factor is what do you want to run it at? Running the game at 1080P is a lot different then running it on VR with 1.5 super sampling.
Title: Re: Looking at mini PCs
Post by: Vulcan on October 26, 2026, 04:34:19 PM
As a rule of thumb mini PC's usually use CPUs designed for laptops, they typically run at lower clock speeds to keep power consumption and thermal loads down. I would avoid them for ANY gaming.

Title: Re: Looking at mini PCs
Post by: hazmatt on October 26, 2026, 04:37:50 PM
As a rule of thumb mini PC's usually use CPUs designed for laptops, they typically run at lower clock speeds to keep power consumption and thermal loads down. I would avoid them for ANY gaming.

I agree. I think a gaming laptop would be better if you're trying to save space. I bought one years ago that I could run AH3 on VR on and if I recall correctly it was around the same price.