So many mini PC’s are quite powerful. Not like AAA gaming powerful (though some are) but for the money as an office computer or art computer, they are legit really good!
After posting this video I set up the second mini PC I picked up and HOLY COW!! this thing is running pretty much anything I want at 1080p. Amazing how much performance these things have.
16gb ram is the main thing here. I used blender on a 2 core laptop with 16gb. Work in eevee then render in cycles through google colab. Where there is a will there is always a way.
Personally, as someone who started out on a 10 inch tablet, I would recommend just spending a little more for the 13inch. The GUI is just too cramped for many apps on PC with a 10inch tablet. It’s worth the extra upfront cost especially with how affordable these pen displays are today. If you get a 10 inch you will likely want to upgrade in about two years. Around 12-14 inch is plenty of space for hobbyists and often very comfortable for professional work. You will not feel the need to upgrade for a long time. I would only recommend 20+ inches for working professionals. Would you rather spend ~$200 now and ~$300 later when you decide you need a display upgrade or just spend ~$300 now and save that ~$200 for a future computer upgrade. You can only take full advantage of one Pen Display. You can always use an old retired computer as a server of some sort (be it a plex media server or a private minecraft server). Heck, I am using two 13 year old computers as servers in my own home lab. It just makes more sense to allocate that potential spending money to the system.
The 10 inch XP Pen was my first tablet of that brand and I thought the same thing about the GUI being too cramped. When I upgraded, I gave the 10" one to my partner who never had a screen tablet before and he is happily using it every day with probably 4x more clip studio toolbars than I would ever keep open on a 4K screen. I ask him how does he manage, and he just told me he had that setup for so long that he just remembers where everything is. While it does cost more to buy cheap now and upgrade later, an actual professional artist already has the cash to buy a 27 inch tablet. I had to start off with the 10 inch, and with that, i made money via art to afford the 16 inch.
I completely agree. 13 is the absolute smallest i'd recommend. I usually also don't recommend xp pen for durability reasons. At around 2 years my tablet developed a drift in the left half making it unusable. It wasn't calibration, and I usually baby my products. I also have a tendency to draw lighter. Since the warranty for them is only 18 months, It really made me mad. I also see the huion 16 pro (2021) going for $170-210 used which is a much better deal than a new 10" in my opinion.
For those who want a complete minimalist and on the go setup, 13 might be too big. Honestly I might take your advice, I’m on the fence with 13 and the 12 and 10 inch devices.
@@ca678.4 What programs are you using? If you are using something like CSP I completely recommend at least a 13 in device. Programs with lighter UI might be usable on smaller devices but I would still prefer the larger devices. And for on the go I actually prefer an iPad, that is, if it is in the budget. I used the 11 in ipad for a while and that with something like Procreate or Art Studio Pro is fine mostly due to the UI taking up less space. The new 11 in iPad with m2 is around $550 I believe but you also have to buy the new pencil.
And the big advantage of having a setup like this, of course, is that if you want to upgrade your little mini PC, you can! If you want to upgrade your tablet! You can too! Instead of not only having to shell out a bunch of money for a similar (or worse) experience, but also having to do it all over again when you need to upgrade. Great video, great review! I always love your perspective on tech usability because you focus on feel and functionality, rather than benchmarks and raw power, which is very nice to see, thank you! :D
I went down this rabbit hole as well.. A used laptop with an intel i5-8350U is simular to the n100, and XP-Pen has an offical eBay store where they will sell referbished items with the full 1-year warrenty. I picked up the 12-inch Artist 2nd gen for the price of the 10-inch. Laptop $90, Artist 12 2nd Gen $130. Problem with that... iPad Air 3rd gen with a used Apple pencil is just a little more. Heck I just saw the S6 Lite 2022 refurbished for $130...
Great video, Brad! I am glad to see you explored this topic. I've been using a higher end Mini-PC for my primary workstation for the last two years (Minisforum Neptune HX99G). While it isn't a low-cost option. I've enjoyed the super small form factor, connectivity options, low power draw, and *silence*. It has replaced my previous desktop PC (128GB RAM, 4TB storage, 16 core AMD CPU, and Nvidia GTX 3070) which I was never fully utilizing. I hope we see ARM-based mini-PCs soon which should really set a new bar size, performance, and cost for these kinds of devices. For use with a drawing tablet, I would suggest people to look for one with a USB-C port that supports DP alt mode - such as a Thunderbolt 3/4 port or a USB4 port. This will simplify cabling for attaching a modern pen display.
I can attest to this, Brad is somewhat correct on the performance my workstation for almost 1 year now is a Genmachine (Chinese Brand) Mini PC with a Ryzen 7 Integrated Graphics I bought it for 185 Dollars (not including the shipping) and my monitor is just an XP pen Artist 12 (older version because its cheaper), I didn’t have to worry about keyboard and mouse as I already have those. make sure you do your research when buying Mini PC, Don’t worry about the brand as the branding is just there for marketability, make sure to read the specs, or you’ll end up with a unit that is basically for basic computing only. Mine is a very powerful set up for a budget drawing machine, although I don’t have an external graphics card, the integrated graphics is enough, for reference I can run pretty much most competitive games, performance heavy games will struggle to this for obvious reasons, but I am not a gamer I’m just an artist and it’s overpowered for an artist. I can render on blender up to 2K res 24 fps anything higher than that is a struggle, but of course it will always depend on how heavy the file is. For casual 3d Digital art its really good it passes with flying colors For 2D painting it also passes with flying colors Brad is correct on the portability, You can carry it anywhere as long as you know there is a plug for your power. I mostly just work in my home, go to a studio, or occasionally on cafes, which all of these locations have a plug where I can get my power on. Its a good investment, if you do your research
I’ve been thinking about getting a mini PC as a secondary system for a while now. With jumping up to like the $300 mark you can actually get ones with solid AMD processors but it never clicked in my head that I could just use my Huion display tablet as the primary screen to make a little pseudo AIO computer!
Yep, For my next video I'm jumping up to around the $400 and I have a Ryzen 9 6900HX. I just set it up last night and loaded some games on it... WOW! I really am blown away by what these tiny inexpensive machines can do.
@thebradcolbow Been thinking of a compact laptop to run a pen display and Rebelle 7 on, but you've opened my eyes to the mini PCs. Looking forward to that next video to learn more.
One big thing with something like this (that admittedly needs a bit of technical knowledge) is loading up a Linux OS like Pop!_OS and getting rid of the overhead that windows brings. I recently purchased an older laptop from my brother to be a GameDev/art mobile workstation. With windows it was just OK, but moving over to Pop?_OS was HUGE. EVERYTHING was snappy and just worked. I didn't even need to install a driver for my huion pen tablet or pen display, they just worked. That's really the only other step I would take with a budget setup like this. Id be really interested to see a 3rd video too of the higher end mini PC with windows vs this machine with a Linux OS like Pop!_OS. I bed it would reduce the gap just that much more when we are talking about the drawing experience.
I've been switching over to kde neon myself, and while it's intimidating to take that final plunge and completely uninstall Windows from my PC, it gets more tempting by the day. Linux really is wonderful to work with! It's so much another and smaller than Windows and things just *work* without to much tweaking.
This actually is not a bad idea if you dont have space for a laptop and tablet. Cheaper than an ipad and have better spec. Might hse this as a secondary computer
It is a great time to be alive when it comes to "lower end" hardware. You don't need an RTX-4090 with a 13900k and a Cintiq Pro 32 inch to make art. This expensive hardware does not and will not make you a better artist. I love videos like this. Life is too short to be using a SHITTY computer.
I’m looking to upgrade my dell laptop to a mini pc and there are so many powerful options. I’m thinking of getting a geekom a7 next year with 32gb ram and 2tb of ssd I would love to see any future videos on the best mini pcs for art
That is a pretty sick idea! I like it! The idea that this build is based on intel N100 and soDimm ddr5 means you literally can power it up from powerbank if you go to the bios and change some voltage consumption settings. And funny thing with some diy skills you literally able to make from these parts your own Surface
Nice! Back when I was looking to replace my laptop I had considered this same Beelink computer. I ended up getting a referb SFF comp, but if i'm ever in a bind again its good to know this little thing can get the basics done!
This is a great little series idea. Im always the person friends come to for pc recs when they get their first ones, and im now going to be able to show them videos like this one
I have the Artist 10. It works fine when you use it in full-screen mode and really maximize the drawing area. That does come with some limitations with the UI of some apps, but it's a good match for what I do, which is mostly on the end of enhancing traditional work. With the money you save on the computer, you can budget for some traditional sketching, scan it onto a USB stick at the library, and then take it home to give it a final treatment. The last piece of that puzzle is backups/archival which I think would be a good Brad video. I ordered a BD-R setup last week but I've mostly relied on cloud storage in the past.
I got 16 inch one and honestly this xp pen is really really good and what’s great about this graphic tablet is also that it doesn’t lag at all on much older devices which is awesome, drivers work like a charm too and it took me very little time to make it all work
I've wanted to do a video like this for years and never did. Its a great idea for display tablet users and takes up so little space that i can fit directly behind the tablet itself.
When I needed a new pc at the beginning of this year, I decided to pick up the Intel NUC 12 Enthusiast. It has a slightly larger form factor, but offers a lot more because of that. It's a powerhouse in a small package, with a dedicated graphics card. I decided to max it with 64Gb of RAM and a 2Tb SSD. It has thunderbolt ports, room for 2 additional SSD's and plenty of ports. Doesn't take up a lot of room, yet delivers plenty of power for my drawing, painting, designing, video editing and even gaming needs. Though the last one isn't a need, but more of a want. I'm using the Huion Kamvas 24 plus as a monitor/pen display. Great review, looking forward to the review of the Miniforums pc, very curious about it.
Oh my god this open my eyes so much, idk if mini pc is that impressive. This set up is a game changer. Now I know what my next wishlist is! But for me, I can spend more for a better setup so I will wait for your next video to see how a better setup looks like
I am working on a mini PC for the last 2 years [and XP-pen Artist 13] It can chug a bit on big files with hundreds of layers in CSP. But it is still a good, budget, low energy set up.
note! While the Apple Pencil 1st gen still costs 100 bucks in stores, you can get it for cheap used or even still in box from people who bought the wrong one
3 місяці тому
Loved this video! It's a really nice format and very helpful for so many people.
I got my partner the Ugee UE12P which is a 12" pen display. It's only $130. They trick you with the $160 price, but it has a $30 off coupon that has been available the entire time. It's still there, I just checked, and it was available over a year ago when I bought it, and every time I've checked inbetween. My impressions with it have been that it is good. I'd definitely want that over a 10" one.
As soon as I saw this video I had to watch it.. I have been thinking about getting a setup just like this and was wondering if what would be "enough". I am happy to hear that the basic was "enough" but also excited for part 2 to see what type of improvements are just beyond the basic level. Questions I have would be, if you had $XXX amount extra is that better off going to the PC, or the tablet?
I went down this Similar journey to essential create ideal alternative to mobile setup. Using a mini pc, and 16" and under size drawing display. I wanted windows interface, mobility and upgradeability through the little pc's which are pretty affordable. something I could take on the go was difficult as obviously you don't have the battery to run the pc or screen if required without a power station. Since then Huion, Xp, pen have come out with 13-14" tablets that use one cord! a must. If you love the tablet, the getaway should be just small form factor pc. Why not just use a laptop? Well I personally want something I can easily take on to café, sit on my couch, but with the reliability of a stand alone drawing display performance. often the all-in-ones, studio pro's, surface etc., always have a sacrifice somewhere. I think we are getting closer to this being a reality. I look forward to your journey on this as well.
Could you maybe make a tutorial, or just a simple explanation or tips and tricks on how to get used to reading height when starting to use a drawing tablet? I'm a beginner and when I bought my Huion drawing tablet, I didn't know it had a reading height of 10mm which basically makes my pen constantly hover above the tablet and follow the cursor even before I touch the tablet with the pen. And every video I've seen of people using the same tablet I have, they didn't have that issue, but support at Huion told me that reading height of 10mm is normal. But as a beginner I can't get used to that. My brain simply can't comperhand that the pen on the screen js moving even beofre I do anything (touch the tablet with the pen). And that's literally the reason why I didn't use the tablet even 2 years after I bought it, because I simply couldn't get used to the cursor moving kn the screen before I even touch the tablet directly.
I scoured ebay for a surface pro 8... Managed to find one for $190 - only catch is the charging port didn't work but USB C works fine. Didn't have keyboard or pen, but third party ones are generally pretty cheap. (8 gb of ram tho...)
Hi Brad, I appreciate this video since I am definitely budget-constrained. I have but one criticism: if you need a monitor? I found a Sceptre 1080P for $150 on Amazon and I would you to include your recommendations for this idea. Also, can you please make a video on Open Source software like Inkscape and Scribus?
Anything under $400 after tax is very good! I punched in that final price with USA's highest sales tax rate (which i think is still Tacoma, WA), and it was only about $370! I actually did get myself a 2024 Galaxy Tab S6 Lite a couple of months ago to get a feel of digital art in the android space and for sketching and note taking. Once I discovered a 3rd party compatible pen that came with a side button and erase, and that I can actually make comic pages on that device, my iPad pro was never touched again aside to complete some commission art I started in Procreate. The only sad thing about the S6 Lite is how it takes over half an hour to sync my clip studio files on a garbage hotel internet connection in rural Colorado, but it only crashed on me once when I forgot to wear a glove and the screen was registering a drawing stroke and an undo touch command at the same time. 😂
Some newer tablets are compatible with phones, so if you spend a bit more on the tablet, you can skip the whole PC altogether. This way, even if you don't have the money for the PC, you can still start drawing now and save up to get one later. Or maybe the phone works out for you and you don't need to buy a PC. You will be limited to mobile drawing apps using a drawing tablet, which will make things harder, as mobile apps are usually touch and gesture focused and most cheap drawing tablets don't have touch screens. Something like Krita which has a desktop style UI would work well though. Certain Samsung devices can go into Dex mode if you plug in a monitor, which would give you a more traditional desktop UI and the ability to open multiple windows at the same time.
I got some old refurbished fujitsu laptop from Japan, was like 120 bucks and has an actual wacom pen, works with the staedtler, way less powerful cause old but works fine for sketching
Hey Brad. Have you considered testing this same set up of a mini PC paired with an IPad via Easy Canvas or a Samsung Galaxy Tab via its second screen feature for folks who might already have these devices on hand but didn’t consider this type of set up?
This could be a good series mini pc setups to be creative. Could also try and test the smaller PC Sticks or the Single Board Computers like Raspberry Pi or the other ones
really looking forward to the follow up because my MO is looking for what fits my minimum requirements, looking at what I would buy if price wasn't an issue, and then roughly averaging those two out (with a bias towards the lower price). I already have a huion 14" (I think) but it's ooooold and hooked up to an even older MS Surface Pro 😅 it would be great to just get a recommendation saying "buy this" for once 😆My budget would be roughly 500 bucks
i picked up a huion kamvas 13 "used" off ebay for 90 bucks. works really well and honestly couldnt tell it was a used product. but obviously ymmv. picked the wife one up for around that much as well and hers was also in really good condition. paired it with a used lenovo mini pc that has a ryzen cpu in it. pretty dang good for art and youtube.
I have a 5-year old CPU and GPU which is kinda frustrating to draw with in Krita. RAM is also one of the main things, so I turned my 8 GB RAM into 180 GB RAM with virtual memory, even if it means I can't keep my computer to sleep anymore (since it'll get a BSOD). Anyways, nice video!
mini computers are amazing, i do have a beelink ser 5, when i got it it was around 250$ and tbh gaming wise i can run up to elden ring without issues i do something similar to this but only with an ugee q8w (wireless without screen) and for drawing is just amazing, so for a little more you can get very good performance for little money and specially little space
I think the newly released Chuwi Hi10 Max is a much better option for the same price. An N100 Chinese surface alternative with the same specs you have but with an amazing 12 inch 3K screen (it might actually be the same surface screen). Not sure how the pen compares, it is MPP 2.0 but you can take your setup anywhere and have a better bigger screen. In Europe with an easy to find discount coupon you can't get one for under 300 euros. 🙂
Hey Brad as someone trying and failing to get into art, would it be possible to a dedicated video on CSP? A lot of other tutorials are faaaar too complex for me.
Looking at the uk site the 16gb intel machine was £5 cheaper than the 8gb. Couldn’t find the exact ryzen machine only a higher spec for £100 more. Alternative brand same spec as yours was £431.
Now I am curious you mentioned the surface go didn't work well and it seems like you implied that it's because windows takes up most of the RAM. Now I am curious to know if you thow a Linux distribution on it like Fedora and use Krita will it work any better than Windows with krita or will it still have the same issues?
Should do a lopsided setup. Hook that cheap mini pc up to a mid range or top tier tablet. VESA mount it to a large tablet and make a diy aio art display. I’ve done that with a kamvas pro in the past with a more expensive mini pc. Used an offset bracket so I could still mount it to an ergotron arm. Turned out cheaper than the all in one Huion makes
Do you think this PC can handle Clip Studio Paint's 3D models? I'm considering getting a computer like this for traveling, but I'm trying to keep the cost down
Hi Brad, thanks for the reviews, I've been struggling trying to find which one is better between HUION Inspiroy H1060P, HUION HS611, XP-Pen Deco 01 V2 or One by Wacom Drawing Medium. It's going to be my first tablet, I'm planning to use it for drawing, 3D modeling and 3D animation. Which one would you recommend me, or is there a better one for around 60-100 dollars? pleaseeeee
Could you perhaps compare this set-up with an equivalent one using a normal display and a screenless graphics tablet? I feel like you could further save money that way, but I am not sure. (There's also the argument that a screenless tablet is more ergonomic, but I dunno)
Very nice. Another alternative (a little bit more expansive that is true) is the Xiaomi pad 6s pro (12.4 inch) I get the bundle with thé keyboard for 600 EUR plus the Pen at 60 EUR (Olympic game discount maybe?)
Hi, i thought of buying drawing tablet. I have 2 options. XP PEN ARTIST 16 GEN and XP PEN ARTIST 16 PRO. Could you please let me know any one in my list has VESA mount facility ? In online i couldn't able to find the info. Please share if we have any other suggestion.
I have that XP-Pen tablet and it's good. It really is. I just don't vibe with a non-touchscreen device too well 👀 Also, the bots are wild in the comment section.
Do you need protective film for your display tablet? Is it true that the protective film for that is kinda pricey? I'm new in digital art and I'm trying to buy a display tablet. Can someone help?
(Update: Looking at your website and answering my own question, somewhat! lol) I have a 4k Proart monitor with a self-built computer, and I just want an inexpensive drawing monitor so I can have the option to draw on the screen as well. Mostly for photography but I also have drawn on my Asus Zenbook for digital portraits. The only issue is it's getting old, and slow. So I'm hoping for a solution that uses the brain of my new computer, but can draw like my old laptop. So very curious of this video, but I'm also wondering if you have a video or recommendation of a drawing pen monitor that can work side by side to a regular monitor. So I could essentially do the majority of my work on the main monitor and then slide the PS window to the drawing monitor to do the nitty gritty drawing details that I can't do as effectively with my mouse. Needs to have pressure sensitivity and be at least 14inches
Can you do this but with different price points? From cheap to really expensive. Would be a good way to know how someone can upgrade and if an upgrade is even worth it.
Cost efficient in the short term, but honestly you can build a cheap pc for the same price and then have the option to add a gpu. Zbrush, maya substance painter and now photoshop all require some sort of gpu these days. You dont have to build a monster rig at first if you cant afford it, just buy stuff that can be gradually added to so you arent forced to resell or scrap old rigs for fresh buys and just save up for parts u need
I'm a console guy, I need my PC to do work. My mini PC does it's job with my huion. I also do extensive background work with blender. It does all that fine with that no name discount Intel CPU that's on the lowest tier on every Amazon listing lol.
now add some vercro on top or bottom of the mini pc, and on the back off the tab, get a shorter cable or tie it behind the tablet and boom u got a studio you can get on the go
Make a video like this. Add different price points/budgets. Personally, I have a higher end budget. I'm interested in what you would think that looks like. I know some people have mid-tier budgets. Low budgets like this one and insanely low budgets which would be a plus for a lot of people. You could add extras or bundles.
Personally I would go a different route and probably spend a bit more. Getting a decent monitor under $200 plus a colorimeter to calibrate it. Instead of a screen tablet going with a traditional tablet which is a good bit cheaper. Going from drawing on paper to drawing on a screen takes adjustment just as much as drawing while looking at a screen without looking at one's hand. This method has some benefits because you get to use a larger screen for less money and position it better to reduce neck and eye strain. Not to mention your hand won't be in the way of seeing your brush in action. Being an old school digital artist I'm sure this methodology is a minority view but still worth considering if you draw for long hours daily.
yeah a non screen tablet is really good because for cheap you can get an end game offering that even has strengths over display tablets and there isn't necessarily even a need to upgrade ever. with a display tablet i wouldn't go for anything less than 16"
So many mini PC’s are quite powerful. Not like AAA gaming powerful (though some are) but for the money as an office computer or art computer, they are legit really good!
After posting this video I set up the second mini PC I picked up and HOLY COW!! this thing is running pretty much anything I want at 1080p. Amazing how much performance these things have.
@@thebradcolbow AMD's Ryzens that have the new RDNA Radeons in them have been really making the waves.
yup, the radeon 760m and 780m are INSANE for igpus.@@SwordfighterRed
@@thebradcolbow what mini pc do you reccomend to buy?
Really appreciate the matter-of-fact tone, right from the start.
Thanks Elte!
I think this could be a great series for those wanting to get in digital art/ students to see what devices they could get. Great work Brad
16gb ram is the main thing here. I used blender on a 2 core laptop with 16gb. Work in eevee then render in cycles through google colab. Where there is a will there is always a way.
I need to look up this Google colab thing. Sounds cool!
well i have 8 gb ram with 2 core 🥲 . lets see hows this goes
@@NormTurtleyou might be able to upgrade to 16gb, ram sticks arent that expensive.
And a CPU with more cores. I have 16gb of RAM and a GPU but with 4 cores APU is not that great
Personally, as someone who started out on a 10 inch tablet, I would recommend just spending a little more for the 13inch. The GUI is just too cramped for many apps on PC with a 10inch tablet. It’s worth the extra upfront cost especially with how affordable these pen displays are today.
If you get a 10 inch you will likely want to upgrade in about two years. Around 12-14 inch is plenty of space for hobbyists and often very comfortable for professional work. You will not feel the need to upgrade for a long time. I would only recommend 20+ inches for working professionals.
Would you rather spend ~$200 now and ~$300 later when you decide you need a display upgrade or just spend ~$300 now and save that ~$200 for a future computer upgrade.
You can only take full advantage of one Pen Display. You can always use an old retired computer as a server of some sort (be it a plex media server or a private minecraft server). Heck, I am using two 13 year old computers as servers in my own home lab. It just makes more sense to allocate that potential spending money to the system.
The 10 inch XP Pen was my first tablet of that brand and I thought the same thing about the GUI being too cramped. When I upgraded, I gave the 10" one to my partner who never had a screen tablet before and he is happily using it every day with probably 4x more clip studio toolbars than I would ever keep open on a 4K screen. I ask him how does he manage, and he just told me he had that setup for so long that he just remembers where everything is.
While it does cost more to buy cheap now and upgrade later, an actual professional artist already has the cash to buy a 27 inch tablet. I had to start off with the 10 inch, and with that, i made money via art to afford the 16 inch.
I completely agree. 13 is the absolute smallest i'd recommend. I usually also don't recommend xp pen for durability reasons. At around 2 years my tablet developed a drift in the left half making it unusable. It wasn't calibration, and I usually baby my products. I also have a tendency to draw lighter. Since the warranty for them is only 18 months, It really made me mad. I also see the huion 16 pro (2021) going for $170-210 used which is a much better deal than a new 10" in my opinion.
Rich asf
For those who want a complete minimalist and on the go setup, 13 might be too big. Honestly I might take your advice, I’m on the fence with 13 and the 12 and 10 inch devices.
@@ca678.4 What programs are you using? If you are using something like CSP I completely recommend at least a 13 in device. Programs with lighter UI might be usable on smaller devices but I would still prefer the larger devices. And for on the go I actually prefer an iPad, that is, if it is in the budget. I used the 11 in ipad for a while and that with something like Procreate or Art Studio Pro is fine mostly due to the UI taking up less space. The new 11 in iPad with m2 is around $550 I believe but you also have to buy the new pencil.
And the big advantage of having a setup like this, of course, is that if you want to upgrade your little mini PC, you can! If you want to upgrade your tablet! You can too!
Instead of not only having to shell out a bunch of money for a similar (or worse) experience, but also having to do it all over again when you need to upgrade.
Great video, great review! I always love your perspective on tech usability because you focus on feel and functionality, rather than benchmarks and raw power, which is very nice to see, thank you! :D
I went down this rabbit hole as well.. A used laptop with an intel i5-8350U is simular to the n100, and XP-Pen has an offical eBay store where they will sell referbished items with the full 1-year warrenty. I picked up the 12-inch Artist 2nd gen for the price of the 10-inch. Laptop $90, Artist 12 2nd Gen $130. Problem with that... iPad Air 3rd gen with a used Apple pencil is just a little more. Heck I just saw the S6 Lite 2022 refurbished for $130...
Whoa, those are some great prices. I should talk about refirbs more around here.
Joseph: "referbished"
Brad: "refirbished"
Me: [obsessive compulsive pedant meltdown]
wait really? Wow....my laptop is from that same 8th gen. I knew it was time to upgrade (broken hinge) but man....
Great video, Brad! I am glad to see you explored this topic. I've been using a higher end Mini-PC for my primary workstation for the last two years (Minisforum Neptune HX99G). While it isn't a low-cost option. I've enjoyed the super small form factor, connectivity options, low power draw, and *silence*. It has replaced my previous desktop PC (128GB RAM, 4TB storage, 16 core AMD CPU, and Nvidia GTX 3070) which I was never fully utilizing. I hope we see ARM-based mini-PCs soon which should really set a new bar size, performance, and cost for these kinds of devices. For use with a drawing tablet, I would suggest people to look for one with a USB-C port that supports DP alt mode - such as a Thunderbolt 3/4 port or a USB4 port. This will simplify cabling for attaching a modern pen display.
I can attest to this,
Brad is somewhat correct on the performance
my workstation for almost 1 year now is a Genmachine (Chinese Brand) Mini PC with a Ryzen 7 Integrated Graphics I bought it for 185 Dollars (not including the shipping) and my monitor is just an XP pen Artist 12 (older version because its cheaper), I didn’t have to worry about keyboard and mouse as I already have those. make sure you do your research when buying Mini PC, Don’t worry about the brand as the branding is just there for marketability, make sure to read the specs, or you’ll end up with a unit that is basically for basic computing only.
Mine is a very powerful set up for a budget drawing machine, although I don’t have an external graphics card, the integrated graphics is enough, for reference I can run pretty much most competitive games, performance heavy games will struggle to this for obvious reasons, but I am not a gamer I’m just an artist and it’s overpowered for an artist.
I can render on blender up to 2K res 24 fps anything higher than that is a struggle, but of course it will always depend on how heavy the file is.
For casual 3d Digital art its really good it passes with flying colors
For 2D painting it also passes with flying colors
Brad is correct on the portability, You can carry it anywhere as long as you know there is a plug for your power. I mostly just work in my home, go to a studio, or occasionally on cafes, which all of these locations have a plug where I can get my power on.
Its a good investment, if you do your research
We got people out there running these things as mini servers so I'd say this is a good direction to explore.
I’ve been thinking about getting a mini PC as a secondary system for a while now. With jumping up to like the $300 mark you can actually get ones with solid AMD processors but it never clicked in my head that I could just use my Huion display tablet as the primary screen to make a little pseudo AIO computer!
Yep, For my next video I'm jumping up to around the $400 and I have a Ryzen 9 6900HX. I just set it up last night and loaded some games on it... WOW! I really am blown away by what these tiny inexpensive machines can do.
@thebradcolbow Been thinking of a compact laptop to run a pen display and Rebelle 7 on, but you've opened my eyes to the mini PCs. Looking forward to that next video to learn more.
yeah, amd is just better nowadays.
One big thing with something like this (that admittedly needs a bit of technical knowledge) is loading up a Linux OS like Pop!_OS and getting rid of the overhead that windows brings. I recently purchased an older laptop from my brother to be a GameDev/art mobile workstation. With windows it was just OK, but moving over to Pop?_OS was HUGE. EVERYTHING was snappy and just worked. I didn't even need to install a driver for my huion pen tablet or pen display, they just worked. That's really the only other step I would take with a budget setup like this. Id be really interested to see a 3rd video too of the higher end mini PC with windows vs this machine with a Linux OS like Pop!_OS. I bed it would reduce the gap just that much more when we are talking about the drawing experience.
I've been switching over to kde neon myself, and while it's intimidating to take that final plunge and completely uninstall Windows from my PC, it gets more tempting by the day. Linux really is wonderful to work with! It's so much another and smaller than Windows and things just *work* without to much tweaking.
NO! Linux is not ready for non idiots or non coders
Sorry, no thanks. We can't use Linux until the art software we use gets ported there. Happy to know you're enjoying it.
This actually is not a bad idea if you dont have space for a laptop and tablet. Cheaper than an ipad and have better spec.
Might hse this as a secondary computer
It is a great time to be alive when it comes to "lower end" hardware. You don't need an RTX-4090 with a 13900k and a Cintiq Pro 32 inch to make art. This expensive hardware does not and will not make you a better artist.
I love videos like this.
Life is too short to be using a SHITTY computer.
I’m looking to upgrade my dell laptop to a mini pc and there are so many powerful options. I’m thinking of getting a geekom a7 next year with 32gb ram and 2tb of ssd
I would love to see any future videos on the best mini pcs for art
That is a pretty sick idea! I like it!
The idea that this build is based on intel N100 and soDimm ddr5 means you literally can power it up from powerbank if you go to the bios and change some voltage consumption settings.
And funny thing with some diy skills you literally able to make from these parts your own Surface
Nice! Back when I was looking to replace my laptop I had considered this same Beelink computer. I ended up getting a referb SFF comp, but if i'm ever in a bind again its good to know this little thing can get the basics done!
This is a great little series idea. Im always the person friends come to for pc recs when they get their first ones, and im now going to be able to show them videos like this one
I have the Artist 10. It works fine when you use it in full-screen mode and really maximize the drawing area. That does come with some limitations with the UI of some apps, but it's a good match for what I do, which is mostly on the end of enhancing traditional work. With the money you save on the computer, you can budget for some traditional sketching, scan it onto a USB stick at the library, and then take it home to give it a final treatment. The last piece of that puzzle is backups/archival which I think would be a good Brad video. I ordered a BD-R setup last week but I've mostly relied on cloud storage in the past.
This is why I love your channel. I was already considering purchasing a mini PC in the future, and this just made my decision a bit easier 🙏🏽
I got 16 inch one and honestly this xp pen is really really good and what’s great about this graphic tablet is also that it doesn’t lag at all on much older devices which is awesome, drivers work like a charm too and it took me very little time to make it all work
It also works with paint tool sai 2 and it works really well, didn’t wait long to arrive either, xp pen is really good company
I've wanted to do a video like this for years and never did. Its a great idea for display tablet users and takes up so little space that i can fit directly behind the tablet itself.
Smart idea for these types of vids! I anticipate the second and third and forth options from cheap to medium and expensive
When I needed a new pc at the beginning of this year, I decided to pick up the Intel NUC 12 Enthusiast. It has a slightly larger form factor, but offers a lot more because of that. It's a powerhouse in a small package, with a dedicated graphics card. I decided to max it with 64Gb of RAM and a 2Tb SSD. It has thunderbolt ports, room for 2 additional SSD's and plenty of ports. Doesn't take up a lot of room, yet delivers plenty of power for my drawing, painting, designing, video editing and even gaming needs. Though the last one isn't a need, but more of a want. I'm using the Huion Kamvas 24 plus as a monitor/pen display.
Great review, looking forward to the review of the Miniforums pc, very curious about it.
Simple & Thorough, wasn’t really seeking to buy one setup myself But enjoyed the review anyway :)
Oh my god this open my eyes so much, idk if mini pc is that impressive. This set up is a game changer. Now I know what my next wishlist is! But for me, I can spend more for a better setup so I will wait for your next video to see how a better setup looks like
I am working on a mini PC for the last 2 years [and XP-pen Artist 13] It can chug a bit on big files with hundreds of layers in CSP. But it is still a good, budget, low energy set up.
note! While the Apple Pencil 1st gen still costs 100 bucks in stores, you can get it for cheap used or even still in box from people who bought the wrong one
Loved this video! It's a really nice format and very helpful for so many people.
I got my partner the Ugee UE12P which is a 12" pen display. It's only $130. They trick you with the $160 price, but it has a $30 off coupon that has been available the entire time. It's still there, I just checked, and it was available over a year ago when I bought it, and every time I've checked inbetween. My impressions with it have been that it is good. I'd definitely want that over a 10" one.
As soon as I saw this video I had to watch it.. I have been thinking about getting a setup just like this and was wondering if what would be "enough". I am happy to hear that the basic was "enough" but also excited for part 2 to see what type of improvements are just beyond the basic level. Questions I have would be, if you had $XXX amount extra is that better off going to the PC, or the tablet?
i have the 12 inch of this one and I am loving it so much. greatest earned of my life!!!
0:28 also my name is brad???? hello?????????????
I went down this Similar journey to essential create ideal alternative to mobile setup. Using a mini pc, and 16" and under size drawing display. I wanted windows interface, mobility and upgradeability through the little pc's which are pretty affordable. something I could take on the go was difficult as obviously you don't have the battery to run the pc or screen if required without a power station. Since then Huion, Xp, pen have come out with 13-14" tablets that use one cord! a must. If you love the tablet, the getaway should be just small form factor pc. Why not just use a laptop? Well I personally want something I can easily take on to café, sit on my couch, but with the reliability of a stand alone drawing display performance. often the all-in-ones, studio pro's, surface etc., always have a sacrifice somewhere. I think we are getting closer to this being a reality. I look forward to your journey on this as well.
Could you maybe make a tutorial, or just a simple explanation or tips and tricks on how to get used to reading height when starting to use a drawing tablet?
I'm a beginner and when I bought my Huion drawing tablet, I didn't know it had a reading height of 10mm which basically makes my pen constantly hover above the tablet and follow the cursor even before I touch the tablet with the pen. And every video I've seen of people using the same tablet I have, they didn't have that issue, but support at Huion told me that reading height of 10mm is normal. But as a beginner I can't get used to that. My brain simply can't comperhand that the pen on the screen js moving even beofre I do anything (touch the tablet with the pen). And that's literally the reason why I didn't use the tablet even 2 years after I bought it, because I simply couldn't get used to the cursor moving kn the screen before I even touch the tablet directly.
I scoured ebay for a surface pro 8... Managed to find one for $190 - only catch is the charging port didn't work but USB C works fine.
Didn't have keyboard or pen, but third party ones are generally pretty cheap.
(8 gb of ram tho...)
what about if money is not much of a concern, whats the best current tablet setup money can buy?
Hi Brad, I appreciate this video since I am definitely budget-constrained. I have but one criticism: if you need a monitor? I found a Sceptre 1080P for $150 on Amazon and I would you to include your recommendations for this idea. Also, can you please make a video on Open Source software like Inkscape and Scribus?
Anything under $400 after tax is very good! I punched in that final price with USA's highest sales tax rate (which i think is still Tacoma, WA), and it was only about $370!
I actually did get myself a 2024 Galaxy Tab S6 Lite a couple of months ago to get a feel of digital art in the android space and for sketching and note taking. Once I discovered a 3rd party compatible pen that came with a side button and erase, and that I can actually make comic pages on that device, my iPad pro was never touched again aside to complete some commission art I started in Procreate. The only sad thing about the S6 Lite is how it takes over half an hour to sync my clip studio files on a garbage hotel internet connection in rural Colorado, but it only crashed on me once when I forgot to wear a glove and the screen was registering a drawing stroke and an undo touch command at the same time. 😂
Some newer tablets are compatible with phones, so if you spend a bit more on the tablet, you can skip the whole PC altogether. This way, even if you don't have the money for the PC, you can still start drawing now and save up to get one later. Or maybe the phone works out for you and you don't need to buy a PC. You will be limited to mobile drawing apps using a drawing tablet, which will make things harder, as mobile apps are usually touch and gesture focused and most cheap drawing tablets don't have touch screens. Something like Krita which has a desktop style UI would work well though. Certain Samsung devices can go into Dex mode if you plug in a monitor, which would give you a more traditional desktop UI and the ability to open multiple windows at the same time.
I got some old refurbished fujitsu laptop from Japan, was like 120 bucks and has an actual wacom pen, works with the staedtler, way less powerful cause old but works fine for sketching
Can you do this for video editing set up?
Hey Brad. Have you considered testing this same set up of a mini PC paired with an IPad via Easy Canvas or a Samsung Galaxy Tab via its second screen feature for folks who might already have these devices on hand but didn’t consider this type of set up?
the big thing is the ram, the surface go is barely enough in the highest config with the i3 and 8gb. 4gb of ram in windows should be illegal now.
This could be a good series mini pc setups to be creative. Could also try and test the smaller PC Sticks or the Single Board Computers like Raspberry Pi or the other ones
really looking forward to the follow up because my MO is looking for what fits my minimum requirements, looking at what I would buy if price wasn't an issue, and then roughly averaging those two out (with a bias towards the lower price). I already have a huion 14" (I think) but it's ooooold and hooked up to an even older MS Surface Pro 😅
it would be great to just get a recommendation saying "buy this" for once 😆My budget would be roughly 500 bucks
4:36 that's what she said
Idk if you spend much time in the micro server space the n100 is known to be ungodly efficient. Outside of the price it is still quite nice.
the mac mini has an integrated power supply, that's one reason for it's larger size. almost all other mini pcs have external powerblocks.
i picked up a huion kamvas 13 "used" off ebay for 90 bucks. works really well and honestly couldnt tell it was a used product. but obviously ymmv. picked the wife one up for around that much as well and hers was also in really good condition. paired it with a used lenovo mini pc that has a ryzen cpu in it. pretty dang good for art and youtube.
I have a 5-year old CPU and GPU which is kinda frustrating to draw with in Krita.
RAM is also one of the main things, so I turned my 8 GB RAM into 180 GB RAM with virtual memory, even if it means I can't keep my computer to sleep anymore (since it'll get a BSOD).
Anyways, nice video!
i rlly like this video format
mini computers are amazing, i do have a beelink ser 5, when i got it it was around 250$ and tbh gaming wise i can run up to elden ring without issues
i do something similar to this but only with an ugee q8w (wireless without screen) and for drawing is just amazing, so for a little more you can get very good performance for little money and specially little space
How do you think wacom one would work in one of these setups? I think it would fit in well
Yep, those would work well.
COOL!!!
Now... What's the minimum mini PC that will allow one to add Blender backgrounds to the workflow?
I think the newly released Chuwi Hi10 Max is a much better option for the same price.
An N100 Chinese surface alternative with the same specs you have but with an amazing 12 inch 3K screen (it might actually be the same surface screen).
Not sure how the pen compares, it is MPP 2.0 but you can take your setup anywhere and have a better bigger screen.
In Europe with an easy to find discount coupon you can't get one for under 300 euros.
🙂
Sorry I meant you CAN get it for under 300
Hey Brad as someone trying and failing to get into art, would it be possible to a dedicated video on CSP? A lot of other tutorials are faaaar too complex for me.
Looking at the uk site the 16gb intel machine was £5 cheaper than the 8gb. Couldn’t find the exact ryzen machine only a higher spec for £100 more. Alternative brand same spec as yours was £431.
Do you think that it could run blender on this setup and any kind of game development software?.
Godot
May I ask compare with Wacom one 2020 13.3" version. Which one do you think is better. Thank you.
Now I am curious you mentioned the surface go didn't work well and it seems like you implied that it's because windows takes up most of the RAM. Now I am curious to know if you thow a Linux distribution on it like Fedora and use Krita will it work any better than Windows with krita or will it still have the same issues?
Should do a lopsided setup. Hook that cheap mini pc up to a mid range or top tier tablet. VESA mount it to a large tablet and make a diy aio art display. I’ve done that with a kamvas pro in the past with a more expensive mini pc. Used an offset bracket so I could still mount it to an ergotron arm. Turned out cheaper than the all in one Huion makes
Do you think this PC can handle Clip Studio Paint's 3D models? I'm considering getting a computer like this for traveling, but I'm trying to keep the cost down
Hi Brad, thanks for the reviews, I've been struggling trying to find which one is better between HUION Inspiroy H1060P, HUION HS611, XP-Pen Deco 01 V2 or One by Wacom Drawing Medium. It's going to be my first tablet, I'm planning to use it for drawing, 3D modeling and 3D animation. Which one would you recommend me, or is there a better one for around 60-100 dollars? pleaseeeee
Could you perhaps compare this set-up with an equivalent one using a normal display and a screenless graphics tablet? I feel like you could further save money that way, but I am not sure.
(There's also the argument that a screenless tablet is more ergonomic, but I dunno)
Looking forward to Intel Lunar Lake, hoping it can do low poly Blender workflow for game assets.
Very nice. Another alternative (a little bit more expansive that is true) is the Xiaomi pad 6s pro (12.4 inch) I get the bundle with thé keyboard for 600 EUR plus the Pen at 60 EUR (Olympic game discount maybe?)
Those Beelink employees must be smirking soo hard rn. I swear they won't wipe off that smile off their faces for a week!!
Can you please review Chuwi Hi10 MAX for drawing? It is cheap and has a somehow decent configuration. Thank you!
Hi, i thought of buying drawing tablet. I have 2 options. XP PEN ARTIST 16 GEN and XP PEN ARTIST 16 PRO. Could you please let me know any one in my list has VESA mount facility ?
In online i couldn't able to find the info. Please share if we have any other suggestion.
I have that XP-Pen tablet and it's good. It really is. I just don't vibe with a non-touchscreen device too well 👀
Also, the bots are wild in the comment section.
indeed
Do you need protective film for your display tablet? Is it true that the protective film for that is kinda pricey? I'm new in digital art and I'm trying to buy a display tablet. Can someone help?
any recommendations on best and most affordable tablets for 3d animation?
I would be interested to see a 19" or 21" drawing monitor and the lower end pc for the 'starter' artist or cartoonist.
Is this setup also use for 2d animation
Surprising gaming segment from Brad. We dont usually get those. Guess he really was impressed with this
Esperando por la parte 2!
(Update: Looking at your website and answering my own question, somewhat! lol)
I have a 4k Proart monitor with a self-built computer, and I just want an inexpensive drawing monitor so I can have the option to draw on the screen as well.
Mostly for photography but I also have drawn on my Asus Zenbook for digital portraits. The only issue is it's getting old, and slow. So I'm hoping for a solution that uses the brain of my new computer, but can draw like my old laptop.
So very curious of this video, but I'm also wondering if you have a video or recommendation of a drawing pen monitor that can work side by side to a regular monitor.
So I could essentially do the majority of my work on the main monitor and then slide the PS window to the drawing monitor to do the nitty gritty drawing details that I can't do as effectively with my mouse.
Needs to have pressure sensitivity and be at least 14inches
Can you do this but with different price points? From cheap to really expensive. Would be a good way to know how someone can upgrade and if an upgrade is even worth it.
Cost efficient in the short term, but honestly you can build a cheap pc for the same price and then have the option to add a gpu. Zbrush, maya substance painter and now photoshop all require some sort of gpu these days. You dont have to build a monster rig at first if you cant afford it, just buy stuff that can be gradually added to so you arent forced to resell or scrap old rigs for fresh buys and just save up for parts u need
I love my artist XP-pen 10
Hey Brad, would you like to try the Huawei Matepad 11.5s since it comes with a pre installed sort of procreate drawing app.
Hey Brad, can you review the Redmi Pad Pro? It has a super price.
"Doesn't suck"
Is a pretty important feature.
Awesome review ty for the upload
I'm a console guy, I need my PC to do work. My mini PC does it's job with my huion. I also do extensive background work with blender. It does all that fine with that no name discount Intel CPU that's on the lowest tier on every Amazon listing lol.
My friend recommended me to this type of things so good to know I can get a tablet for that price
now add some vercro on top or bottom of the mini pc, and on the back off the tab, get a shorter cable or tie it behind the tablet
and boom u got a studio you can get on the go
For illustration and comic low end pc usually is decent but you will need more power if you want to do animation and video editing
I do think that the minisforum one is the better option for mini pc
You can even use handheld gaming pc that hype now + pen display tablet + wireless keyboard and you're good to go
Does anyone knows the name of the game he was playing the top down pixel art rpg??? Because it looks really cool!!!
Make setup with galaxy tab a9 and with any stylus
Ok I never thought of using a tablet as a monitor, and is such a genius idea
2:39 isnt huion cheaper than xp pen ?
Make a video like this. Add different price points/budgets.
Personally, I have a higher end budget.
I'm interested in what you would think that looks like. I know some people have mid-tier budgets. Low budgets like this one and insanely low budgets which would be a plus for a lot of people. You could add extras or bundles.
if you do this thing, maybe spring for an amd powered one, these are generally better.
This looks great, you could even travel with it. I wonder if bluetooth would work . . .
Personally I would go a different route and probably spend a bit more. Getting a decent monitor under $200 plus a colorimeter to calibrate it. Instead of a screen tablet going with a traditional tablet which is a good bit cheaper. Going from drawing on paper to drawing on a screen takes adjustment just as much as drawing while looking at a screen without looking at one's hand. This method has some benefits because you get to use a larger screen for less money and position it better to reduce neck and eye strain. Not to mention your hand won't be in the way of seeing your brush in action.
Being an old school digital artist I'm sure this methodology is a minority view but still worth considering if you draw for long hours daily.
yeah a non screen tablet is really good because for cheap you can get an end game offering that even has strengths over display tablets and there isn't necessarily even a need to upgrade ever. with a display tablet i wouldn't go for anything less than 16"
Isnt ipad 10th gen with apple pencil a better option
Fun video. Thanks, Brad.