Putting Two Old Mini PCs Head-to-Head!
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- Опубліковано 8 бер 2024
- Hello there and welcome to my video. In today's video, I'll be comparing two older mini-PCs that can be had for relatively cheap in some modern tasks such as audio editing, video editing, and 3D CAD! One of the PCs has as Core i7 3770S, and the other's got a Core i5 6500T, so it's a true battle of the generations!
Link to the awesome dragon model used for the Cura slicer tests: www.thingiverse.com/thing:650...
Music, in order:
Beyond - Patrick Patrikios
Papov - Yung Logos
Soul Searching - Causmic
Sunday Rain - Cheel
Island Dream - Chris Haugen
Luxery - Causmic
Sunny Days - Anno Domini Beats
upgraded my dad's PC recently to i7 3770 and was surprised that it works pretty well for daily usage like web browsing and youtube
Awesome video! I have always loved mini PCs! I think they are so cute!
Agreed! Love mini PCs, they also make great home servers due to their compact size and power efficiency! Used to use that Lenovo as a Minecraft server a long while back.
@@CompHwTipsAndTutorials Indeed, I assumed you hooked up some high capacity external hard drives for storage or did you use a NAS?
@@dezhocob It was a smaller personal MC server, so it didn't need too much storage, but I did try to get it talking to my NAS. Didn't really like it though, sometimes the server would stop to make the backup and then it just... Wouldn't come back. Not too sure what was going on there, but in the end, it backed up to one of its internal drives which is better than nothing, though not too redundant.
@@CompHwTipsAndTutorials That all makes sense!
Thanks for the comparison, I enjoyed it. I'm always interested in older PCs and their upgradability.
love to see this content i love the tower versions though i cant get my hands on one sadly
I had a 6th Gen Lenovo Mini like that and it was so different. my Ram and NVME were on the bottom and the SATA caddy didn't have to remove wifi.
Interesting that my 6th gen HP mini PC has the opposite when it comes to the M.2 slot. It supports NVMe but not SATA.
@CompHwTipsAndTutorials If you wanted to, it's possible to buy a Mini PCIe card slot to dual SATA adapter and expend the system's storage ability giving it two additional drives without sacrificing the ODD. However I'm not sure would both additional drive be reconised in the UEFI/BIOS. Just thought I'd mention it.
I recently got a M710q off of eBay and wanted to use is as a couch game streaming PC using Steam big picture mode. While it all worked, the UI was slow and frame time was pretty bad with the existing i3-6100T. So I did just what you mentioned at 4:26 and I upgraded to a i5-7400T and after installing it into the socket, it worked without any issues!
That's awesome that you were able to get a 7400T working, nice!
You can use this adaptor in the open expansion slot in the Dell for a graphics card on this system.
ADT-Link M.2 NGFF NVMe Key M Extender Cable to PCIE x16 Graphics Card Riser Adapter 16x PCI-e PCI-Express for M2 2230 2242 2260 2280 (25cm)
then you can use an external graphics card enclosure and power supply to run the GPU.
MerainMe Video Card Holder Bracket Support ATX Power Supply EXP GDC Graphics Dock PCI-E Extension Riser Cable DIY Aluminum Computer Graphics Card Holder Black
Just search them up and this stuff is fairly cheap to buy. This might make s fun video for you to try out in these small systems.
Thanks for the video idea, I'm going to add that to my list! I wonder how the limited bandwidth could affect the GPU performance, definitely an interesting question to answer
@@CompHwTipsAndTutorials I know right.. ??? Its totally got me wondering. lol
I have the Lenovo ThinkCentre that you have. I'm currently running Tiny11 on it.
Been thinking about picking up one of these small PC's to slap OpenBSD on it and run a tor node, I was using an old laptop, but it was not the best solution.
I have a Toshiba Q556 i5-6500T 12GB DDR4 run at 2133 same as yours 8+4. It used on TV console and play as Batocera Wii games.
These Mini PCs using DP port for display. Maybe require the adapter if need to connect to HDMI display
No NVMe is a limitation of the M700, the M900 and M710 both can do it no matter the CPU. Normally the M700 can't take 7th gen or later chips, but there exists a guide to mod the M700 and M900 to take up to 9th gen chips.
That's interesting, thanks for sharing that info!
@@CompHwTipsAndTutorials Yeah I did a lot of research because I'm wanting to get either a M900, Mx10, Mx20, or Optiplex x050. There are some goofy models like M910x/M920x that can take two M.2 SSDs and one SATA, but they're kinda rare.
I have a couple of 3rd gen Lenovo micro boards. Thinking about making a custom case and using it as a linux machine. Also thinking about attaching it to the back of a TV to use as a streaming media device.
Attaching one of those to the back of a TV as a streaming device would be a sweet project!
I have three M900 with 6500T and M.2 works fine with nvme drives, but 1TB 970 evo plus gets very! hot if sandwiched with a SATA drive above.
The only problem was a x2 nvme drive from WD ( two notches ), which was not detected...gl
Interesting, I can see how the cooling in these systems would become a large issue with higher end drives
I have Laptop which using 11th Gen Core i3. Well, this processor has fewer core and thread compared to i5 8th Gen (specifically 8365U)
But I love the fact, if 11th Gen i3 support big RAM size and some capability, 8365U have. also same 6 MB Cache
Very interesting, thanks for the comparisons.
If you don't mind entertaining noob questions, I have a dead Lenovo (PSU Fried) thinkcentre USFF that has 2 X 8G ram cards in it, can I use them in my refurbed i7 Dell Optiplex 9010 SFF? It was a cheapy that only came with one 4G card but i know that it has 4 slots and the PSU and processor can handle up to 16 G.
The ram specs for Lenovo was DDR3 1600Mhz.
It won't hurt to try the 16GB kit, if the Dell Optiplex 9010 also uses DD3. The worst that could happen is it doesn't work. Your PSU has no factor in ram quantity or compatibility.
@@frommatorav1 Thanks, I'll give it a whirl. Oh and that was a typo, the second 'PSU' there I meant 'processor' lol.
Definitely give the 16G kit a shot! As the other commenter here said, worst that can happen is it doesn't work/POST. As long as both of the sets of RAM are DDR3 and the same form factor, there likely won't be any issues. Also, a CMOS reset may or may not be required to get the system to POST with the new RAM sticks, at least I've had that be the case on a few systems I've worked on before.
@@CompHwTipsAndTutorials Thanks, yes it needs a fresh clock battery then I'll try it, I've saved a video about resetting CMOS for new ram on a Dell, if it fails to post on boot; thanks again for your video and advice.
The Dell has miniPCIe which is the predecessor of M.2 (it seems that it literally means M(icroSATA Gen).2) and in theory you may also put a mSATA SSD in there, it can work but mustn't, the manuals don't mention mSATA but it was already around for a few years when the 7010 got released.
That's interesting, thanks for sharing!
Bet that they are better than my Acer
2-3-4th gen systems like this will also take appropriate Xeon cpus. So it might be cheaper to put in an 8 thread cpu. But watch out as some 2/3rd gen boxes don't have usb 3. 6th gen onwards will NOT take Xeon CPUs. Intel segregated them from that gen onwards. But any system that has a 6th gen Core should take 7th gen with a bios upgrade. Lower idle wattage makes 7th gen still fairly good choices for home lab server use.
That's interesting that Intel separated core and Xeon at 6th gen, I'll keep that in mind, thanks!
5:38 looks like it would support msata
What is covering your table with all those circles, lines, rulers?
I've got a mat; it's technically designed for cutting stuff like fabric on but it's real nice for protecting my wood tabletop. Here's the link for the one I use: www.amazon.com/Headley-Tools-Healing-Quilting-Scrapbooking/dp/B0BJKSX6J2/ref=sr_1_8?
Thanks so much!
Actually the Lenovo has a headset socket, not a headphone socket - very useful for video calling etc
Good catch, missed that one!
New video🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
I bet by patching the BIOS of the Lenovo mini PC, you could convince the system to boot from an NVMe drive.
Interesting idea, could be worth a shot
We want to see the performance on the browser not just apps that no one will use in their daily use
I was going to do browser performance, but they were both so responsive there was next to nothing to say. UA-cam and such was buttery smooth, and even though they don't have hardware acceleration for it, 4K playback was completely doable
Got one of these for a plex server. It's just as responsive as a i5-13600k for 95% of what most people do.
From personal experience, I will highly disagree with that statement. From going with an i5 6500 to an i5 13500T, the difference was tremendous. The old system took seconds to open up emails and load files and was so sluggish to use. The new one works so much more efficiently and quickly that I would say only 5% wouldn't be able to tell the difference.
I think i5 6th gen is better than i7 3rd gen. Am i right???
Depends on whether or not power is important to you, as you probably saw later in the vid :)
Yes depending on the number of threads the software has, but in most cases a 6th gen i5 will be better.
Not necessarily because there's no hyperthreading and it was lower powered 6500T. The 3rd gen i7 3770 isn't power limited and has hyperthreading, 4c/8t.
I went from an i5 6500, not power limited, to a 13500T, which is power limited but has a lot more cores and threads. It feels at least 3 times faster than the 4 core, 4 thread i5.
In single threaded work loads, yes, in multithreaded, no. You'd have to jump more than three generations to notice an improvement between an older i7 and newer i5.
@@GoldenGearGrinder actually you'd only need to jump to 8th gen to notice a big improvement.
Of 3rd gen i7 Is old, then i am elderly😂
The first of the ivy-bridge intel cpus are soon to turn 12 years old, it weirds me out too but theyre definitely getting old now
@@ethan4820k yea lol
Haha, well I was speaking in terms of computing hardware, but I feel ya ;)
@@CompHwTipsAndTutorials :D
In my opinion both of these should be avoided. My work computer was recently upgraded from a Dell SFF Optiplex 3040 with a 6500 in it with 8GB DDR3 and a 2.5 250GB HDD to a Dell or Lenovo SFF with power brick, like the 2nd system shown. The difference is the cpu is a 13500T, has 16GB of DDR4 (I think SODIMM) and an nvme 512GB storage. It also has USB C, built in wifi (6e) and bluetooth, which the previous system didn't have. The difference between the 2 systems is night and day. Both of the systems you're comparing would be the night. lol
My work life has been so much better using the new system, I could never recommend to use a system similar to my old one.
That's a very fair opinion, I think the only thing that might be a selling point for these older systems is that the Lenovo especially can be found for about 60 dollars used, whereas I'm certain that sweet sounding system with the 13500T cost the company at least a few hundred bucks
I run blender on a 9020 dell , since i dont really render i can get upto a 15 million polys until i get a bit of slowdown, as i use it ro create models for 3d printing ... i will accept a bit of sluggishness over spending 2-3 grand for a new pc and a stupidly over expensive graphics card.. £100 or £2,000 plus what would you choose ?
Pc gamers go away before you start i have a ps5 , my games work fine on par with pc performance... without all the bug glitches slowdown on a more powerful pc
Accepting a bit of sluggishness to avoid spending a ton of cash is totally valid! Definitely one of the reasons that I enjoy taking a look at this older hardware; it's just so cheap and available to people.
that's it, i don't need a sledgehammer to knock in a nail. and since i sold some 3d prints made on that pc its paid for itself. i am not saying i created a living doing that only sold £200 ish worth of prints so i am not advocating it as a career path.. but i really like putting old hardware to use... if there able to function with the web fluidly and can run some pc apps at a decent performance there still good especially for emulation. @@CompHwTipsAndTutorials
My pc has a i7 4790 oveclocked as much as i can do it to a non k cpu
Msi 1660 super gaming x overclocked to 2100mhz clock and 7500mhz memory clock
Also 16 gigs of ddr3 1600khz
Windows 10pro on a 512gb ssd and i have a 512 hdd
Overall its actualy a really good pc and the performance is about the same as ny friends pc with a i3 11th gen and a 1660ti
Im happy with the build cus ive got it all for like 250$ hahahah
250 for that is pretty sweet, nice rig!
@@CompHwTipsAndTutorials xD ty
Yes the Lenovo will use 7th gen CPUs.
That's cool!
I suspect that the elephant in the room for such systems is the upcoming phasing out of Windows 10. Such systems will not be supported by Windows 11. On the other hand, with many businesses replacing their hardware because of this issue there are absolute bargain used systems out there if you want to run Linux. NVMe capable systems - mostly with 7th generation “kaby lake” processors - seem exceptionally good value. They are substantially cheaper than 8th generation (officially) Windows 11 capable systems.
Yeah, that's very true regarding Windows 10's phasing out. Technically people can do the Windows 11 registry hacks to get it working, but I don't really like doing that. Linux will certainly be the main option for these older systems in the near future
Of course, SATA SSD's will be slower than M.2 SSD's
Actually that's not strictly true - the earliest implementations of M.2 ports on motherboards, especially on SFF PCs, ran at SATA speed only.
In other words, you can't just make the "blanket statement" that you have done, you need to research the hardware, especially older and used stuff.
@@terrydaktyllus1320 thanks for pointing this out. I didn't know that.
@@davinpYou're welcome, it has caught me out at least twice also.
...🎉👏👏👏🎉! Also 4 your algorithm.
Hold up you havent even compared a proper 6th gen chip...
Yeah, a proper 6500 would have definitely done better. Though, I was comparing the power limited versions of each chip (though the 3770S still had a higher power limit than the 6500T)
6th Gen M700 Tiny + M.2 SATA + SSD, 8th Gen M720 + M.2 NVME + SSD (days and night) ... and DELL 5050 micro 7th Gen + M.2 NVME + SSD not that good design it need M.2 heatsink that fit... buy when its cost like nothing.
It always amuses me how a lot of content creators put together what starts out as an interesting video, only to completely "botch" it at the end.
Microsoft no longer cares about PCs of this age and older - they've shown that in the supported hardware lists for Windows 11 (no, I don't care about what others here got to work on Windows 11 with registry hacks).
The great news for everyone else is that with so many "mindless lemmings" rushing to upgrade their machines for Windows 11, there is a HUGE amount of this hardware available dirt cheap on your favourite auction sites, and this hardware FLIES under a decent Linux build.
Why do content creators like you work so hard to avoid using Linux? You really are NOT getting the best out of this hardware any more with bloated and privacy-hating Windows 10 (or 11).
I've already been over why I use Windows in these general videos, Linux will happen sometimes with specific cases. This is not one of them. If me using Windows to provide relevant performance for the people who don't use Linux (cough cough 72% of them) continues to bother you so much, this probably isn't the channel for you.
@@CompHwTipsAndTutorialsIt's your channel, do what you like.
I am simply making a polite observation given the opportunity to add comments to your video, which I am told helps the algorithm anyway.
I simply believe that the hardware would be put to better use and greater efficiency by not putting a completely bloated and privacy-hating OS on it - and that comes from someone who has been working on servers and PCs both professionally and as a hobbyist for more than 4 decades now.
I believe that experience and knowledge counts for something - if you choose to ignore it then that is entirely your choice, but I will still choose to add my opinions wherever I consider it necessary. You can even block them if you wish - again, your channel, do as you please.
But, at the same time, you sound "aggrieved" that someone would deign to question the content of one of your videos when you already post it in a public place that invites comments!
That seems contradictory if anything, unless you're running your own "echo chamber" where all you expect to receive are comments containing positive reinforcement.
I'm anything but offended that someone would take the time to think about and criticize my content but starting a constructive comment with a snarky line about content creators and specifically mentioning that I "botched" my video with Windows isn't the right way to open what's meant to be a constructive comment.
Also, continuing with personal attacks when following up isn't smart, I'll just throw that out there. Criticizing content will never get a commenter blocked, being a rude person will.
Your experience absolutely counts for something, but I feel we've talked about this before and it's just a tired argument. It's important to understand that, as a content creator, I'm trying to create content that pertains to the most people so that it can (hopefully) positively affect the most people in their decisions. Doesn't always go to plan, but that's just life. It's an indisputable fact that the majority of people use Windows and will consider buying one of these PCs to use Windows on it. Therefore, Windows performance is the performance that they care about.
Additionally, the edge case people like you who have this vast knowledge of Linux and how to use it effectively will know that if one of these computers is performing decently in Windows - Which I believe both of these were in this case - they'll perform even better with Linux.
Linux was a consideration in the making of this video, and I was thinking about adding it alongside Windows. Though, it got cut because the video is quite long already. I understand that you're very adamant about Linux on these older systems, and that's respectable, but it's just not something I feel is the right choice for me and my content the majority of the time.
Thank you for taking the time to contribute your thoughts on Linux, as I know you mean no harm. However, for the time being, Windows will remain my OS of choice for demonstrating what old hardware can do in the average person's desktop/workstation tasks.
@@CompHwTipsAndTutorials "I'm anything but offended that someone would take the time to think about and criticize my content but starting a constructive comment with a snarky line about content creators and specifically mentioning that I "botched" my video with Windows isn't the right way to open what's meant to be a constructive comment."
I never used the word "offended", you did.
I stand by my statement - old hardware like this is "botched" when you put a bloated and privacy-hating OS on it. It's the computer that is the "botch", not the person doing it. Although I consider that person to be misguided in doing it.
"Your experience absolutely counts for something, but I feel we've talked about this before and it's just a tired argument. It's important to understand that, as a content creator, I'm trying to create content that pertains to the most people so that it can (hopefully) positively affect the most people in their decisions. Doesn't always go to plan, but that's just life. It's an indisputable fact that the majority of people use Windows and will consider buying one of these PCs to use Windows on it. Therefore, Windows performance is the performance that they care about."
I think this is the first time that we've spoken, I've not been subscribed that long but I like your content otherwise.
There's no denial from me that most people use Windows - some have to use it, but most people could use Linux and maintain their privacy. It's their choice but it's a poor choice.
"Additionally, the edge case people like you who have this vast knowledge of Linux and how to use it effectively will know that if one of these computers is performing decently in Windows - Which I believe both of these were in this case - they'll perform even better with Linux."
Indeed, that is my core point - "why settle for second best when it comes to PC performance?"
"Thank you for taking the time to contribute your thoughts on Linux, as I know you mean no harm. However, for the time being, Windows will remain my OS of choice for demonstrating what old hardware can do in the average person's desktop/workstation tasks."
And thank you for the adult discussion here. You use what works for you but to me being "average" isn't good enough in computing circles - not in 2024 when many bad companies are trying to wreck your privacy, I think the "average user" should work a bit harder to protect themselves.
You seem to have a lot of ideas and experience that you're passionate about sharing. Have you considered starting your own channel at some point?
Also I'll note: We did talk extensively about Linux vs Windows on my laptop from 2006 video, which is why I came into this comment so tired of that argument.
Both are dinosaurs. Neither can run Windows 11 and are outdated junk.
i5-6500T has TPM 2.0 to upgrade to Windows 11 Pro, even i7 3rd Generation without TPM 2.0 can use bypass command prompt method to launch updates. Those CPUs could run Windows 11 without an issue because my backup Laptop CPU i7-2760qm and 16GB, years 2011 runs Windows 11 Pro version 23H2 smoothly.
Neither will natively run Windows 11 though it is possible to work around that with registry hacks. For some things they are outdated junk, but they certainly do have their use cases. The Lenovo is probably better used for 60 bucks than a new 60 dollar chromebox will be (god forbid a 60 dollar Windows machine)