I upgraded my storage and ram on my PC so now I have these two extra components sitting around. I kind of want to build the tiniest PC I can. Where can I find some discussion for it?

Or what other things might they be used for that I wouldn’t even think of?

Thanks :)

  • StarOP
    2•6 months ago

    It’s not vital to keep the ram since it is definitely bulky when it comes to a mini pc.

    I also don’t necessarily need a “normal” case. Could I make something weird? Could I make a shoe-computer?

    • Alto
      1•6 months ago

      Could you? Probably. Should you? Probably not.

      Realistically unless you’re up for spending at minimum of a couple hundred bucks, you’re not going to get a true mini-pc (unless you want to buy a NUC or something, but that kinda defeats the purpose). Any mini-itx case you’d want (<14L) is going to be around the $100 mark on the cheap end. Unless you really luck out and find a compatible used motherboard on the cheap, youre looking at another $100 minimum. Could get a used 4600g for ~$65, but it’s probably not going to come with a cpu cooler if it’s used. Add in a power supply that fits, that’s another $140 on a good day.

      Small form factor PCs are stupid expensive because it’s a fairly niche market that very few people absolutely need.

      What I’d personally do is find a used dell inspiron or similar for <$150 and toss that all in it

      • StarOP
        1•6 months ago

        I definitely know. I already made myself a small form factor case. My cat is bigger than my computer ;)

        I like these niche hobbies and the silliness that can go into it. I think I spent $250 on this case and (k, due to covid) it took more than a year to ship. Now its smallness is so large!

        Worth it :D

        • StarOP
          1•6 months ago

          Couldn’t post the picture here, sso I posted it to cats. My cat and my PC nvm. idk why i can’t upload my pic. another time :)

        • Alto
          1•6 months ago

          In that case (pun intended), your best bet would probably be to try to find a NUC (or similar) that supports expansion. I think I remember seeing some that did, but it’s been a few years since I’ve looked into that market. I know intel stopped making them first party, so it might be a pain in the ass to find now

    • @PeachMan@lemmy.world
      1•6 months ago

      Sure, the sky is the limit. You could also just get a motherboard, processor, and power supply, plug everything in and shove it in whatever container you want.