after 39€ discount price drops to 345€

My question is which one should I buy, the aoostar barebone is 270€.

Of course it seems like the soyo s4 plus is a steal. (the deal is only in germany i think)

But the brand soyo is rather not well known and I dont know how reliable it is.
The purchase is from aliexpress, and therefore probably no warranty.
the ram even though 24gb ram is enough for me, its soldered, when the ram fails, the whole pc is broken.

The aoostar barebone costs 270€ + 16gb ddr5 ram (used costs 110€) + ssd (50€)

Whenever someone asks for mini PC recommendations, why do I never see the ASRock DeskMini X600 paired with an AMD Ryzen 7 8700G being suggested? It delivers performance comparable to an AMD 8845HS, but with the build quality of ASUS

Hi Everyone.

I'm not using that PC lately so wanted to sell the CPU and they are quite expensive and leave the barebone for now to come back to this PC in the future eventually.

I removed the cooling just fine, removed the CPU and installed the cooling back on just without the CPU. And now I've got a problem as both screws just keep spinning both directions, so I wont be able to remove the cooling if needed in the future.

I was very gentle with everything, it's not my first PC I worked on, so there is no way I overtightened those screws or something. Both screws act exactly the same, I can't see anything on the back of the chassis.

I wonder if maybe there are such "gold" mounts underneath that are used between the motherboard and PC chassis, that sometimes became loose and were causing such issue? Or is it some kind of pressure safety feature when the CPU is not installed so it prevents the overtightening?

https://vimeo.com/1236319317?share=copy&fl=sv&fe=ci

This is the video showing what I mean.

Regards

Nothing particularly groundbreaking here, but when I was putting together my latest build, I found it surprisingly difficult to find detailed information beyond just "yes, it fits."

Some posts mentioned having to remove or loosen part of the case frame, while others suggested removing a component from the GPU itself.

So, just to clarify things based on my own experience:

• The SAPPHIRE NITRO+ Radeon RX 9070 / 9070 XT fits inside the Fractal Design Ridge.
• Installation requires removing two additional screws (marked in photo [1]) and gently flexing the left metal section of the case frame outward [2] to create enough clearance for the GPU.
• However, you won't be able to fully close the top of the case afterward. The screw holes won't line up, no matter how much you try to push it into place [3]. The interference is caused by the case's side panel mounting clip coming into contact with the GPU's decorative side panel [4].
• The solution is to remove the GPU's plastic side panel, which is held in place by six screws, and leave it off. Once that's done, the case closes perfectly, with everything lining up as it should.

One thing that really makes this setup possible is the placement of the GPU's power connector.

Having it recessed into the card rather than sticking out from the edge makes a huge difference. It allows this kind of tight fit without having to awkwardly or excessively bend the power cable or put unnecessary stress on the connector.

Hopefully, this helps anyone considering the same GPU + case combination! :)

I've seen a number of Beelink EQR5 wall/desk mounts, but I was looking for something with a little bit of added security for use in a somewhat public space. You know, along the lines of "locks keep honest people honest" — not an impenetrable fortress, but a deterrent.

A friend had an older Aoduke Mac Mini G4 secure mount and wasn't using it anymore. If you remove some of the rubber strips on the inside, an EQR5 slides in nicely with all ports available. Test fitting pic above. My main concern is that there is only a small gap between the security bar and the rear cooling vents (maybe 1–1.5cm).

Anyone else have an EQR5 in a secure mount? Thoughts?

(the lock in the pic is an example; something stronger would be used if this mount was used)

EDIT: yes, as noted, there is not much gap between the bar and the exhaust vents. Options include:

• something besides the bar that is narrow to offer better airflow, like a cable that fits through;
• a different mount that has a security option;
• some other physical security solution, like a security cable;
• no physical security at all.

Planning to buy Bosgame VTI-490 in EU, https://www.bosgamepc.com/products/bosgame-vti-490-intel-core-ultra-x7-358h-16c-16t-up-to-4.8ghz-64gb-lpddr5x-9600mhz-1tb-pcie4.0-ssd-

Maybe there are some owner in here and can comment, how it is, like noise part, any good for LLM?

Any other issues?

For some reason i am playing a videogame which ever, and it just randomly crashes, then it switches to the integrated one which is less powerful, i tried with the drivers, cleaning physically, system menu and nothing, when i see if it's available it the system it just greyed out, it's not even a temperature issue so i have no idea on what to do, can someone help me? at this point I'm just thinking on getting a bigger pc if i can't find a solution for this one.

My specs

GPU2 - AMD Radeon RX 6600M - Discrete/Hybrid

VRAM2 - 8176 MB - GDDR6 1750 MHz

Graphics - AMD Radeon RX 6600M

Graphics Manufacturer - Built by AMD

Usable Memory Size - 8176 MB

Core Clock - 2177 MHz

Memory Type - GDDR6

Memory Clock - 1750 MHz

Memory Bit Rate - 14.00 Gbps

Total Memory Bandwidth - 224 GByte/s

BIOS Version - 020.003.000.030

BIOS Date - 2022/08/11 06:37

Bus Type - PCI Express 4.0

Current Bus Settings - PCI Express 4.0 x8

Driver Version - 25.10.45.05-260808a-203303C-AMD-Software-Adrenalin-Edition

AMD Windows Driver Version - 32.0.21045.5002

Direct3D API Version - 12.2

Vulkan™ API Version - 1.4.315

OpenCL™ API Version - 2.0

OpenGL® API Version - 4.6

Direct3D® Driver Version - 9.17.11.0281

Vulkan™ Driver Version - 2.0.353

OpenCL® Driver Version - 32.0.21045.5002

OpenGL® Driver Version - 26.08.250223_d1f9d32

2D Driver Version - 8.1.1.1634

UI Version - 2026.0808.1636.2068

AMD Audio Driver Version - 10.0.1.42

Driver Provider - Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.

Windows Edition - Windows 11 Professional (64 bit)

Windows Version - 26H2

A quick update for those keeping an eye on the Geekom A5: The 2027 refresh retains the familiar rose-gold chassis of the 5800H model but makes a massive leap forward in terms of emissions.

- Noise level: max. 31.5 dB(A) under full load (the predecessor was significantly louder).

- Features: 2.5G LAN, UHS-II SD card reader, support for 4 simultaneous displays.

- Downside: still no USB4/Thunderbolt.

Click here for the review in English:

https://www.notebookcheck.net/Geekom-A5-2027-review-Surprisingly-quiet-What-the-new-version-of-this-budget-mini-PC-has-to-offer.1423873.0.html

Hello,

So, long story short, my Minisforum UM773 SE was not powering on, and I took it to a repair shop to have it looked at. It turned out that it had a burned mosfet near the DC port, and enough of the motherboard was affected to where replacing a few parts would not be an option, and it is unfixable. Now, I'm trying to decide on a replacement mini PC that has equivalent or just slightly improved specs and efficient cooling.

Since beginning my search, I have heard that it is best to avoid Minisforum, but then I see others with Minisforum PCs having had no issues at all.

I found a refurbished Minisforum UM773, barebone that I am considering because, since I have the SSD, RAM, and Wifi card from my old PC, I can just install it into this refurbished one. Swapping out the SE shell (Sakura Edition) and putting onto the refurbished PC would definitely void my 1 year warranty as I was told, so I'm turning away from that option.

So, I have moved onto some Geekom mini PCs. I first came across the Geekom A5 here, and it looks pretty good. I did notice the DDR4 instead of the DDR5 in the UM773. Is that a big difference? And is it related to RAM at all? The UM773 also has the 680M graphics, but I can't tell what the graphics are on the A5. I do some light to medium gaming, but nothing really heavy like AAA games, by the way. Would the A5 2027 Edition be a downgrade from the UM773?

I am also considering the Geekom A6 here, because it has the same graphics, 680m, and ddr5, just like my UM773 did. I also think that the Minisforum UM773 has dual RAM sticks because I because two sticks were removed from the PC at the shop.

One more model I am considering is the Geekom AX8 Max . I love the light purple color instead of just silver, gray, or black on most PCs. Plus it's an upgrade to my previous Minisforum. However, it is the priciest of the 3.

If anyone can assist in my decision, offer advice, recommendations, how these models compare to the UM773, and so on, that would be very helpful. Thanks in advance!

Title: Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 mini PC + 64GB (2x32GB) DDR5 SO-DIMM: random crashes under memory load, same on a second unit. Not temperatures. BIOS/AGESA issue or RAM compatibility?

Setup:

- Mini PC: TOPC TS-12C, Ryzen AI 9 HX 370

- RAM: Kingston Fury Impact 2x32GB DDR5 SO-DIMM (KF560S40IB-32), 2Rx8, SK hynix chips

- OS: Arch Linux and Windows

Symptoms:

- Linux: 27B-class LLMs (LM Studio) crash the machine; 9B models are mostly fine

- Windows: black-screen crashes in games under load

- The system completely freezes or reboots, sometimes with screen artifacts

- FurMark and CPU-Z pass

- Lowering the RAM speed to 3000 MT/s (memory data rate, not CPU clock) only delays the crash, it doesn't fix it

Already tried:

- Temperatures: I first suspected overheating of the RAM, so I fitted copper heatsinks on the modules. No change, same crashes.

- BIOS: I updated the firmware on my first mini PC (the older unit) to version 1.45. It fixed the power button and sleep behavior, but the crashes remained.

- Each module alone and in different slots

- Several different SSDs

- A second, newer mini PC shows the same crashes

AMD lists dual-channel dual-rank DDR5-5600 for the HX 370, so a dual-rank kit like this should be supported at that speed. I don't know yet whether the culprit is the kit, the BIOS/AGESA or the platform.

Questions:

1. Is anyone running 64GB (2x32GB, dual-rank) SO-DIMM stable on an HX 370 at 5600? Which kit and BIOS?

2. Are there known memory training or AGESA problems on Strix Point SO-DIMM boards, and any BIOS settings that helped without dropping far below 5600?

3. Has anyone tested this exact Kingston KF560S40IB-32 kit on another HX 370 mini PC, or confirmed that a different 2x32GB DDR5 kit is stable on the TOPC TS-12C? I'm trying to work out whether this is a Kingston-specific compatibility issue or a platform-level problem before I return the unit.

Thanks!

Did Asus goes insane? They charge 1050$ for 512GB SSD and 1000$ for 1TB, i know you smart ass would not buy it but it s there, the bad intention is in your face.

This system delivers strong local AI inference performance while maintaining excellent power efficiency and acoustics.

The test was conducted with Qwen3.8 Flash-Next, UD-Q4_K_XL, running on an AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 with 16 cores and 32 threads, paired with the integrated AMD Radeon 8060S (Strix Halo) GPU and 96 GiB of GPU memory. The system was running Fedora Linux 44 with gufo-runtime 0.15.0 in a container environment.

For this test, the system was configured in Silent BIOS mode, with MTP speculative decoding using 7 draft tokens, prompt caching enabled, and the fabric clock pinned for consistent performance.

Inference Performance

On ordinary prose generation, the system achieved a median decode speed of 37.7 tokens per second.

Across different prompt lengths, decode performance remained stable:

• 3,803 prompt tokens: 1,466 tok/s prefill, 34.8 tok/s decode
• 15,048 prompt tokens: 1,489 tok/s prefill, 39.0 tok/s decode
• 30,008 prompt tokens: 1,476 tok/s prefill, 39.8 tok/s decode
• 59,977 prompt tokens: 1,470 tok/s prefill, 36.7 tok/s decode

This means the system maintained approximately 1,470–1,490 tok/s prefill performance even with prompts approaching 60K tokens.

The median decode speed increased to 75.5 tok/s on repetitive text, while a sustained-load test across 23 requests achieved a median decode speed of 38.4 tok/s.

The system also passed the 30,030-token needle test, achieving 1,444 tok/s prefill, demonstrating reliable long-context retrieval performance. It achieved 11/11 on factual questions, 2/2 on vision checks, and successfully passed the tool-call test.

Power and Thermal Efficiency

Under sustained AI inference load, GPU power consumption averaged 80.0 W, with a maximum of only 81.1 W. The maximum GPU edge temperature was 59°C.

In Silent BIOS mode, my testing shows that the system can retain approximately 95% of its inference performance while reducing power consumption by around 40% compared with the higher-power configuration.

At the same time, system noise remained around 53–56 dB, providing a comfortable acoustic profile for sustained local AI workloads.

Multi-Session Performance

The system can also handle multiple concurrent AI sessions.

With one active session, the system achieved approximately 37 tok/s. With two simultaneous sessions, each session delivered approximately 28 tok/s, for a combined throughput of 55 tok/s.

A full 262,144-token context window was tested successfully in a single session, using approximately 90.8 GiB of GPU memory. Two simultaneous sessions with 131,072 tokens per session used approximately 91.0 GiB of GPU memory.

The Result

With Qwen3.8 Flash-Next UD-Q4_K_XL, the Ryzen AI Max+ 395 and Radeon 8060S platform demonstrates that high-performance local AI does not necessarily require a high-power discrete GPU.

With around 80 W sustained GPU power, the system delivers approximately 37.7 tok/s on ordinary text generation, up to 1,489 tok/s prefill, supports a 262K-token context window, and can run two concurrent AI sessions while maintaining practical throughput.

This makes the platform particularly well suited for local LLM inference, long-context workloads, AI assistants, vision tasks, and privacy-focused on-device AI applications.