MeinMMO editor Benedikt Schlotmann bought a mini-PC so that the gaming-PC doesn’t have to run all day long. And it has paid off for several reasons.
In Germany, electricity prices are rising sharply. I also looked around in my daily life to see where I could save electricity. And my gaze fell on my gaming-PC. Because I use this all day for work, but I don’t need most of the performance in my everyday life at all.
That’s why I had the idea to buy a mini-PC. They are often only as large as a book or a cookie tin, but are supposed to be much more economical and take up little space. For me, therefore, a way to save electricity and money while working on the PC.
Therefore, I ordered such a device and tried it out in my daily life for several weeks. I wasn’t looking to replace my gaming-PC.
With my new mini-PC, I save a lot of electricity and don’t have to give up anything in daily life
What kind of device is this? I bought the NiPoGi mini-PC for around 350 euros on Prime Day 2022. It is about the size of 2 apples side by side and comes with pre-installed Windows 11, power and HDMI cables. Inside it has
- a Ryzen 7 3750H. This is a mobile processor that is usually installed in notebooks.
- 16 GB of RAM.
- 256 GB SSD storage. This can also be replaced and thus expanded.
On the back, there are 4 USB ports, a LAN socket, and both HDMI and DisplayPort connections. Bluetooth and Wi-Fi are also included, and on the front, there is a headphone jack and a USB-C port.
| Preview | Product | Rating | Price | |
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NiPoGi E3B Mini PC AMD Ryzen 5 7430U(Bis zu 4,3GHz) 16GB DDR4 512GB SSD mit Radeon RX Vega 7... | Zu Amazon |
*Affiliate-Links. Wir erhalten bei einem Kauf eine kleine Provision von Amazon. Vielen Dank für Eure Unterstützung!
How much does a gaming-PC consume? My gaming-PC has a Ryzen 5 3600 and a Radeon RX 6700 XT installed. In addition, there is memory with RGB lighting, an HDD, and several fans that I have installed in the computer, as well as a CPU fan with RGB. In idle mode, the computer consumes an average of 100 watts. When I use the device actively for work, it quickly reaches 130 watts.
A colleague made a comparison with his system (Core i5 8600K, GTX 1080 Ti, no RGB RAM and lighting) and achieves 50 watts while working.
Basically, the consumption of my desktop system can be reduced with simple tricks: With AMD Ryzen Master, for instance, the performance of Ryzen CPUs can be limited, and a graphics card can be undervolted. The performance loss is also manageable.
How much does my mini-PC consume? The mini-PC consumes 25 – 30 watts in idle mode. Under load, it can go up to 35 watts.
On average, I save between 70 – 100 watts per hour compared to the gaming-PC, depending on the situation. For the pure working time of 8 to 9 hours, I already save at least 0.54 kWh per day.
When I then also do my dailies in Brawlhalla or Genshin Impact on my small system, I save 70 – 100 watts for two additional hours if I don’t start my gaming-PC.
How much do I save? With the current electricity prices, I save between 10 and 12 euros per month when I use my mini-PC and don’t turn on my gaming-PC.
Currently, I am mainly playing Persona 5 Royal on the Switch. Therefore, my gaming-PC remains turned off during the week after work. The Switch is not for nothing my hardware purchase of the year 2022.
What other advantages are there? I am quite flexible with the device and can take it anywhere. I always have a mouse and keyboard with me, as I don’t particularly like notebook keyboards. So I always have my stuff with me on a trip to the office or home.
I can game with the mini-PC if I forego details
Can I play with the mini-PC? The obvious disadvantage is that such a mini system is only limited for gaming. Gaming at 144 FPS in AAA titles is not possible.
However, gaming is quite possible with the device if you forgo details:
- Genshin Impact runs smoothly on low to medium details, and I can complete my dailies or current events.
- Older MMORPGs like Star Wars: The Old Republic also run in medium details on the mini-PC.
- Also, several smaller games and indie titles like Brawlhalla run without problems.
Are there any other disadvantages? Another disadvantage is that the system is audible. When I work or actually play, I can hear the device lightly to moderately humming. The mini-PC is about as loud as my desktop-PC, which is under my desk. Whisper-quiet, as a review describes the model on Amazon, the device is definitely not.
Since I wear a headset while working or playing anyway, I hardly notice the noise, even though the device is next to my keyboard on the table.
I actually introduced my perfect gaming headset in the following article on MeinMMO:
Many manufacturers now offer such mini-PCs
Are there also alternatives? The PC I mentioned here is just one option. If you look around on Amazon, you will find plenty of alternatives that provide similar performance.
- The mini-PC from Snunmu on Amazon is already available with an Intel Celeron J4125 for around 200 euros and is therefore cheaper than my purchased model.
- With the MINIS FORUM EliteMini HX90, there is also a powerful model in mini format, but the price is around 900 euros.
However, not all models are recommended. There are also old devices like the Fujitsu Esprimo Q920 or the HP EliteDesk 800 G2 from 2016 available. They usually cost only 100 euros but rely on outdated technology and are refurbished. In the worst case, there is then no update to Windows 11.
Anyone who wants to buy such a device and also wants to have some gaming reserves should look for a system with a Ryzen processor with “Vega Graphics”. Because the Vega chip outperforms Intel’s “HD Graphics” and is the better option if you want to play.
Other ways to save electricity: A power strip is also a good option if you want to save electricity in your everyday life. Many devices consume a few watts from the socket even when they are plugged in:
Can it harm if I switch off the power strip at the PC?
