Tiny/Mini/Micro PC experiences

[RhelUser]

I've used startech adapters to put 4x NVMe/m.2 sata drives in thinkstation tiny units.....

I've been interesting in these adapters for awhile for use in HP Mini's (800 G3). It seems there are pros/cons.....if you configure the adapter in RAID1 mode, the problem is "how do I know when one of the drives has failed?" - From what I gather, there is no way to tell from host OS when one of the drives fails...hence what do you do? wait for both to fail??

Alternatively, you could configure for JBOD and do raid in OS - which is probably preferred solution. However this requires that the SATA controller of the machine in question supports "Port Multiplier".... there seems to be scant documentation that I can find on HP Minis regarding this feature.

Does anyone know if HP Minis support "Port Multiplier" on its SATA controller?

 

[Czh13]

The unit I’m looking at is a Lenovo ThinkCentre M910Q Tiny Desktop Computer, Intel Core i7-6700T Upto 3.6GHz, 32GB RAM, 1TB NVMe SSD, 4K 3-Monitor Support DisplayPort, HDMI, AC Wi-Fi, Bluetooth - Windows 10 Pro

I’m an apple user mainly but was looking for something small to support windows. I think it’ll be used mainly for simple functions but the only problem is that I have a decently nice monitor and I’m not sure if the cpu can output to its full quality.

My monitor is LG 34WN80C-B UltraWide Monitor 34” 21:9 Curved WQHD (3440 x 1440) IPS Display, USB Type-C (60W PD) , sRGB 99% Color Gamut, 3-Side Virtually Borderless Design


I think it might also be used for photo picking as I take action shots. I would have to dig through thousands of photos to pick out a couple of hundred action shots.

 

[Helzy]

I've been interesting in these adapters for awhile for use in HP Mini's (800 G3). It seems there are pros/cons.....if you configure the adapter in RAID1 mode, the problem is "how do I know when one of the drives has failed?" - From what I gather, there is no way to tell from host OS when one of the drives fails...hence what do you do? wait for both to fail??

You are correct, I going to move mine and am waiting for the arrival of this QNAP unit:

QDA-A2MAR | Use two M.2 SATA SSDs in a single 2.5-inch SATA drive bay with RAID support for PC and NAS

The QDA-A2MAR can accommodate two M.2 SATA SSDs within a single 2.5-inch SATA drive bay. No software driver is required for the QDA-A2MAR, and it can be installed in a PC/workstation (Windows®, Linux®) or QNAP NAS to flexibly add high-performance M.2 SATA SSDs with RAID configurations to meet...

www.qnap.com

Configuring the startech units is annoying and aside from the fault LED's on the pcb (which are impossible to check in a working machine without disassembly), there is no way to verify the health of the drives. The Qnap adapter is the only one I have found that appears to have a RAID manager for Windows utility. I'll report back once I've tried it. I'll be using it with Windows Server 2022 in an HPE ec200a build.

 

[Markess]

I’m an apple user mainly but was looking for something small to support windows. I think it’ll be used mainly for simple functions but the only problem is that I have a decently nice monitor and I’m not sure if the cpu can output to its full quality.

For display, the i7-6700T has Intel HD 530 graphics which should be fine for normal display on that monitor. If you plan to do a lot of HD VIdeo work, you may be stretching it. But for photos, streaming and the like, you should be fine. The CPU's IGP can do resolutions higher than your monitor, and both max out at 60Hz refresh, so for most thiings it should be fine and one won't be more capable than the other.

Since you are an Apple user mainly: For reference, the MacBook Pro 15 Inch "Core i7" 2.6 (late 2016) has the same graphics. The Mac mini i7 3.2 (late 2018) graphics are pretty similar spec wise, but as its is a generation newer (UHD 630) it supports more video encoding/decoding protocols.

Did you plan on connecting with USB C? If yes, I'm not familiar iwth the M910Q, but you may need to get/make sure it has the option USB C port kit. Otherwise, it will have Display Port, and which the monitor has as well.

 

[Helzy]

Also do you have enough resources to run Parallels? Might be a windows option without having to buy H/W?

 

[mobilenvidia]

Kabylake CPUs (7xxxx) support 2160 60p, where as previous gen support 2160 24/30p only, both only via Display port (HDMI falls back further)
To get 2160 60p via HDMI you need an active DP to HDMI converter, my Optiplex 7070 has one as an option

 

[vespasmurf]

Hi all looking for suggestions ,

i'm currently using a think center M710Q I5 as my pfsense box ,
with a Lenovo official dongle as an external NIC, works well
did try using a tp link one,but seems to cause problems,

this seems severely over powered,

I've since bought a HP 260 G2 DM i3-6100U ,
to use instead and repurpose the former for proxmox ,
want to keep the firewall in a separate device ,
its been a bit unstable probably because i think the RJ45 is realtec ?

i already have a dual intel pcie NIC ,originally for a elitedesk I7 G3
which is my main proxmox server ,

is there a way to use the PCIE ,NIC with some sort of riser M2 ? on the HP I3 ?
not fussed about keeping it internal
did look at some solutions but seem to be for GPU'S ?

cheers in advance

 

[cdr]

Hi,

I'd like purchase a used SFF or mini tower machine which

• doesn't consume much power when idle (30w or less?)
• supports at least 2 drives, preferably 4+
• can run Proxmox with Jellyfin and NAS as the main applications
• (optional) supports transcoding well
• is cheap

Any suggestions? I searched through the forums and wasn't able to figure this out; perhaps I wasn't looking in the right places.

Thanks!

 

[dinjo]

How can I add 2.5.gbe nic to M90q gen 3

 

[zer0sum]

How can I add 2.5.gbe nic to M90q gen 3

Grab a PCIe riser and put in a NIC?

 

[dinjo]

Actually i went ahead with m80q Gen3 as it gives 2.5gbe ethernet but it has T processor 12100T vs 12100 but no pcie x 8 slot which i guess wont be needed.

It costed me 34200 ~ 420USD

 

[a5ian300zx]

Hi All,

I got a Lenovo P360 (which i custom build to lower the costs) eg removed the OS license as i already had one, i9 12900 CPU that way i dont need to get the GPU package, added 2.5GB NIC, WIFI6 Interl (could not see option for WIFI 6E) and changed the speaker to a premium speaker which was free to do and did make a massive difference compared to the standard one, I can actually hear youtube clips now.

I want to get a PCIE Riser card and have read I need to go for the one below, the only place I could find it in the UK.

I will add a 10Gbe (I already have a Asus 10GBE which worked fine on my Lenovo M720Q with riser card) also have the X550-T2 which also worked fine.

PCIex4 5C50W00909
Lenovo 5C50W00909 CARDPOP BLD Tiny8 PCIex4 5C50W00909

The only other place i could see was Taoboa and Superbuy (which I found bit annoying last time) could not even logon to Taobao even though i created an account to search for the part.

I was trying to look for the Thunderbolt 4 Add on card but could not find the part number but also the ones i did come across were ridiculously expensive, well over £200.

 

[dinjo]

Which ssd should I get for Ubuntu server on optiplex 3060 sd it only supports pcie 2.0

But I found this mod to enable pcie 3.0 Dell OptiPlex 3060 - Enable NVMe Gen 3 speeds (Enable PCIe 3.0)

Anyone using nvme?

 

[chaoscontrol]

Has anyone got 64GB working in their HP Deskpro 400 Mini G3? HP says max supported is 32GB but the i5 7500T should be able to handle 64GB. I hope someone can confirm before I buy the ram.

 

[camp]

There are plenty of dual NIC B/M key ones, some use 2x i210 and some use a single i350.

Mini PCIe Mini PCIe 2 Port Copper Ethernet Lan Card ( Based on Intel I350)

3 years warranty, OEM/ODM, LR-LINK

www.lr-link.com

NISK300LAN Mini-PCIe 2x Gigabit LAN Card with universal I/O bracket - Assured Systems

NISK300LAN Kit with universal I/O bracket is specifically designed with NISE300 and NISE 4000/NIFE 4000 models for network connectivity expansion. It provides dual Intel® Gigabit Ethernet ports with the latest I210IT controllers.

www.assured-systems.com

MINI PCIE to dual Gigabit Ethernet mpcie to 2 ports 100/1000M lan card inter Chipset INTEL 82583+AMS1182E : Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories (but OOS)
MINI Pci-e to Dual port Gigabit Ethernet Server NIC network card 1000M mini PCIe SFP fiber network card INTEL 350AM2 Chipset : Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories (dual SFP, but so large you may as well get a Lenovo Tiny and use the PCIe slot)

I just need to find a dual NIC A/E key one. Here's a single port Intel one :

http://[URL][URL]https://m.aliexpress.com/item/1005003493235386.html

[/URL][/URL]

In the meantime I've found an A/E key 2.5GbE which is a new one for me :

M2-225 - 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet LAN M.2 Module - Global American

The M2-225 is a low power, high performance M.2 2.5 gigabit Ethernet module. This is the perfect solution for small form factor or embedded PCs to expand functionality and speed.

globalamericaninc.com

Here's an M key quad port if you have space for a 2280 :

Commell M2-350 Intel Dual / Quad GbE Controller I350 Series

Commell M2-350 M.2 Intel Ethernet Controller I350 Series - PCIe to Dual / Quad Gigabit LAN - M.2 Key M 2280 interface

www.bvm.co.uk

Etc.

I picked up the single port Intel A/E key - https://m.aliexpress.com/item/1005003493235386.html

Has anyone had success getting this card to work? I can't get the OS to recognize it. Based on the chip markings, it's an i210AT.

 

[bigfellasdad]

How can I add 2.5.gbe nic to M90q gen 3

I use realtek 2.5 usb nics and they ate fine, just make sure they don't go to sleep if you are fiddling with power top etc

 

[joeribl]

I picked up the single port Intel A/E key - https://m.aliexpress.com/item/1005003493235386.html

Has anyone had success getting this card to work? I can't get the OS to recognize it. Based on the chip markings, it's an i210AT.

I have an 210at in my m720q, looks like the same one. No problem here with ESX 7u3 to recognize the card.

 

[camp]

I have an 210at in my m720q, looks like the same one. No problem here with ESX 7u3 to recognize the card.

Interesting. Thanks for the feedback. Perhaps I have a bad card.

 

[rub1k]

Wanted to mess around with some (small) Proxmox VMs -- is it worth spending ~$160-170 on an EliteDesk 800 G4 Mini (I5-8500T, 35W) in 2023 (hah) or is there some better $/specs TMM box I could pick up these days? Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[cptcrunch]

@rub1k The 8th gen i5s are still plenty powerful. I run about 6 of those in a vmware cluster with 32gb-64gb of memory via iscsi and no issues. For $160, it is a good way to get started, even if they are "old".