When you’re looking for a mini PC to run your home theater, you may be unsure of which one is best. Here are some options: Intel NUC 817HNK, Lenovo M70q Tiny, Acer Chromebox CXI3 or the Intel Compute Stick. Read our reviews to see which one suits your needs best. We’ll also discuss how they compare, including pros and cons.
Intel NUC 817HNK
The Intel NUC 817HNK mini PC is the best choice for home theater. It comes with an Intel Core i7 processor, Radeon RX Vega M GL graphics, and 8GB of DDR4 RAM. With these specifications, it’s perfect for home theater purposes, especially if you plan to pipe video to up to six displays at once. Those with VR headsets can also enjoy the immersive experience of virtual reality games.
The NUC is a powerful home theater PC with HDMI video output and Thunderbolt port. It is a versatile platform for creating compact media streaming boxes and full-fledged home theater PCs. The slim chassis only weighs 38mm and doesn’t support SATA III HDD. Overall, this mini PC is a good value for the price and will deliver excellent performance. It can be an excellent option for those who don’t want to spend too much on an external storage device.
The Intel NUC 817HNK is a compact HTPC that offers 4K video and virtual reality gaming. It features an Intel Core i7 8809G processor, with a top speed of 4.20GHz. It also comes with a 1TB hard drive and can be expanded up to 2TB with the use of NVMe storage. These features make it ideal for the home theater, and it is affordable enough to meet many users’ needs.
Another crucial factor to consider when choosing a mini PC for home theater is storage capacity. The ideal amount of storage is 128GB. This is enough to watch movies in 4K resolution and download entire seasons of your favorite shows. Additionally, the Intel NUC 817HNK mini PC is a budget option with plenty of performance. Its portability makes it easy to integrate with existing home theater hardware and will also enable streaming 4K videos.
Lenovo M70q Tiny
Despite its diminutive size, the ThinkCentre M70q Tiny is more powerful than the ThinkCentre M70q. Designed for home theater use, it can play HD videos and music and even handle photo editing. It has a generous three-year warranty and is currently out of stock. However, you can save money by buying a more affordable model, such as the HP ProDesk 400 G6 Mini PC. Both models share the same amount of internal storage and are powered by the same 10-generation Intel Core processors.
Whether you plan to use the PC for home theater or for general use, the M70q Tiny features a six-core Intel Core i5-10400T processor. While this processor is sufficient for most tasks, it is not fast enough for more demanding tasks such as video and photo editing. If you plan on doing professional work, you need a computer with a larger amount of memory and a larger SSD. Fortunately, the M70q Tiny PC comes with a range of ports that you can upgrade.
For basic work and school, this machine’s Intel Core i5 processor is enough. It’s also capable of video chatting, basic photo editing, and basic video editing. However, if you plan to use the computer for Photoshop, you should upgrade the RAM to 16 GB, or at least get a bigger SSD. Despite the powerful processor, you should not expect much gaming performance. If you want to play games, you should buy a separate graphics card.
While this tiny PC can’t replace a traditional desktop PC, it can serve as a great entertainment center. Its compact design allows it to be easily transported from one room to another. Its AMD Ryzen processors have enough power to run PC games and photo editing. Purchasing the AMD Ryzen 5 version is best value, but you can also purchase the cheaper AMD Ryzen 3 version for even more budget-conscious buyers. You can also upgrade to the AMD Ryzen 7 version if you need more processing power for professional use.
Acer Chromebox CXI3 for Home Theater
If you’ve been contemplating a mini PC for your home theater, you should definitely consider the Acer Chromebox CXI3. The Acer Chromebox is a portable computer that converts an HDTV or spare monitor into a powerful, flexible workstation running the popular Google OS. It’s also an excellent choice for business and school use. This lightweight computer measures just 5.9 by 1.57 by 5.85 inches and weighs around one pound. You can mount the device on a wall or a monitor with the included stand.
The Acer Chromebox CXI3 comes with a variety of features, including built-in antivirus protection and a Kensington lock slot to protect your media files. It’s also incredibly easy to open and upgrade the system. To access the RAM and M.2 SSD, simply peel back the rubber strips at the bottom of the unit and remove four Phillips-head screws. Then, you’ll have access to all four RAM slots and a USB 3.0 port.
As for connectivity, the Acer Chromebox CXI3 has a plethora of ports. Two USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports are on the front, along with an HDMI output, a microSD card slot, and a 3.5mm jack. Its USB ports also include DisplayPort over USB-C, so you can easily hook up a second monitor for a larger screen. The Chromebook also supports multi-touch gestures and has a Kensington-cable locking notch. The mini PC is small enough to slide into a backpack and still be easily portable.
This powerful ChromeOS mini PC isn’t cheap. It’s designed primarily for business and education use, but it’s not the cheapest machine in the market. For a high-end, fully-featured mini PC, you can opt for a more powerful model, such as the ACEPC T11 mini PC. However, the Acer Chromebox CXI3 will still leave you feeling unsatisfied.
Intel Compute Stick for Home Theater
The Intel Compute Stick is a tiny portable PC that looks like a USB. Its HDMI connector plugs into the HDMI port on your television. The Compute Stick is powered by a micro USB connector, so it can be plugged into any TV with an HDMI port. To test whether it’s working, you can press the power button to see if it will work. It is designed to run on just 10 W of power.
The Intel Compute Stick was first introduced in 2015, but its early version had limited functionality, including only one USB port and fairly slow processing. It can also be used in the office as a smart TV. You can watch YouTube from the device, and you can even use it to install apps and run websites. The Compute Stick also has the capability to turn any screen into digital signage, allowing you to share information and schedule content with others.
The Intel Compute Stick’s portability is one of its primary selling points. Its portability makes it a better option than competing media devices. Although it’s not as portable as a Mac Mini or a cheap media device, the Compute Stick is powerful enough to download files and play videos. It’s also incredibly small, and can be set up in ten minutes. It’s best to get an Apple iPhone charger for it though, as it may cause the Compute Stick to reboot if the power plug is not connected properly.
With its quad-core processor, the PC stick can stream HD videos and perform essential computer functions on your television. It has a 32GB SSD and one USB 2.0 port. It also supports microSD cards up to 128GB. You can connect the Intel Compute Stick to an HDMI or a DVI port and use it as a Bluetooth receiver. The Bluetooth function is finicky. In addition, the Intel Compute Stick requires a constant power supply.
Intel NUC 11 Enthusiast kit
You can buy a NUC with multiple ports and an enthusiast kit to make it perfect for home theater use. The Intel NUC 11PHKi7C is a commercial-grade system that has all the ports you need for multitasking and supporting up to four 4K displays. With this system, you can create the ultimate home theater experience. Here are some things to keep in mind while choosing a home theater kit.
The NUC 11 Enthusiast Kit for home theater uses a soldered-on Intel Core i7 quad-core processor and dedicated NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 GPU for high-performance gaming. It supports demanding tasks with up to 64GB of memory and two high-performance M.2 solid-state drives. You can install the Windows 10 operating system on the Intel NUC 11 Enthusiast Kit.
A smaller, laptop-style fan keeps the NUC cool when in use. It can be a bit warm to the touch when running at full speed, but only a few degrees hotter than ambient temperatures. The high pitch of the fan is noticeable, but it is not overly loud or distracting, and it isn’t audible unless you’re using a significant amount of audio.
An Intel NUC 11 Enthusiast Kit is one of the most affordable and powerful mini PCs on the market. It is an ideal option for home theater or content creator boxes, as it is compact and powerful. Whether you’re looking to build a home theater or use the NUC as a personal voice assistant, this kit is sure to fulfill your needs. You can choose between different memory and storage options and choose the best configuration for your specific needs.
