SOYO M2PLUS2 Mini PC: Intel N100, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD US$97.01 (~A$145) Shipped @ Cutesliving Store via AliExpress

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SOYO M2PLUS2 Mini PC: Intel N100, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD US$97.01 (~A$145) Shipped @ Cutesliving Store via AliExpress

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nerdinary on 20/06/2024 - 14:21 aliexpress.com (2931 clicks)
Last edited 20/06/2024 - 14:27 by 2 other users

24SS12

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In the market for a N100 Mini PC and came across this deal:

Use coupon code 24SS12 for an additional $12 off. After adding taxes should be around ~$151 AUD.

Specifications:

Model M2PLUS 2
CPU Intel Alder-N Lake N100 up to 3.4GHz
GPU Intel® UHD Graphics, (up to 750MHz)
Memory LPDDR4,16GB
Storage 512GB SSD
Interface （usb3.2 * 4）,(HDMI2),(1 * power supply),(1 headphonejack),(1 * DP),(1 * RJ45)
Network Intel 3165NGW/2.4G/5G,WiFi
Bluetooth Intel 3165NGW/BT4.0
Weigh 444g
Size 112mm x 124mm x 50mm

Original Coupon Deal

Computing Computer Mini PC Soyo

20 Jun 5:59pm

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closed Comments

noisymime on 20/06/2024 - 14:34

+3

Amazing that you can get a 16gb/512gb very usable box for this price these days.
- kungfuman on 20/06/2024 - 14:43
  
  +1
  
  yeah but how good is it really
  - noisymime on 20/06/2024 - 14:45
    
    I mean, it's all relative, but by all accounts the N100 is quite usable depending on your use case. It's a lot faster than the rPi5, though without the GPIO.
    - pinkybrain on 20/06/2024 - 14:58
      
      -6
      
      N100 is more powerful but ..
      
      pi5 has more community support and alot of different purpose built software projects made for the pi ..
      
      N100 essentially is just another PC (in very small form factor), which you can install windows or linux on it.
      - noisymime on 20/06/2024 - 15:01
        
        +4
        
        @pinkybrain: Most people are going to use these as a SFF PC or server rather than something that needs GPIO though. Just look through this thread and it's people asking about games, Plex, Home Assistant etc, all things that will be better on this than a Pi5.
        
        Not saying the Pi doesn't have it's place, but it's a fairly specific set of requirements that call for it compared to something like this
        
        pinkybrain on 20/06/2024 - 15:13
        
        -8
        
        @noisymime:
        
        Most people are going to use these as a SFF PC or server rather than something that needs GPIO though
        
        Well of course they would only be using it for that cos this is essentially just another PC,
        which is same as all the dell USFF and SFF deals posted here
        which I think might be even more powerful…
        
        The point I was making is that pi5 has many Pi built projects that work great with the pi.
        From mediaplayer (libreELEC) to pihole,smart mirror, emulation machines and many other projects.
        
        If you want a PC experience and software built for PC/Linux in a slightly bigger form factor than a pi then this would better since it is more powerful.
        
        Just look through this thread and it's people asking about games, Plex, Home Assistant etc, all things that will be better on this than a Pi5.
        
        Someone asked about media playback which I assume they want to use it as a mediaplayer possibly for their TV etc..
        
        If using for kodi etc, I think the pi 5 is much better than these PCs with kodi installed on it..since pi has HDMI CEC support and built in bluetooth (for headphones).
        Do these have built in bluetooth?
        
        Also I am concern about how much long term support this N100 machine will get from this company (in terms of drivers or how well these will last and warranty)
        
        Pi Community is very strong (for help) and their devices have proven track record of working long term, plus there is warranty.
        
        scotty on 20/06/2024 - 16:56
        
        +6
        
        @pinkybrain:
        
        From mediaplayer (libreELEC) to pihole,smart mirror, emulation machines and many other projects
        
        Those run on any Linux x86-64 distro. Kodi runs well on those mini PC as well. Heck, mainline Linux kernel runs on N100 rather than needing a specific distro like RPi.
        
        Do these have built in bluetooth?
        
        Provided by Intel 3165NGW, which is well supported by both Windows and Linux. However from one of the review photo it looks like it's soldered on.
        
        Also I am concern about how much long term support this N100 machine will get from this company…
        
        It's a x86-64 standalone PC. You'll find PC community is far bigger than RPi's.
        
        pinkybrain on 20/06/2024 - 22:50
        
        -1
        
        @scotty:
        
        Those run on any Linux x86-64 distro. Kodi runs well on those mini PC as well. Heck, mainline Linux kernel runs on N100 rather than needing a specific distro like RPi.
        
        Yeah I know Kodi runs well on the N100 just like it does on the pi5.
        You can even install LibreELEC on it..
        However I think you missed my other comments about N100 (or any other type of PCs) does not have HDMI-CEC support built in unlike on the pi 5.
        So if you want to use this as mediaplayer for your TV, you can't use your TV remote to navigate Kodi..
        
        Provided by Intel 3165NGW, which is well supported by both Windows and Linux. However from one of the review photo it looks like it's soldered on.
        
        From my own experience with using bluetooth audio/headphones on Windows,
        it is not alway that great, since there can be lag or stutter…
        
        Maybe if someone can test how well bluetooth audio headphones work with this N100 bluetooth chipset in kodi/libreELEC
        then it would be good know (if there is any stutter or lag)
        
        It's a x86-64 standalone PC. You'll find PC community is far bigger than RPi's.
        
        Yeah of course PC communty is bigger since everyone has a PC and there are dedicated windows forums or subreddit you can ask for help.
        Most people also already have plenty of windows experience so they can even solve most of their problems on their own if they are knowledgeable or can google.
        
        What I meant was in terms of the different pi projects that are available (e.g. LibreELEC, pi hole or any other pi projects etc) there are dedicated communities/forums and subreddit out there for those projects..
        
        u u on 20/06/2024 - 21:18
        
        +3
        
        @pinkybrain:
        
        N100 machine will get from this company (in terms of drivers
        
        Drivers for what? The drivers will be on intels website, included with windows/linux like the usb drivers or updated through the os. Theres no special or custom parts here.
        
        pinkybrain on 20/06/2024 - 23:08
        
        -1
        
        @u u:
        
        Drivers for what?
        
        Bluetooth, network, audio and any drivers that a new version of Windows may need that is specific to the parts that are in this machine..
        
        If next version of Windows does not have those drivers for this machine parts (e.g. Bluetooth or whatever)
        then you are reliant on the manufacture to update their drivers..
        
        Also manufacturer of the device drivers usually are more better (have more features, comes with software that can change settings has a nicer UI (e.g. realtek)
        Windows drivers are just basic and has no extra software to change settings…
        
        Have you every experience the yellow exclaimation mark in device manager?
        it means there is no drivers that can be found in Windows drivers online database
        
        Theres no special or custom parts here.
        
        Have you ever built your own PC?
        
        Usually you need to get drivers from the manufacturer for the motherboard etc
        else you just get the basic Windows drivers (if it exists at all) and don't get any software to change settings as mentioned above…
        
        u u on 21/06/2024 - 01:42
        
        +1
        
        @pinkybrain: You are grasping at straws to find things to complain about this computer.
        
        Drivers are the least of your concerns when this computer uses commodity parts.
        
        If you dont like the drivers that come with windows or windows update then you can use the drivers from the oems website if the soyo website doesnt have it.
        
        Usually you need to get drivers from the manufacturer for the motherboard etc
        else you just get the basic Windows drivers (if it exists at all) and don't get any software to change settings as mentioned above…
        
        I gave you 3 places where you can find drivers for this computer so im not sure why you are omitting one of them which is also the best place to find drivers for the hardware since the one you omitted is also the one who actually writes the driver.
        
        Have you ever built your own PC?
        
        Do you know that soyo doesnt write the drivers and they get the drivers from intel/realtek etc and just repackage it up in their own installer?
        
        Do you know you can even get the drivers for the Intel 3165NGW from the dell or hp or lenovo website because it is the same driver?
        
        pinkybrain on 21/06/2024 - 07:30
        
        -1
        
        @u u:
        
        You are grasping at straws to find things to complain about this computer.
        
        These are FACTS not STRAWS
        just ask anyone that has ever built a PC (which clearly you probably have never done)..
        
        Companies like Asus, Gigabyte, MSI provide drivers for their motherboard (which are provided on the included CD and you can also go to their website for the updated drivers).
        
        These drivers are usually better than microsoft basic drivers
        cos they may come with a UI that allows you changes settings (e.g. Audio realtek, VGA drivers)
        
        If you dont like the drivers that come with windows or windows update then you can use the drivers from the oems website if the soyo website doesnt have it.
        
        You think majority of people go to different OEM websites to hunt for those obscure drivers or do they actually just prefer to get it directly for the manufacture e.g. Asus, MSI, Soya?
        
        Most people don't even know about OEM websites and just get their drivers from the included CD or just let windows install the basic drivers for them.
        
        I gave you 3 places where you can find drivers for this computer so im not sure why you are omitting one of them which is also the best place to find drivers for the hardware since the one you omitted is also the one who actually writes the driver.
        
        Again repeat the same answer
        "Most people don't even know about OEM websites or know to go to INTEL and just get their drivers from the included CD or just let windows install the basic drivers for them.
        
        Do you know that soyo doesnt write the drivers and they get the drivers from intel/realtek etc and just repackage it up in their own installer?
        
        So what?
        
        Most people (average consumer) only know to get drivers directly from Soya or just use the basic drivers that Windows installed for them ..
        They are not gonna be hunting down drivers from different OEM and intel places like you are suggesting.
        
        Average consumers are all that techy as you think they are capable of doing all those things you said
        
        u u on 21/06/2024 - 19:06
        
        +1
        
        @pinkybrain: So before it was your concern and now its average consumers concern. Make up your mind.
        
        If the average consumer isnt all that techy then windows update is more than good enough to get the drivers. If they know how to use the computer makers website then they will be easily able to google "Intel 3165NGW drivers" which takes them straight to the drivers on intels website. They dont even need to hunt around the oems website. Stop exaggerating how hard it will be to find drivers for this machine. You are wrong. deal with it.
        
        pinkybrain on 21/06/2024 - 20:48
        
        -2
        
        @u u:
        
        So before it was your concern and now its average consumers concern. Make up your mind.
        
        My concern is just as valid as it is for the average consumer..
        and it is also based on experience of building my own PCs..
        
        I am looking at both from an experience as a tech pc user as well as an average consumer.
        
        You clearly have not built your own PC to make these dumb arguments replies..
        
        When you build your own PC, you get drivers on a CD which you use to install for Windows to recognize all the main components of the motherboard..
        ie Network, audio, VGA, wifi, bluetooth etc
        
        If you want updated drivers you go directly to the manufacturer website e.g. Asus, Gigabyte, MSI etc to get the lastest drivers..
        
        The drivers that Windows provide maybe outdated and is also very basic..
        
        It is always to better to get the proper updated drivers directly from the manufacturer website.
        
        Also Windows may not have the driver for that particular component, so you need the driver provided by the manufacturer.
        
        If the average consumer isnt all that techy then windows update is more than good enough to get the drivers.
        
        Yeah and what happens if there is a new version of Windows (windows 12, 13 or whatever) and windows does not have the driver for that component?
        You will end up with a yellow exclamation in device manager and that component will be not working..
        
        If they know how to use the computer makers website then they will be easily able to google "Intel 3165NGW drivers" which takes them straight to the drivers on intels website.
        
        You expect average consumers to start hunting down individual drivers for all their components from OEM sites?
        Or are they more likely to get it directly from the manufactures website..
        
        And as mentioned above, what happens if there is a newer version Windows and windows does not have drivers for some of those components?
        Then you have useless N100 that cannot run the latest version of Windows..
        
        Stop exaggerating how hard it will be to find drivers for this machine. You are wrong. deal with it.
        
        LOL..
        Not exaggerating, this comes from years of experiences of building my own PCs..
        You clearly have no experience in doing this based on your stupid arguments.
        
        Since you are so SMART …
        
        Please tell me where is the official SOYO website where I can download all the individual drivers for the motherboard or contact them for SUPPORT or for WARRANTY?
        
        I tried googling but can't find them anywhere
        
        https://www.google.com/search?q=SOYO&rlz=1C5CHFA_enAU965AU96…
        
        SueyJitSu on 22/06/2024 - 08:25
        
        +1
        
        @pinkybrain: For drivers try DriverEasy. Free version should find all drivers needed. I used it for my KAMRUI AK2 Plus Mini PC (N100) when I did a clean install. Been running perfectly fine for 6 months as an Emby server.
        
        scotty on 22/06/2024 - 12:50
        
        +2
        
        @pinkybrain: The funny thing is — you were comparing this to a Raspberry Pi. Did I even mention Windows in my initial reply? And then you asked
        
        You expect average consumers to start hunting down individual drivers for all their components from OEM sites?
        
        Just to answer your question — we are not talking about custom firmware on a motherboard packed with features here. so what "components" are you expecting? Wi-Fi & Bluetooth are provided by Intel 3165NGW. No idea about the ethernet — Realtek 8111 or Intel i210? Audio is probably also Realtek like most mini PCs. Other components are all routing through standard interface, and motherboard would have implemented ACPI. The point is — it's not a niche hardware and the standard drivers would all have been bundled or auto-fetched by Windows anyway. Those are also most likely in Linux mainline kernel, rather than needing binary blobs from a specific distribution, i.e. Broadcom in the case of RPi. Just look around — lots of people running Windows on old hardware and Linux on obscure hardware.
        
        But back to your original point — you were comparing this to a Raspberry Pi. RPi has advantage of lower wattage, smaller size, and built-in HDMI CEC (which can be solved with an external adapter for those who need it on their mini PC). However in terms of price/performance ratio, x86 flexibility — this unit wins by far (at the expired deal price especially). I can't see how "drivers" are an issue especially comparing to RPi, as it's just commodity hardware.
        
        netsurfer on 22/06/2024 - 13:33
        
        +1
        
        @scotty: I have a Pi 5 and an N100 mini PC (Chuwi Larkbox X). Just want to clarify on Windows 11 and drivers on these cost effective Mini PCs. Drivers first:
        
        If you were to do a complete fresh install, while most of the drivers do get installed by Windows 11, there are a few N100 chipset related drivers which don't get installed automatically.
        
        In Chuwi's case, the easiest way is to download the driver pack from Chuwi Web site. The pack is a zip file with drivers (for various devices) but there is no setup.exe.
        
        However, from device manager, one can still go through about a dozen devices one by one without correct driver installed and ask Windows to look for the driver in the directory containing of the uncompressed zip file contents (obviously have Windows scan sub-directories).
        
        I cannot find the driver pack download for this SOYO mini PC and downloading from Chuwi site is probably not an option (as you need a valid serial number). Perhaps one can try Beelink site.
        
        Of course, if one is happy with the pre-installed Windows 11, then it is fine (but that has excess drivers, because these Mini PC makers do component swaps on network cards and WiFi cards (so the pre-install has all those drivers installed - as hidden devices) and some people are cynical about it being malware free. For Chuwi, if you were to activate it, it will obtain a digital license to Windows 11 Home. That will make it a bit harder for you to install Windows 11 Pro later on. With these Mini PCs, it is likely the Windows license is hacked, rather than legit. This one has Windows 11 Pro (guessing also through the same loophole) which is better than Windows 11 Home.
        
        Another minor annoyance is you need to figure out the keys to press to enter the BIOS and Boot Menu. Don't get me wrong, N100 Mini PC is a better buy at this price for most people.
        
        scotty on 22/06/2024 - 15:34
        
        @netsurfer: Thanks for the correction. I guess I haven't built a PC with fresh install of Windows for ages. They either come preinstalled with Windows or flushed with Linux.
        
        netsurfer on 22/06/2024 - 15:43
        
        @scotty: Good to know OZB boss buys proper legit / decent products, rather than like me buying cheap toys out of FOMO 😂.
        
        u u on 23/06/2024 - 16:09
        
        @pinkybrain:
        
        Since you are so SMART …
        
        Please tell me where is the official SOYO website where I can download all the individual drivers for the motherboard or contact them for SUPPORT or for WARRANTY?
        
        I said OEM
        
        Sounds like this is a YOU problem.
        
        Anyone who is not well versed with setting up a computer can just use the drivers that come with windows or windows update.
        
        Anyone else who cant find it on the system manufacturers website as one of the sources can get it from the OEM along with a bunch of other places like HP, Dell, Lenovo etc since the parts in this N100 machine arent anything special.
        
        It's funny that you think that missing out on the bloatware that comes with some pc drivers makes it unusable when the drivers for the raspberry pi don't come with bloatware either and thats not an issue to you.
        
        You can keep creating strawmen arguments which dont even make sense but at the end of the day this is the FUD you tried to spread and it is wrong:
        
        Also I am concern about how much long term support this N100 machine will get from this company (in terms of drivers
        
        pinkybrain on 23/06/2024 - 16:57
        
        @u u:
        
        You can keep creating strawmen arguments which dont even make sense but at the end of the day this is the FUD you tried to spread and it is wrong
        
        LOL, I ask you a very simple question
        
        Please tell me where is the official SOYO website where I can download all the individual drivers for the motherboard or contact them for SUPPORT or for WARRANTY?
        
        Since you think you are so smart about all the other answers ..
        
        Why can't you give me their official website?
        
        You are the one that is spreading bullshit, if you can't even answer my simple question…
  - BatmanAU on 20/06/2024 - 14:51
    
    N100 are pretty good for basic stuff, anything more and it bogs down
    - knk on 20/06/2024 - 16:48
      
      I've got a chuwi minibook x with a somewhat throttle n100 from what I gather and it's pretty decent honestly.
      I run a small managed service provider and it's my backup / always in the car laptop.
      
      Performs well enough to do what I do, runs a web browser and the basic remote access / network admin tools I need easily enough. Can feel that it's no where near as quick as the big ole ryzen thinkpad I have, but it has it's place.
      
      It's come in handy quite a few times, and I've got a holiday booked overseas shortly and I'll probably just take that rather than lugging the thinkpad around.
      - BatmanAU on 20/06/2024 - 18:53
        
        @knk: Nice, what did that set you back?
        
        knk on 20/06/2024 - 21:22
        
        +1
        
        @BatmanAU: Worked out to $290 after a bit of aliexpress-fu. There were some on there are low as $140 but I'm pretty sure they're scams.
        
        It's just a stupidly low amount of money for something functional. I've got a dock / screen setup at the girlfriends house and half the time I don't bother bringing the other laptop if I just need to do a small amount of work from there.
        
        Once you get it onto a decent sized screen it isn't really all that much of a hindrance compared to a larger laptop unless I'm doing something that requires me to access a lot of different systems / servers at once - gets a lot less nice to use then but it's still not terrible you just adapt to how you're working.
        
        Downsides are that the battery is dogshit basically.
    - gizmomelb on 20/06/2024 - 19:20
      
      +1
      
      I've been using my N100 based mini PC since August 2023 as a nightly usage PC for web browsing, watching youtube and downloading. It's more than capable at doing all of those things simultaneously and uses less power in 24 hours than my desktop uses in 1 hour.
      - bamzero on 20/06/2024 - 19:44
        
        @gizmomelb: Yeh they seem pretty capable. I think it's the N in the model name that makes me think of them like the underpowered Atom processors from when netbooks were a thing but I guess time makes all the difference.
        
        9 years between the N100 and the G3258 in my NAS but would outperform it at a fraction of the power consumption.
        
        gizmomelb on 25/06/2024 - 20:00
        
        @bamzero: the atoms were mosdtly 32bit from memory (or at least the few atom based mini pcs I still have all are), the N100 / N95 etc. series are 64bit. I have a cut down Windows 11 (mjni 11 - google it) installed so it doesn't have all the usual windows 11 bloatware installed (ie: edge got the boot) and it runs very nicely even with the built in 12GB RAM.
        
        bamzero on 25/06/2024 - 20:21
        
        +1
        
        @gizmomelb: I made good use of 98lite and XPlite back in the day (hard to believe the site is still up and even available to purchase)
        
        Admittedly since then got lazy though.
      - knk on 20/06/2024 - 21:26
        
        +1
        
        @gizmomelb: yeah I was pleasantly surprised by this one. I bought it more for the form factor and figured meh, if it performs really badly and I need to just install a linux distro to make it a bit smoother, or remote desktop to something else to do all my work that's fine for me.
        
        Didn't need to do either of those things.
        
        gizmomelb on 25/06/2024 - 20:01
        
        @knk: yeah it's my nightly use PC and I fire up the gaming desktop mostly on weekends
  - morebunnings on 20/06/2024 - 15:27
    
    -3
    
    OK for 1080p. Cant do 4K properly (IE drops frames when trying to play a 4k 60hz youtube video)
    - jasonxc on 20/06/2024 - 16:47
      
      +10
      
      I don't understand why people keep saying the N100 can't do 4K. It absolutely can play and transcode 4K easily.
      - gizmomelb on 27/06/2024 - 00:04
        
        @jasonxc: You've got to remember that these are just simple farmers. These are people of the land. The common clay of the new West. You know… morons.
    - gizmomelb on 20/06/2024 - 19:30
      
      +3
      
      try connecting it to wired network, wifi for most stuff is terrible.. especially streaming 4K video.
    - Dogsrule on 20/06/2024 - 20:00
      
      No way, I've got a passively cooled N100 (Mele Quieter 4C) and it does 4k60 YouTube flawlessly.
      - pinkybrain on 20/06/2024 - 23:11
        
        +1
        
        @Dogsrule: Does it have AV1 hardware decoding?
        
        The Terratronie on 21/06/2024 - 01:01
        
        +2
        
        @pinkybrain: yep all n100 and n95 cpu's have AV1 hardware decoding..
        
        Dogsrule on 21/06/2024 - 07:25
        
        +1
        
        @pinkybrain: Yep sure does.
- MrMcHairyHead on 20/06/2024 - 15:16
  
  +9
  
  And a 2000$ MacBook still ships with 8GB
  - kungfuman on 20/06/2024 - 15:29 Comment score below threshold.
    - knk on 20/06/2024 - 16:51
      
      +6
      
      This hasn't been true for probably a decade.
      
      I was the guy who would bang on about how much more memory efficient linux is and how much of a pig windows is. Realistically now, that only applies to servers.
      
      Fact of the matter is 90% of a persons workload is usually in a web browser and that just eats memory. You need "enough" to do this, and for most people to not want to stick needles in their eyes in an office environment is around the 12gb mark from what I've seen. Of course very few devices come with that, so 16gb is where we standardize.
      
      The OS relative to the application load is so small these days that the difference between OS is minimal in terms of memory usage.
Neeerrk on 20/06/2024 - 14:35

Thanks OP. Grabbed one, have been thinking the old RPi4 Home Assistant is due for an upgrade, I doubt you could get a RPi5 for close to that.
- bamzero on 20/06/2024 - 14:45
  
  +1
  
  Yeh, especially if you want to do more than run HA, better off with something like this. Stick Proxmox on it first.
  - Neeerrk on 20/06/2024 - 14:54
    
    That looks a bit fun.
    I'm running my Radarr/Sonarr/Plex container stack in Ubuntu on a similar N95 machine, I might have a play with moving that onto Proxmon before I scrap the Pi.
    Nice one 👍
    - knk on 20/06/2024 - 16:53
      
      that'll be pretty easy to move across.
      The easiest / quickest way will probably be to just DD the entire disk across to the proxmox server.
      
      Create the appropriate (virtual) disks and VM in proxmox on the new server, remove the disk from your current server and get it connected to the current one (or image it to something else, whatever works depending on what you have). You'll want to just dd it like dd if=/dev/originaldevice of=/dev/destinationvirtualdisk
      
      If you're lucky, it should boot after that. Ensure you configure uefi if needed.
  - jasonxc on 20/06/2024 - 16:49
    
    +4
    
    Stick Proxmox on it first.
    
    I have a different N100 MiniPC and initially installed Proxmox, but it wouldn't recognize the Realtek LAN ports. Apparently this is a common issue because Proxmox uses an older kernel version that doesn't have the right realtek drivers.
    
    Installed Ubuntu Server with Cockpit instead and it works fine.
- asCMSas on 20/06/2024 - 15:28
  
  +1
  
  Just FYI - an 8gb pi5 can be had for for [$135] (https://core-electronics.com.au/raspberry-pi-5-model-b-8gb.h…) alone.
  - Neeerrk on 20/06/2024 - 15:37
    
    +3
    
    Exactly, I'm not going to get out of that for under 200 bucks once you add storage, PSU, case and cooler.
  - jasonxc on 20/06/2024 - 16:51
    
    +3
    
    This miniPC at $145 is better value for money. 16GB ram, 512GB SSD and an iGPU that's very capable at transcoding.
spock on 20/06/2024 - 14:41

+1

BT.4 is a bit old but still a good deal.
- netsurfer on 20/06/2024 - 15:35
  
  The WiFi card is likely changeable. Not sure about this one, but for another N100, there is a lot of WiFi card lottery.
Irishness on 20/06/2024 - 14:41

are these capable of playing / streaming 4k movies or better with a dedicated graphics card?
- poglet on 20/06/2024 - 14:53
  
  +2
  
  This will work great for playing / streaming. The CPU has hardware acceleration for the common video formats.
  - Irishness on 20/06/2024 - 15:01
    
    thanks just looked up the specs
- pinkybrain on 20/06/2024 - 15:00
  
  -3
  
  problem is there is no hdmi CEC support so it is not as good as pi5 with kodi as a media player for your TV
  
  also not support if this has built in bluetooth support
  - gizmomelb on 20/06/2024 - 19:26
    
    +1
    
    only a very few PCs have CEC support, the older NUCs did. I've been thinking of buying a FLIRC USB so I can then use my harmony remote to control tv, soundbar and PC.
- Dogsrule on 20/06/2024 - 20:03
  
  From personal experience - easily.
killingtime on 20/06/2024 - 14:43

+1

Be great if it had/exposed SATA ports, could use it as a NAS then
- gizmomelb on 25/06/2024 - 20:05
  
  I just bought an N5095 based ITX size motherboard (17cm x 17cm) that has the industrial version of the N series CPU - it has 12 SATA ports and yes, I will be making a NAS out of it. Cost me $188 AUD from amazon AU. Is slightly cheaper from ali express. There are a of similar N100 based ITX systems for around $170 AUD which include RAM and have 6x SATA ports as well as 4x 2.5GB ethernet ports if you want/need them.
josem on 20/06/2024 - 14:44

Can anyone advise what free OS I can load into this machine that is easy for a beginner to install and use. Preferably almost Windows like in usage.
- Poshy on 20/06/2024 - 14:47
  
  -1
  
  Proxmox
- drinkin-beer on 20/06/2024 - 14:48
  
  -1
  
  Nothing really, just buy a $3 windows key off Alibaba and be done with it.
  - AndrewMTG on 20/06/2024 - 14:56
    
    +1
    
    i mean you could also just run windows normally ? just not activated ?
    
    there's those 🏴‍☠️ power 🐚 commands as well ;)
  - furythree on 20/06/2024 - 22:15
    
    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/comment/13194200/redir
- BatmanAU on 20/06/2024 - 14:50
  
  +1
  
  Tiny Win10/11, using it on my N100, so far pretty zippy, mind you I don’t do any banking/sensitive stuff on it
- pinkybrain on 20/06/2024 - 15:01
  
  +2
  
  Preferably almost Windows like in usage.
  
  have you thought of installing windows?
- frugalferret on 20/06/2024 - 15:06
  
  +3
  
  Linux Mint
- deadpoet on 20/06/2024 - 15:06
  
  +2
  
  Ubuntu Desktop. Especially if you mostly just use browser based Google apps like Gmail, Sheets, Docs etc, will suffice for 90% of your daily driver tasks.
  https://ubuntu.com/download/desktop
- netsurfer on 20/06/2024 - 15:40
  
  The description seems to indicate it comes with Windows 11 Pro. If so, it will most likely be activated digitally. That means even if you were to do a complete fresh install (which is a good idea), it will still activate.
  
  I cannot and won't get into the details on how they did Windows 11 Pro activation hack / workaround as software piracy / hack is not something that should be talked about on OZB.
- crc32 on 20/06/2024 - 16:10
  
  +1
  
  Try LinuxMint.
- jasonxc on 20/06/2024 - 16:53
  
  +3
  
  Can anyone advise what free OS I can load into this machine that is easy for a beginner to install and use. Preferably almost Windows like in usage.
  
  You should use either ZorinOS or Linux Mint.
  
  Ignore the user "Poshy". He is trolling you with Proxmox.
doncarajo on 20/06/2024 - 14:44

Plex server capability?
- noisymime on 20/06/2024 - 14:52
  
  Fairly good TBH. You can do a few transcodes concurrently provided you stick to 1080.
  
  It'll happily stream out multiple 4k streams if you don't transcode too.
- stephendt on 20/06/2024 - 15:43
  
  -1
  
  Yes.
- skittlebrau on 21/06/2024 - 10:51
  
  Works brilliantly for that since it supports all modern formats including AV1 decode.
  
  The only thing to be wary of is burning in subtitles which will cause this to fall back to software encoding. That's a fairly easy fix by using better player software on the client end and ensuring that problematic subtitles are replaced with proper text-based subtitles.
  - gizmomelb on 25/06/2024 - 20:08
    
    yeah I did read some ''benchmarks'' someone did recently and they were able to handle 4x 1080p transcoded streams with subtitles burned in, or 8x 1080p steams without. 3x 4K native streams from memory (personally I don't like transcoding.. why watch something downsized on a phone or tablet? I'll watch it on a 1080p screen, but I get can be good to keep kids occupied in a car etc. (in my day we used to play punch buggy)).
notewar on 20/06/2024 - 14:46

I've never heard of this brand before. Has anyone here owned their products and can share their experience?
- Wonderfool on 20/06/2024 - 14:53
  
  +2
  
  I don't think I've ever heard of soyo for mini pcs. They're known for graphics cards, and cheaper b550m boards.
- jbird84 on 20/06/2024 - 15:01
  
  Soyo has been around a while. I had a motherboard of theirs back in the AMD Athlon era, worked fine iirc.
- Clear on 20/06/2024 - 15:03
  
  I've used a lot of Soyo AMD 580 GPUs without issue.
TheFIREnanceGuy on 20/06/2024 - 14:52

Can you play steam games like aoe2 on this in a decent enough way?
- goose25 on 20/06/2024 - 15:35
  
  +1
  
  Not that I've personally tried it, but I suspect it wouldn't be such a great experience. Not because this machine couldn't handle the streaming aspect perfectly fine, but more so because AOE 2 is a pretty fast paced game, and the latency from streaming would become a little irritating, even over Ethernet. Again, no first hand experience, just speculating.
- stephendt on 20/06/2024 - 15:44
  
  +1
  
  Lowish settings at 1080p, maybe, but it's not really built for it. I'm assuming you're referring to the DE version
  - TheFIREnanceGuy on 21/06/2024 - 15:07
    
    Yeah de thanks for that!
drinkin-beer on 20/06/2024 - 14:52

+2

This is a fantastic price. The N100 is a great value CPU.
Heybargain on 20/06/2024 - 14:56

I wasn't able to add the coupon code
- nerdinary on 20/06/2024 - 15:05
  
  The code should be "24SS08". I can't seem to edit the post.
  - kackstelze on 20/06/2024 - 15:26
    
    +1
    
    Which is $8 off instead of $12. I paid $152.54 in total.
- deadpoet on 20/06/2024 - 17:47
  
  Dunno why it's not working for you guys, 24SS12 works for me.
  
  Subtotal: US $98.44
  Max discounts & coupon codes auto-applied
  -US $12.00
  Tax: US $10.57
  Total: US $97.01
  
  = approx AUD $146
Namidairo on 20/06/2024 - 15:10

+2

Network Intel 3165NGW

EOL 1x1 11ac card…
Just use ethernet or buy a BE200 if you insist on deploying it using wireless.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006983416274.html?source…

Alternatively use the E-key slot for something else like a Coral TPU?
https://au.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Coral/G650-04527-01
- stephendt on 20/06/2024 - 15:44
  
  +1
  
  It's good enough for 200mbit of real throughput, enough for most
- drinkin-beer on 20/06/2024 - 19:42
  
  I love your idea of the coral TPU in the E-key slot!
  
  It is making me think…
paulaus on 20/06/2024 - 15:15

I guess no warranty
- pinkybrain on 20/06/2024 - 15:25
  
  15 days?
RiseAndRuin on 20/06/2024 - 15:28

Some specs in the post are wrong, it looks like it has 2x usb3.0 + 2x usb2.0.
- netsurfer on 20/06/2024 - 15:43
  
  +1
  
  It's confusing. USB 3.2 x 4 is mentioned in one place, but 2 x USB 3 and 2 x USB 2 mentioned in another place.
  - pinkybrain on 20/06/2024 - 23:35
    
    that's aliexpress advertising for you…
    
    at least they are cover no matter which one they send you.
jonnyspizza on 20/06/2024 - 15:39

+5

"M2 PLUS 2: Compact as bread, yet strong as unstoppable!"
lufee on 20/06/2024 - 15:48

+2

Got one for HA, time to let go of Pi3b+.

This was posted 5 months 3 days ago, and might be an out-dated deal.

SOYO M2PLUS2 Mini PC: Intel N100, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD US$97.01 (~A$145) Shipped @ Cutesliving Store via AliExpress

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