Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Computing/2023 March 18

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March 18

What is the best, most reliable modern mini pc available?

I have been unable to find a single review of any mini pc that doesn’t say "failed after two months, do not buy". Surely, there must be at least one reliable brand one can depend on? Viriditas (talk) 21:08, 18 March 2023 (UTC)

That risks being a request for opinion. But here's a source for Apple having had a reputation for reliability (unsure if that's still true), and there exists the Mac Mini, which seems well thought of in its current "Apple silicon" iteration. If you sign the right documents, possibly they'll send you a new one when it breaks.  Card Zero  (talk) 16:56, 19 March 2023 (UTC)

I'd second that. With Apple, you possibly do not get the very best, and you probably do not get the absolutely best value for money. But you do normally get predictably high quality and very good service. The problem with generic PCs ist that any particular model lives such a short life in the market place that reputation does not matter. In fact, when I worked in industry, even large companies had trouble guaranteeing us 30 computers of identical make (so that we could certify it once for compliance with the software and safety requirements), because they didn't now which exact hard drive or RAM stick their subcontractors put in. --Stephan Schulz (talk) 17:06, 19 March 2023 (UTC)

I will grant that Apple does have a reputation for "it just works"; however, if repairs are needed, the options can be limited and unduly expensive. Apple "genius bars" will too often only offer expensive board or other sub-assembly replacement options, when cost saving component level fixes are possible. Independent shops can perform component diagnostics and repairs, but are sometimes limited by restrictions Apple imposes on parts availability. All this is part of the "Right to Repair" movement.

All this may be moot if you are really looking for a Windows PC and not a Mac.

The reviews you read are anecdotal. Those who encounter failures will complain loudly. Those who do not remain silent. It is difficult to know what the real failure rate is. If you are looking for maximum reliability, my suggestion would be to avoid products targeting the end consumer. In that market, price rules and manufacturers will tend to cut corners to try to minimize costs. These might affect power supply stability, effective cooling design, or other aspects not apparent at time of sale but still have long term reliability implications. Instead, I suggest looking at thin clients by well known manufacturers that target business (such as Dell). Those products are more likely be be well designed for longevity and reliability, but at a cost. -- Tom N talk/contrib 21:24, 19 March 2023 (UTC)

Thank you, everyone. Viriditas (talk) 22:32, 19 March 2023 (UTC)

I happen to know someone who happily used a Mac Mini for video editing, never experiencing a problem in many years of use, and recently bought a second one.  --Lambiam 17:32, 20 March 2023 (UTC)

I happen to know someone whose Mac Mini has been chugging along for years, but sometimes seems to roll its eyes and say “We were doing fine until you had to go and touch something, and just for that you get an hour of beachballs," leading the owner to think that either there's something mechanically wrong with the disk (that Disk Utility cannot detect) or some bad software has accumulated (perhaps left over from two previous Mac Minis). But enough about me. —Tamfang (talk) 06:58, 25 March 2023 (UTC)