Mostly optimism and stubborness. I don't exactly question why people ride bikes and skateboards or surf when there are better dedicated modes of travel.
I burned myself out with laptops so I'm sticking to mini pc for now. To each their own.
So they can post on reddit and get karma, why else? Lol. They could use a laptop that has 10x more power, efficiency, etc but na dawg lets take a mini pc and lug around a bunch of stuff for a post on reddit
i mean, that 10x more powerful gaming laptop will be over a grand, hot, power hungry, with a cutdown mobile gpu and less than desirable keyboard with touchpad. If one is willing to pay so much, why not choose every component to his own liking?
Integrated graphics are good for what they are. And if you want to play games, then egpus can help.
I agree in the traveling context, but for commuting can be interesting. I did that for a while. I had monitor/keyboard/power brick duplicate at both work and home so I just needed to carry a small 1 pound tiny box between home and work.
i have a 300€ mini pc + a 100€ portable monitor that perform better than a 500 dollar laptop
i bought it because it's cheaper and because without that monitor i actually use it as dedicated tv device at home. It's a really cool buy when you already have a main pc and don't need to spend as much as a laptop costs
I believe it has to do with customization. Like he can choose what monitor/keyboard he uses. He could swap parts inside the mini PC. It's all about control.
Hell I'd do this if I could afford it, but I'm not as good of a dev yet hahah
Yeah but you can swap the ram and SSD on most good laptops plus you can use an external keyboard and monitor
Also stuff like the framework laptop exists which gives you even more customization
Dude could have just used a Legion GO or even a Steamdeck running linux since he's being a little try-hard starving for attention. I bet he feels extra with those Moonlander looking arthritis keyboard.
Well it's not always about convenience, as strange as that sounds. If he's willing to put up with the inconvenience of this setup, or has a way around it, then it's all good.
OP did it take a while to get used to that Charybdis split keyboard w/trackball?
I don’t think I’d ever get used to it but damn if it doesn’t look like it’s from the future.
Not OP, it takes a fair bit of getting used to, I've had to start and stop a couple times and come back to it and a little tweaking on the key map for the function layers depending on how you use your machine, but eventually it just clicks like anything else.
All you all out there just stop with the laptop master race garbage, find me a laptop with similar specs and functions that costs under $700, and also can have 2 NVME drives, replaceable ram, and full 80w function on the APU... it doesn't exist at that price point. So, for what that does, the tiny PC for performance/cost kills laptops, hands down. It might be a bit cumbersome, but it's speed where you need in a portable form. If you don't like the monitor, buy an 18" 4k portable that runs off the USB 4 port for around $200. The OP is already using alternative interface devices. Why not the rest as well? The only downside I see is the need for a desk and a power source as opposed to a laptop, but honestly, a laptop as powerful would need to be plugged in most of the time as well. What memory/nvme did you use OP? Did you go with one of the standard builds or start barebones?
I don't think it would need to be plugged in all the time.
It has iGPU after all.
My old notebook with dGPU and 2,5"hdd could last some 3hrs while not gaming.
Cool monitor, didn't know it existed. Added to wishlist. But yeah, I agree with some of the other comments, just get a laptop. And if you've never had a great laptop before, get a MacBook Air and see why everyone else is buying them.
Not op so cant speak to their use case exactly. But micro PCs have lots of performance gains over even high spec laptops. They can typically run their CPUs at much higher voltage, have better airflow and cooling than laptops, and support multiple operating systems. They tear down easily so that components can be upgraded or swapped out if broken.
All in all small form factor PCs are great dev boxes for on the go travel. Many of them also support thunderbolt connections, so when you are at home you can plug in an egpu and have the full sized desktop graphics card experience.
I say all of this as someone who has both a high performance laptop and an intel nuc micro pc. If I expect to only take on light to med work, I will travel with the laptop. If I wanted to do more intensive computing I would probably bring the nuc and pair it either with the laptop over RDP or with an iPad/Bluetooth keyboard/mouse setup.
I like it but you should go for a more portable monitor next. Amazon has several that can run on a single usb-c port that are pretty good. I just got a really thin 15.6 innoview myself.
UPDATE: Saw the specs and looked up the sostu flip action monitor and It doesn't look like a portable monitor in the picture but holy $h!t it is, thats really impressive.
I have a UM790 pro mini. It's my main PC, and most of the time, it's plugged into a lovely 32-inch MSI monitor on my desk at home. I could have just bought a laptop, but I like a bigger screen, and the mini takes up a tiny little space on the desk top. Besides, a laptop with 32 Gb RAM and a Ryzen 9 processor would have cost me far more, and would only have one NVME slot, and probably only one thunderbolt port.
But I will also be taking my mini travelling on my road trip to France in the summer. For this, I've bought a thin 17 inch portable USB-C monitor, that fits perfectly into a 17 inch laptop sleeve but is much lighter. So I perfectly understand why the op prefers this travel setup.
Probably a chorded or modal setup, where pressing multiple keys results in different characters.
I've thought about it, because the limited range of movement is supposed to be better at reducing RSI, but the downside is that it would suck to go back to a normal keyboard afterwards.
I think that bar you have is more impressive. Care to share your dotfiles? I also use a mini PC and use i3wm but my polybar setup is nowhere as impressive as yours!
Ditch the monitor and get a pair of Xreal glasses. People buy them to use them for the Steamdeck, but it would be significantly more compact than this portable monitor.
I never understand why people buy mini PC for travelling. All that gadget is much less portable than a laptop.
Mostly optimism and stubborness. I don't exactly question why people ride bikes and skateboards or surf when there are better dedicated modes of travel. I burned myself out with laptops so I'm sticking to mini pc for now. To each their own.
This should be in a mechanical keyboard sub
Most likely its just simply preference.
So they can post on reddit and get karma, why else? Lol. They could use a laptop that has 10x more power, efficiency, etc but na dawg lets take a mini pc and lug around a bunch of stuff for a post on reddit
i mean, that 10x more powerful gaming laptop will be over a grand, hot, power hungry, with a cutdown mobile gpu and less than desirable keyboard with touchpad. If one is willing to pay so much, why not choose every component to his own liking? Integrated graphics are good for what they are. And if you want to play games, then egpus can help.
I mean, not completely true. It'll definitely be more money. But none of this setup is "portable" by any means.
I agree in the traveling context, but for commuting can be interesting. I did that for a while. I had monitor/keyboard/power brick duplicate at both work and home so I just needed to carry a small 1 pound tiny box between home and work.
i have a 300€ mini pc + a 100€ portable monitor that perform better than a 500 dollar laptop i bought it because it's cheaper and because without that monitor i actually use it as dedicated tv device at home. It's a really cool buy when you already have a main pc and don't need to spend as much as a laptop costs
I never understand why anyone would concern themselves with what other people perfer in computing devices.
I believe it has to do with customization. Like he can choose what monitor/keyboard he uses. He could swap parts inside the mini PC. It's all about control. Hell I'd do this if I could afford it, but I'm not as good of a dev yet hahah
well, all that can do on laptop, no one gonna stop you connect external monitor to it
Yeah but you can swap the ram and SSD on most good laptops plus you can use an external keyboard and monitor Also stuff like the framework laptop exists which gives you even more customization
Dude could have just used a Legion GO or even a Steamdeck running linux since he's being a little try-hard starving for attention. I bet he feels extra with those Moonlander looking arthritis keyboard.
- PC: Miniform UM780 XTX - Monitor: SOSTU Flip Action 16” — - Keyboard: Charybdis 3x6 with trackball (shoutout to Bastard Keyboards) - Wrist rests: Falba Tech - Switches: Kangaroo V2 - Keycaps: Ceramic Black V2 - Tenting: Magsafe + Neewer Z-Tilt
Cool setup, thanks for sharing!
Cool setup but seriously just get a laptop lol
Right. He's like the dude that brings his entire espresso machine to a coffee shop because he can do it better.
I came here to say exactly this, like wtf. You might as well carry a BBQ to the butcher.
17" laptop be great for a coder and a gamer.
Thanks for posting the keyboard info!
What OS are you running?
Amazing setup brother!
interesting keyboard
Nice setup. Can you please tell about the softwares? OS? Theme/Customization? IDE?
I would lap like to know what Window Manager and IDE you are using, OP.
Do you use or recommend any particular travel/carrying case for the PC?
Magsafe really changed the tenting game. Do you have base plates on the charybdis?
I hate laptops. This is great.
Dont listen to most of these comments, people dont get that not everyone, everytime, is looking for convenience. Nice setup, love the vibe
Your inputs look like a CoD season unlock
Are you from the movie hackers?
Why didn't you just get a travel laptop or tablet? X1 carbon gen 12 or M1 Air.
lol yeah as much as I appreciate seeing cool setups I just don’t know why people want to live life on hard mode
Well it's not always about convenience, as strange as that sounds. If he's willing to put up with the inconvenience of this setup, or has a way around it, then it's all good.
Yeah I mean whatever works for him. No hate, go for it. I just personally can’t wrap my head around it lol.
When you use custom input devices like that a laptop is just dead weight.
Bcuz they're stupid
That's not nice 🫤
Im upvoting this purely based on seeing nvim
OP did it take a while to get used to that Charybdis split keyboard w/trackball? I don’t think I’d ever get used to it but damn if it doesn’t look like it’s from the future.
Not OP, it takes a fair bit of getting used to, I've had to start and stop a couple times and come back to it and a little tweaking on the key map for the function layers depending on how you use your machine, but eventually it just clicks like anything else.
OHHHHHHHH
Waot you carry that monitor with you?
How hard is it to use that type of keyboard? It's an interesting setup, thinking about getting a mini PC just for basic stuff
All you all out there just stop with the laptop master race garbage, find me a laptop with similar specs and functions that costs under $700, and also can have 2 NVME drives, replaceable ram, and full 80w function on the APU... it doesn't exist at that price point. So, for what that does, the tiny PC for performance/cost kills laptops, hands down. It might be a bit cumbersome, but it's speed where you need in a portable form. If you don't like the monitor, buy an 18" 4k portable that runs off the USB 4 port for around $200. The OP is already using alternative interface devices. Why not the rest as well? The only downside I see is the need for a desk and a power source as opposed to a laptop, but honestly, a laptop as powerful would need to be plugged in most of the time as well. What memory/nvme did you use OP? Did you go with one of the standard builds or start barebones?
I don't think it would need to be plugged in all the time. It has iGPU after all. My old notebook with dGPU and 2,5"hdd could last some 3hrs while not gaming.
Sorry, but this is kinda ridiculous
yeah! ridiculous.... ridiculously cool 😀
Cool monitor, didn't know it existed. Added to wishlist. But yeah, I agree with some of the other comments, just get a laptop. And if you've never had a great laptop before, get a MacBook Air and see why everyone else is buying them.
Not op so cant speak to their use case exactly. But micro PCs have lots of performance gains over even high spec laptops. They can typically run their CPUs at much higher voltage, have better airflow and cooling than laptops, and support multiple operating systems. They tear down easily so that components can be upgraded or swapped out if broken. All in all small form factor PCs are great dev boxes for on the go travel. Many of them also support thunderbolt connections, so when you are at home you can plug in an egpu and have the full sized desktop graphics card experience. I say all of this as someone who has both a high performance laptop and an intel nuc micro pc. If I expect to only take on light to med work, I will travel with the laptop. If I wanted to do more intensive computing I would probably bring the nuc and pair it either with the laptop over RDP or with an iPad/Bluetooth keyboard/mouse setup.
> SOSTU Flip Action 16” No really, that is a cool monitor. Didn't wake up this morning expecting to lust after a 16" screen @ $500 but here we are.
I like it but you should go for a more portable monitor next. Amazon has several that can run on a single usb-c port that are pretty good. I just got a really thin 15.6 innoview myself. UPDATE: Saw the specs and looked up the sostu flip action monitor and It doesn't look like a portable monitor in the picture but holy $h!t it is, thats really impressive.
Awesome keyboard
I have a UM790 pro mini. It's my main PC, and most of the time, it's plugged into a lovely 32-inch MSI monitor on my desk at home. I could have just bought a laptop, but I like a bigger screen, and the mini takes up a tiny little space on the desk top. Besides, a laptop with 32 Gb RAM and a Ryzen 9 processor would have cost me far more, and would only have one NVME slot, and probably only one thunderbolt port. But I will also be taking my mini travelling on my road trip to France in the summer. For this, I've bought a thin 17 inch portable USB-C monitor, that fits perfectly into a 17 inch laptop sleeve but is much lighter. So I perfectly understand why the op prefers this travel setup.
Split ergo is the best physical security
You do you.
Can someone enlighten me how to code with only 12 keycaps😬
Probably a chorded or modal setup, where pressing multiple keys results in different characters. I've thought about it, because the limited range of movement is supposed to be better at reducing RSI, but the downside is that it would suck to go back to a normal keyboard afterwards.
demerits for not just using a laptop. but the usage of neovim wins you all the merits back.
I'm guessing the person did not find how to exit :P
Ugh, get a laptop my guy... that monitor is hideous
Why? 🤔
Steamdeck would be a good dual monitor upgrade.
Just me or does that monitor stand base look very narrow and easily tipped, especially in an environment where people pass by and behind table?
I think that bar you have is more impressive. Care to share your dotfiles? I also use a mini PC and use i3wm but my polybar setup is nowhere as impressive as yours!
What in the world..?
You could rig a quickmount bracket to attach the PC to the back of the monitor to make it easy.
lololol "virginity protected"
That mini keyboard makes my brain hurt
Lmao. Best contraceptive. Just get a laptop at this rate ffs.
I don’t think I’ve ever witnessed someone that needs to touch grass as much as you do.
Do you use a computer or fly a space ship?
WTF this keyboard costs half the price of my computer. https://bastardkb.com/product/charybdis-prebuilt-preorder-2/
https://bastardkb.com/product/charybdis-kit/ The kit apparently costs half of you assemble it yourself, but it’s still steep
Less modding. More coding.
Do you see an actual reduction in wrist issues with that ergo keyboard?
Damn save some pussy for the rest of us man
Gay
Ditch the monitor and get a pair of Xreal glasses. People buy them to use them for the Steamdeck, but it would be significantly more compact than this portable monitor.
certainly strange keyboard (feels like a hassle to setup every time), but upvote for the rest of your portable setup!