I'm not really known for reacting calmly to technical problems - and this time, too, Cuddly Bear became a volcano.

My Minisforum 780 XTX briefly gave up the ghost, but worked again the next day, albeit only briefly. There is no more image output via DP, only via USB4, and then only if the DC cable was not connected and the power came via the USB4 cable plugged into the monitor.

Yesterday afternoon there was no picture here either, and no power. Completely dead since then. No attempts to bring the box back to life have worked, and even shouting at it, swearing and jumping in circles didn't help - the thing flew across the room. 😡

So one thing is certain for me: never again a mini PC. Instead, I'm thinking about buying a midi-tower system from Tuxedo Computers and supporting a real Linux company in its work. I really like this model:

https://www.tuxedocomputers.com/en/TUXEDO-Atlas-S-Gen1-Intel.tuxedo

#minipc #minisforum #tuxedo #tuxedocomputer #linux #unix #opensource #freesoftware

Atlas S - Gen1 Intel | Linux SFF desktop-PC | Mini ITX | up to Intel Core i9 | NVIDIA GeForce RTX or AMD Radeon RX - TUXEDO Atlas S - Gen1 - Intel - TUXEDO Computers

TUXEDO Atlas S - Gen1 Intel | Linux SFF desktop-PC | Mini ITX | up to Intel Core i9 | NVIDIA GeForce RTX or AMD Radeon RX

Jul 1, 2024 at 11:14amWeb
Show threadJay LittleJul 1, 2024

@unixviking As somebody who has owned a few Minisforum PCs, I have experienced this as well. My HX90G had the GPU RAM go bad after eight months and it effectively became worthless. I still have an HM90 in service which is doing great, but overall I've started to look elsewhere for my MiniPC hardware.

I currently have a Beelink SER7 (indie Steam console) and a Beelink SER6 Max (home office PC) in service and while they are pretty quiet and perform well, the cases are bad for wifi and bluetooth

Show threadJay LittleJul 1, 2024

@unixviking In any event, I'm not sure I'd recommend Beelink machines either unless you can live with those limitations (thankfully I can, but dealing with it for the console required a lot of extra pain and suffering on my end - home office PC is all wired).

Buying from a Linux vendor is admirable and I used to do that for my personal laptops. Only last time around I purchased a Thinkpad and discovered Lenovo's Linux support was actually better than System76 and Tuxedo.

YMMV

Show thread  Jul 1, 2024

@JayLittle Ah, good to know, because I was also briefly toying with the idea of ordering a Beelink SER5-MAX with Ryzen 7 5800. But in the end I didn't, and WLAN and Bluetooth are essential. And Geekom is known to struggle with thermal problems and throttling. No, all in all, I no longer want a mini PC. If a component is broken, it's almost impossible to find out which one or repair it. But you can with a normal desktop. That's why I'm thinking about the Tuxedo.

I've never had any problems with Linux with my many ThinkPads, only now with the T490s the biometric login with the fingerprint sensor doesn't work with Fedora 40 and KDE 6.1. But otherwise I prefer TinkPads to all other manufacturers.

Show threadHarald Hannelius Jul 1, 2024
@unixviking @JayLittle sad to hear the minisforum computer wasn't up to the task. I was thinking about getting one, but as You said I'm probably better out with a thinkpad instead.
Show thread  Jul 1, 2024

@harald @JayLittle Yes, I am also very disappointed. The Minisforum 780 XTX hasn't lasted half a year now! Although the computer itself would be a great thing - if it worked without any problems.

There is probably no support from Minisforum, they are based in China. Even if they reply by e-mail within a day, an assessment or even repair is hopeless. It would take weeks to send the defective computer from Austria to China, all the customs formalities and then another few weeks until the thing comes back repaired - or not. No, I won't get involved with manufacturers like that any more, even if the specifications make my mouth water.

With a ThinkPad you don't have all these problems, there is an extensive support and dealer network. Or with any other manufacturer within the EU, such as Tuxedo Computer.

Show threadcopperheadJul 2, 2024
@unixviking Just wondering: Where did you buy it? A shop in Europe has to provide a 2 year warranty ("Gewährleistung").
Show thread  Jul 4, 2024
@copperhead12 At the Minisforum store (online) in Hong Kong