Mini Windows Computers As DAWs

Back in the pre SSD days a guy wrote up his experience with a mini PC in Sound on Sound magazine. The main idea was to get something with all passive cooling and so total silence. I shall try to track it down for thee.

Worked fine as I recall but its main duty was location work, low track count and few if any plugs.

Dave.
 
I am not sure why you are wanting the small form factor, if it is because of noise, I just posted a link of a driver that you can install on your PC.

Might be a good alternative so you can find a quieter place to track. I also have been using a laptop with a Presonus USB to use when I need to get a temp space with character since my mixing area has none.

When I was working in factory automation, they use these pretty nice industrial PCs, mini form factor, with big ass heat sinks, no fans at all. Since most devices are external, HDs are small, you don't really need a large case, they should work fine I would think. Main items you need, CPU, memory and a good MB with the right connections.
 
For what it's worth? I have had two laptops, this Lenovo T510 and an HP g6 i3 and they are both quiet enough to record classical guitar and the HP has a 5400rpm HDD.

BTW, oye have asked at SoS.

Dave.
 
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The one my lighting guy attached to the back of his computer monitor was suprisingly good and it was running qlab, playing video with timecode. My 'best' computer now cannot update to the current version of Premiere - not good enough!
 
My brother just picked up a Blackview M60 with the Intel N95 processor, 16GB, 512GB SSD, Win11 Pro. Under $300 and he says that it runs great. I checked on the N95 and from the few benchmarks I could find, it is roughly equivalent to my I5-4570 processor. Not great, but it runs Reaper and my Cyberlink Powerdirector just fine. One version allows you to add up to a 2TB SSD underneath, so that should be plenty of storage. Its all in a compact package that is about 4 inches square.

Compare that to my 486 with 3 drives in a heavy steel case that is almost 3ft high and weighs a BUNCH!
 
TalismanRich said:
My brother just picked up a Blackview M60 with the Intel N95 processor, 16GB, 512GB SSD, Win11 Pro. Under $300 and he says that it runs great. I checked on the N95 and from the few benchmarks I could find, it is roughly equivalent to my I5-4570 processor. Not great, but it runs Reaper and my Cyberlink Powerdirector just fine. One version allows you to add up to a 2TB SSD underneath, so that should be plenty of storage. Its all in a compact package that is about 4 inches square.

Compare that to my 486 with 3 drives in a heavy steel case that is almost 3ft high and weighs a BUNCH!
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I'm setting up the one I just got yesterday. It's the same specs as your brothers. Its an Acemagic. I think they are probably from the same supplier. My old I5 pc of a decade finally gave up the ghost. Have not installed Reaper on it yet. Forget just how much installing and setting up I had to do! Eset, Email, updating the new OS, Scarlett 2i2, USB midi keyboard... Then pulling all the music data off my external USB drive back to my new box... Endless!
 
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