I’m looking at purchasing a mini PC for Cubase use. Something like the Beelink SER Pro. Are these machines good enough for heavy Cubase projects?
Are the processor speeds the same as desktop processor speeds? I haven’t found much information on them online.
Thanks
Hi,
do you want mini PC to be only Windows machine or you consider buying Mac Mini? What’s your budget?
Thx for the reply. I’m not wanting a Mac device, PC only. My budget is around £700-£800.
I checked this company’s website and all they offer are severely outdated processors and/or overpriced.
You should check the ASUS NUC 13 pro with an i7-1370P with 16GB RAM min. (32GB if you can).
That’s not a “bomb”, but the minimum PC I would consider since you mentioned “heavy Cubase projects”.
It’s the processor I use most and it’s perfect for “medium” projects.
What about something like this?
Seems very cheap for Ryzen 9 and 32 DDR5 RAM and powerful
MINISFORUM Mini PC UM690S AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX AMD Radeon 680M 32 GB RAM 1 TB PCIe SSD, 2 x HDMI ports, 1x USB4 port, 1 x USB type-C, 4 x USB 3.2 type A, Wifi6, Bluetooth5.2
On Amazon for £455
Btw I was looking on Amazon rather than the company’s website. They have what appears to be newer processors with 32+ DDR5 RAM at cheap prices for mini PCs
Mine is a new Geekom A7 Ryzen 9 7940 8 core 16t, Radeon graphics, 32gb ddr5, 2 tb SSD £799 in a deal direct from Geekom’s web site which included a 16 inch portable screen. Using CB13 on Win11 pro.
All good so far. Fastest process speed observed so far using the AMD utility programme, showed 5.1 GHz when opening CB13. In use, processor runs cool and quiet. The only 3rd party plug in I use is a CS80 synth. I tend to use only CB13 plug ins. Processor speeds observed in use are typically 1.5 to 2.5 GHz, hence it runs cool and quiet.
Thanks for the reply. Is the processor in mini PCs the same as desktop PCs?
Been looking at the UM690 pro on Amazon only £471.99. Anyone know if it will run Cubase 13 Pro well for large tasks?
Don’t think so. My Ryzen 9 7940HS has 8C 16T and runs cool (necessary in a mini) whereas the desktops (eg 7950) have more cores (12+?) IIRC. And they may have bigger caches too? BUT they run hotter and therefore need more cooling when maxed out. At least the AMD’s 8 cores in the 7940HS are full bore cores and they’re not hamstrung like the half-baked eco e cores of many intel processors.
Hi,
I am interested in this kind of Mini PC. Can you say something about latency? I want to use it with ASIO4ALL and my Yamaha THRII for audio interface.
Maybe this one with Intel Core i9-13900H, is also good? GEEKOM Mini IT13 - 13. Gen Intel i9-13900H / i7-13620H
Regards
Peter
I too use my Yamaha THRII 30 as an interface for my Geekom Ryzen mini. I play my Martin 00028 with an on board active LR Baggs IBeam, and a Martin HD28 with a passive LR Baggs Ibeam into the THR 30.
But I use Yamaha’s ASIO driver specific for the THR 30 (download driver from Yamaha.com), not ASIO4ALL. Yamaha’s driver allows simultaneous Wet and Dry inputs (L & R), which means you can record both into separate mono tracks. I prefer the DRY (Right channel input) recorded sounds of the passive IBeam to the active IBeam. The wet Left channel is unnecessary for acoustic guitar (apply effects in Cubase if necessary). I use the WET (THRII 30 Left input channel) with my Yamaha SA1100 semi (Gibson Classic 57 humbuckers), and that sounds good too with the THR preset to taste.
I run the minimum latency setting via the THR ASIO driver control panel, which translates into about 4.5ms input and about 12ms output. All other audio interfaces, including the onboard audio interface, are disabled in Win11. Best Performance power setting in Win11 too!
I’m happy with the C14, THRII 30, Geekcom mini AMD Ryzen combo. BTW, there are sometimes the odd minor click during headphone monitoring of the live THR recordings, but they do not record to track.
Hope that helps.
Forgot to add that I can’t help you with the intel choice for the mini. I chose Ryzen because reported issues on this forum with the way intel eco cores operate aligned with common sense reasoning for why cubase struggled with some generations of intel core management. My AMD Ryzen mini has less overall cores but they are proper full power cores, with no eco management trickery. So far I have no complaints about the AMD, and moreover, AMD don’t use the NVidia graphics chipset which for some installations also have a suspected role in Cubase’s performance issues. Basically AMD seemed the safest bet.
Thank you so much, just ordered the A7 for €680. Seems to be best bang for bucks and is quiet enough vor recording.
Regards
Peter