Get the most bang for your buck for about $200
Compared to its predecessors, the Raspberry Pi 5 is an impressive beast and offers a semi-decent solution for low-power desktop computers. The price is also higher than other Raspberry Pi devices, so when you add the M.2 adapter, case, and other accessories, you’ll be spending around $200. Amazon sells a variety of low-cost mini PCs for roughly the same price, which got Ars Technica curious to see if they were a better investment in place of a small desktop. They ordered a Bosgame B100 for $170 and a GMKtec NucBox G2 for $180.
Both devices use Intel processor N100, which has four E-cores. The difference is that Bosgame uses DDR4, while GMKtex uses DDR5. These two minis come with Windows 11, sometimes Pro and sometimes not, which is a great option even if all you want is another Windows license. However, that didn’t stop Ars from testing Linux, with mixed results. Find out how they configure their mini PCs to get the most out of them, and how their performance and features compare to the Pi 5.