AD | When I was first approached about the Intel Mini PC I was a bit baffled. I suppose most people are a bit baffled about the differences between PCs nowadays, unless you are a tech boffin – in which case, try not to judge me here. Laptop, desktop, tablet, phone… mini pc. What is the difference and why would you want one?
Frankly, when I was having computer issues and I was told that my core processor and gigabytes weren’t sufficient for my needs, it was like listening to one of the superhero that Reuben has become so obsessed with. Actually that’s a lie, I could probably understand quantum physics and dimensions before I could wrap my head around the questions surrounding tech… but one thing I do know, we are a house that loves tech.
I have a desktop that lives in my office space, a laptop that comes with me and we have tablets for the kids, however it’s become pretty apparent to me that there are bonuses to having an ultra portable PC that we can take anywhere, anytime, with minimal effort. The Intel NUC mini PC is essentially my desktop in a small box, it comes ready to go with Windows 10 preinstalled (which is what I use) I can use it for a whole host of things that I just wouldn’t be able to use my laptop or tablets for in the long run.
The best part of this Intel NUC mini pc for me is two fold at the moment – Toby’s operation is coming up and I have told him that he will need at least 2-3 days of just lying in bed or on the sofa but that I will be with him. I can take the Intel NUC mini PC upstairs to his bedroom, use his TV monitor to plug it into and heyyyy presto I have a desktop to work on that can contain all the things I need, using the Bluetooth mouse and bluetooth keyboard, I’m good to go in a way that I may not be able to use my laptop without it overheating or just not giving me the oompf I need. I mentioned that this was two fold – as a person whose livelihood is exclusively online and on computers, I’ve found that contracts, articles, blog posts and especially images and video are taking up a bunch of space on my desktop, meaning I often have to take them off the computer and store them on the OneDrive – which is great… until I need something NOW and I have to wait 2-3 hrs for it to download, or perhaps I don’t want to have to buy the huge storages online, or I want to store a back up of my computer so that no matter where I go in the world, I can take it with me. I can do that with the Intel NUC mini pc. It’s also worth mentioning that when I changed from using my OG laptop to being a fancy profesh blogger with a big desktop on a Habitat desk, I didn’t actually transfer everything over. With the Intel NUC mini PC I could take everything off my old laptop and never have to transfer it, but have it backed up and there for whenever I need an image or a document. Whether I’m in a hotel in London, on a press trip abroad with my family or on a plane or train, the Mini PC is the equivalent of a big fancy one, just with a whole lot of space saved.
These might be the best parts for me, but for the children and from a lifestyle and non work point of view, there is another huge benefit. The children know that my desktop is a no go zone, there is no streaming or gaming to be had on there. None at all, the same goes for Adam after he tried to stream a football match once (totally legally I will add) and let a virus into the system. Never. Again. With this, any tv monitor can be turned into a desktop, which means we can stream movies (DisneyLife is going to be on permanently for Tobes when he has his op and with this we could watch movies as we never have before in 4K ultra HD) and even stream sports events or live news directly from the Internet. Reuben and Toby have finally managed to get me to give in to their want to play Fortnite on occasion (I hate it) and Minecraft creative mode is their favourite. With this, any screen becomes a portal to gaming and watching, to sites where they can google for their homework.
The Intel NUC Mini PC would be the ultimate choice for anyone who desperately wants to make the leap from laptop or tablet to desktop but doesn’t have the space, or for any busy family that simply can’t share one PC between them because of work commitments but doesn’t have the desire (or perhaps financial ability) to buy a whole desktop system for each member of the family.
I love the sound of this. How you finding it a few weeks later?