If only there was a portable, light weight, touch-capable, speaker equipped, USB monitor that needs no external power to work and isn’t expensive. Normally I would say dream-on, but it exists – and it’s been such a game changer it will likely feature in almost every YouTube video I make on computer tech. from now on! It’s the HGFRTEE 16inch (1920x1200P) Touch-Capable Portable HDMI / USB-C Monitor.
What is the best bang for buck Mini PC that is loaded with features? Features like a Tiny 1L case, onboard Chipset, Upgradable CPU and RAM, PCIe 3.0 X8 slot (* needs a special converter to fit normal PCIe 3.0 devices) and NVMe slot all in one Minute package. Featuring the Lenovo M920Q Tiny Mini PC (yes, that’s the first Lenovo I have featured on the channel!).
Get ready for a full system overview and tare-down of the HP Z840’s successor – the HP Z8 G4 Workstation. (OVER ~40minutes worth of HP Z8 G4 content including: CPU GUIDE, RAM GUIDE, PCIe GUIDE, System UPGRADES, Full TARE-DOWN, BENCHING, GAMING and MORE!)
PART 1: Mini PCs have been a slow moving craze – but they are quite popular now. Building a DIY low-cost home server or NAS is also a hot topic – I mean we need something cheap that can handle everything, right?But, I like to take hardware to the EXTREME, and I don’t think anyone has really pushed these systems to their LIMIT. The closest I saw was ETA Prime that did an external GPU on an HP EliteDesk 800 G2, which was really cool.
Teaser Trailer for a upcoming video. It’s no secret that Windows 10 security updates are scheduled to conclude in Oct. 2025. Have you considered what system you will upgrade to? Now might be the time for you to start working towards the successor – the HP Z8 G4.
There are many many options from professional microphones (like the Sure SM7B which you’ll see in every podcast video) to DAC (digital to analogue converter) and USB Audio Interfaces to convert the professional microphones (some require “Phantom 48V” external power). Comparison – Logitech Brio 4K vs Blue Yeti vs SSL2+ and AT-875R Shotgun Microphone.
So as a Server Case – the Fractal Define 7XL remains difficult to beat. How many drives have I managed to fit? I have provision for 29 drives in my Z440 Case Swap into the Define 7XL. If you want a quick guide on how to fit these drives to this case, this is the video to watch.
PART 4: I give you the perfect blend of two cheap systems to net a low power draw home server. I’ll call it a “FMS” / “Frankenstein Mini Server”. The base system started life as a HP EliteDesk 800 G3 Mini but it will perform fusion with a SmartStor NS4300N NAS to create a FMS!
