r/MiniPCs • u/Assodipacche96 • 20h ago
Built a retro console setup with a mini PC
I’ve been wanting a dedicated emulation machine for my TV for a while, especially to revisit some of my favorite old DS/3DS games and Pokémon runs. I ended up using a GEEKOM mini PC for this project, and it turned out way better than I expected. I set it up with EmulationStation as the frontend to keep everything clean and controller-friendly. So far, everything I've tried has run really smoothly at 1080p, and the fan hasn't been too distracting. I stuck with Windows instead of going with a dedicated gaming OS because I still wanted the flexibility to use it like a normal PC when needed. It now sits next to my TV and honestly looks like a tiny console sitting there. It’s been a lot of fun revisiting these classics on a bigger screen.
Have any of you turned a mini PC into a dedicated gaming box? Do you prefer Windows with a frontend, or a dedicated gaming OS?
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u/Retired_Hillbilly336 19h ago
Most people use Beelink and GMKtec for this purpose as Geekom tends to over promise and under deliver these days. The biggest issue is shipping with 1x stick of RAM as a horrible cost cutting measure. Single channel memory can reduce processing and graphics performance by up to 40%.
For STB gaming AMD Radeon RDNA integrated graphics and Bazzite OS is very popular. For example the recently released/sub $400 USD GMKtec M8 PRO 6650H with 8K60Hz video out can take the advantages of a Linux distro for Steam Deck performance while running EmuDeck for classic console emulation. There's even x4 4.0 PCIe OCuLink expansion for taking gaming to desktop levels later.
Welcome to the club!
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u/nezumiyarou 16h ago edited 16h ago
Another thing geekom sucks at is the ram cooling. Most models have no fan to cool them, so not Ideal for hotter rooms.
My A8 max which I bought barebones when price dropped, runs RAM at mid 70s in cyberpunk in AC'd room for reference.
I got mine for the slim profile/ 4 USB front port selection, and being GAN powered for travel/hotel use.
Would never grab with ram as its 1 stick from reviews (robtech being one) I have seen. No oculink like you mentioned.
BIOS is basically unusable with only the 3 power settings. Geekom apparently has keys you can hit on startup to unlock but haven't tried it yet to confirm.
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u/Instigator187 15h ago edited 15h ago
I use mine for a dedicated game box for my TV but I prefer Windows with a Front End (I use RetroBat), because there are times whe I want to use use Windows functions and also easier to add more games to it.
I use a 7840HS 780M 32GB DDR5 with 2 x 1TB SSD's. Works great for emulation up to PS3 (except for one's that have to compile a lot of shaders on the fly like Twisted Metal). I have a 6TB external HDD dedicated to just RetroBat.
Also use it for Steam and use Steam Big Picture for that instead of integrating games into Retrobat.
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u/Assodipacche96 15h ago
Do you know a way to make Big Picture work with RetroBat?
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u/Instigator187 14h ago
I haven't tried myself to do it in Retrobat. I launch it separately. I have Steam running on boot up in the system tray and if I hit the Playsation Button (I use a Dualsense controller) or would be the home button on other controls, it launches Steam then if I hit it again it goes into Big Picture.
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u/Tricky-Waltz-7564 15h ago
Very nice! Going to pick up my GMKtec tomorrow 😎 I am planning to emulate some Gen 1 / 2 consoles as well but as MacOS users I am also looking forward revisiting some PC classics like AOE2, Stronghold Crusader etc 🙂
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u/Scared-Camp1106 19h ago
hook it up to a CRT PC monitor