The New Microcomputer Revolution

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ArgonianVoter

ArgonianVoter

kiwifarms.net
Joined
Feb 24, 2025
Are we experiencing a new revolution in microcomputers?
First we had raspberry pis blowing up as integrated systems, which have become userspace computers.
Contrary to popular belief that's about the same thing that happened between the 1950s and the 1970s.

Everywhere I look I see new versions of microcomputers now, typically i3 cores.
We have GMKtec devices, pi compute module 5,
cyberdeck stuff like the hackberry pi's (yes most of these are pi based but not all of them),
beepberry pi,
Ryzen Mini pc,
it11,
PicoCalc,
Rock 5B,
tauon pc1,
different kinds of compute sticks,
a slurry of SOCs,
Optiplex and so on and so forth.
not to mention whatever the fuck this thing is:

so revolution? or coincidence?
so go ahead and post your favorite modern microcomputers below.
i'm also seeing a return of hardware jumpers for some reason.
 
ArgonianVoter said:
so revolution? or coincidence?
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My ignorant opinion, a cash in.

Raspberry Pis became popular due to being cheap, simple, and functional. Eventually that cheap part disappeared, and a bunch of clones appeared. This also ties into mini PCs.

Ryzen mini PCs (and NUC boxes) are different to me because it's a different, but related revolution. That being on board graphics and fast ram are getting to a point where they can complete with dedicated GPUs. It's not destroying a 4090, but anything below the mid range has basically vanished.

The price thing is why I think mini-PCs are also taking off. Last time I checked mini PCs, the prices were similar to that of a Pi. So even though they were often chinesium fire hazards, they were popular as emulation machines because, once you factor in the cost of mandatory accessories, you got better results for a lower price.


Something kind of related are the modern retro PCs. People making C64s from modern, off the shelf parts.
 
https://kiwifarms.st/threads/sbc-low-power-boards-general.80244/

https://kiwifarms.st/threads/sbc-low-power-boards-general.80244/post-20134914
rk3588.webp

Cheap ARM and RISC-V options generally suck.

Modern computers are overpowered for basic tasks. The old quad-core Skylake/Kaby Lake/Coffee Lake/Comet Lake systems can do a lot, and that includes the integrated graphics. Rocket Lake ("waste of sand"?) shares the LGA 1200 socket with Comet Lake and gets you AV1 hardware decode and 1st gen Xe graphics.

The OptiPlex MFF form factor and similar boxes are quite nice. Not as small as a Raspberry Pi, around 1-1.2 liters, but that gives you some basic expansion options like multiple drives, socketed RAM, and a decent amount of ports.

Just recently, 64 GB DDR5 (UDIMM) modules became available, so you can get up to 128 GB in 2 slots now. We'll likely see 96 GB modules before the generation is over, for 192 GB.

MODT is gaining popularity. AMD's Strix Halo has brought the Apple-like x86 "mega APU" onto the scene although pricing is obscene because of AI. But it's a good starting point.

AMD is rumored to be bringing "LP" cores to Zen 6 desktop. Located not on the compute chiplets, but the I/O chiplet, filling a similar role as LP E-cores from Intel in Meteor Lake and other gens. This could help reduce idle power.
 
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TheBigZee said:
Novelty. The greatest/silent generation saw the same explosion in small, cheap radios.
Click to expand...
The PC market has moved decisively towards laptops, which are compact, although often expensive computers.

A cheap VESA mountable mini PC or all-in-one is all that's needed for 95% of offices. Some people need a powerful workstation for CAD, AI, whatever, although you can fit a lot of performance into relatively small form factors.

What we haven't seen much of yet is people docking their smartphones at a desk. The performance is there (phones are hitting up to 4.5 GHz and playing AAA games), UI is there in some cases (e.g. Samsung DeX), it's just not a common practice as far as I've seen. There are security implications but the data doesn't have to be stored on the phone.
 
The Mass Shooter Ron Soye said:
The PC market has moved decisively towards laptops, which are compact, although often expensive computers.

A cheap VESA mountable mini PC or all-in-one is all that's needed for 95% of offices. Some people need a powerful workstation for CAD, AI, whatever, although you can fit a lot of performance into relatively small form factors.

What we haven't seen much of yet is people docking their smartphones at a desk. The performance is there (phones are hitting up to 4.5 GHz and playing AAA games), UI is there in some cases (e.g. Samsung DeX), it's just not a common practice as far as I've seen. There are security implications but the data doesn't have to be stored on the phone.
Click to expand...
I'm still kind of pissed at MS for not pursuing their continuum concept in Windows 10 mobile, that would have been a great selling point and a good thing for the industry to copy and improve. My dream back in 2012 was that by now we'd have moved on to a model where we have a powerful little computer in our pocket that can just sort of slot in anywhere and take over a display and keyboard and offer you a basically-no-compromises desktop experience. There was that Asus PadFone, which was stupid as a name but cool as an idea, a phone that keeps expanding into new form factors. Tablets are kind of kind of closer to that now, but it's still disappointing. I want a maximum flexibility device, I want my macbook to turn into an iPad pro. I don't want to have to buy 3 computers when really I want one computer that can be in different shells for use.
 
Harambe said:
My dream back in 2012 was that by now we'd have moved on to a model where we have a powerful little computer in our pocket that can just sort of slot in anywhere and take over a display and keyboard and offer you a basically-no-compromises desktop experience. There was that Asus PadFone, which was stupid as a name but cool as an idea, a phone that keeps expanding into new form factors. Tablets are kind of kind of closer to that now, but it's still disappointing. I want a maximum flexibility device, I want my macbook to turn into an iPad pro. I don't want to have to buy 3 computers when really I want one computer that can be in different shells for use.
Click to expand...
After a decade or so of high-price, low-volume Samsung Galaxy Fold and Flip devices, Apple may get in on it and pretend they invented it. You can use a phone that unfolds into a tablet, and attach a keyboard: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BQ6V2F72

But docking to a monitor is cooler, and you could use any Bluetooth keyboard and the phone's surface as a touchpad. If I were homeless I would definitely do that at the public library.
 
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