At least those you can add a conveniently via USB if you really need them.These always seem like interesting little boxes if you wanted a small HTPC that doesn't need a ton of GPU power, hard drive storage, or an optical drive. Also great for a general use PC for someone that doesn't need gaming power (for instance, gave my mom an Alder Lake i3 NUC to replace a Haswell-era tower she was using).
True. For me, it's about the cleanliness of the HTPC setup. I use an optical drive in mine for Blu-ray, and have movies and TV shows ripped. But I could see how a small box or a USB approach could work for others trying to do it all on a more minimalist budget.At least those you can add a conveniently via USB if you really need them.
Like I wrote above, I was in the same exact situation, but I went for the upgrade. So far I can tell you I am not that impressed. Yes, more CPU power, faster memory (running 5600 CL40), 2.5G network, smaller PS brick, BUT - the graphics performance I was looking forward to is not there yet, I just did a quick Superposition Benchmark, and while I was getting 2800 with the 5700G, I am just getting around 4500 with the 8700G (roughly equivalent to a GTX960 from way yesteryear), I was thinking I should be getting around 10000, so not even close, maybe this is not the best benchmark to compare these, as it is a bit old by now. I mean, yeah - 60% improvement is decent, just not what I was expecting. Maybe I can overclock the GPU and/or RAM a bit, we'll see, I think I was running the 5700G overclocked.My X300W with 5700G is a great system. The Zen 3 cores are still very strong but the Vega 8 graphics are starting to feel a bit long in the tooth in 2024.
I wish I could justify a 8700G build right now.