Hey all, I play on Phinny and have started looking into adding a box. Some ex-guild mates mentioned they had some $100 mini PCs they used and worked well for EQ. Anyone out there using something like that that they would recommend?
I dont know about 100$ mini pc but theres a decent 300$ one that fits in your palm. Its called GDP Win, I use it for my healer box.
If you want something small Intel Nuc Go to a local University surplus store if you have a large one nearby.
This one isn't tiny but it isn't very big either. It is great for boxes. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01CV9G1BO
I think that getting a refurbished laptop through Amazon or Newegg or whatever will get you something with better specs than a mini pc for the same price range.
I use a mac mini with windows 10 installed on it. You can get them for like 150 bucks used on ebay. 2.4 or 2.53 ghz core2duo
Eh, neither is really needed. Might be nice to have, but not needed. KangarooPC with 2GB of ram and 2.24ghz intel atom (single core) will run eq. It's a little slow loading zones (mostly due to no hard drive) but it works fine.
Not really a mini pc about twice as thick as a PS4 and slightly longer, you can pick up a used HP 8200 or 8300 Elite Small form factor pc cheap just make sure the one you buy has at least 4gb of ram. 8200 is easily and readily found for about $120+ shipped 8300 closer to $200 the integrated graphics is fine for boxing/grouping just have to play with the settings a bit. Both of these have an i5 quad core at 3.0+ghz and can take a SFF Nvidia GT 1030 as an upgrade for integrated graphics if you need to use it for something slightly more demanding than everquest. They can't take more powerful graphics cards sadly due to case and power supply issues.
I have tried kangaroo pc's and they are flat out terrible to play eq on. Just turning makes you want to poke your eyes out and for 50-100 dollars more you can get the refurb amazon hp pc in a small form factor what is 10000000 times better but takes up slightly more room.
Eh, I would never want to play on it as my main, but for a box with all settings turned down, that I never need to look at (other than obligatory checks to make sure a GM hasn't sent me a tell or something) it works fine.
You can get 2nd/3rd gen Intel Core i3/i5 systems around that price range for what you need. There is a ton of used office surplus that you can usually find on your local craigslist or ebay. They usually have an i3 2100, i3 2120, i5 2400, or i5 3470, with 4GB of ram, and a small capacity HDD. They also usually use intel's integrated graphics, which is fine for running an EQ box. Some of the more common models to look for are: Lenovo M82, M91p, or M92p Dell Optiplex 390 or 3010 HP Elite 8200 or 8300 All of these usually come in both mini-tower or SFF(small form factor). If you want something smaller, the Lenovo M92 comes in a tiny desktop model. I personally prefer Dell Optiplex 390/3010 mini-towers. They only have 2 memory slots, but they use more standard parts versus most of the other models. Most importantly, the power supply, which becomes relevant if you decide to add a semi-decent video card to the system. I believe the Lenovo M91p mini-tower is similar in that regard, but also has 4 memory slots. Good luck.
Sure, if you have macros controlling it when parked it isn't so bad but if you actually have to touch it to do anything i'd suggest another type of PC.
I agree with the posts above, our systems have AMD processors with built in graphics processors. Cheap, small, low power consumption, and work fine for EQ. We find older (used) computers via Craigslist, and upgrade spare parts we have laying about. Then we add keyboards/mice/game controllers (another $50) if the computer is missing them or they aren't working properly anymore. We come away with spending $100-150 but have a useful older system. It's great that EQ has such minimal requirements.
My WIZ/MAG laptop is a 2.53 GHz with 4 GB RAM running Windows 7 32-bit. It runs EQ fine. It does have an Nvidia M460 or some such. No issues at all.
using a 10" acer aspire tablet (with attachable keyboard) and it works, slow zoning/loading but when it is running it is ok, can hook it up to external keyboard/mouse + display (10" is VERY small)
