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Dreamquest Mini PC, Intel N95 12th Gen CPU 16GB DDR4 512GB $239.99 Delivered @ Dreamquest Amazon AU

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Dreamquest Mini PC, Intel N95 12th Gen CPU 16GB DDR4 512GB $239.99 Delivered @ Dreamquest Amazon AUAffiliate
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repeat on 14/10/2023 - 14:06 amazon.com.au (2544 clicks)
Last edited 16/10/2023 - 11:27 by 2 other users
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This is a good price for the specs in this Dreamquest Windows 11 Pro mini pc deal.

It looks to have been refreshed as a "2023" version now with the 12th gen Intel N95 CPU so hopefully newer/better components on the mainboard (yet to be confirmed though).

UPDATE: There is a chance these use SATA storage which may be a dealbreaker for some - if you were intending to upgrade it with NVMe SSD, it looks like this may not work.
UPDATE2: The WiFi 5 / BT 4.2 card is soldered on, and cannot be replaced or swapped out.

What I like about this model:
There seem to be plenty of USB 3.2 ports.
3 HDMI ports are simple to use and accessible.
Micro SD card reader built in.
Dual Gigabit LAN.
Dual Band WiFi 2.4GHz / 5GHz
Bluetooth 4.2
16GB DDR 4 Memory
2.5 SATA can be added for additional storage.
Windows 11 Pro is included.

Gaming: Note that the N95 CPU is not particularly suited for gaming. N100 is similarly not suited but better performing for games out of the two.

The UK reviews of the new model seem to be quite positive, with more than one reviewer mentioning quietness, and many surprised at it responsiveness and value for money.

I imagine most reviews on the Amazon AU page are of the older model with the slower N5105 CPU, and some complain of noise (I am hoping the newer model has addressed these concerns, but so far unconfirmed).

You need to check the $60 coupon before purchasing to get the $239.99 price.

Update: There is now a $50 coupon you need to check, to get a $249.99 price

Update: it looks like the 16GB/512GB N95 models have sold out.

Price History at C CamelCamelCamel.
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closed Comments

  • Bruceflix on 14/10/2023 - 14:13
    +1

    How would one of these work as a plex server for hw transcoding?

    • repeat on 14/10/2023 - 14:18
      +1

      Good question.
      I am hoping it will handle it but I do not personally know yet.

      Others have asked about this on Reddit

      This page has a review of N95 trancoding performance.

      Michael's conclusion:
      "Ever since discovering the SR-IOV capabilities of Intel iGPUs, I've been tinkering with them to explore their true potential. In my latest experimentation, I'm pleased to find that even a 16 EU cut-down version on the N95 chip can perform admirably"

    • ace310 on 14/10/2023 - 17:44
      +2

      It should be fine depending on how many simultaneous stream you are expecting out of it. I don't have any mini pc yet, but research so far has lead me to max 2-3. Have ordered beelink eq12 n100 exactly for running plex and home assistant in proxmox. Hopefully they work

  • 2stroksmokr on 14/10/2023 - 14:31
    +1

    I was going back and forth between this and the Dell OptiPlex 7070 Micro Intel i5 9500T for $308 and ended up picking the 9500FT.

    These are great too and my meeting rooms at work get loving of them.

    • chromium on 14/10/2023 - 15:08
      +2

      I've got a 7060 and 8500T with 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD that I picked up for $256.
      I ended up spending a further $130 to add another 16GB and swap the SSD out for a 1TB. I'm just playing around with proxmox and docker, I've never used it before.
      It seems pretty good, but wondering if I should have got something like this instead! I'm sure I'll appreciate the extra RAM and couple of corse on mine eventually :)

  • scarface on 14/10/2023 - 14:31
    +1

    Would this play Roblox for my son?

    • scrimshaw on 14/10/2023 - 14:46
      +5

      Technically it can. But really not the best system for gaming, this is a low-voltage office computer that's using single channel DDR4 memory, and the integrated GPU is using that as shared memory. There's no room for GPU upgrades.

      you might be better off buying a standard ATX PC (refurbished business-grade if you're trying to stick to a low budget) and sticking a low-end graphics card in that

    • repeat on 14/10/2023 - 14:48

      It should run Roblox, as it has 16GB of RAM which is much more than the minimum.

      Also here is a review of an N95 CPU PC in other games performance

    • WwDesi on 14/10/2023 - 15:38
      +2

      Buy a cheap ps4 it’s runs Roblox now

    • serpserpserp on 14/10/2023 - 21:09
      -1

      Buy a cheap tablet. That is what all the kids play Roblox on these days. They are even better than me on a computer with a controller!

    • 16k-zx81 on 15/10/2023 - 08:09

      Yes. Easily. You can run Roblox on any potato

      System requirements:

      1 GHz or faster 32-bit or 64-bit processor
1 GB RAM or 2 GB RAM
16 GB available hard disk space or 20 GB
DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver

      In other words a machine from 10 years ago will play it fine.

      As others have said if he is a gamer, and will be playing other, newer titles, something that can take a graphics card would be a more flexible option.

  • Ziitek on 14/10/2023 - 14:36
    +1

    Does it have wifi or is there at least space for a wifi card… guess usb wifi could work.🤔

    • repeat on 14/10/2023 - 14:41

      It has "dual band WiFI" so I am assuming WiFi5/BT 4.2
      I have updated the description

      • Ziitek on 14/10/2023 - 14:49

        Caught it… should be in specs.

      • netsurfer on 14/10/2023 - 14:50
        +2

        It has WiFi 5, but it is 1T1R el cheapo one with BT 4.2. Better than nothing, but I normally wouldn't use such a WiFi card.

        • repeat on 14/10/2023 - 15:05

          Usually the cards in mini PC are removable M.2 (I have not confirmed with this one though) - if so, it is a fairly cheap (around $25-30) and simple upgrade to WiFi 6E and BT 5.2 (remove base, remove one M.2 screw, unclip antennae, then clip in and attach new card, close back up and update drivers).

          • Chiang on 14/10/2023 - 18:33
            +1

            @repeat: Being very sure that the card you get isn't processor dependant as some out there are. That just bluescreen or won't boot. Read well before buying. Can be done just be careful in chip choice.

          • repeat on 15/10/2023 - 18:19

            @repeat: Just to update, in this case the WiFi/BT on these mini PC are soldered on, and not in an M.2 slot - so cannot be upgraded or replaced with something else.

    • Shootinputin89 on 14/10/2023 - 21:40
      -2

      Sir, have you heard of an ethernet cable?

    • netsurfer on 14/10/2023 - 14:55
      +16

      More ports is better. Lack of ports (especially USB ports) is a weakness of these Mini PCs.

      N95 Mini PCs: lacklustre WiFi card, PCIe gen 3 x1 NVMe/m.2, lottery on "single channel" RAM and SSD. I'm glad I missed the $129 N95 deal (8GB RAM, 256GB SSD).

      • aec on 14/10/2023 - 16:30
        -5

        it really depends on the personal preference and usage. Personally, i will only need one ethernet port just 'in case', 2 hdmi ports, and 3-4 usb 3.2 ports (but on two sizes of the device). ideally, there will be one or two usb type c, and can be charged via type c (but that is not happening on these cheepish mini pc yet).

        edit:
        absolutely dont need an AVI port.

        • netsurfer on 14/10/2023 - 16:40

          Doesn't hurt to have a spare / backup LAN (an excuse to buy something that supports teaming later on). MicroSD card reader is better than nothing. 4 USB 3 ports seem okay (vs some with USB 3, USB 2 ports).

          What AVI port? 3 HDMI ports doesn't hurt. Yes, 2 is enough, but 3 gives you a dodgy excuse that the Mini PC supports 3 displays compared to Mac Mini's 2.

          Anyway, not saying get it because the price is still too high (because an OZBer got one with USB-PD from a competitor for cheaper) and that $129 deal is a good excuse to resist this.

          • aec on 14/10/2023 - 19:06

            @netsurfer: I didnt even ask if i should or should not get this. I just expressed my opinion what I would like. simple like that. the neggers… oh well… sb.

            • rumblytangara on 14/10/2023 - 20:18
              +2

              @aec: It was an opinion sure. Just so happened to be one of the weirdest opinions possible… who on earth complains that a small computer has 'too many ports'

              It's almost invariably a problem that a computer doesn't have enough ports.

              Yeah I don't like this apple tree, it has too much fruit on it. This house gets too much sunlight. This computer has too much RAM, I don't need it.

              • Fappy Bunny on 15/10/2023 - 00:35

                @rumblytangara: wouldn't say weird, just rare.
                some ppl would prefer to have less holes, smooth outline for aesthetic reasons.
                Hard to see beauty in simplicity.

                • rumblytangara on 15/10/2023 - 09:38
                  +1

                  @Fappy Bunny: Then he should buy a Mac.

                  You do realise we are talking about a dirt cheap micro PC, right? Not a vase.

                  Anyone who really cares about what it looks like can easily use a VESA mount to put it behind the monitor.

                  Or even double-sided tape.

                  I didn't neg the guy either, but my comment about it being weird was already pulling punches.

            • netsurfer on 15/10/2023 - 00:54

              @aec: I don't neg deals or comments.

              N95 supports 3 displays, so 3 HDMI ports is preferred (not cutting corners). Then, factor in the added LAN and microSD card slot, that port layout is understandable. To have the USB port layout more to your liking, it will incur additional cost.

              There is a N95 Mini PC that can be powered by USB-C/PD. An OZBer reported he bought one for around $200. What you wrote previously, generally were a bit odd and some of things you wrote were inaccurate. There is FOMO on these N95 Mini PCs. However, OZBer should set the target, N95 with USB-PD capability, you "could" stretch up to $200. N95 Mini PCs without USB-PD, should be below $200, otherwise it is not really a true OZB bargain.

    • Doowyah on 14/10/2023 - 15:06
      +2

      This KAMRUI has less ports and is a lightning deal at $249.99 for the next 3 hours. Personally I’d go the above deal with more ports and dual-NIC.

      • aec on 14/10/2023 - 16:24

        thanks.

  • hanzyman on 14/10/2023 - 14:47
    +1

    Is it easy to upgrade the SSD of this?

    • repeat on 14/10/2023 - 14:56
      +1

      It should be fairly straightforward, mini PCs usually have 4 screws on the bottom, when removed you can usually access SSD (M.2), RAM (SODIMM) and WiFi (M.2) - this Mini PC uses a 2280 M.2 "PCIe" which is upgradeable to 2TB (I do not know if this is the same as NVMe).
      Additionally, you can add a 2.5 inch SATA SSD (or even mechanical) for additional storage.

      UPDATE: @systema has one of these and found it has an M.2 SATA (not NVMe compatible) SSD.

    • repeat on 14/10/2023 - 16:14

      It sounds like these may only be compatible with SATA M.2 SSD (which are slower, and harder to find, possibly more expensive).
      - also compatible with 2.5 inch SATA SSD though.

  • phynicle on 14/10/2023 - 14:56
    +1

    How's the dual nic on this? Well supported by proxmox?

    • repeat on 14/10/2023 - 14:57
      +1

      They dont mention the chipset so I am assuming it is realtek or something that may cause problems. If it were intel or something they generally brag about it.
      I will definitely be trying out proxmox on this when it arrives.

      If using it in a wired environment, if the WiFi card is removable, there may be a chance of being able to rig up a M.2 to single/dual 2.5G ethernet in there.

      • doxxie on 14/10/2023 - 15:07
        +1

        yeah these ones are realtek

        the beelink ones are intel

        • sureyoucan on 14/10/2023 - 15:23
          +2

          I've got a couple of these adaptors.. it worked for 3 machines and don't on one.

          It's hit and miss if the motherboard will accept it. Else you can use a USB 3 to 2.5g adaptor.

          • phynicle on 14/10/2023 - 15:32

            @sureyoucan: And these adapters are alright with proxmox opnsense etc? Driver stable.

            • sureyoucan on 14/10/2023 - 15:45
              +1

              @phynicle: Yes all my machines are running proxmox..

              It"should" be ok for opnsense.. else you just past the interface into opnsense VM instead

              • doxxie on 14/10/2023 - 18:56

                @sureyoucan: yeah i seem to recall one of the reviews on amazon talked about getting drivers for either pfsense or opnsense and said it worked well

      • repeat on 15/10/2023 - 18:21

        The WiFi card on these is not M.2 unfortunately and is soldered on.

    • jeeg on 14/10/2023 - 14:58
      +1

      also interested for proxmox - i wonder if this will be much better performance (and also save energy bills) as compared with my current i5-6500.

      • netsurfer on 14/10/2023 - 15:00
        +2

        More energy efficient, yes. However, PCIe gen 3 x1 m.2 / NVMe (it's probably an Intel thing to cripple N95, though technically, there are enough lanes to achieve x4). Better than SATA3 I guess… probably tops out at 1000MB/s.

        • jeeg on 14/10/2023 - 15:55

          thanks bro. for proxmox purposes, would this be a significant upgrade to my old i5-6500?

          • netsurfer on 14/10/2023 - 16:10
            +1

            @jeeg: No, you lose a bit of CPU performance, dual channel RAM support, inferior m.2/NVMe, no PCIe x16, less SATA ports, "likely" less USB ports. If your old i5-6500's MB has another m2 slot, it should be at least PCIe gen3 x2 (primary would likely be x4).

            You get lower power consumption and small PC form factor. Better video decoding support.

            • jeeg on 14/10/2023 - 16:38

              @netsurfer: thanks mate for the concise feedback. cheers bro.

    • netsurfer on 14/10/2023 - 14:58

      No, smoke will come out… Only kidding, should be fine.

  • systema on 14/10/2023 - 15:26
    +5

    Bought one in previous sale, can confirm that there is an m.2 slot for the 16 + 512 N95 model. The slot is occupied by a Colorfore CF400 m.2 sata SSD. Also attempted to use an nvme SSD in it but the slot seems to be wired for SATA SSD only.

    • repeat on 14/10/2023 - 15:28

      Thanks for the info - this is different to what they advertise (PCIe 1x) so a bit disappointing that they do this.
      I have updated the description.

  • Fappy Bunny on 14/10/2023 - 15:33
    +4

    someone from another post, linked this Mini pc from Trigkey uses 12th gen N100.
    (looks like idential specs as N95) and with 110 coupon makes it to 249aud.

    https://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/B0CGZW8R5L/ref=ppx_yo_d…

    • Bii on 14/10/2023 - 15:57

      N95 or N100?

      Seems similar performance except for lower power on N100

      Edit: Bought one tho I think can wait for a bit cheaper

      • Fappy Bunny on 14/10/2023 - 16:47

        N100 for less power usage
        N95 for better improvement
        your choice :D

        i'm putting mine as the TV streaming pc, so either works.
        https://www.cpubenchmark.net/compare/5206vs5157/Intel-N95-vs…

        i always wonder how much cheaper can these go
        $100 labour, marketing, shipping
        $100 parts
        200 sounds cheap as it is.

      • Loot N Plunder on 14/10/2023 - 19:56

        N100—————— N95

        24 Compute units 16
        192 Shader 128
        38.4 GB/s Max. Bandwidth 76.8 GB/s
        6W tdp 15W
        0.30 GHz GPU frequency 1.20 GHz
        1.80 GHz Frequency 2.00 GHz
        3.00 GHz Turbo Frequency (All Cores) 3.20 GHz
        4 CPU cores and can calculate 4 threads in parallel - 4 CPU cores and 4 threads can calculate simultaneously

        https://www.cpu-monkey.com/en/compare_cpu-intel_processor_n1…

        This is the only difference i could find in them if anyone was interested. Makes you wonder why they would make them almost the same and not just use the best settings/parts for just one processor.

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4i4AJQuqZY

    • Shootinputin89 on 14/10/2023 - 21:43

      Only one ethernet port - for those wanting to dabble with pfsense with these.

  • Aarent on 14/10/2023 - 16:00

    Anyone know if this BIOS boots unraid usb's?

    • 16k-zx81 on 15/10/2023 - 08:12

      You should be able to boot to USB from any domestic x86/64 device.

  • dottjt on 14/10/2023 - 16:20

    How would these be for emulation?

  • seraphim2017 on 14/10/2023 - 16:25

    Obligatory stupid question. This vs pi 5 8gb at $137 when available for emulating old consoles? (Could this emulate Yuzu?)

    • RedHab on 14/10/2023 - 16:53

      This is better than a Pi 5 unless you want GPIO, possibly lower power consumption and Pi prebuilt images.
      Depends on your use-case.

  • ValouSydney on 14/10/2023 - 16:37

    Can we convert this to a NAS? How many sata port does it have?

    • systema on 14/10/2023 - 17:04
      +1

      Only 1 Sata port plus a Sata m.2 slot

    • ace310 on 14/10/2023 - 18:23
      +1

      Rather get an tomton 5105 mitx board with 6 sata, 2nvme in a Jonsbo N1/N2 case.

      • ValouSydney on 14/10/2023 - 20:14

        That's pretty much as expensive as a synology on sale

        • ace310 on 14/10/2023 - 21:21
          +1

          But you have freedom of running your own os. Unraid, truenas, proxmox. It can be way more than nas. Run dockers, vms etc. Home assistant, nextcloud, pfsense, arrs* heck it can handle plex as well.

          Again depending on your use case, yes you can run unraid / truenas on it. Add 2tb ssd and an external drive for more. Just get intel dual nic for better compatibility if not using windows.

        • JerraJones on 15/10/2023 - 02:29

          You won't be getting a synology nas with 6 hdd slots for that cheap.

        • 16k-zx81 on 15/10/2023 - 08:14

          You can easily plug one or more large external through USB3. Plenty of people run Nas like this. If you are on a budget it works fine.

          • ValouSydney on 15/10/2023 - 08:17

            @16k-zx81: True but you can't use raid then :/

            I'm currently running plex on my router using Asus merlin but I can't watch some of the x265 hdr movies (of course without transcoding).
            Also the idea of having containers on top is appealing.

  • OMGJL on 14/10/2023 - 17:08

    I'd like the title to be Dreamquest Mini PC, Intel N95 12th Gen E Core CPU 16GB DDR4 512G $239.99 +Delivery ($0 with Prime/ $39 Spend) @Dreamquest via Amazon AU

    • Fappy Bunny on 14/10/2023 - 23:13

      why noting E core is important? (just curious)

      • OMGJL on 14/10/2023 - 23:52
        +2

        12th Gen Intel (Desktop I am referring to) contains P Core (performance core), and E Core (Efficient core)

        and everyone loves Intel with its beast of performance thanks to their P cores (not saying AMD is bad, but 12th Gen does beat AMD by single core raw performance, within 8 Cores)

        on the other hand, their E Core is not that great, and this mini PC have only got E cores… so don't expect top of the line performances

  • cryptowiz on 14/10/2023 - 17:17

    I bought one of these a couple of days ago at the same price and it's a great little machine. I'm using a KVM to switch between it and my main desktop as required. Using this one when I get up in the morning and browse the web, check mail, do some casual gaming (old games) or download linux distros (seriously, I really am downloading linux distros). It uses very little power which was the attraction. I immediately installed a spare 1TB 2.5" SSD I had laying around (which took 5 mins) for the stuff I was going to download onto it. Highly recommended but YMMV. Remember, it's no powerhouse.

    One last thing. This one comes with an Australian power plug (someone I know bought a different brand (not from Amazon) and it had a U.S. plug.

    • repeat on 14/10/2023 - 17:25

      Thanks for the detail on the power supply, I had been wondering about that and good to know it is AU.

    • zangbangapda on 14/10/2023 - 17:37
      +3

      If you are into linux, look up proxmox, homelab and home server for this little thing. Your months will be gone in a blink.

      • cryptowiz on 14/10/2023 - 17:39

        I've been into linux since 1993 and I still can't pick a favourite distro.

  • milobob on 14/10/2023 - 17:53

    N100 vs i5 11th gen?

    At this price the n100 is pretty good.

    • 16k-zx81 on 15/10/2023 - 08:15

      This is E core. If you google CPU charts and dial in the comparison it will show you the i5 will walk all over it.

  • Watanabe1995 on 14/10/2023 - 17:54
    +1

    This N95 cpu benchmark is close to Intel Core i7-2600K

  • kevmiester on 14/10/2023 - 17:59

    Would pfsense work on this mimi PC? Thanks.

  • repeat on 14/10/2023 - 18:02

    Another interesting mini PC for the adventurous (unknown brand Askhand) from "Askhand Japan"
    https://www.amazon.com.au/AskHand-512GB-Windows11-Bluetooth-…

    N100 CPU, 16GB/500GB only single Gigabit LAN but dual USB-C ports look interesting for $258.

  • browser on 14/10/2023 - 19:39

    How does this compare to a refurb Optiplex with 8th or 9th gen i5? Most for internet browsing, online video, and messaging apps?

    • Loot N Plunder on 14/10/2023 - 20:03

      If all you are doing is internet browsing, online video, and messaging apps then something like this would be enough and the main difference would be the power consumption i5 65+W verse 6 to 15W

    • Tokz666 on 14/10/2023 - 20:05

      Would like to know this as well!!! My main uses will be multi tab web browsing, research, a bit of youtube and MS Office!!

      Occasionally play FM2023. Will this mini pc be ok for the above tasks??

      • tekisei on 14/10/2023 - 22:17
        +1

        Single core performance is even weaker than a i5 6500 or i5 8500T from a Dell Optiplex Micro (USFF sized).

        So Plunder is correct in that the main difference is in power consumption of around 50W extra for the mainline i5 USFF or 20W extra for the i5T USFF.

        If you run at 24/7/365 for a year, the difference is $135 (i5) and $54 (i5T) per year (31c/kWh NSW).

        If you run at 2/7/365 for a year, the difference is $11.28 (i5) and $4.53 (i5T) per year (31c/kWh NSW).

        Value may swing wildly in either direction depending on your use case.

  • Dreamcast on 14/10/2023 - 21:22

    I have to admit, I read it as 'Dreamcast'.

    • Shootinputin89 on 14/10/2023 - 21:36

      I went Sega Mega Drive to Playstation 1, back in 1997. Gave ol' mate Dreamcast a miss.

      • Dreamcast on 14/10/2023 - 23:08
        +1

        Can I down vote you?

        • Shootinputin89 on 15/10/2023 - 01:49

          You may. For what it's worth, I still have my Sega, with Sonic / Road Rash, etc. Those were the days.

  • Wonderstache on 14/10/2023 - 21:35

    Crazy idea but if I were to use one of these to replace my Windows VM on my Macbook would I be able to run it with enough power if directly connected to my Macbook?

    I've been considering upgrading from the Intel MBP to the M2 Air but we use a lot of x64 apps.

    • ace310 on 14/10/2023 - 22:05

      Depends what you want windows for? Considering this is full windows 11 it should be fine.

      • Wonderstache on 14/10/2023 - 22:24

        Yes Windows 11 Pro with Visual Studio and .NET

        • ace310 on 15/10/2023 - 09:10

          Yes it should work, but considering how VS can become resource hungry sometimes depending on what you are doing, what addons/extensions are loaded it might slow down a bit.

        • Nom on 15/10/2023 - 10:34

          Is there some reason you aren't just doing this on a Windows machine ?

          Intel Macs will shortly be end of life so you're going to have to replace it anyway.

          • Wonderstache on 15/10/2023 - 12:55

            @Nom: I need to use a VM to isolate the .NET environment and Macs have been giving me no issues and good performance doing this.
            Used to use a Dell XPS and it was just riddled with bugs running Windows.

    • mantra on 15/10/2023 - 02:42

      Windows 11 has decent x86-64 emulation on ARM many x64 apps work fine on both my raspberry pi and mac mini (parallels)
      could be worth messing around with Windows 11 ARM VM, probably a better experience especially with parallels

      • Wonderstache on 15/10/2023 - 08:46
        +1

        Yeah I've already tried this and some of the required .NET libraries would not load so I couldn't use it.

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