Introduction

Hi, I'm Hannah.

I'm planning on building a SFF build, because I'm moving around a lot and my MBP doesn't have nearly enough power for the tasks I'm using it for, and a colleague told me about this site. I've checked out some of the resources on here and I'm very grateful for all the comprehensive information.

Cheers

 

[ignsvn]

Hi, I'm Hannah.

I'm planning on building a SFF build, because I'm moving around a lot and my MBP doesn't have nearly enough power for the tasks I'm using it for, and a colleague told me about this site. I've checked out some of the resources on here and I'm very grateful for all the comprehensive information.

Cheers

Welcome to the forum!

Yup another classic reason why we're here - laptop is small but not powerful enough (and major component upgrade is almost impossible). Apart from the SFF PC itself, do explore 13-15 inch portable monitors if your tasks need it.

 

[hannah]

Welcome to the forum!

Yup another classic reason why we're here - laptop is small but not powerful enough (and major component upgrade is almost impossible). Apart from the SFF PC itself, do explore 13-15 inch portable monitors if your tasks need it.

I've actually been using a pen display and an iPad as 'portable monitors', guess I'll be looking into getting a portable monitor. Do you have any recommendations? Only requirement is 2/4k.

 

[ignsvn]

I've actually been using a pen display and an iPad as 'portable monitors', guess I'll be looking into getting a portable monitor. Do you have any recommendations? Only requirement is 2/4k.

There are quite a few portable monitors in the market, I'd group them into 2;

1) Those provided by big brands with (usually) proper warranty & support. For some reasons, many of these don't support video over HDMI input, only USB-C. So IMO they are targeted toward laptop users, not desktop PC users (unless your GPU support video output over USB-C). They are: Asus, Lenovo, Viewsonic, AOC, Gaems, etc.

2) ..And non branded ones, usually with questionable warranty & support. They are usually built around existing laptop LCD panel. They actually provide good display quality & more options in terms of resolution & size. Many of them use mini-HDMI, so they work well with Desktop PC. Some brands are: Eyoyo, Elecrow, Zeuslap, Magedok.. I bet you never heard them before hehe (But some brands like Eyoyo and Elecrow are popular among Raspberry Pi builders). They are plenty on Chinese marketplaces like AliExpress.

I myself uses Zeuslap 14 inch touch screen at the moment..

You can read some info here: https://smallformfactor.net/forum/t...-work-and-gaming-recommendations.2089/page-41 - there are also some DIY solutions if you're adventurous