This week, I can report great Mini-PC results for radio operations with my new Bosgame P3 Lite. It’s amazing.
Last week, I told you about my research into a new mini-pc for my radios computer. Even more important, I had the courage to lay out my expectations based on that research. Namely, a 4 to 5 times performance improvement over my 13 year old i5-4670 PC.
Well, my expectations were certainly met. My Bosgame P3 Lite arrived from Amazon. It cost $CDN445. After a few hours, Windows 11 Pro was updated and my basic radio software installed. (For my American friends, this machine comes in at under $US350.)
As you can see above, I expected a performance gain of 4.2X based on CPU benchmarking. The great news is that in each of my five base radio use cases, this expectation was met or exceeded!
On my old desktop, these use cases produced between 10% to 25% CPU load. On the new mini-pc, with its Ryzen 7 6800H, CPU load drops to between 2-6%, with an average gain of 4.7X.
I have run these tests multiple times and results were consistent. So, I get performance comparable to a lower-end gaming desktop at one-third the price, what I was hoping for.
Great Mini-PC Results for Radio Operations – Heavier Loads
So far, I have not installed a bunch of radio accessory software. I can’t describe performance yet with programs like WJST-X, FLDIGI and logging all running at once.
But I can tell you that when running two SDR at once (for example Thetis and SDRuno) total CPU load stays under 10%. And I can do other tasks without any problems.
Am I happy with my decision? Yes. If you want to run your radios on a Mini-PC like the Bosgame P3 Lite, you should do just fine.
Thanks, John, for doing all the leg work. In this business, one is always looking for the next upgrade/replacement computer!
Thanks John. The other function which is a must for us is SDR spectrum file recording, (while decoding and concurrently listening, etc,etc). This would most likely be to an external drive (USB 3) or to a fast network store for a Mini-PC. I am sure this was on your testing list and the results will be most interesting. Thanks!
I checked on the Bosgame web site and it seems that your Bosgame P3 Lite is not available in the UK.
In addition to this I was looking at the BOSGAME M4 Mini PC- Ryzen 7 8745HS and discovered that it is £60 dearer with a UK plug/power supply than the same item with a US plug/power supply. I asked Bosgame why the difference and got this reply.
UK plugs are suitable for 230-240V and typically have a maximum current capacity of 13A. US plugs are suitable for 110-120V and typically have a maximum current capacity of 15A.
Because UK plugs operate at higher voltages, they place higher demands on material insulation and conductivity, requiring the use of better insulation materials and more conductive metals, which increases material costs.
Furthermore, UK plugs are generally larger and heavier, requiring more materials, further increasing costs. Different countries and regions have different safety certification standards for electrical plugs.
UK plugs must comply with strict UK safety certification regulations, such as BS certification. The certification process involves multiple tests and audits, resulting in additional costs that are passed on to the product price.
US plugs, on the other hand, only need to meet relevant US standards, and their certification costs may be relatively lower. In short, due to differences in design and construction, materials, specifications, and safety certification requirements, the price difference between the two plugs can also be explained.
I don’t know where this guy studied but why he thinks that a higher voltage supply, which results in less current being drawn from the mains, places a higher demands on the conductivity of the power supply, is beyond me 🙂
Regards
Tracey G5VU