My latest computer review is for the MeLe Quieter 3Q Fanless mini PC (Retail Price: 128 GB – $260 and 256 GB – $280), which is one of the fanless mini PC’s gaining a lot of attention.
So, while many computers have gotten smaller, may it be for office use or personal home use, while most are shaped as a square, this one is shaped like your smart phone (probably smaller if you have a larger smart phone). But of course, the depth is a little longer to allow for the ports.
But why fanless vs. one with a fan? Well, for one, today’s technology allows for fanless technology and throttling to prevent a computer of getting too hot. This allows for smaller computers and also more competition, because as most big names compete over the gaming hardware and office hardware, for fanless technology, we are seeing companies overseas taking advantage of this new playing field of introducing mini computers at under $300 that can do just as well as those cheaper laptops and PC desktops but without the bigger size and without a fan.
They are compact for sure but with the power, is it for you? Let’s find out.
Inside the box, you get the computer, bracket for mounting the computer and of course the power adapter. I had to take a picture of this device next to my watch and you can see right off hand how small this computer is. It’s amazing to see how small these are getting year after year.
The MeLe Quieter 3Q Fanless mini PC utilizes an Intel Celeron N5105 with 8GB of RAM.
The video chipset is an Intel UHD Graphics (Jasper Lake 24 EU) with 1024 MB with audio adapter, Intel Jasper Lake PCH – cAVS Controller. Hard drive is a Generic A3A442 and I received the 128GB version (114GB free not inc. the OS).
As for ports, you get 4 3.0 USB, 2 HDMI ports, 1 USB-C for charging, 3.5mm audio jack, SD slot, HD can be upgraded. Has TPM 2.0. Uses Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201 (160MHz) and Bluetooth 5.2. The network card is a RealTek Semiconductor RTL8167/8111 PCI-E.
The computer comes pre-installed with Windows 11 Professional and at ver. 21H2, with a few updates needed.
It’s important to note that with the Celeron technology changing quickly, don’t be surprised if you see upgrades of the chip every six months. Actually, if anything, it would probably be best to consider this as the starting point of technology, because as many of you know, 2020-2021 was just a terrible year for technology. Chips were hard to come by and every company had to either find ways to make use of what was available and if anything, the MeLe Quieter 3Q is a step back up and as technology starts to get back on track, it will be interesting to see what MeLe has planned towards the end of the year or early next year.
So, back to the Mele Quieter 3Q.
Everything worked right out the box. I was able to connect my keyboard, mouse, an XBOX One controller and an HDMI cable and every thing ran as expected.
After I performed the Windows 11 updates, it was time to test this computer out.
It’s fanless, so it can run hot and that is to be expected. So, put it farther back where you and others (especially children) can get a hold of it.
While it does get hot, fortunately there is thermal throttling. Currently on standstill, the core temp is 44C and max was at 58C. When I pushed the machine, I saw it rise and the case did get hot. But bare in mind, that was during a stress test of several hours straight.
I began installing applications and you want to make sure everything is done updating because you will get a bit of lag. I ran everything via WiFi than ethernet and everything was running great. 4K video through YouTube, movies through VUDU. Internet browsing was quick.
So, for those who want it for strictly Internet browsing, printing, scanning and paying the bills, doing basic video chats and checking on social media, this computer will suffice. Also, considering how small it is, some may consider it for traveling. Tested Zoom with a Logitech webcam and Facebook and everything worked fine!
But I can see parents or grandparents using this computer easily because they only use their computer for basic use and are not on it that long. Add Office or OpenOffice and they are good to go. If anything, I recommend utilizing cloud backup software such as One Drive or Google Drive, if you use this as a primary computer, so your documents and other photos are backed up.
But let’s say that you want a little bit more from the MeLE Quieter3Q Fanless Mini PC?
OK, now let’s try a few gaming applications on it via STEAM. Of course, I know the limitations of this computer Intel UHD Graphics and I’m not aiming to play Fortnite, Overwatch or the latest Assasins Creed, Resident Evil or Yakuza games on it.
But I wanted to see how far can I go with this computer.
Tested numerous games via Steam and XBOX One Controller and took the graphic resolution down to 720p for certain games. Some games just didn’t load at too high of a resolution.
TEST 1: The King of Fighters 1998 – I figured this game would play games from the ’90s just fine. And yes, this 2D fighting game played flawlessly.
TEST 2: Streets of Rage 4 – Let’s try another fighting 2D game and this time, “Streets of Rage 4” from 2021. And yes, this game played flawlessly.
TEST 3: Let’s try something a bit higher but not too high in graphics and so, I tried the 2008 game, “Bully: Scholarship Edition” and this game played flawlessly. I did reduce the resolution to 720p for this game. For me, this is great because I have a ton of games made around this time that are on backlogged, so I know I can use the Mele Quieter 3 for these older games.
TEST 4: Let’s now try a somewhat graphic intense game from 2016, “Yakuza Kiwami”. 1080p was painfully slow, but at 720p, it ran just fine.
Now I was considering of testing Steam VR Connect or even running Virtual Desktop Streamer for my Meta Quest 2, but I felt, I was also pushing it. Already knowing in my gut to stop trying to push this computer to doing things, knowing full well it’s not going to be anything like my gaming computer and also considering that this has a 128GB, I’m going to be limited already.
But I felt that having the ability to have Steam run many games from the ’90s to present that are not graphically intensive nor a space hog, you literally can use this as your Steam box.
I then tested Roblox and yes, this game ran perfectly fine. I tried both older and a few newer games and it ran just fine. Loading sequences sometimes lagged but that could be loading in general.
I then had to test out emulation but the results were less satisfactory. While certain games were playable after changing the resolution to 720p, loading screens were bad for certain console emulation games running via Dolphin, handheld console games were just fine.
JUDGMENT CALL:
Personally, if I wanted to upgrade your parents or grand parents older computer with something inexpensive that gets the job done, the MeLE Quieter3Q Fanless Mini PC works perfectly good for the basic to casual user. Heck, if you want a computer for a family member or loved one or something for travel that can connect to a TV via HDMI, this mini computer would work perfectly.
For the gamers who want to play games and you have a backlog as crazy as mine and want to complete some of those older games, then the MeLE Quieter3Q Fanless Mini PC works great as a living room STEAM box.
But for those who want to do power user type of things, when it comes to audio/video or photo editing or high graphic intensive applications/games, then that’s where investing in a more expensive computer comes in. There is no substitution for that.
But I have to say that I was quite impressed with the MeLE Quieter3Q Fanless Mini PC. For the price, it’s less that the slow bloatware laptops that are a few hundred dollars more offered by these other stores and because it’s free of the bloatware, it runs efficiently and it’s really plug and play from the box. Just setup Windows 11 and let it update and you are good to go.
Do I have any concerns? Well, while it does have thermal throttling, I know full well of how internal heat can kill off hardware in a course of years. In fact, as computers become smaller and thinner, it’s a concern but that’s pretty much with laptops and all-in-one desktops. But one positive is that the hard drive can be replaced and it’s a small technology that runs amazingly well and you’ll be surprised at how far this small fanless computer utilizing an Intel Celeron N5105 chip can go.
Recommended!
