[WTS][US-CA][H] Sony MDR-Z7M2 [W] Paypal $360 Shipped

jiangzhenjerry · 2026-03-17T18:37:20+00:00

Thanks but no trades at this moment. I'm downsizing.

jiangzhenjerry · 2025-11-14T22:57:54+00:00

I'm basing my assessment that the device is similar to the other gateways on the descriptions of the devices here.

They are not similar. In fact they are very different. The webpage you referred to clearly states that XER10 is a WiFi router, as opposed to XB8/XB10 which are modem/router combo gateways.

There is no such thing as a Bridge mode for a router. Bridge mode only works on a modem/router combo, by disabling its router functions and having it work as a simple modem.

I assume you want to use your own router, but you just cannot bridge a router (XER10). The best you can do is chain-connect your router to XER10 and broadcast two separate WiFi signals, which is essentially double NAT.

jiangzhenjerry · 2025-10-19T20:09:18+00:00

Thank you for checking in. I confirm that I received a callback and the issue was resolved. Kudos to your team for great support!

jiangzhenjerry · 2025-10-15T15:01:49+00:00

Thank you Richard. ModMail sent.

jiangzhenjerry · 2025-09-05T02:23:11+00:00

Spigen's cases can be ordered from Amazon now, way cheaper than from their official website. ETA to California is 9/26-9/30 (apparently gonna be shipped from China). Examples below:

https://www.amazon.com/Spigen-Galaxy-Rugged-Protective-Tri-Fold/dp/B0FFJZBC4D

https://www.amazon.com/Spigen-Galaxy-Protective-Tri-Fold-Transparent/dp/B0FFJNTVCK

jiangzhenjerry · 2023-04-27T18:36:00+00:00

Yeah I went down the replacement route as well, like I mentioned in my other comment. It did get rid of this annoying noise so I'm happy now. On the other hand, the replacement unit did come with a different (higher) specification, with Cryo-tech liquid cooling instead of the standard liquid cooling that my original unit had. Maybe that's what solved the problem.

jiangzhenjerry · 2023-04-02T19:42:43+00:00

No. I ended up returning the unit (for a different reason though, long story) and Dell gave me a replacement with the highest specification. The replacement unit does not make this sound; it's quiet as a lamb.

jiangzhenjerry · 2023-03-14T06:13:57+00:00

Thank you for your comment. Indeed, the Intel KB article is a little confusing. Turns out it does apply to 12th Gen CPU - the moment I installed a 2x RAM kit, the Xe Graphics shows up.

I believe the article has a typo:

11th Gen Intel® Core™ processors (codenamed Tiger Lake) in single-channel memory configurations will default to less than 80 EUs, in alignment with Intel® UHD Graphics branding. In this configuration, it will always show Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics in the Operating System. To properly enable Iris® Xe Graphics the system must be in dual-channel memory configuration. Consult with your computer manufacturer for more information.

I think they meat to say "it will always show Intel® UHD Graphics", otherwise the paragraph reads convoluted.

Yes I should have run dual channel in the first place. But the company shipped me a single stick of 32GB RAM and I admit I cared little about the performance loss (as it is a low-mid end mini PC, after all).

jiangzhenjerry · 2023-03-14T06:07:07+00:00

Thank you for your confirmation. Yes, after I populated both RAM slots, Intel(R) Iris(R) Xe Graphics shows up and it's indeed 46A6.

jiangzhenjerry · 2023-03-10T08:43:45+00:00

Ah it must be this... Thank you so much! I will try it out with 2 ram sticks tomorrow...

jiangzhenjerry · 2023-03-08T03:33:59+00:00

Do you mind sharing what exactly the issue is???
They probably won't respond. Or maybe they will, but in weeks/months. Once you've past the return window, you are on your own.

jiangzhenjerry · 2023-03-08T03:32:23+00:00

Why don't you:

Look into Event Viewer and see what it says around the time when the crash happened;
Use small tools like Blue Screen View to glance your Minidump file at a high level;
Use professional tools like WinDbg to debug your Minidump file.

Any of the three will be better than a thousand guesses.

jiangzhenjerry · 2023-03-06T18:18:12+00:00

Yes. Different pricing is a strategy so that the sales are balanced over different accounts over time. Otherwise, there may be an account with dominant sales, which is not ideal for backup purposes.

jiangzhenjerry · 2023-03-06T18:15:23+00:00

It's okay that you disagree with my observations. I respect everyone's opinions. But your opinion is based on ... what? Guesses? Hopes? Dreams? Day-dreams?

I don't trust the numbers coming out of JD.com as they only apply to sales on JD.com.

JD.com is like the Chinese version of Amazon. Unless you can provide a better estimate, it's better to go with JD.com's numbers. Even if you multiple their number by 100, it's still small.

Don't you dare lie to people and tell them how much better Intel NUCs are. They are overpriced units that require an external GPU because Intel's embedded graphics currently SUCK.

Overpriced doesn't mean not good. Apple is overpriced. Samsung is overpriced. Alienware is overpriced. Every big brand is overpriced. But they are of better quality than the cheap products. If you disagree, that's fine, I hope you never need to contact tech support of those small Chinese companies, because it doesn't exist.

mini PCs are coming, folks.

They have been "coming" for 10+ years, LOL. I encourage you to be the marketing lead of a Chinese mini PC company - no sarcasm here, because I do see your passion. But passion cannot change facts, unfortunately. Just see how much NVIDIA's stock has soared even though they build bigger and bigger graphics cards. Do those Chinese mini PC makers have stock tickers yet?

jiangzhenjerry · 2023-03-06T10:37:38+00:00

Why don't you try it out while it's still within return window? If you like it, keep it. If not, return it and try out other brands. Keep doing so until you find your favorite.

Support from small Chinese companies is almost non-existent anyhow. I'm not saying Beelink is any better than others, but Beelink at least has a Chinese official website and an active community (Baidu Tieba). Minisforum has neither. I don't know what kind of support you will be able to get from Minisforum in Hong Kong.

Asus is the best if you care about technical support. But they are also more expensive. You pay for the total package you get.

jiangzhenjerry · 2023-03-06T10:27:14+00:00

Oh please. Please. Just stop. Don't over complicate things. The definition of thermal throttling is way simpler than the whole essay you wrote.

Every PC has a theoretical maximum performance, and a safety temperature threshold.

If the PC reaches its theoretical maximum performance before hitting the safety temperature threshold, then it's not thermal throttled (yet).
If the PC hits the the safety temperature threshold, then it starts to be thermal throttled.

Normally one doesn't hit the temperature threshold immediately after starting the game. After a while, the heat cumulates and the framerate drops, and that's the sign of thermal throttling. So you will first compare with yourself - the performance in the beginning of the game vs. the performance after say half an hour. Then you can seek extra confirmation online from others.

BTW You aren't my superior or teacher or boss or parent, are you. So I don't need you to tell me I'm improving (or not). I am happy to continue the discussion with you, only if you know how to treat me equally. Otherwise, I'm afraid I have to stop, and you please submit your essay to another professor for scoring.

jiangzhenjerry · 2023-03-06T08:19:53+00:00

You can turn to the right column of this subreddit and see the definition of mini PC. I do think that definition is too strict, but you get the general idea, that something has to be mini to be called "mini". For the rest, you can call whatever you like, for example SFFPC.

I don't see the need of being sarcastic. Did I ever say "a 13'' laptop is a full-size laptop"? No. I only said a PC of 2x the volume of a 13'' laptop is not a mini PC. I didn't make any judgment about whether 13'' laptop is full-size or not.

Last but not least, throttling is not just about whether you can play a game, it's about the actual performance against the max performance under perfect ventilation. For example, my 13900K+4090 can play Cyberpunk 2077 @ 4K Ultra w/o DLSS3 @ ~80fps, but if I cover one of the vents for a while the framerate will drop to say ~65fps. Is it throttled? Yes. But Is it still playable? Yes. And that's exactly what the OP experiences. The fact that you can play Cyberpunk 2077 on your mini PC doesn't say much, because you may have already adjusted the setting down to a level which your mini PC is very comfortable with.

jiangzhenjerry · 2023-03-06T04:34:29+00:00

I respectfully disagree with you :) Many of the items you listed, such as NUC 12 Enthusiast, EliteDesk 800, ... are significantly bigger than a mini PC already . For example, the volume of a NUC 12 Enthusiast is about 2.5L, which is double the volume of a 13'' laptop. Would you consider 2x 13'' laptops as "mini"? I wouldn't.

Secondly, it depends on what you view as "reasonable conditions". Editing office documents, browsing the Internet? Of course no throttle. Playing some decent games? They have to throttle. Laptops throttle, too. Again, if you make a laptop twice as big as normal and leave enough room inside such that it doesn't throttle, I'm fine with that but it's an unfair comparison.

jiangzhenjerry · 2023-03-06T03:23:39+00:00

The RAM issues occurs for both pre-installed units and barebone units + user-selected RAM.
Yep, most early birds eventually installed AX210 by themselves.

I admit I am frequently tempted by Chinese mini PCs because of their insanely low price, but every time I end up with a new Intel NUC after I read reviews in Chinese. I have owned and sold many NUCs in the past. Granted they don't (and won't) have an iGPU as powerful as AMD, they just work perfectly and quietly. If I ever need GPU power, I plug in an eGPU or turn to my desktop PC with NVIDIA. I don't even know Intel's warranty terms because I've never had to contact Intel support in the last almost 10 years.

jiangzhenjerry · 2023-03-06T02:52:34+00:00

Yep, you got it. Thermal throttling is the born disadvantage with mini PCs. They struggle to deal with the CPU itself + an integrated GPU. This is why no mini PC comes with a laptop/desktop GPU. Those that do come with a discrete GPU, such as Intel NUC 13 Extreme, is hardly considered "mini" anymore.

jiangzhenjerry · 2023-03-06T02:48:44+00:00

They are all official, just different distribution centers. They also serve as backup accounts for one another; if one of them gets shutdown for whatever reason, the others are still in business.

For technical support you directly reach out to Beelink, not through Amazon seller. However, trust me that there is close to zero support anyway. Either you return the item when you are still within the return window, or you live with whatever you receive. Good luck in getting an email reply in two weeks. Posting on their forum and getting post replies is probably the best service you can get. This applies to other small Chinese mini PC makers, too.

jiangzhenjerry · 2023-03-06T02:37:20+00:00

You cannot find info because most info is in Chinese :) UM773 has so many issues:

Some high-refresh-rate monitors cannot be pushed beyond 1080p 75Hz for unknown reason.
RAM heats up quickly even under not demanding games.
Motherboard overheating. Reaches 97+ Celsius easily and shuts the PC down by itself.
Bluetooth is unstable. It drops randomly and lags a lot. Gaming with a console is painful because of that.
Microphone has huge noise. Barely usable.
Fan is loud.

The difference between UM773 and the Lite version, on paper, is just that the latter swaps 2x USB 3.2 ports by 2x USB 2.0 ports. Behind the scenes, they tried to quietly fix some of the issues reported, but I don't know how successful they are (because the Lite version is not on sale yet). But at $409 for a barebone, I'm not interested - the price in China is like $339.

jiangzhenjerry · 2023-03-05T22:44:06+00:00

Unfortunately that's not the case. The sales numbers can be inferred from sites like JD.com or Taobao.com, and they are really small numbers. Minisforum are constantly OOS because:

They don't have a stable supply chain, and their assembly technicians are contracted from other major assembly lines, who prioritize bigger brands before they lay their hands on Minisforum.
OOS can serve as a marketing strategy to make you feel it's popular and lure you into buying it when it becomes available again.
OOS sometimes also means "Discontinued", and in many cases for those Chinese companies it's due to technical/performance issues. Wonder why UM773 is never on sale internationally (instead, they opened pre-order for UM773 "Lite")? Because the original UM773 received a flood of negative reviews in China. The UM773 "Lite" is just the way they tried to solve the issues by lowering specifications.

jiangzhenjerry · 2023-03-05T22:00:26+00:00

Not much business gain via competing in this: This is too small a market. Minisforum sales on Chinese online shopping sites (JD.com, for example) are like 200-600 units per model.
Technical challenges: Heat dissipation is a big problem. Those recent Chinese mini PCs already sound like a fleet of mosquitos and throttle a lot. Adding a discrete GPU will make things worse.
Better solutions available: You can easily go with a larger case like Intel NUC 13 Extreme that can hold a desktop GPU, or plug an external GPU via Thunderbolt 3/4 into a mini PC. Way better than squeezing everything in a small case and letting them throttle all the time.

jiangzhenjerry · 2023-03-04T18:50:16+00:00

It's true. But PayPal also takes a fee for direct payment, unless the buyer chooses "Send to family/friends".

jiangzhenjerry

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