Mini PC Stack Fit Checker | Super Evil Robots

pilot boundary

exact profiles: 5
public recipes: 3
Grade A lab runs: 0
possible verdicts: yes / conditional / no / unknown

plain-word key to the product names in step 3

Proxmox VE: a virtualization operating system installed on the bare machine. the first recipe uses it as the host for its two light VMs. version record
virtual machine (VM): a guest computer running inside a host, with its own operating system.
KVM: the Linux virtualization layer used for those guests. both VM recipes here are KVM guests.
Home Assistant OS: home automation shipped as a bootable image rather than as an app. the second recipe uses that image as a KVM guest. version record
Jellyfin: a media server for a video library you host yourself. version record
transcode: re-encoding a video into another format or bitrate while it plays. a hardware transcode uses the processor's built-in video engine instead of general CPU cores.
Docker: a container format that packages an application together with its dependencies. the third recipe ships Jellyfin that way.
Debian: the Linux distribution that third recipe names as the guest operating system inside the VM.

these entries say what each name refers to. they are not verdicts. what each recipe requires, and how well that is evidenced, is on the workload recipe pages.

1. where are you starting?the answer changes whether we inspect one exact box or compare every maintained pilot configuration.

I have a mini PCcheck one exact CPU, memory, and system-drive profile.I need a mini PCcompare the maintained exact profiles by verdict, never by a score.

2. resolve the exact configuration

a chassis name alone is not a configuration. resolve each maintained factor; the checker will not infer an exact profile from a seller title.

platform / chassisuse the manufacturer and exact chassis family, not only “mini PC.”processorconfirm the full CPU model in firmware or the operating system.installed memoryuse installed capacity, not the chassis maximum.installed memory modulesmatch module count, per-module capacity, type, and rated speed; total memory alone can hide occupied-slot differences.system-drive mediumidentify the drive that contains the operating system.system-drive capacityuse the installed drive capacity, not an advertised maximum.installed wired adapters / portsmatch every installed wired adapter by role, medium, and link rate; a matching fastest-port speed alone is not an exact topology.additional internal devices / expansionconfirm whether extra internal drives, risers, or cards are installed; on the M720q the 2.5-inch SATA assembly and PCIe card are mutually exclusive.

identity incomplete

Complete every maintained identity field before evaluating fit.

still required:

platform / chassis
processor
installed memory
installed memory modules
system-drive medium
system-drive capacity
installed wired adapters / ports
additional internal devices / expansion

how to identify it

check the platform label, CPU, installed memory, system drive, and wired adapter in firmware or the operating system. seller titles and case badges are not enough. “not listed” and “cannot verify” deliberately stop evaluation instead of broadening the match.

3. choose one to three workloadseach preset fixes an application release, deployment method, and bounded job.

Proxmox host with two light service VMsProxmox VE on bare metalHome Assistant OS virtual machineHome Assistant OS in a KVM virtual machineOne concurrent 1080p Jellyfin hardware transcodeJellyfin Docker container in a Debian KVM virtual machine

4. advanced assumptions

leave anything unverified as “not confirmed.” unknown is safer than invented confidence.

secure boot is disabledrequired by the maintained Home Assistant OS VM and full-stack recipes.Intel hardware acceleration is configuredhardware capability alone does not prove the Jellyfin deployment is configured to use it.media storage is available to Jellyfinthe one-stream recipe assumes the library is mounted and readable.external media storage is available to the full stackthe maintained stack does not allocate its system SSD as a media library.important data is redundant or recoverablea planning condition, not proof that backups or recovery have been tested.a separate backup target is configuredused by the maintained multi-app stack as an operational recommendation.

the result will explain itself

choose an exact starting point and a bounded workload. the answer comes first: the verdict, exactly what it is a verdict about, the limiting factor — whether that is a capability limit, an assumption limit, or an evidence gap — and the grade that qualifies it. the axis breakdown, the derivation and the evidence are one click below.

account-free · local evaluation · no listing text or serial numbers

.lab-checker { display: none !important; }

the personalized checker needs JavaScript

JavaScript performs the evaluation in this browser; there is no account or server-side submission. without it, use the maintained static research pages:

start with the exact-profile directory or read the evidence method before making a purchase decision.

what this result means

the checker first requires one unique maintained identity across chassis, CPU, installed memory, system drive, and wired networking. ambiguous, unlisted, and unverified selections do not produce a verdict. once resolved, it evaluates prerequisite rules against that profile; it does not estimate an invisible score, invent current prices, or turn documentation into a benchmark.

“conditional” means the required checks pass but a recommendation or known condition remains. “unknown” means a fact, assumption, source, or test is missing. both are deliberate answers, not errors to hide.

three selected recipes use the maintained home-automation-and-media stack rule. other multi-workload selections join each recipe conservatively and explicitly do not claim shared resource or performance testing.

the factorized identity states and privacy boundary are versioned in the public method.