Retro Emulation on Mini PC?

[Emulation]

Hi,

I currently have a handheld Anbernic rg35xx plus and it works well for games up to ps1, but no ps2.  I’ve been watching a lot of videos on buying a mini pc that game play systems that are higher up. I’ve been overwhelmed with information and just looking for some advice on what to buy.  I’ve been looking at the HP Elite Desk Mini PCs but then had more questions. Some questions I’ve been swirling about: Intel i5 or AMD Ryzen 5? How much RAM should I get? There seems to be 2400G models, and 2400GE models with lower power consumption but might lack performance? I think what I’m looking for is something that will play the smaller consoles, (GBC, SNES, NES, Saturn, Dreamcast) and then N64, PS1, PS2, Gamecube, maybe Wii U games and Switch? I plan on installing Batacera for emulation.  My idea setup would be a HP Elite Desk 705 2400G, AMD Ryzen 5, 16GB RAM with SSD. This setup seems hard to find or closer to $250/$300. Any advice would be much appreciated. Obviously I’d like to play ps3 games and up but I don’t want to spend too much. I’m looking to spend under $200 and these are some options I’ve seen:

HP EliteDesk 705 G5 Mini Computer Desktop PC, AMD Quad-Core Ryzen™ 5 Pro 3400G, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD, WiFi, Bluetooth, Keyboard & Mouse, Windows 11 Pro (Renewed): $185 (I’ve heard these run hot)

HP EliteDesk 705 G4 Mini Desktop Computer: AMD Quad-Core Ryzen 5 Pro 2400GE up to 3.8GHz, 8GB DDR4 RAM, 256GB SSD, Windows 11 Pro (Renewed) : $142 (I like this option but I question the GE at 35W and if 8GB of RAM is enough)

HP EliteDesk 800 G2 Desktop Mini Business PC, Intel Quad-Core i5-6500T up to 3.1G, 16GB DDR4, 240GB SSD, VGA, DP, Win 11 Pro 64 bit (Renewed) $185 (It’s intel vs AMD)

Or what are other good options?

Thanks!

Posted Mar 5, 2026, 8:01 PM UTC

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