Themken: I only want to say this: Ensure the processor supports the things you want from it, like SSE and whatever they are called. Was quite the shock when a new mini PC could not install Skype due to lacking support for SSE2.

WryFlavoredBread: I would at least go into the $200-$300 range. There are some very solid Intel NUCs, Zotac Zbox, and etc. in that range. As Themken said though, make sure the processors has the support you need. Splurging up to an i3 versus using Atom or N Intel processors may save you a headache.

hedwards: Otherwise, the Raspberry Pi 3b+ does a perfectly fine job of emulating things. IMHO, if this is just going to be a back up, then dealing with regular SNES emulation rather than super accurate BSNES emulation is probably a reasonable compromise.

dtgreene: I am thinking of getting some cheap ($99 or so) computer to have as a back-up (especially sinch I should probably take my main computer in to have the cooling fixed), and am wondering whether there are any trade-offs to these two main options. (Note that this computer will likely have only 2GB of RAM and 32GB of solid-state storage; I plan on replacing Windows with Linux in order to have a decent amount of space to work with.)

Expected uses:
* Low-end indie games (could even move this to another TV to show the game to others); could also use it for emulation, particularly for things a Raspberry Pi couldn't handle comfortably, like bsnes
* Compiling software (like buildroot) without risking having my main computer overheat (it shut down once when I was doing that and watching video at the same time)
* Playing around with system configurations that I wouldn't want on my main computer; also trying new software before I run it on my main computer (particulaly new OS versions)

So, is there any difference in these two computers? Do the PC sticks have more overheating issues than the Mini PCs, or does it not really matter? Any other non-obvious difference here?

Dalthnock: A bit more than you want to spend, but double the specs. I have one of these, it's a little marvel.

dtgreene: I'm not interested in double the specs (which would put it on par with my laptop).

Does it have any thermal issues under heavy load?

Anyway, back to the original question: Does it make more sense to get a mini PC of that sort, or is it better to get a PC stick with the same specs?

Judicat0r: If you want to fiddle with VM then you better get at least 16GB RAM, for emulation I'm honestly can't help you.

Dalthnock: Suit yourself, but 2GB of RAM and 32GB drive space won't last you long - that's assuming they're even good enough today.

Sarang: If you're going to be doing emulation I'd suggest MiSTeR being that it's an very strong FPGA and has quite a bit of support amongst the community.

dtgreene: Unfortunately, that's not Google-able, as Google ignores case in its searches. Care to post a link so I could find out more?

(Also, for purposes of this topic, I am looking for something that's more like a standard x86 PC, while I try to figure out where I put my Rasbperry Pi.)