A new single-board computer (SBC) is making a splash, as it packs an incredible amount of power under its tiny hood. Dubbed the Next-SBC, the x86-based machine is powered by an AMD Ryzen 7 7840HS – a step up from the 7840U found in some PC handhelds released in 2023. The future of the mini gaming PC is looking strong.
The upcoming hardware is shown off in a new pair of videos from YouTuber ETA Prime. In one he shows the AMD-based machine running Windows 11, and in another, it’s shown running Bazzite, a Linux distribution meant to replicate the Steam Deck experience with Steam OS. Valve’s work with SteamOS and its gaming mode often puts it ahead of the competition for the best gaming handheld.
What makes this SBC so interesting is not just that it sports a relatively powerful AMD Ryzen 7 7840HS CPU, but also that it’s planned to ship with up to 32GB of RAM. With a 7840HS onboard, it also has an integrated AMD Radeon 780M GPU with 12 compute units, putting it in the same league as the Asus ROG Ally and Lenovo Legion Go.
Some Reddit users have also done a little bit of digging and found that the SBC might be a repurposed mini PC. While this tiny device is in the SBC form factor, it’s massively more powerful than a device such as a Raspberry Pi.
ETA Prime’s initial video shows off some impressive performance on Windows, with Red Dead Redemption’s recent PC port hitting highs of over 100fps at 1080p with medium settings. It even ran Starfield at 60fps, with the additional help of FSR 3 frame generation and being set to a 900p resolution with low settings.
More exciting is the glimpse into a possible future of the Steam Deck. ETA Prime’s Bazzite-centric video shows off even more games. Cyberpunk 2077 (again, backed by AMD’s frame generation) hits over 75fps, even hitting 80fps in some spots at 1080p with low settings. This is really impressive performance for a device of this size and caliber.
The incredibly well-optimized Doom Eternal performs well too, hitting nearly 100fps with medium settings at 1080p. It even runs God of War: Ragnarok and Black Myth: Wukong quite well when using frame generation.
There’s currently no release date for the Next-SBC, but it’s planned to hit IndieGoGo at some point in the coming weeks with an expected price of $329. Mini PCs, SBCs, and handhelds are slowly becoming even more viable for gaming as time goes on.
With tiny machines with this much power coming out, the future of the best mini gaming PC designs is looking strong, paving the way for ever smaller computers.
