Mini Pc

The current issue of Computer Active shows a mini PC, and inside does a big write up on them.
What do people think of these ?
I've not heard of them, until now, but would they make good replacement for say, a raspberry Pi or similar HIfi streamer device, easier to set up etc etc ?

 

You talking about systems like the Intel NUC? What you pay for what you get in the respect that you're not going to be able to upgrade the hardware, usually these are one board with everything soldered on. If they are running Windows you need storage space to meet the requirements of the next update / upgrade. I remember those super cheap laptops that you could not update because they didn't meet the storage requirements.
I bought a Lenovo "stick pc" thinking it would work for viewing videos on my TV, not very good at all.

Easier to setup? In most cases you're more likely to find a How-To for a Pi than Windows. More people use Pi's for niche projects than use a full blown Windows system, but that really depends on the project.