My 5th grade boy has a computer on his list for the second straight year.

He put this one on this year, which I believe he selected randomly on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CJV69QSN/?coliid=I9YXJSQVVTH9B&colid=1DQOZHPLVD0J5&ref_=list_c_wl_lv_ov_lig_dp_it&th=1

When we ask what he wants it for he says he wants to learn how to animate?

Are any of these budget/mini PCs worth it? He also has a keyboard, a mouse, a monitor on his list. Most of what I've read about animation says to start with a pencil and paper (he already draws a lot), but this seems to be the theme of his entire list.

Didn't look through it super thoroughly, but be aware that this machine is about 5" x5". I also did not see any definite reference to it having Windows on it so I would check that out. Specs are ok on it but the video capabilities might be very limiting.

The N95 has been replaced by the N100 which is a better processor so I'd at least get that. Acemagic is a known brand but I'd stick to Beelink, Geekom, or Minisforum brands as they have the best reputations. Most come with windows 10 or 11 just check the specs in the Amazon description. You can find a N100 mini pc around the $150 mark. The N100 is one of the better low tier processors out at that price point, however the Ryzen APUs are currently the better performing chips at mid to upper tier from reviews I've seen. I'm looking at them too but for a limited use case. In my opinion the Ryzen 7 5800H mini pcs are closest to the sweet spot in terms of price/performance at $299 right now. Check out ETA prime's channel on YouTube for several reviews of different mini PCs. He focuses on gaming but does throw some other stuff in there with productivity from time to time.

If he wants to learn how to animate, the it could be quite cpu/gfx intensive from a professional rendering standpoint. Does he have any idea on software he wants to use for animation? Does he have a digital drawing pad/pen or will he need that too? Not to kill a dream or anything but animation is a hell of an industry to break into and make a living. If its just going to be a hobby then the specs and software can be quite a bit lower.

Agree with Claude on the software's specs. For example, Blender (which is free and widely used) has these specs:

64-bit quad core CPU with SSE4.2 support
8 GB RAM
19201080 Full HD display
Mouse, trackpad or pen+tablet
2 GB VRAM Graphics Card that supports OpenGL 4.3
Less than 10 year old

On paper one of those mini PC''s could probably do it but you may be limited as to what type of scenes or how much detail you could do.

There is also the option of something like an iPad, Apple Pencil and using Procreate to concentrate on 2d animation.

I was looking at this one:
https://www.amazon.com/Beelink-Lake-N100-Computer-Support-Family-NAS/dp/B0BVFKN7ZL/ref=psdc_565098_t3_B0BYJ9BC15?th=1

- Comes with Windows 11 Pro
- 12Th Intel Alder Lake-N100, which according to the Intel site is 64 bit and supports SSE4.2
- 24EUS Intel UHD Graphics, which supports up to OpenGL 4.6

So it looks like it will support Blender

I am fine with it being limited. If he proves he has a passion for animation we can always upgrade.

I thought about an iPad but figured the PC might be more versatile as far as using it for homework and such.