Mini PCs can give you full desktop performance, making them great for small home offices, bedrooms, or even commuting to and from a workspace. Expect to make some sacrifices, though, because all the space in modern desktops is there for a good reason, but the best mini PCs can still pack in high-end components — enough to get the job done. Some even have graphics cards for gaming.
The Intel NUC 12 Extreme has a high quality Intel Core i9 CPU, and is easily upgradeable with space. … [+] for memory and preservation in its skull-face chassis.
Intel
Some are amazing next-generation mini PCs, like the Intel NUC 12 Extreme, which packs a 12th generation Intel CPU—but requires some work after purchase (the Intel NUC models are “bare” computers that lack storage and an operating system, meaning that you must purchase and install both an SSD and a Microsoft Windows license before you can use the system). Others in this category are tiny, inexpensive all-in-one systems, like the 4-inch-square Beelink Mini S with a 256GB SSD and Windows 11 preinstalled. The Apple Mac Mini M1 is still the best mini computer overall, more than a year after its release, thanks to its overall design and power.
Whether you’re looking for something small and affordable, or don’t mind going a little bigger for better desktop performance, there’s a mini PC for you. Ahead are the best you can buy today.
Best Mini PC Overall
Apple Silicon Power In A Tiny Desktop
CPU: Apple M1| Graphics: Apple M1 8-core GPU| RAM: 8GB DDR4 | Storage: 512GB SSD | Size: 7.7 x 7.7 x 1.4 inches
Best for: Daily office and creative editorial work.
The Apple Mac Mini M1 is the best desktop computer Apple has made in years. It may not have quite the same raw power as the 2019 Mac Pro, and it’s not as impressive as the much more expensive Mac Studio, but for performance, efficiency and compact design, the M1 Mac Mini is by far the best. That also makes it our top pick for the best mini PC, because nothing else really beats it. Its performance is stellar, whether browsing the web, researching for work or school, or video editing. It can even handle casual gaming thanks to the surprisingly capable Apple M1 GPU.
This mini PC is also quiet—you’d have to put your ear to the case to hear its nearly silent fan—and it comes preloaded with a good complement of memory and storage space. If you need more space for large files and folders, you can easily expand it externally with a Thunderbolt 3 drive for maximum performance—or if you’re tech-savvy, you can also expand the internal storage. It has USB Type-A and USB Type-C ports, HDMI, headphone jack and gigabit ethernet.
Best for: DIYers who want a small and customizable casual and cloud game engine.
This Intel Phantom Canyon NUC is one mini PC that stands out for having a real graphics card inside. The Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 is a low power version that lacks the performance of better graphics cards; however, this is still a real GPU inside a tiny PC that you can use to play everything in your Steam library. It’s very trim—much thinner than the basic dimensions appear, so it’s easy to fit it on a shelf or storage unit when it’s not in use.
This mini PC has plenty of ports, with two USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-A and one Thunderbolt 4/USB Type-C on the front, and four USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-A, another Thunderbolt 4, HDMI 2.0b and Mini. DisplayPort 1.4 (supports 8K graphics and four screens) on the back. In addition, 2.5Gbps ethernet and Wi-Fi 6 for fast connectivity.
The ventilation on the chassis keeps its internal components cool. However, while it has a capable 11th generation Intel CPU and Nvidia GPU, it doesn’t include memory or storage as standard, and you’ll also need to buy a Microsoft Windows license. Those costs add up beyond the system itself, but this also means you can tailor the system to your needs and upgrade it as needed later—something few other minicomputers can claim.
Best for: Building a high-end desktop computer in a miniature chassis.
The Intel NUC 12 Extreme is as powerful a mini PC as you can buy, but it’s not the whole package. While it might have Intel’s 12th generation Core i9-12700, with 16 cores, 24 threads and a 5.1GHz clock speed, this overpowered NUC doesn’t have discrete graphics, RAM or storage, so you’ll have to make do with some. purchases beyond this base price if you want a working system. The GPU is only necessary if you want to game with this computer, and you can get some basic RAM and SSD storage for a few hundred dollars if you need to, but it’s an additional expense to consider.
However, once you get this system up and running, it’s unashamedly powerful. The Core i9-12700 is one of the most powerful processors ever made, combining eight performance cores with four efficient cores, for incredible multi-threaded and single-threaded per.rformation Whether you’re browsing the web, managing massive spreadsheets, or even doing some video editing, this is a fantastic system for the job. It also has support for all the latest standards, so if you want to fit this system with a cutting-edge graphics card or PCIexpress 5 SSD, you can.
Best for: An affordable office work machine, or a tiny HTPC.
If you want a really tiny mini PC, the Beelink Mini S is four inches on each side, and yet packs a capable Intel Celeron CPU, 8GB of RAM and 256GB of SSD storage (a 512GB version costs more). The quad-core, 11th-generation CPU has plenty of power for basic video transcoding for HTPC machines, and it’s up to the task of browsing the web and answering emails. It’s not an Intel Core or AMD Ryzen CPU, but it’s everything you need for a mini PC.
Even on such a small chassis, this unit has a good selection of ports, including four USB Type-A, a pair of HDMI outputs, a headphone jack and a gigabit ethernet port. The VESA mount allows you to display it on a wall and out of the way. It comes with a one-year warranty.
As much as gaming computers work best with a dedicated graphics chip, it’s not always necessary. In the Acemagician Mini Gaming PC you get an AMD Ryzen 5500U mobile CPU that includes seven AMD Radeon Vega graphics cores to deliver performance on par with the most affordable gaming laptops. That means it has enough power to handle most sports games—especially older ones like League of Legends, DotA 2, or CS:GO—at high frame rates. And it can also handle other cloud and casual gaming. Serious gamers will want more than this machine offers, but for a basic bedroom or homework to play games, it’s a solid, relatively inexpensive option.
Also note: This model contains 16GB of DDR4 memory and a 512GB SSD, making this machine fast and responsive during daily use. It’s a little bigger than some of the other mini PCs on this list, but it’s no bigger than a home console. In addition, this mini PC has a unique look and fantastic RGB lighting, which together help it stand out from the competition. It comes preset with three different performance modes, so it can easily drop its noise levels and temperatures when it matters most.
