The idea of a mini PC is pretty straightforward and right there in the name. Manufacturers squash a bunch of components into the tiniest possible box to take up the least amount of space. The benefits are that you can have a desktop PC that fits almost anywhere, and it is easy to disconnect and take with you elsewhere. They also tend to be more energy-efficient, less expensive, and they fit in other parts of the home. Some folks use mini PCs as home theater PCs or as retro gaming boxes.

There are some drawbacks. They can be difficult to upgrade as many parts have to be custom-made for the mini PC enclosure. Plus, outside the upcoming Asus ROG NUC, they aren’t the best for gaming. However, if you’re reading this, then you likely already know some of the nuances that come with a mini PC, and now you want to see what’s out there. Even if you’re new, we’ll break down the pros and cons of each model to get you started in the mini PC world. Here are the best mini PCs on the market now.

Best mini PC: Our top picks

The Apple Mac Mini is the obvious first choice for a mini PC. It comes with Apple’s excellent M2 chip, 8GB of unified memory, and a 256GB SSD out of the box. Apple makes the most out of these specs, and this little box performs on par with a MacBook Air in the same spec range.

Plus, Apple’s mantra of having products just work means that it is easy to use out of the box without a ton of extra setup on your part. The above specs are for the base model. You can get variants with more storage, more RAM, and even a better CPU.

However, each successive upgrade costs quite a bit more money, which can balloon the Mac Mini’s price considerably. Since users can’t upgrade components on their own Mac Minis, that means you’re at the mercy of Apple upcharges if you want better specs. Aside from that, this is a real winner.

For Mac users, there is no better option for a mini PC than the Mac Studio. It comes with Apple’s M2 Max CPU, 32GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage out of the box, which are decent specs for a base model. It can get up to 64GB of memory, 1TB of storage, and Apple’s M2 Max CPU, but the price quite literally doubles, making it out of range for many buyers.

In any case, this is a great mini PC. It ups the performance by a significant margin over the Mac Mini while still keeping a small, easily manageable form factor. Plus, there are a ton of accessories for it, like under-desk mounts and holders of various types, so it’s possible to get this thing off of your desk entirely.

However, due to its high price tag, we only recommend this one for folks who are using it for high levels of productivity, including video and photo editor or 3D modeling. It’s overkill if all you need to do is browse the web, use Google Drive, or watch Netflix.

Intel is discontinuing its NUC series of PCs. For the uninitiated, NUC stands for Next Unit of Computing, and it’s a bare-bones PC built in a smaller case. People have been using them for years as home theater PCs and as mini PCs. The final generation is Raptor Canyon, which features either an Intel Core i7 or Core i9, depending on your configuration. That’s powerful enough to do essentially anything other than hardcore gaming.

NUCs are a bit different from your standard PC build. It’s essentially a case, PSU, motherboard, and CPU. You’ll have to supply your own RAM, storage, and other components. Fortunately, it’s quite easy to install those things. You’ll also need to download your drivers as those don’t come preinstalled on the unit. It’s expensive, but once it’s all put together, it’ll run quite well.

The Raspberry Pi is such a cool little device. It’s essentially just a motherboard with a processor and some ports soldered on. Since it is essentially a blank board, you can do anything you want with it. That includes anything from setting up a server to building a retro gaming box. The sky is the limit. Plus, they cost well under $100, although we do recommend getting a case, so you’re not using only an exposed board.

The downside to the Raspberry Pi is that it’s not easy for beginners. It doesn’t come with an operating system, so you’ll need to supply that. From there, a ton of configuration is needed. Once it’s up and doing what you want it to, it’s one of the most versatile little devices ever made. We simply want to warn you that there is a learning curve.

The MSI Pro DP21 is a reasonably priced mini PC that’ll get the job done. Its base configuration comes with an Intel Core i3-12100 with 8GB of RAM, 250GB of storage, and Windows 11 Home. It won’t blow you away with high performance numbers, but it’s more than competent enough to watch TV, do work, and browse the web. For its sub-$500 price point, that’s not an unreasonable ask.

You can step up to a Core i5 for an additional $120. However, at that point, you’re in the Apple Mac Mini space, and we think that one is better than the MSI Pro DP21. This is for someone who wants a mini PC, doesn’t have a ton of money to get one, and doesn’t need a PC for anything intensive like video editing for heavy gaming — it’s a great little machine.

The Lenovo ThinkStation P360 Ultra is a powerful machine. Not only is it one of the few on the market with a dedicated graphics card, but the base configuration comes with a very generous 32GB of RAM, 1TB of storage, and Windows 11 Pro out of the box. All of that comes in at a price that’s $300 less than the Apple Max Studio’s base configuration, which makes the two natural competitors. Fortunately, both of them are excellent.

You can step up to a Core i9 for some extra horsepower if you want to, but it does cost an extra $200 or so, depending on current promotions. It’s a bit bigger than most mini PCs but still takes up much less space than a regular PC tower. With the Nvidia RTX A3000 and the extra RAM, it is perfectly suited for creative work like mixing music, editing videos, and 3D modeling. It’s not the best for gaming, but that’s not why you buy it.

The Beelink SEI12 Pro is an excellent mini PC. It comes in four configurations, the least expensive of which goes for $359 and ranges up to $699. It doesn’t matter which configuration you go with because they’re all pretty good in terms of price-to-performance ratios. The lowest tier is a 10th-generation Intel Core i5, while the most expensive bumps it up to a 12th-generation Intel Core i7 with 32GB of RAM and a 500GB SSD. Both of them are good for home office work.

What makes this nice is that it runs parallel with the Apple Mac Mini in terms of feeling like you got a good bang for your buck. A Core i7 with 32GB of RAM is honestly a little difficult to find for under $1,000 in standard PC or laptop formats, which makes this a diamond in the rough. It’s very tiny, so it’ll fit just about anywhere. It’s not great for gaming, but other than that, there isn’t much wrong with it.

The bottom line: What’s the best mini PC?

Apple has this market cornered pretty well. For everyday use, the Apple Mac Mini is hard to beat in terms of price, performance, and size. It ticks all three boxes while retaining a reasonable price tag. More intense work meets its match with the Mac Studio. Even with its elevated price tag, it’s powerful enough to handle any productivity task, and we don’t use that sentence lightly.

There are some great Windows options, though. The Beelink SEI12 Pro is a great all-rounder for office work and productivity, while the Intel NUC ups the ante with more powerful setups for productivity work and gaming. The Lenovo ThinkStation 360P Ultra is a great Windows alternative to the Mac Studio, even if it’s bigger than the Studio. Finally, those looking for something unique can check out the Raspberry Pi 5.

How did we choose these mini PCs?

This space takes some real consideration and, honestly, this round up was tougher than normal. Not only do mini PCs stay on sale much longer than their laptop or full-size PC counterparts, but they’re also not as widely available. Thus, it’s easy to stumble upon a dozen mini PCs from many years ago with antiquated specs and elevated price tags. So, a lot of hunting was done for this list.

We then vetted our picks against online reviews from both publications and consumers. Then, it was submitted to two Pocket-lint editors for approval and discussion. What you see above is the result.

Should I get a mini PC instead of a regular PC?

The main draws of a mini PC are storage savings and portability. If those matter to you, then a mini PC might be a good idea. However, you’ll find more powerful PCs for cheaper if you build your own, go with a great laptop, or buy a pre-built PC. There is extra cost involved in fitting all of those components into such a small form factor without causing overheating, so you do pay a premium for the privilege.

If portability and a small footprint don’t matter to you, we recommend going with a normal-sized PC or a laptop.

Are mini PCs worth it?

We think so, provided that they are what you’re looking for. Again, you’re paying extra for the smaller form factor, so they aren’t as powerful as desktop PCs or even laptops. However, the ability to pick up an entire PC with one hand and carry it around is very useful for some people. If you are one of those people, then yes, it’s worth it.

Mini PCs are also superior in instances where you don’t need the best performance. For example, a home theater PC only needs to be powerful enough to watch and stream video. Retro gaming boxes only need to be powerful enough to run console emulators. Mini PCs offer the chance to get those things in packages small enough to fit next to your TV without looking ridiculous.

What are the cons of having a mini PC?

There are a few, but depending on the product, they might not be bad. Mini PCs tend to have smaller components, which means smaller fans and less heat dissipation. That means your little fans will kick on more often, which can lead to a louder PC.

Additionally, mini PCs are generally more expensive for how much performance they output. I built my own gaming and work PC that crushes the of performance of these mini PCs. However, it’s also vastly bigger.