The best mini PCs still manage to pack quite a lot of power into their absolutely tiny cases. From simple tasks like web browsing and office work to more demanding ones like video and photo editing and even gaming, these little computers have become quite impressive in recent years.
I’ve been using one of the best mini PCs for the past six years as an alternative to both a laptop and a big, bulky desktop. Don’t get me wrong, I love building desktop PCs but it was actually the work and research that went into building smaller ones that got me into mini PCs in the first place. Now, though, they’re more powerful than ever and you also have a lot more options to choose from.
While our pick for the best mini PC for most people is the Mac mini M2, Apple has just announced the new completely redesigned Mac mini M4. We'll be calling that one in for review but based on its upgraded specs and much smaller design, it already looks to be a big upgrade over its predecessor.
Whether you want a tiny mini PC you can slip into your pocket or something closer in size to a game console, there’s something for everyone on this list. Based on our reviews and extensive testing, we’ve rounded up the best mini PCs for work, content creation and even gaming to help you find the right one for you.
The quick list
The Mac mini M4 is an even tinier powerhouse that’s cheaper and faster than its predecessor thanks to the speedy M4 chip. The option to upgrade to the M4 Pro version ($1,399) sweetens the deal, turning this into a decent Mac for gaming or light photo/video editing. It’s the best mini PC for most Apple users.
The AtomMan G7 PT is a powerful mini PC with a slightly larger footprint. This extra size makes for improved cooling, more ports and a better mobile GPU. The AtomMan G7 PT won’t be for everyone though with its more gamer-focused aesthetic. Still, this mini PC delivers great performance and lots of power without breaking the bank.
The Asus ROG NUC 970 is a much more console-like mini PC that can be used in a vertical or horizontal orientation. It comes equipped with an Intel Core Ultra processor and a mobile Nvidia GPUU all in a tiny 2.5-liter chassis. The NUC 970 also packs in plenty of ports and you can even add more storage thanks to its two extra M.2 slots.
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The Acemagic F2A is a powerful mini PC with an Intel Core Ultra processor, 32GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD and Wi-Fi 7 support. However, it lacks Thunderbolt or USB4 ports and its fans can be quite noisy even during less demanding tasks. Still, it's power is hard to deny and it's quite compact to free up space on your desk.
The Mac Studio M2 is an incremental improvement over its predecessor, delivering more power than ever before in a Mac desktop that still runs quiet and looks good on a desk. But that's not the pitch for the Studio. This is a high-performance Mac desktop that does everything a creative needs it to do.
The Megamini G1 is a mini marvel packing decent power, peak sustained performance (thanks to liquid cooling), and all the I/O you’ll ever need for work and play in a tiny chassis. It features an Intel Core Ultra CPU a mobile Nvidia GPU and tons of ports including an Ocuulink port for eGPUs on the front and back.
Anthony Spadafora prefers desktops to laptops and when you're short on space, a mini PC is the perfect solution. After building his own small form factor PCs for years, he started testing and reviewing pre-built mini PCs as part of his work at Tom's Guide. Anthony also covers standing desks, office chairs and other home office furniture and his work with mini PCs ensures he's able to put together brand new desk setups to show off all the tiny computers that he goes hands-on with.
The best mini PCs to buy now
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The best mini PC overall
Apple managed to outdo itself yet again with the Mac mini M4 and this tiny powerhouse is faster and more capable than its predecessor. This is in part thanks to the inclusion of the company’s M4 chip but boosting the base model’s RAM from a paltry 8GB to 16GB is a big help as well. Upgrading to the M4 Pro version sweetens the deal even more, turning this into a decent Mac for gaming along with light photo/video editing. Best of all though, it now takes up even less space on your desk.
The biggest upgrade in terms of day to day use though is that the Mac mini M4 now has front ports in addition to rear ports. Up front, you get two USB-C ports as well as a headphone jack while around back, there are three Thunderbolt 4 ports, an HDMI port and a gigabit Ethernet port. Opting for the Mac mini M4 Pro over the standard model not only gives you a faster chip with more CPU and GPU cores, but you also get 24GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD and the rear ports use Thunderbolt 5 instead.
At 5 x 5 x 2-inches, the Mac mini M4 is absolutely tiny and more in line with Windows-based mini PCs when it comes to size. My only gripe is that instead of being on the back in an easily reachable but out of the way place, the power button is now on the bottom of the device. This means you’ll need to lift it up off your desk to turn it on. As such, you will probably want to just put it to sleep instead of shutting it off completely at the end of the day.
Read our full Mac mini M4 review.
The best mini PC for power
The Minisforum AtomMan G7 PT is larger than a typical mini PC but it has the power to justify that. It's the first AMD Advantage-certified mini PC thanks to the combination of a Ryzen processor and Radeon graphics. Though it's not made for 4K gaming, this mini PC truly shines with 1080p gaming and 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD also give this machine decent performance.
Despite the AtomMan G7 PT's gaming aesthetic, it's also a powerful work computer thanks to that same AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX processor. That makes it an all-around excellent mini PC for those who need a dependable work computer that can also double as a solid gaming machine.
Read our full Minisforum AtomMan G7 PT review.
The best mini PC for gaming
The Asus ROG NUC 970 is a mini PC built for gaming from the ground up. Its wider size and the ability to use it both upright or lying down make it the perfect console replacement for those that want to work as well as play games with limited space. It has an RGB Republic of Gamers logo on one side but you can swap in your own logo or image. The ROG NUC 970 is also expandable and when you open it up, you can add an extra two M.2 SSDs for even more storage.
Under the hood, the ROG NUC 970 sports an Intel Core Ultra 7 processor and a Nvidia RTX 4070 mobile graphics card. This is paired with either a 512GB or a 1TB SSD. As for ports, you get two USB-A ports, an SD card reader and a headphone jack up front and four USB-A ports, an HDMI 2.1 port, two DisplayPort 1.4a ports and a Thunderbolt 4 port around back. The ROG NUC 970 is on the expensive side for what you get component wise but you’re paying a premium for its design and smaller form factor.
Read our full Asus ROG NUC 970 review.
The best mini PC for business
The Acemagic F2A is an elegant mini PC featuring a ton of ports. Thanks to its Intel Core Ultra 5 processor, it can handle on-device generative AI. 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD also give it enough power for everyday tasks. That same power also allows you to connect multiple displays. The only drawback is that its dual fans can get very loud after a while. Unfortunately, there is no button or software setting to turn them down.
This mini PC had a higher-than-normal price at launch but has since come down in the months after its release. Because of that, it's even more enticing for those who want a mini PC that's AI-ready.
Read our full Acemagic F2A review.
The best mini PC for creatives
The Mac Studio can deliver more power than any Apple computer on the market save the Mac Pro, and it packs it all into a quiet, well-designed chassis that looks good on a desk. It's bigger than the Mac mini, but still discreet enough for any desk setup.
As much as we love seeing Apple silicon put to good use in MacBooks, where its power efficiency helps deliver some of the best battery life in the business, the Mac Studio with M1 Ultra proves that Apple’s chips have the chops to compete with the best desktop PC silicon from Intel and AMD. You're not sacrificing power with this small computer.
Since this is Apple, you’ll have to pay a premium. The Mac Studio’s $1,999 starting price isn’t too bad for what it offers, and that gets you the entry-level model with the same M1 Max chip that's in the 2021 MacBook Pros, which means this mini-computer packs a serious punch. To get a Mac Studio with Apple's top-of-the-line M1 Ultra chip will cost you at least $4k, though it's worth it if you want one of the fastest, most powerful Macs on the market.
Read our full Mac Studio review.
The best mini PC design
The Geekom Megamini G1 is pricey at $1,899, which is a lot for a mini gaming PC. However, for what it offers and its ability to potentially replace your PS5 or Xbox Series X (while looking great to boot), it's a machine well worth considering if you want a small gaming PC for your desk setup.
This might be a small PC but it packs big power thanks to its Intel Core i9-13900H CPU and Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 mobile GPU, both of which have been tuned for strong sustained performance thanks to its Liquid Cooling block. In addition, the Nvidia GPU features the company's DLSS tech, which helps boost frame rates even at 4K resolution and settings cranked up to high.
While the Megamini G1 might not be the overall best mini gaming PC (the AtomMan G7 PT above takes that honor), Geekom's diminutive PC is a great premium option that delivers the goods thanks to those Nvidia features.
Read our full Geekom Megamini G1 review.
How to choose the best mini PC
Mini PCs range from small project PCs for under $50 (£50/AU$75) to compact desktops that can cost $1,000 or more. Stick PCs are the most versatile, and generally cost between $100 (£100/AU$150) and $200 (£200/$AU300), and will work with most TVs or monitors. Mini PC prices vary considerably based on hardware.
Know what you want
Finding the right mini PC for you starts with knowing what you're looking for. Do you want something small enough to tuck behind a TV as a dedicated streaming box, or are you looking for something with gaming capability? Do you want a basic internet-browsing machine, or do you need serious processing and graphics capability? Our best picks above do a good job of highlighting the use cases different systems are best suited to.
Find the right size
Then there's the question of form factor. Mini PCs are all small, but there is a range of options within the category, from stick PCs small enough to slip in your pocket to desktop towers that are still compact enough to stow out of sight. You'll sacrifice power for a smaller system, but you can still get a capable desktop that's small enough to carry in a backpack, even if you're after gaming capability or workstation performance.
Make sure you like your configuration and upgrade options
Finally, you want to look at configuration options and upgradability. Many mini PCs have two or three configuration options, which can change everything from the amount of included storage to the presence of high-end processors and discrete graphics cards. There's also the question of upgrades. Many of the smallest mini PCs leave no room for future hardware changes, but others are designed to let you add memory or storage, or even outfitted with ports that allow for an external GPU for expanded capability. When in doubt, check our reviews, which include configuration details and will discuss the potential for future upgrades.
How we test the best mini PCs
We put every mini PC we review through a number of benchmark tests and real-world uses to get the clearest picture we can of how well it performs, what uses it's best suited to and what sort of capability you get for the price.
For performance, we use the Geekbench processor test to measure a system's overall processing capabilities. We run custom spreadsheets to see how long it takes to handle large data sets and number-crunching tasks. We also test the file transfer speeds, copying large files to see how long a system takes to copy multimedia files, documents and other content.
To test the graphics capability, we run a number of benchmark tests from 3DMark. When a system has the capability, we'll also run individual game tests and the SteamVR performance test to see how capable a system is at handling the demands of modern gaming.
Most importantly, we spend a ton of time simply using each mini PC for everyday activities. We watch movies, do work, play games, and blast music on the speakers, all to get a better sense of which ones are worth your money.
For more information on our testing process, check out our how we test page for Tom’s Guide.
