The Best Mini Desktop PC

We analyzed 741 reviews from 19 websites to find the best mini desktop pc. Sources included:
WalmartB&H Photo Video
+17 More

Top Mini Desktop PCs

Best for Most People
Best Mini Desktop PC Asus PB60 Mini Desktop PC
$629 from 1 stores
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Why Consider This:
The Asus PB60 is a superb example of how powerful and versatile mini PCs can be. There are some niggles and odd choices here, but overall, this machine has to be on the shortlist of any business looking for a compact PC.
People Like:
  • Compact size and modular design
  • Great connectivity options
  • Support for three 4K monitors
People Dislike:
  • No vPro support
  • Bloatware
  • No discrete GPU
0
Owner Score
0 Reviews from 1 Sites
80
Media & Critic Score
2 Media Reviews
Buy On Amazon.com
Best Value
Best Mini Desktop PC Asus Chromebox 3 Mini Desktop PC
$274 from 11 stores
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Why Consider This:
The Asus Chromebox is an early experiment in putting Chrome OS into a tiny desktop, and it feels like it. You can get online and enjoy a range of web apps and extensions, but the little desktops limitations are hard to ignore.
People Like:
  • Inexpensive
  • Strong online performance
  • Supports 4K resolution and multiple monitors
People Dislike:
  • Apps aren't optimised
  • Relies heavily on online connectivity
  • Limited storage
85
Owner Score
225 Reviews from 9 Sites
65
Media & Critic Score
2 Media Reviews
Buy On Amazon.com
Top Performance
Best Mini Desktop PC Apple Mac Mini Mini Desktop PC
$400 from 4 stores
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Why Consider This:
The brilliantly-designed small-form factor of the Apple Mac mini (2018) computer packs in some impressive specs and pulls off neat tricks to do so. It’s not cheap, but it’s priced very competitively compared to other small PCs, especially considering what it’s capable of.
People Like:
  • Four Thunderbolt 3 ports
  • Healthy 4K display support
  • Impressive performance
People Dislike:
  • Limited upgradability
  • Integrated graphics are middling
  • Higher starting cost
91
Owner Score
506 Reviews from 3 Sites
90
Media & Critic Score
2 Media Reviews
Buy On Amazon.com

How Critic.ly Saves You Time

When it comes to reviewing the best mini desktop pc, critic.ly is different than other sites. How?
Unbiased & Unsponsored: Critic.ly aggregates and analyzes reviews from real owners and industry critics. We remove spam, sponsored reviews, and other forms of bias to make sure you get the best possible sense of what people actually think about products.
Our reviews of the best mini desktop pcs were based on 741 reviews from 19 websites.
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How to Find the Right Mini Desktop PC

Most people who want a desktop PC rather than a laptop and don't plan to do a lot of gaming should consider a mini PC, rather than a full-sized desktop computer or all-in-one. A mini PC has all the power most people need for basic Web browsing, photo editing, and work-related tasks like spreadsheet wrangling or text editing—basically anything that doesn’t require a powerful graphics card. A mini PC attached to a monitor is a cheaper, more upgradable alternative to overpriced all-in-one computers and takes up much less space than a desktop, while still giving you the comfortable, more ergonomic experience of a big screen, full-sized keyboard, and mouse. Mini PCs are rarely super powerful, but you can expect at least as much performance as you’d get from a Windows ultrabook. The size of a mini PC prevents much expansion, but you can upgrade the storage and the memory on most models and sometimes the CPU. You’ll usually be stuck with integrated graphics, so don’t expect enough power to play many modern games. The mini PCs we recommend in this guide couldn’t handle gaming beyond simple titles such as Minecraft or Hearthstone. You can add an external graphics dock if a mini PC has Thunderbolt 3, but those tend to be large and expensive and defeat the purpose of buying a smaller PC in the first place.

Mini Desktop PCs We Eliminated

We research and analyzed 4 mini desktop pcs. Here's what we concluded about the ones that didn't make the cut.
Acer Chromebox CXI3 Mini Desktop PC
Runner Up
Highly rated (100 owner score, 82 expert score), but a slight notch below the best.

Sources & Methodology

Critic.ly uses a combination of machine learning and human editors to help you find the best products.
We start by aggregating and analyzing reviews from real owners and industry critics. We remove spam, sponsored reviews, and other forms of bias to make sure you get the best possible sense of what people actually think about products.
We convert every review to a weight average score from 0 to 100.
For this article, we analyzed 741 reviews from 19 sites to find the best mini desktop pc.