As great as beefy desktop PCs are, there’s one problem: their size. Compared to other computing devices such as smartphones and laptops, PCs take up an awful lot of room. Even many compact designs can struggle to fit beneath a monitor or TV, and portability isn’t even considered.
Luckily, there's an alternative, and we don’t mean spending a premium on a laptop. Mini PCs replicate the full-sized desktop experience in truly tiny form factors. Some actually use laptop components such as low-power processors – but because you’re not paying for an attached display or keyboard, the mini PC as a whole is generally considerably cheaper.
If you’re looking for a space-saving little computer, you’ve come to the right place. Here are the best mini PCs on the market – some running Windows, others running lightweight Linux operating systems. Best of all, the prices are tiny, too.
How to pick the right mini PC for you
“Mini PCs” is something of an umbrella term and it covers a few distinctive types of product. One such sub-species is the board-only PC – or microcomputer, or maker board. Whatever you want to call it, it’s essentially a petite motherboard with attached system-on-a-chip (SoC). With various connectors and ports, and potentially a spot of soldering, these can be transformed into almost anything you want: from a home media computer running Android to the brains of a remote-controlled robot. Their versatility and very low cost make these boards understandably popular with the maker community.
For those who want more of a replacement for their desktop PC, there’s a large selection of mini PCs designed to run Windows. These are much closer to the desktops and laptops we’re familiar with, and support proper SSDs and hard disks, upgradable RAM and a wide range of external ports. There are options here too, though: you can buy a ready-made system, or opt for a so-called “barebones box”, where you buy and install the RAM, storage drives and operating system yourself. It’s a little extra inconvenience in exchange for more choice and control.
How much power?
Whichever flavour of mini PC you go for, you’ll need enough processing power to do what needs doing. Maker boards tend to feature lightweight ARM-based processors, which are fine for browsing the web but might struggle with more demanding jobs.
Windows-based mini PCs often feature more powerful processors – sometimes the same ones you’ll find in laptops, which means they can accommodate some very powerful chips indeed. Of course, you’ll end up paying a lot more for this sort of hardware.
What about graphics?
Most mini PCs only have room for the integrated graphics on their existing processor, rather than a separate GPU, so it’s rare to find one with serious gaming capability. Options do exist with discrete graphics, though – such as the Asus VivoMini below – which can help with certain productivity tasks, such as image and video-editing. It's something to keep in mind if you’re looking for a tiny workstation.
How much storage do I need?
Solid-state storage is a natural fit for mini PCs, as it’s lighter and far more compact than traditional hard disk technology. On tiny maker boards, this might be in the form of a microSD card – shop around for a fast card as a cheap, slow one will drag down performance.
As you move upmarket, you might see mini PCs with small eMMC flash drives built in – spend a bit more and you can potentially have a large, capacious system drive. It’s normally a good idea to aim for as much storage as your budget allows because it’s a pain to replace a drive once you’ve installed your operating system and apps on it.
READ NEXT: The 10 best laptops you can buy
The best mini PCs you can buy in 2018
1. Raspberry Pi 3: The best mini PC for hobbyists
Price:£30
You must have heard of the Raspberry Pi – and this latest version is the best yet. It’s faster than previous models (the Foundation claims a 50% speed boost) and features built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, yet it still costs an amazingly cheap £30.
You also get four USB ports and Ethernet on the rear, plus HDMI and a 3.5mm audio and composite video port. The 40 general-purpose input/output pins allow tinkerers to hook up all sorts of peripherals and devices, and there are interfaces for the optional camera and LCD display modules, too.
One great strength of the Pi is the choice of operating systems, which includes the easy-to-use Linux distro Raspbian, the OpenELEC media centre and even RISC OS. It all goes to cement the Pi 3’s position as the ultimate hobbyist computer. If you really need something even cheaper and more compact, look below to the Pi Zero W – but where real computing power is required, the Pi 3 is the best option available.
Read our full review of the Raspberry Pi 3 for more details
Key specs – Operating system: Raspbian (recommended); Processor: Quad-core 1.2GHz ARM Cortex-A53; RAM: 1GB (max 1GB); Supplied storage: None; Data connectors: 4 x USB 2, 40-pin GPIO; Video ports: 1 x HDMI; Networking: 802.11n Wi-Fi, 10/100Mbit/s Ethernet; Dimensions: 19 x 86 x 57mm (WDH); Warranty: One-year RTB
2. Asus VivoMini: Best mini PC on Windows
Price:£665
The VivoMini is a lot more expensive than the Raspberry Pi – but that’s because it’s a complete Windows powerhouse in miniature form. There are several models available: the VM65N-G072Z model we tried has a dual-core Intel Core i5-7200U and 8GB of RAM, as well as a 128GB SSD and a 1TB hard disk. It even has a dedicated graphics chip, Nvidia’s GeForce 930M.
Before you get too excited, these are relatively low-power laptop components, but this is a system that can handle some low-end media editing, as well as browsing and word processing. It’ll even handle light gaming: we enjoyed playing Dirt: Showdown at 720p at 43fps with High detail settings.
There’s also a great set of ports – including USB 3 and 3.1 connectors – and if you want to upgrade the internals then it’s as easy as flipping a switch and sliding off the cover. At 52 x 190 x 190mm (WDH), it’s on the large side of mini, but if you’re looking for a fully capable PC you can’t go wrong.
Key specs – Operating system: Windows 10 Home; Processor: Dual-core 2.5GHz Intel Core i5-7200U; RAM: 8GB (max 32GB); Supplied storage: 128GB SSD, 1TB hard disk; Data connectors: 4 x USB 3, 2 x USB 3.1; Video ports: 1 x HDMI, 1 x DisplayPort; Networking: 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Gigabit Ethernet; Dimensions: 52 x 190 x 190mm (WDH); Warranty: Three-year RTB
3. Zotac Magnus ER51060: Best barebones mini PC
Price:£713
The imposing Magnus R51060 isn’t a complete functioning PC: you’ll need to buy a separate M.2 SSD and some SO-DIMM RAM to get it working – plus you’ll need to obtain a copy of Windows (or whatever other OS you would like to run).
Once you do, though, you have a great little mid-range desktop on your hands. Combining a quad-core AMD Ryzen 5 1400 CPU with an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 GPU, it trounces most mini PCs for performance – although, to be fair, it is larger than most of them, a necessary consequence of the need to keep these powerful components cool.
On that note, the only real problem with the Magnus is fan noise, which is particularly noticeable during games. Other than that, it’s a winner with great upgrade and connectivity options. The price is steep, once you’ve added on the necessary extras, but if you’re looking for a compact system that punches well above its weight, the Magnus ER51060 is a huge success.
Key specs – Operating system: None included; Processor: Quad-core 3.2GHz AMD Ryzen 5 1400; RAM: None included (max 32GB); Supplied storage: None; Data connectors: 4 x USB 3, 1 x USB 3.1, 1 x USB Type-C; Video ports: 1 x HDMI, 3 x DisplayPort; Networking: 802.11ac Wi-Fi, 2 x Gigabit Ethernet; Dimensions: 128 x 225 x 203mm (WDH); Warranty: Two-year RTB
4. Asus Tinker Board: A tempting step up from the Raspberry Pi
Price:£47
The Tinker Board is Asus’ rival to the Raspberry Pi 3: the physical dimensions and connectors are identical, meaning you can fit it into most Raspberry Pi cases, but it has several advantages, including Gigabit Ethernet and an upgradable IPEX antenna header to boost wireless performance.
Perhaps more importantly, the Tinker Board’s 2GB of RAM is double that of the Pi 3, and a more powerful Rockchip Quad-Core RK3288 processor provides almost double the Pi’s performance. Graphics performance is also better: while we wouldn’t suggest you try to play games on the Tinker Board, it has integrated H.265 decoding so it can play 4K video.
The Linux-based TinkerOS is open-ended enough to let you use the Tinker as a desktop computer, but it’s really designed for projects – and most Pi code can be translated to run with only minor modifications. If you’re feeling held back by the hardware limitations of the Raspberry Pi 3, it’s a superb little upgrade – and still very cheap.
Key specs – Operating system: TinkerOS/Android 6.0; Processor: Quad-core 1.8GHz Rockchip RK3288; RAM: 2GB (max 2GB); Supplied storage: None; Data connectors: 4 x USB 2, 40-pin GPIO; Video ports: 1 x HDMI; Networking: 802.11n Wi-Fi, Gigabit Ethernet; Dimensions: 19 x 85 x 53mm (WDH); Warranty: Three-year RTB
5. Raspberry Pi Zero W: The smallest, cheapest mini PC there is – yet surprisingly capable
Price:£10
The Pi Zero W is a tiny thing, measuring just 5 x 65 x 30mm. Yet, it’s a fully working computer with integrated Bluetooth and 2.4GHz 802.11n Wi-Fi.
The small size means there’s no room for full-sized ports, but there’s a micro-USB On-The-Go (OTG) port for connecting devices, and a mini-HDMI output – and the Pi’s trademark 40-pin general input/output (GPIO) connector is here too, although you’ll need to solder the pins on yourself if you want to use it.
Getting up and running is a piece of cake, as the Pi Zero W runs the same Raspbian OS as its (slightly) bigger brother. It’s slower, though: there’s enough power here for experiments or basic network services, but browsing the web feels like a slog. Still, it’s a beautifully designed and well-thought-out computer – and, for a tenner, an incredible bargain.
Read our full review of the Raspberry Pi Zero W for more details
Key specs – Operating system: Raspbian (recommended); Processor: Single-core 1GHz ARM1176JZF-S; RAM: 512MB (max 512MB); Supplied storage: None; Data connectors: 1x micro-USB (power), 1 x micro-USB OTG, 40-pin GPIO; Video ports: 1 x mini-HDMI; Networking: 802.11n Wi-Fi; Dimensions: 5 x 65 x 30mm (WDH); Warranty: One-year RTB