Best Budget Mini PCs – from smart set top to powerful work horse

Gone are the days where you need a tower of a PC just to get things done. These days, powerful and yet energy efficient mini PCs are at the ready to take on any computing tasks even some heavy lifting with the right processor.

Computers do not need to take a huge amount of space on or under your desk. Components which are found on laptops and tablets such as 2.5-inch Hard Drives, Solid State Drives, Compact Memory and All-in-One motherboards are finding their way into mini PCs with some no bigger than a USB stick.

Ideal as a Workstation, Media Center, Web Browser or as a Portable PC, the applications for these computers are only limited by your imagination. These complete mini PCs are so cheap they can be dedicated machines for the kitchen, living room, study or even the bed room and not just limited to the home office.

The idea that you can have multiple machines in the house for different functions such as entertainment, gaming, productivity or as a web station is just another step in making information technology more accessible. With the cloud, or local Network Attached Storage (NAS), you data need not be in one computer but available any  you choose to use.

Why a mini PC

For the same reasons why you need a desktop PC, the mini PC which is essentially a computer just does it cheaper and more efficient, takes up less space and runs quiet and cooler.

For Productivity

Theses PCs are small enough to sit on the desk, under the screen, mounted behind the display (with VESA mount support) or just connected directly to the HDMI port for those that come in a stick profile keeping your work or living space neat and tidy. There is no question that these machines will carry out your everyday computing tasks, browsing the Internet, checking email, Skype or online shopping with ease but if you need it for more than that, it will also step up to the challenge.

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Powerful mini PCs can help streamline the video editing process by becoming the only content creation solution you need to work on you video or music, creating animations or retouching photos. It can be a workhorse for recording, mixing, creating and playing music and video. The new GPU is 4K display capable and on some model, it comes with dual video connection to increase your productivity further with multiple screens.

For Entertainment

The mini PC can function as a set top box for the big screen TV running applications and operating systems such as Linux Mint OS and XBMC media center or for  a more familiar experience, simply install XBMC for PC on the Windows OS that comes with most of these PCs.

If you opt for a bigger storage (up to 2TB) or attach a large USB hard drive, you can turn the mini PC into a Movie Library. That is if you do not already have a Network Attached Storage or File Server. These mini PCs are more than capable of becoming a file and media server, sharing HD content quickly via its built-in wireless adapter or over wired connection.

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The benefits of using such a device to power the living room is that it is small, slim, affordable and versatile. You can download different desktop apps to stream TV shows, Music or Games. Just pick a robust Bluetooth keyboard and pointing device and away you go.

For Gaming

Why limit yourself to the work room or home office for PC games when gaming consoles already take center stage in the living room on the big screen. You can enjoy the same immersive gaming experience on the big screen too with a mini PC that does not get in the way with its super small form factor. With the right PC game controller, the mini PC can easily take the gaming console’s place.

Depending on the model, these mini PC pack enough punch to turn itself into a complete desktop gaming system without the cooling fans and giant metal can. New generation graphics controller will churn out eye popping visuals and gaming effects to rival even the full size machines. Loading games and data will also be zippy as these machines use fast SSDs so no waiting around.

For powerful processing and best 3D graphics choose a mini PC with the 8th generation or higher Intel Core i7 processor with Radeon RX Vega M GL or Radeon Vega M GH. The latter is VR Ready and can play the latest titles with full render at a minimum of 60fps with a typical competition setup running at 144 to 200 fps.

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From Intel NUC’s Enthusiast series comes the Hades Canyon mini PC powered by a choice of 8th generation Intel Core i7 chip with equally powerful GPUs including the VR Ready AMD Radeon RX Vega M GH GPU. The two available options are NUC8i7HNK and NUC8i7HVK. The Hades Canyon mini PC can support up to 6 displays at 60Hz Ultra HD resolution. The pair of GPU with Core i7 processors rival even the GTX 1060 Max Q setup, see Intel scores below.

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Other Applications

Other applications outside of the home; for education and businesses include: information kiosk, presenter, conference room collaborative communicator, digital signage, cashier till, thin client, video surveillance and security and more.

Top 8 Best Mini PCs

We are grouping this list under two separate headings, ones based on Intel Core processors and the other based on Intel Atom processors.

Based on Intel Core Processors

Here we focus on Mini PCs based on the Intel Core processors and will be looking at the Intel Atom based Mini PC next. The biggest range of mini PC has to be the Intel NUC range. Currently, Intel NUC Mini PC range comes with 5th, 4th and 3rd Generation Intel Core Processors as well as other processors in the Intel portfolio, the Intel Pentium, Intel Celeron and Intel Atom.

All you need is to pick the level of performance or processor to meet your requirements. We have made it easier to select the right machine by labelling these Most Powerful, All Round Machine or Everyday Computing. Use the links below to check the most up to date prices on Amazon.

• Intel® NUC with Intel® Core™ i7 Processor and 2.5-Inch Drive Support  – MOST POWERFUL
• Intel® NUC with Intel® Core™ i5 Processor * – SLIM FORM FACTOR, ALL ROUND MACHINE
• Intel® NUC with Intel® Core™ i3 Processor and 2.5-Inch Drive Support – EVERYDAY COMPUTING
• HP Pavilion Mini 300-050na Desktop PC with Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, 1TB HDD – ALL ROUND MACHINE
• HP Pavilion Mini 300-030na Desktop PC with Intel Core i3, 4GB RAM, 1TB HDD – EVERYDAY COMPUTING
• Asus Vivo VM62N Mini PC with Intel Core i5, 4GB RAM, 500GB HDD – ALL ROUND MACHINE
• Asus Vivo VM62N Mini PC with Intel Core i3, 4GB RAM, 500GB HDD – EVERYDAY COMPUTING
• Acer Revo One RL85 Nettop with Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, 2 x 1TB HDD – ALL ROUND MACHINE

Intel® NUC with Intel® Core™ i7 Processor and 2.5-Inch Drive Support – MOST POWERFUL

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Intel® NUC with Intel® Core™ i7 Processor on Amazon

Intel NUC 10 Performance Mini PC (low profile or standard)

The Intel NUC mini PC in the performance series now come with 10th generation Intel Core i7-10710U processor and is available in two sizes, the ultra low profile that supports M.2 SSD only and a taller mini PC with room for an extra 2.5-inch drive.

• Intel Core i7-10710U Processor (12M Cache, Up to 4.7GHz)
• M.2 SSD or M.2 and 2.5-inch Internal Drive Form Factor
• HDMI 2.0a, USB-C (DP1.2) Graphics Output
• Dimensions: 117 x 112 x 38/51 mm

ALSO: Intel NUC 8 Enthusiast Mini PC (low profile)

• Intel Core i7-8559U Processor
• M.2 SSD Internal Drive Form Factor
• HDMI 2.0a, USB-C (DP1.2) Graphics Output
• Dimensions: 117 x 112 x 36 mm

Intel® NUC with Intel® Core™ i5 Processor* – SLIM FORM FACTOR, ALL ROUND MACHINE

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NOTE: This is an incomplete that requires Memory, Storage and Operating System to run unless sold as complete PC and does not support 2.5-inch HDD/SSD. A taller model that supports both M.2 Key Type M SSD card or 2.5-inch storage drive (HDD/SSD) is available below.

• Intel Core i5-5250U (5th Generation) procesor 1.6GHz up to 2.7GHz Turbo frequency, dual core, 3MB cache, 15W TDP
• Dual channel DDR3L SODIMM slots support 1.35V, 1333/1600MHz memory modules up to 16GB maximum
• Internal support for M.2 Key Type M SSD card (22×42, 22×60 or 22×80)
• Intel PRO Gigabit LAN, Intel Wireless-AC 7265 IEEE802.11ac, M.2 soldered down, wireless antennas, Bluetooth 4 and Intel Wireless Display
• 1 x mini HDMI 1.4a, 1 x mini DisplayPort 1.2, 2 x USB 3.0 (back panel), 2 x USB 3.0 (front panel with 1 charging capable), 2 x internal USB2.0 via header. Consumer IR sensor on the front panel, headphone and microphone jack on front panel.

Also: Intel® NUC with Intel® Core™ i5 Processor and 2.5-Inch Drive Support (NUC5i5RYH)* – ALL ROUND MACHINE

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Intel® NUC with Intel® Core™ i5 Processor on Amazon

NOTE: This is an incomplete that requires Memory, Storage and Operating System to run unless sold as complete PC. A lower model with Intel Core i3 is also available.

• Intel Core i5-5250U (5th Generation) procesor 1.6GHz up to 2.7GHz Turbo frequency, dual core, 3MB cache, 15W TDP
• Dual channel DDR3L SODIMM slots support 1.35V, 1333/1600MHz memory modules up to 16GB maximum
• Internal support for M.2 Key Type M SSD card (22×42, 22×60 or 22×80) or Intel SATA3 support for 2.5-inch HDD/SSD drive (up to 9.5mm thickness)
• Intel PRO Gigabit LAN, Intel Wireless-AC 7265 IEEE802.11ac, M.2 soldered down, wireless antennas, Bluetooth 4 and Intel Wireless Display
• 1 x mini HDMI 1.4a, 1 x mini DisplayPort 1.2, 2 x USB 3.0 (back panel), 2 x USB 3.0 (front panel with 1 charging capable), 2 x internal USB2.0 via header. Consumer IR sensor on the front panel, headphone and microphone jack on front panel.

Intel® NUC with Intel® Core™ i3 Processor and 2.5-Inch Drive Support (NUC5i3RYH)* – EVERYDAY COMPUTING

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NOTE: This is an incomplete that requires Memory, Storage and Operating System to run unless sold as complete PC.

• Intel Core i3-5010U (5th Generation) processor 2.1GHz dual core, 3MB cache, 15W TDP
• Dual channel DDR3L SODIMM slots support 1.35V, 1333/1600MHz memory modules up to 16GB maximum
• Internal support for M.2 Key Type M SSD card (22×42, 22×60 or 22×80) or Intel SATA3 support for 2.5-inch HDD/SSD drive (up to 9.5mm thickness)
• Intel PRO Gigabit LAN, Intel Wireless-AC 7265 IEEE802.11ac, M.2 soldered down, wireless antennas, Bluetooth 4 and Intel Wireless Display
• 1 x mini HDMI 1.4a, 1 x mini DisplayPort 1.2, 2 x USB 3.0 (back panel), 2 x USB 3.0 (front panel with 1 charging capable), 2 x internal USB2.0 via header. Consumer IR sensor on the front panel, headphone and microphone jack on front panel.

HP Pavilion Mini 300-050na Desktop PC with Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, 1TB HDD – ALL ROUND MACHINE

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• Intel Core i5 4200U processor with Intel HD Graphics 4400
• 8GB 1600MHz DDR3L RAM – BIG MEMORY
• 1TB 5400 rpm SATA
• HDMI and Display Port for single or dual screen support
• 3-in-1 memory card reader, integrated 10/100/1000BASE-T Gigabit Ethernet LAN, 802.11bgn and Bluetooth 4.0 combo, 4 x USB 3.0, 1 headphone/microphone combo, DTS Sound+
• Wireless optical mouse, wireless island-style keyboard with volume control and dedicated hotkeys

HP Pavilion Mini 300-030na Desktop PC with Intel Core i3, 4GB RAM, 1TB HDD – EVERYDAY COMPUTING

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Asus Vivo VM62N Mini PC with Intel Core i5, 4GB RAM, 500GB HDD – ALL ROUND MACHINE

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• Intel Core i5-4210U 1.7Ghz Processor with NVIDIA GeForce 820M 1GB Graphics and Integrated Intel HD Graphics 4400
• 4GB Dual Channel DDR3L 1600MHz up to 16GB on Dual SO-DIMM
• 500GB SATA 6GB/s Hard Drive
• Vivo DualBay supports dual storage design 1 x 3.5-inch SATA drive or 2 x 2.5-inch drive SSD/HHD
• 2 x USB2.0, 4 x USB3.0, 1 x Gigabit Ethernet LAN, Wireless 802.11abgnac, Bluetooth 4.0, 2 x 2W speakers, 1 x HDMI, 1 x Display Port, Kensington Lock, Optical S/PDIF out, 2 x audio jacks and 4-in-1 SD card reader.

A budget and low-powered machine, the ASUS Vivo VM42 based on Intel Celeron processor is also featured at the bottom.

Asus Vivo VM62N Mini PC with Intel Core i3, 4GB RAM, 500GB HDD – EVERYDAY COMPUTING

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• Intel Core i3-4030U 1.9Ghz Dual Core Processor with NVIDIA GeForce 820M 1GB Graphics and Integrated Intel HD Graphics 4400
• 4GB Dual Channel DDR3L 1600MHz up to 16GB on Dual SO-DIMM
• 500GB SATA 6GB/s Hard Drive
• Vivo DualBay supports dual storage design 1 x 3.5-inch SATA drive or 2 x 2.5-inch drive SSD/HHD
• 2 x USB2.0, 4 x USB3.0, 1 x Gigabit Ethernet LAN, Wireless 802.11abgnac, Bluetooth 4.0, 2 x 2W speakers, 1 x HDMI, 1 x Display Port, Kensington Lock, Optical S/PDIF out, 2 x audio jacks and 4-in-1 SD card reader.

Acer Revo One RL85 Nettop with Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, 2 x 1TB HDD – ALL ROUND MACHINE

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• Intel Core i5-5200U dual-core 2.20 GHz processor
• 8GB DDR3L SDRAM memory, 2 TB (2 x 1TB) SATA HDD Storage
• Gigabit Ethernet LAN, Wireless IEEE802.11 abgn, Mini PCI Expansion Slot x 1, HDMI, 2 x USB3.0, 2 x USB2.0, Audio Out

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Cheaper models based on Intel Core i3-4050U dual-core 1.7Ghz processor and Intel Celeron 2957U dual core 1.4GHz processor are also available.

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NOTE *Intel NUC requires Memory Module and Hard Drive or SSD storage.

Next we look at Mini PCs based on Intel Atom Processors

NEXT: Mini PCs Based on Atom CPU…