The Best Windows Mini PCs for 2025

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Shopping for a Windows desktop? If you're ready to shell out, a speedy business box or hulking power tower is easy to get. Sometimes, though, what you need is the smallest possible computer that'll do the job. At PCMag, we've been testing big and small desktops since the dawn of the PC, and our expert analysts and editors have centuries of collective experience. We review dozens of desktops annually, applying rigorous, repeatable tests using industry-standard software to assess the nuances of CPU and graphics performance. Just as important, we evaluate key attributes such as design, usability, connectivity, bundled software, and (of course!) value. Our current best mini PC for most users is Lenovo's IdeaCentre Mini, for its impressive speed and connectivity for the money. Read on for more tested, vetted picks, a spec comparison chart, and detailed buying advice that will help you pinpoint the best mini desktop PC for how you compute.

We're seeing clear stratification in the market for tiny Windows desktop PCs. The very smallest PCs might be termed the "stick class," pioneered by the Atom CPU-powered Intel Compute Stick we first reviewed in early 2015 (and again in its refreshed Cherry Trail Atom and Core m3 forms), followed by similar sticks from Asus, Azulle, Lenovo, and others.

You can still find stick PCs on the market, but these are suitable only for display/signage use or extremely basic applications. After a promising debut those years back, they have not seen all that much evolution or momentum; the form factor is too small to grow beyond those use cases.

The models next up in size were much more dynamic, a bunch we traditionally termed the "NUC class." NUC stands for "Next Unit of Computing," a longtime initiative started by Intel in 2013 to spur the development of very small Windows-based desktop PCs using its mobile-centric processors. Over a decade, the chip giant released successive series of NUC-branded mini PC kits, and several of the traditional PC component makers have followed suit with similar models.

Most of the "classic" NUC mini PCs were around 5 or 6 inches square, though later NUCs expanded the footprint to wider and taller designs, with commensurate increases in the performance level. Intel shuttered its NUC program in 2023 (stocks of some of its latest NUC models remain on the market for now), but Asus has picked up the NUC-brand torch. Asus now supports the 10th to 13th Gen NUCs from Intel, and it is keeping the NUC name alive. They and a few other PC makers (notably MSI and ASRock) continue to deliver NUC-branded mini PCs with Intel bowing out. They and other companies also offer NUC-lookalikes (without using the NUC name) that feature decent power, plus some that push the platform's boundaries.

Separate from those is a host of undeniably small PCs that follow their own shape and size rules. Zotac, a significant player in small PCs (and one of the category's unsung innovators), offers a vast range of Zbox PCs that range in size from "classic NUC" size upward. Shuttle is another small-PC pioneer, offering machines in various shapes, mostly nowadays for business and industrial audiences.

Should You Buy a Bare-Bones or Fully Configured Mini PC?

Not all mini PCs ship as complete systems. You get a PC kit with some models: a tiny chassis with a motherboard preinstalled. (Usually, a soldered-on processor is in place instead of a socketed one.) Plus, in most cases, wireless connectivity is built in. To complete the kit, you must shop for and install your operating system, a storage drive (a hard drive and/or a solid-state drive, depending on the model), and RAM modules.

This arrangement is what resellers call a "bare-bones PC." You'll want to make sure you know what you are getting. Sometimes, a given mini system is sold in bare-bones form and pre-configured versions with storage, RAM, and Windows present.

You must factor those parts and a Windows license (unless you plan to use Linux) into the total cost. Mind you, the parts you will need will be small: the kind that you'd typically find in a laptop, not a desktop. Many small PCs like these use DDR4 or DDR5 SO-DIMMs—laptop-style RAM modules—for their main memory instead of full-size desktop DIMMs.

The form factor of the storage varies more. Depending on the mini PC you are looking at, you may need a 2.5-inch drive (a solid-state or hard drive, the size that goes into most full-size laptops) or a slimmer variety of SSD known as an M.2 SSD. Such drives are the size and shape of a stick of chewing gum. Check out our guide to these somewhat complicated drives at the link; if you need to install an M.2 SSD on a bare-bones desktop, you need to know about some interface/bus and sizing subtleties before you shop. (It's all too easy to buy an incompatible drive.) They are a perfect fit for very small PCs like these, however, and most recent models support them. Some support them exclusively.

If a given system is a bare-bones kit, you'll need to get more than a little hands-on with it to get it up and running. But a kit gives you maximum flexibility in terms of component selection. Regardless, apart from the more straightforward setup, one advantage of a pre-configured mini PC is that an OS (usually Windows 10 or 11) comes installed; you won't need to install and update the OS and its drivers.

Should You Get Dedicated or Integrated Graphics in Your Mini PC?

Most mini PCs are as "mini" as they are because they rely on the basic-grade graphics acceleration built into the CPU to power their video outputs—no separate graphics card is involved. This integrated graphics silicon will suffice for productivity work and video playback. A few outlying models, though, incorporate the same discrete mobile graphics chips that appear in gaming laptops. A few compact workstation desktops even use Nvidia's professional-grade graphics and up to Intel Xeon processors for high-power, ISV-certified tasks.

Some of the larger NUC models in the Intel NUC lifespan included discrete mobile and desktop GPUs. That means well-above-average graphics performance in a system this size. These "Extreme" Intel NUCs made room for a dual-slot graphics card up to 12 inches long. That opens up some serious productivity and gaming power, but the NUC Extremes take you out of the true "mini" size category. And again, Intel's out of the NUC business; they're only available as end-of-life models at this point. It's all relative. From the Asus ROG NUC to the Geekom Megamini G1, brands are happy to carry the torch.

If you're sticking with a tiny PC, a dedicated graphics chip is seldom an option for space and thermal design reasons. We'll see what this year brings in this department, but a traditional gaming PC will always be your best bet to maximize power for serious gaming.

What Connections Do You Need in a Mini PC?

Some mini PCs include mounting kits that let you attach them to the back of an LCD. If space savings are significant to you, check for that feature. Also, check the back of your monitor for mounting holes, which, if present, usually comply with the VESA mounting standard.

Also, check for 802.11 Wi-Fi (wireless networking) of some flavor. Most micro PCs include at least that as a standard feature (and most also incorporate Bluetooth), but double-check that the system or kit doesn't require purchasing a separate Wi-Fi card in the Mini-PCI Express or M.2 form factor. Some do.

USB and video outputs may seem like obvious things to look for, but with smaller PCs like these, the number provided can be less than you may be used to. Check for enough of each for the peripherals you need to connect. Some models may surprise you. We've seen very small systems with as many as nine USB ports. USB Type-C makes that possible.

Also, check for multi-monitor support if that is a factor for you. Some small PCs are designed explicitly for digital signage and may support more concurrent displays than you might expect from a little system. Note, though, that these models may emphasize video outputs instead of other connections, or even much in the way of CPU power.

Which CPU Should You Look for in a Mini PC?

You'll see a variety of mobile-grade CPUs in the small PCs out there, ranging from Intel Celeron and Pentium chips (very basic and OK at best for simple productivity work, e-mailing, and web browsing) up to Core i5 and i7 (and in a few cases, i9) processors that can do some modest media-crunching and rendering work. Today, these Core-grade designations include Intel's newer Core Ultra lines, which you'll see as the Intel Core Ultra 5, Ultra 7, and Ultra 9 (no "i"). These Core Ultra processors include varying grades of built-in AI processing silicon, dubbed a neural processing unit (NPU).

Whether Intel Core i, Intel Core Ultra, or even an AMD Ryzen chip, you should check whether you are looking at a mobile-grade CPU (the kind used in laptops) or a desktop-strength chip. The size of the PC isn't always a perfect predictor of that. (Regardless, the smallest PCs will always use mobile chips.)

How to tell? Most of the mini PCs on the market use Intel silicon, and the dead giveaway, whether you're looking at a mobile CPU or a desktop one, is usually the letter at the end of the processor's number. Look for a "T," a "K," or no letter at all as a dead giveaway for a desktop chip (for example, Core i5-13400T), or a "U," an "H," or an "HX" for a mobile one.

With the chip family and generation being equal, you can expect more muscle (usually a consequence of more cores and higher base clocks) from the desktop version of, say, a Core Ultra 5 than from a mobile Core Ultra 5. In addition, Intel chips ending in "H" and "HX" are higher-powered mobile processors, occupying the middle ground between the mainstream mobile chips and all-out socketed desktop chips. They are uncommon in mini desktops but not unheard of; one of our favorite selections, the Lenovo IdeaCentre Mini, packs a 13th Gen Core i7 H-series CPU.

You'll also find some occasional AMD flavors, such as the embedded-class AMD Ryzen V1605B in the ECS Liva Q3 Plus and even the Ryzen 9 6900HX in the potent Geekom AS6.

Intel also recently launched the second generation of its Core Ultra mobile platform, "Lunar Lake." These chips are starting to show up in mini desktops. They have Intel's most advanced onboard AI-ready NPUs, which unlock Microsoft's Copilot+ AI experience in Windows 11.

What to glean from that mobile-versus-desktop insight? Our benchmark testing will quantify the trends, but none of the mobile-grade chips in these small PCs is a proper substitute for a desktop chip if you're a heavy multitasker or a media pro who needs real processing muscle (say, to convert lots of video or photo files from one format to another). In most cases, the CPU is the single most significant factor in the cost of a mini PC, so keep an eye on the performance numbers in our reviews for a relative idea of what you are getting.

Rule of thumb? For light office work, you can get by with a mobile or desktop Core i3 or Core Ultra 5-based mini PC, but you'll want to err on the side of a higher-end Core Ultra chip if you need extra pep for serious multitasking, file conversions, heavy calculations, or multimedia content manipulation.

Ready to Buy the Right Mini PC for You?

Between our buying advice and our handy spec chart, you should be armed with enough information to choose among our recommended models. If you're shopping for a small desktop to save money, you'll also want to check out our picks for the top cheap desktops.

If you'd like to go a bit bigger, check out our top choices for standard-size desktops, including some small-form-factor PCs, or see our guide to the top all-in-one desktops, which save space in their own way by featuring built-in displays.