5 Best Mini PCs

Buying Guide for buyers before they buy a Mini PC

As of now, countless Mini PCs in the market can quench any tech geek or enthusiast’s thirst across the world. For instance, since the inception of the said computer segment, Intel NUC has been setting benchmarks one after the other, which paved the way for other manufacturers to make better products for consumers such as HP, Asus, Lenovo, among others.

If a user has been using a desktop PC all his/her life, they are aware of the space that the components take. So if you want to save a lot of space and get the necessary things done on a single component, you’d grow to appreciate what Mini PCs have to offer. Mini PCs are compact. They come with all the necessary elements that feature dedicated usage.

A Mini PC comes with dedicated RAM as well as HDD. In addition to this, you can get the OS of your choice ranging from Ubuntu, Windows, Kali OS, Linux, among others. They are ready-to-use once unpacked, meaning you won’t have to update the bios or make any attachments to get it to work. Further, these PCs do come with Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and USB to make connectivity hassle-free.

How to get started with a Mini PC?

If you get a Mini PC home, you can use your old keyboard, mouse as well as your monitor. You won’t have to pour in funds or dig a hole in your pocket to get started with a mini PC. However, your computer peripherals have to be compatible with the compact PC to use it right out-of-the-box.

Mini PC: A Dedicated Media Hub

Most of the users of Mini PCs opt for one due to the interrupted media consumption. These PCs are perfect to binge-watch and store digital videos, TV Series, and Films and watch it themselves or with friends and families. Due to the subtle form factor, you can easily put a mini PC anywhere you want.

The small form factor keeps the space tidy, and they can be connected to any monitor or TV to serve their purpose. Many offices across the world tend to turn to much-needed set-up to get the work done. Here mini PCs are appropriate as they are perfect for Microsoft Office, send emails, and monitor security protocols in an organization.

Mini PCs are a great addition for users who already own a high-end computer. They can carry out simple tasks like writing, texting, watching films, YouTube, or even Netflix on Mini PCs. In addition to this, you can also carry mini PCs wherever and whenever you want. Some mini PCs are mountable. For instance, you can mount them directly behind your monitor or even TV and use it wherever you want.

Mini PCs generally come in different sizes; they either come in a tiffin box or a conventional paperback novel. Some Mini PCs do have the size of a Wi-Fi router or a DTH Setup box.

Limited Avenue for Upgrade

Tower PC, given that it takes a lot of space and it isn’t energy-efficient, can still be upgraded. By the looks of it, this isn’t possible with a mini PC. Upgrading RAM, CPU, and GPU is quite impossible as they are embedded in the compact hub. Nano-tech throws an upgrade of the PC right out of the water.

Even if you open a Mini PC and expect that you can make some changes to the hardware, you’ll be disappointed. An average Mini PC has less or no physical space room to upgrade the desired components.

However, some mini PCs do offer to upgrade HDD as well as RAM, nothing else. Moreover, they comprise the RAM used in laptop and mobile computers on the desktop, so you cannot just get the RAM from your old PC and put it into a mini PC. You can buy RAM for your laptop and upgrade it.

When it comes to storage capacity, mini PCs come in two variants of Hard Disk, such as 2.5-inch SSD or HDD or M.2 (flash drives used in smartphones). On the other hand, Mini PCs that support 2.5-inch drives are compatible with conventional 2.5-inch HDD or SSD. The latter is the variant that you can upgrade. Always double-check before you buy a Mini PC either with M.2 or 2.5-inch Hard Disk support.

Gaming is a bad idea on Mini PCs

Most people buy computers to play games. However, if you’re under a budget and think that you can play a single multiplayer or battle royale game on a mini PC, then you’re wrong. Even the newly released PCs and gaming laptops cannot run the latest games. By the looks of it, this is the reason why gamers assemble their PC with top-notch components.

The reason why Mini PCs are regarded as “Mini” as they rely on general graphics acceleration to get the basic power and video output. So far, this might be the reason why most mini-PCs do not have a dedicated graphics card. The silicon-based integrated graphics are more than enough for video playback and work. The thermal-design and space are the reasons why dedicated graphics cards are not included in Mini-PCs.

If you’re a hard-core gamer and think that mini PCs will suffice your needs, you’ll deeply regret buying it. However, if you like to play flash games on Chrome or any other browser, you can already get a mini PC. Mini PCs do not have dedicated graphics; hence, they are not ideal for gamers.

Pick the right OS

It is normal if you find some mini PCs with no OS. These manufacturers are aware that users have their own needs when using an OS in their compact computer. If you buy a mini PC and don’t find an OS, you don’t have to freak out. Instead, you can install an OS of your choice and get started.

But, some mini PCs offer pre-installed OS; here, you’ve to use the one provided out-of-the-box. Note that some Mini PCs come with a tag like “supports Linux or WIndows.” Further indicating you’ve to install the OS that the Mini PC supports. If your goal is to create the Mini PC into a media hub, Linux OS might help you.

Final Words

Modern-day PCs are getting smaller yet powerful with the advancement of nanotech. If you prefer the smaller, powerful, and sophisticated mini PCs over the mid or high tower ones, then you’re in for a treat. If ever the PCs are remote, they can easily handle day to day computing tasks whether you’re a developer, a writer, or an IT professional.

The strides in the realm of PCs have brought real-life groundbreaking improvements and changes to mini PCs. The following are some of the notable mini PCs you can get your hands on in 2020.

After countless hours of hands-on experience with the Mini PCs, we found most of them to be top-notch and the best for office and home usage. In this guide, you’d find the 5 Mini PCs that we find to entice any tech enthusiast if they require a computer for minimal use. Among all the Mini PCs that we reviewed, and the ones available on the market, here is our verdict.