Slimming down the options: finding your perfect mini PC
Labs Mini PCs
Slimming down the options: finding your perfect mini PC
Mini PCs can do everything you want, so long as you choose the right one. Here’s how to make the best selection for your needs
As our tests over the next few pages show, mini PCs really can do anything a grown-up computer can. But while their compact packaging makes them easier to live with, it means they might struggle to grow and adapt as your needs change over time. For this reason, choosing the right device from the outset is particularly important, and we’re here to help.
It’s worth starting with what we mean when we talk about mini PCs. Although there’s no strict definition, we consider any computer with a volume of below about five litres to be “mini”. Ideally, a mini PC comes in at less than a litre – that’s about the size of five thick slices of supermarket bread. At this size, most designs are a neat cuboid, small enough to mount behind a monitor or under a desk. You can compare the volume of every PC here in our size graph on p95. Our comparison tables (see p80) give you the exact dimensions, and whether you get a VESA mount in the box.
Plus and minus of mini
Even if you don’t hide it away, a mini PC takes up less desk space than a full-sized computer. There are other advantages, too: most mini PCs use laptop processors, which consume less power and generate less heat. That means lower electricity bills, but also generally more hushed cooling fans – lower-powered examples barely make any noise until they’re working very hard.