These days, big bulky computer base units can essentially be replaced with mini computers that can have twice the power at less than half the size. Here are our top 5 best mini desktop PCs that are ideal for work, entertainment and the occasional light to medium gaming.
Mobile and tablet users just swipe across... Gigabyte Brix |  ASUS Vivo |  Apple Mac Mini |  Intel NUC5i5RYK |  Sumvision Cyclone |
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| Our Rating |  | |  | |  |
| OS | N/A | N/A | OS X 10 Yosemite | N/A | Windows 10 |
| Processor | 2.0 GHz Intel Celeron J1900 | Intel Core i3-4030U | 1.4 GHz Intel Core i5 | 1.6 GHz Intel Core i5 | 1.84 GHz Intel Quad Core x5-Z8300 |
| Graphics | Intel HD | Intel HD Graphics 4400 | Intel HD | Intel HD Graphics 6000 | Intel HD |
| RAM | 4GB | 2 x SODIMMs (Up to 16GB) | 4GB | DDR3L SODIMMs (Up to 16GB) | 2GB |
| Storage | Barebones / 500GB / 1TB HDD / 128GB SSD / 250GB SSD | SATA 6Gb/s 3.5" or 2.5"/2 x 2.5 | 500GB HDD | DDR3l SDRAM | 32GB eMMC |
| Barebones Option |  | |  | | |
| Connections | • 1 x USB 3.0 • 2 x USB 2.0 • HDMI • VGA • AUX In • Ethernet • Bluetooth | • 3 x USB 3.0 • 2 x USB 2.0 • HDMI • DisplayPort++ • 3.5mm Jack • Microphone • Ethernet • Optical • SD / MMC | • 4 x USB 3.0 • 2 x Thunderbolt 2 • HDMI • Ethernet • 3.5mm Jack • SDXC Card Slot | • 4 x USB 3.0 • 2 x USB 2.0 • Mini HDMI • Mini DisplayPort • AUX In • Bluetooth | • 1 x USB 3.0 • 2 x USB 2.0 • HDMI • VGA • 3.5mm Jack • Bluetooth • Ethernet • SD Card Slot |
| Accessories | • VESA Mount Bracket • Power Adapter | • VESA Mount Bracket • Power Adapter | Power Adapter | • VESA Mount Bracket • Wall Mount Power Adapter with Multi-Country AC Plugs | N/A |
| Dimensions | 5.6 x 10.7 x 11.4 cm | N/A | 19.7 x 19.7 x 3.6 cm | 11.5 x 11.1 x 3.2 cm | 14.9 x 10.3 x 3.6 cm |
| Price | **CHECK PRICE** | **CHECK PRICE** | **CHECK PRICE** | **CHECK PRICE** | **CHECK PRICE** |
Reasons to Buy a Mini Desktop PC
- More Than Enough Power – Unless you’re doing some serious hardcore gaming, a mini desktop PC is more than capable of daily computing tasks and multimedia use.
- Multimedia Hub – When you think about the things you can do on a streaming HD media player like Apple TV and Roku, you can do the same things and more on a mini desktop PC. Granted, there’s a slight learning curve of downloading and installing the right software but it’s not rocket science. Far from it.
- Better Value – They’re often cheaper than laptops and usually more powerful when comparing models of equal price ranges.
- Portable Size – One of their main selling points is of course, it’s small stature. Before these came along, large desktop computers took up too much space in a home but now that no longer has to be the case.
- Suitable For Travelling – While you may not end up taking it out your house, a mini desktop PC is well suited to take out with you, whether to meetings or to a friend’s house. All you need along with the base unit is a portable keyboard, mouse and a seperate PC monitor or TV (which would presumably be present at your destination).
- Barebones Option – For some mini desktop PCs, there’s an option to have a stripped down version (or it already comes as that) which allows you to insert your own RAM, graphics card, operating system, storage drive etc. This customisable feature is desirable for users who want to build their own computer, which is not particularly difficult for a mini desktop PC.
Some of the best mini desktop PCs can rival computers with large base units, especially if it has a barebones option, which allows you to customise the specifications of the computer. However, if you want to do some demanding gaming or video production and editing, you’re going to need a high performance computer with high end specs.