What minipc buy, which is better?

Although of less popular than traditional laptops and desktops, minipcs constitute an alternative when we need a computer of compact dimensions. But that is small does not imply that it will be little powerful. In the market we find proposals of the most diverse that fit different needs. Herein Minipcs purchase guide you will find the keys when choosing one and some of the most interesting models of the market.

Our mini pcs selection, at a glance

What to look at when choosing a minipc

Of types and dimensions

Strictly speaking, in the market we will find three types of minipcs: Torres de table in reduced format, sticks similar to USB memories and Barebones. If we do not have especially scarce spatial requirements, there are also towers on horseback between the mini and the standard with more compact designs than usual. However, we will focus on the first three.

The Stick format is the more compact, simple (at hardware level) and affordablewith dimensions and design that reminds of a USB memory that we will connect to an output peripheral such as a monitor or a TV. They consume little energy, which take from the peripheral to which we connect it.

On the opposite side we find the Bareboneskeletons with the motherboard and some components on which to assemble the rest of the hardware necessary to make it work. This option offers us the possibility of customizing hardware based on our needsbut it is also necessary to have technical knowledge to configure and mount it.

Just in the middle we find the mini commercial towers, more expensive than the Stick but with the possibility of opting for very diverse configurations for different uses, various operating systems and ready to use since we took them out of the box.

Brief hardware notes

As when choosing any other computer, we will think of What are we going to use forso that we can evaluate which processor, storage, RAM, if we need a dedicated or not graph and what ports interest us.

With this clear, we want to make a couple of notes on hardware that will serve to frame models and know What strip of specifications and prices are we going to move.

• As for storage, we will find models with the Velces SSD and with the HDD classics with high low -cost storage space as usual, but also with EMMC. The latter consume less and are more affordable, but they are also considerably slower and limited in terms of capacity. In this sense, we will find them in the cheapest and most simple minipcs, those designed to use them from time to time in basic tasks: those of a stick type.

• Regarding processors, in the range of Minipcs options we will see the X86 Intel and AMD classics in traditional and portable desktop computers. But there are also options with ARM processorsmuch more modest at performance level but with lower consumption.

• As for the memory, the minipc use the RAM that we find in the laptops (SO-DIMM) and usually have a maximum 2 slots, so it is worth it invest in an adequate amount from the beginning.

In addition, except Barebonesit is common for this computers format to admit scarce modifications, so it is better to be clear from the beginning.

If we want a powerful and/or want to use it intensively, it is important to pay attention to the cooling and temperature controlespecially because of the little space that the air has to move between components. In addition, a more ambitious hardware goes hand in hand with superior energy consumption.

In this case, better bet on boxes with design elements that favor ventilation such as grilles and slots, materials such as aluminum above plastic and that the components are efficient energy.

What are we going to use for

After briefly recapitulating about the hardware with which we are going to run into the minipcs, it is time to classify the use we are going to give to know what to look for:

• If the idea is Use it as a multimedia centerWe are interested in a team with sufficient storage to save our content (unless we opt for streaming), sound options and decent graphics and enough ports to transfer content of other devices.

• We may not be clear about the use of the computer, in that case Better to choose a versatile equipment. Unless we are very limited to budget and/or we will not demand too much, better to opt for processors such as the Ryzen or Core, 8GB of RAM as a starting point and storage options SSD or HDD.

• However, if we are clear that we need a high performance equipment and we have sufficient knowledgeBarebone offers the option to configure it.

• If we want a Gaming computerwe will look for powerful processors and graphics cards, at least 8GB of RAM and enough ports to connect accessories to play as controls or joysticks.

• Finally there is the option of wanting a small computer to experiment in your projects Maker. In this case the Raspberry Pi It is the ideal solution for the community that exists around it, price and possibilities, there is even its keyboard -shaped minipc: Raspberry Pi 400

MINIPCS prominent models

Minis Forum

Very attractive from the point of view of its cost and the hardware that integrates This minis Forum (119 euros): Intel Celeron N4020 processor, 4GB of RAM of DDR3, 64GB of EMMC storage (which can expand with an SD card of up to 128 GB, SSD of M.2 2242 NGFF or HDD of SATA3.06.0GB / S to 1TB, to accelerate the performance). As for ports and connectivity, it has Dual Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2, Puerto Ehternet, four USB, HDMI and VGAM Micro SD slot, Puerto Jack and power outlet.

With the hardware that mounts, its use is bound to tasks such as navigating the Internet, extremely simple office and watching series and videos, precisely Your strong point when you are able to reproduce in 4K and has diversity of ports to be able to connect peripherals.

INTEL NUC

With the Intel NUCs we begin to review some of the market barking. This line stands out for its versatilityoffering processor options ranging from singles Celeron to I5 processors of 11 generation (641.21 euros)

In any case, we can configure A team for entertainment, productivity or games. Its base is a 10 x 10 centimeters plate to which we can attach memory (2 slots for RAM DDR4-2400 up to 32 GB), storage (hard drive connection M.2 PCIE X4 and slot 2.5 “option for HDD/SSD) and Windows or other distributions.

As for ports and connectivity, the simplest comes with 3.5 mm jack, two USB, Wi -Fi, Bluetooth 4.2 and microSD card slot, but there are options for graphics output.

Lenovo ThinkCentre

Lenovo has in its catalog of the ThinkCentre Tiny series of the M series in different versions. These are Minipcs aimed at business environments that become such powerful processors as a tenth core i9.

With a Design aimed at reducing space to the maximum but improving ventilation and offering a comfortable and spacious ports arrangement And a factor similar to a book, they are compact, robust, with a very versatile port proposal and enough configuration options. IoT centered have the ThinkCentre M75N, although for domestic use its base model is the Lenovo ThinkCentre M90Q (from 1,903.08 euros), With an Intel Core i7-10700, 16GB of RAM, 512GB SSD

Mac Mini (2024) with M4 Chip

He Mac Mini (2024) with M4 Chip (664 euros) maintains its iconic format with the most compact design to date, aluminum he. is the alternative for those who seek A versatile desktop with powerful and macOS options as an operating systemalthough its use scenario is restricted to general use, discarding it for gaming or video editing for its graphic options.

One of its strengths is the performance of the new M4 chip, which with the 16 GB of base RAM and its 512 GB SSD offers a solvent set for office, navigation, video viewing.

Zotac Magnus

Zotac also have Many options in mini formatsuch as the Nano series for more basic uses, the Edge and some nano series for general use, the Zbox Pro series for designers and creatives or the One and Magnus series for gaming, with such ambitious and demanding hardware options to play as that of Zotac Zbox Magnus One Barebone (792.05 euros), With Intel Core i7 of the latest generation and GEFORCE RTX 4070. With a careful design that seeks functionality, updates and cooling, they are very complete in terms of port offer.

In Xataka | Best ultrabooks. Which to buy and 10 light laptops recommended from 600 to 1700 euros

In Xataka | What monitor buy to work: purchase guide and 11 monitors for productivity from 100 to 600 euros

Note: Some of the links published here are affiliates. Despite this, none of the aforementioned articles have been proposed either by brands or stores, being its introduction a unique decision of the publishers team.