Verdict: The Ultimate Mini PC

The Mac mini M4 earns our top recommendation as the best overall mini PC of 2025. It combines exceptional performance, near-silent operation, improved connectivity, and an incredibly compact design that delivers on the promise of what a mini PC should be. Whether for productivity, content creation, or everyday computing, the Mac mini M4 excels across the board with virtually no compromises beyond its lack of upgradability.

With improvements to multi-display support and standard RAM configuration, it addresses the main criticisms of previous models while maintaining the strengths that made it popular. For anyone seeking the ideal balance of performance, size, and reliability in a mini PC, the Apple Mac mini M4 sets the standard against which all others should be measured.

Verdict: Budget-Friendly Excellence

The Kamrui E3B delivers exceptional value for budget-conscious users who need a reliable mini PC for everyday tasks. Its combination of capable performance, excellent connectivity, and silent operation makes it ideal for home offices, media centers, and general productivity workloads.

With user-upgradable components and reliable performance, the E3B is a smart investment that can grow with your needs. While it won't match the raw power of premium mini PCs, it offers remarkable bang for your buck at a fraction of the price.

Verdict: Windows Perfection in a Tiny Package

The Geekom AX8 Pro represents the best of what's possible in a Windows mini PC in 2025. With its excellent build quality, impressive performance, and incredibly compact design, it's the perfect alternative to Apple's Mac mini for Windows users. Despite the occasional fan noise under load, the AX8 Pro delivers desktop-class performance in a fraction of the space.

For professionals, content creators, and even casual gamers who prefer Windows and need a powerful yet space-saving solution, the AX8 Pro offers the best combination of performance, design, and expandability in a mini PC form factor. It's not the cheapest option, but the premium experience justifies the investment.

Verdict: Gaming Power in a Compact Form

The Minisforum AtomMan G7 PT offers desktop-class gaming performance in a package that's significantly smaller than traditional gaming towers. Its combination of a powerful AMD Ryzen 9 CPU and discrete Radeon RX 7600M XT graphics card enables impressive 1080p and 1440p gaming that was previously unattainable in the mini PC form factor.

While it's larger than ultra-compact mini PCs, the G7 PT justifies its size with substantially better performance, excellent cooling, and the ability to run modern AAA games smoothly. If you're looking for a space-saving gaming solution that doesn't compromise on performance, the AtomMan G7 PT is the clear winner in 2025.

Verdict: Perfect Productivity Powerhouse

The Geekom A6 is the ideal productivity mini PC, combining excellent performance, a premium build quality, and a comprehensive port selection in an incredibly compact package. At just 4.4 x 4.4 x 1.34 inches and under one pound, it's even smaller than the redesigned Mac mini M4 while offering the flexibility of Windows 11 Pro and support for up to four external displays.

Despite its tiny footprint, the A6 doesn't compromise on performance, handling everything from spreadsheets and multitasking to light content creation with ease. The all-aluminum build gives it a premium feel that resembles Apple's aesthetic but with the versatility of Windows. For professionals looking to maximize desk space without sacrificing capability, the Geekom A6 is the standout choice in 2025.

Verdict: AI Processing Powerhouse

The Minisforum EliteMini AI370 represents a significant milestone in bringing dedicated AI processing power to the mini PC form factor. With its AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 processor featuring a 50 TOPS NPU, it enables local AI processing that previously required cloud services or much larger workstations. From image generation and video processing to running local large language models, the AI370 handles AI workloads with impressive speed and efficiency.

While the plastic construction and fan noise under load are noticeable drawbacks, they're reasonable compromises for the outstanding AI performance this compact system delivers. For developers, content creators, researchers, and tech enthusiasts looking to explore or implement AI capabilities without relying on cloud services, the EliteMini AI370 offers unprecedented local AI processing power in an affordable and compact package.

Verdict: Creative Power in a Compact Package

The Geekom A8 Max offers content creators a compelling Windows-based alternative to Apple's Mac mini. With its sleek aluminum design, powerful AMD Ryzen 9 processor, and comprehensive connectivity options, it handles photo editing, video production, and other creative tasks with impressive efficiency. The integrated Radeon 780M graphics deliver solid performance for Adobe Creative Suite applications, and the AMD AI engine accelerates AI-enhanced features increasingly common in creative software.

While not as silent as the Mac mini under load and lacking the raw power of discrete graphics solutions, the A8 Max strikes an excellent balance between performance, size, and versatility for content creators who prefer or require Windows. The generous 2TB of storage, 32GB of RAM, and dual USB4 ports make it an excellent foundation for a compact creative workstation that can drive multiple displays and connect to high-speed external storage when needed.

Verdict: Enterprise-Grade Reliability in a Compact Form

The Dell OptiPlex Micro Plus 7020 stands out as the optimal business mini PC for 2025, delivering enterprise-grade security, management capabilities, and reliability in a space-saving design. Unlike consumer-focused alternatives, the OptiPlex is purpose-built for business environments with features that IT departments value: TPM 2.0 security, Intel vPro for remote management, chassis intrusion detection, and Dell's comprehensive business support options.

While it commands a premium price compared to consumer mini PCs, the OptiPlex Micro 7020 justifies its cost through superior build quality, consistent performance for business applications, and a significantly longer lifecycle with better long-term support. For businesses requiring a dependable, secure, and easily manageable computing solution that minimizes desk space without compromising on corporate IT requirements, the Dell OptiPlex Micro Plus 7020 is the clear choice in 2025.

Verdict: Unmatched Expandability for Professional Workloads

The Beelink GTi12 Ultra transforms the mini PC concept into a genuine workstation alternative through its innovative approach to expandability. When paired with Beelink's EX Docking Station, this compact system can accommodate a full-size desktop graphics card, delivering performance that rivals much larger workstations. In our testing with a Sapphire RX 7900 graphics card, the system achieved benchmark scores approximately twice as fast as premium mobile workstations costing significantly more.

What sets the GTi12 Ultra apart is its flexibility. As a standalone unit, it's a capable mini PC with excellent connectivity and impressive CPU performance thanks to its doubled power limit compared to laptop implementations of the same processor. Add the external GPU dock, and it transforms into a compact yet powerful workstation suitable for 3D modeling, CAD work, video editing, and other professional applications that traditionally required bulky desktop systems.

While the complete package with dock and graphics card represents a significant investment, it remains more cost-effective than traditional workstations with similar capabilities while occupying a fraction of the space. For professionals who need serious computing power in a compact form factor with future upgrade potential, the Beelink GTi12 Ultra with its external GPU expansion capability stands as the best mini workstation of 2025.