Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most

Minisforum AtomMan G7 PT mini PC and AtomMan Venus UM790 mini PCs
(Image credit: Minisforum)

In recent years, the best mini PCs have really bulked up to become modest yet genuinely viable gaming platforms. The Accelerated Processing Units (APUs) in these tiny machines are made for laptops. They comprise a CPU running at a prudent wattage and an Integrated Graphics Processor (iGPU) to handle games and video, and are the base level for mini PC-based delights.

The next step up is augmenting the iGPU with a discrete laptop GPU, and you'll find two such machines in this guide. For its all-round performance, with a discrete RX 7600M XT at its heart, the Minisforum AtomMan G7 PT gets my vote as the best mini PC overall. On the cheaper side, however, the Minisforum Venus UM970 Pro gets the nod as the best budget mini PC thanks to its combination of a fantastic APU and very competitive pricing.

If your chief requirements are top frame rates and detail settings beyond 1440p for the lowest outlay, you are better off self-building. But if you're after a tiny, off-the-shelf PC with awesome everyday computing power and 1080p to 1440p gaming capabilities, well, you've come to the right place.

Curated by
Al Bickham
Curated by
Al Bickham

Al has filled his Brighton home with more mini PCs than any one human ever should, and you might be surprised at just how much space so many of those diminutive PCs actually takes up. He's tested a huge range of different devices, with and without GPUs, with external graphics cards attached, stuck beneath TVs or used as full-fledged productivity PC. As a result, he's the best person to tell you which ones are worth your hard-earned cash.

The quick list

Recent updates

Updated on February 14, 2025 to check over our recommendation for the best mini-PCs that you can buy right now. Every pick is still the winner in its respective category so there are no changes, just a spring clean to nix any niggles!

The best overall mini PC

The best mini PC

Specifications

APU: AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX
GPU: Radeon RX 7600M XT
Memory: Up to 96 GB DDR5-5200
Storage: 1x PCIe 5.0, 1x PCIe 4.0 M.2
Wireless networking: Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.3
I/O Front: 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C, 3.5 mm combo jack
I/O Rear: 1x HDMI 2.0, 1x DisplayPort 2.0, 3x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C, 2.5G LAN, 3.5 mm audio and mic jacks

Reasons to buy

+
Fabulous 1080p gaming
+
Abundant CPU power
+
Cool, quiet, and competent

Reasons to avoid

-
Some games are a stretch at 1440p
-
Doesn't handle ray tracing well
Buy if...

✅ You demand power: The Ryzen 9 7945HX is a high-end, desktop-pummelling beast, so it's pretty impressive to see it here in such a small machine.

You're happy at 1080p: The Radeon RX 7600M excels at full HD gaming performance.

Don't buy if...

❌ You want an upgrade path: The CPU and GPU are soldered in and not replaceable, so you're stuck with them.

You want a zero-effort setup: The G7 PT ships barebones, so bring your own RAM, M.2 storage, and Windows license.

Being more than capable of proper 1080p gaming performance and practically anything else you might want your PC to do, the Minisforum AtomMan G7 PT is the best mini PC around. Housed in a compact chassis and mounted in its vertical stand, the AtomMan G7 PT is larger than your average mini pc, but still diminutive in terms of desktop footprint. Chances are, if you're in the market for a mini pc for gaming, then space is a factor—and this wee beasty takes up very little.

LEDs in the right-hand side of the chassis illuminate the logo for the Taiwanese fantasy IP Legend of Ashoka, but if you're not a fan, you can easily dip into the BIOS and turn those LEDs off. With this done, the chassis looks relatively clean, functional and understated in matte black.

The G7 PT represents a performance leap from regular mini pcs as it comes with a discrete midrange laptop GPU, in the form of AMD's Radeon RX 7600M XT. With 2048 shader units, 32 CUs, a memory bus of 128 MB, a clock speed of 2,600 MHz and 8 GB of dedicated VRAM, it's a strong 1080p performer. It can run games at 1440p but be prepared to notch down some graphics settings to keep frame rates smooth. In all honesty, 2560 x 1440 is more the playground of NVIDIA's RTX 4070 Mobile, a costlier and more performant mobile GPU, and one that you'll find in the Asus ROG NUC 970.

Processing duties are handled by the Ryzen 9 7945HX. Running at a default TDP of just 65 W and featuring 16 cores, 32 threads and a turbo-clock speed of 5.4 GHz, it's a bit of a monster. And while it drives games fantastically, it's geared to do way more. Tasks such as video rendering are water off a duck's back to the 7945HX, and it puts many desktop processors to shame.

You can even bump the TDP up to 85 W by hitting the turbo button on the G7 PT's front panel, though you'll feel the benefit more in productivity tasks, less so in gaming.

You might think this compelling combo of components would make the G7 PT screechingly hot and noisy, but that couldn't be further from the truth. Minisforum's proprietary Cold Wave cooling tech is fantastic. It tames heat, tightly manages airflow, keeps fan noise to a minimum, and dedicates supplementary cooling to the RAM and M.2 drives.

When it comes to gaming, 1080p is where the G7 PT shines. You can expect a solid 60+ fps in most modern titles, with detail settings around the ultra mark, and you'll see some games shoot way past 100 fps. We had A Plague Tale: Requiem, set to 1080p Ultra, running at 76 fps. Doom Eternal, at 1080p and Ultra Nightmare settings, blazes along at 172 fps.

One feature you shouldn't touch, though, is ray tracing, which slays the frame rate at any resolution; the RX 7600M XT just isn't cut out for it.

But that's a minor quibble. Paired with a quality, high-refresh 1080p monitor, the AtomMan G7 PT is a great machine for the price. Just bear in mind that as a barebones purchase, you'll need to pick up your own DDR5 RAM, M.2 storage drive and Windows key.

Read our full Minisforum AtomMan G7 PT review.

The best budget mini PC