Ranking: The best office mini-PCs reviewed by Notebookcheck

The M4 Pro-powered Mac Mini combines cutting-edge technology, energy efficiency and minimalist design in a compact PC. With the new M4 Pro chip, equipped with 12 CPU cores (8 performance and 4 efficiency cores) and a 16- or 20-core iGPU, it delivers impressive performance for demanding applications. Whether it's 4K or 8K video editing, software development or multitasking, the M4 Pro Mac Mini will handle it with ease. Thanks to the ARM-based CPU architecture, the system scores with exceptional energy efficiency. Energy consumption is minimal in idle mode and the Mini remains economical even under high load, making it ideal for continuous use. This is supported by an almost ingenious cooling system, which is not unpleasantly noticeable even during intensive use.

With up to 64 GB of unified memory and ultra-fast SSD storage options, this Mac offers outstanding working speed. The partially soldered components contribute to the compact design, but hardly allow for subsequent upgrades. Users should therefore plan for the future when selecting the specifications.

The compact housing made from recycled aluminum blends seamlessly into any working environment. In addition to three Thunderbolt 5 ports, the Mac Mini also offers HDMI, RJ45 and a 3.5 mm jack output, making it versatile enough.

The M4 chip-powered Mac Mini is the latest offering in Apple's compact desktop computer line, bringing significant performance improvements over the previous-gen Mini. The system can drive up to three 6K displays and is available with 16 GB to 64 GB of RAM. It is suitable for demanding creative applications, data analysis and modern gaming. It is also Apple's first CO₂-neutral Mac, made from recycled materials and developed with sustainable production and packaging. The base version starts at 699 euros, while the M4 Pro variant is available from 1,649 euros.

The Minisforum AI X1 Pro is a really powerful mini-PC with the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370, the Radeon 890M iGPU and an integrated 50 TOPS NPU. Thanks to its fast DDR5 RAM and PCIe SSD, it offers high system performance. Particularly noteworthy is the presence of OCuLink, the interface which lets you connect a dock with an external GPU to significantly increase graphics performance.

Its internal cooling solution consisting of two fans and heat pipes is quiet, yet efficient. The AI X1 Pro impresses with its ports; the list includes several USB 4 (Thunderbolt) ports, an HDMI, a DisplayPort and a 2.5 Gbit/s LAN port. The compact system looks modern and functional. Despite its high performance, it consumes far less energy than a conventional desktop. In contrast to most other mini-PCs, Minisforum has integrated the power supply unit directly into the device, and the built-in speakers are reasonably good.

The Geekom A8 Max is a powerful, yet compact mini-PC with the AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS, an APU based on the efficient Zen 4 architecture. With 8 cores, a relatively fast AMD Radeon iGPU, 32 GB of DDR5 RAM and a speedy 1 TB SSD, it delivers very good performance in everyday use as well as more demanding applications. The connectivity is above average with six USB-A ports, two USB 4 (Thunderbolt) ports, two HDMI outputs and an SD card slot.

The Aoostar GEM12 offers a lot of performance within a very compact footprint without tearing a big hole in your wallet. The SKU tested featured AMD's Ryzen 7 8845HS with its built-in AMD Radeon 780M, an aging but still fairly capable iGPU. The modern connectivity is a positive highlight. There is even an OCuLink port here, which means that even external graphics cards can be connected to get a 3D performance boost. The Aoostar system is quiet in daily use, too.

The Ryzen 7 8845HS-powered Aoostar GEM12 delivers impressive performance. A modern interface set and a high-quality case with powerful cooling are a good selling point, with the fair price being the icing on the cake.

The Aoostar GEM12 is available directly from the manufacturer in different versions. The barebone version starts at 459 US dollars. The GEM12 with 32 GB of RAM and a 1 TB SSD is available for 629 US dollars, while the top model with 64 GB RAM and 1 TB storage space is available for 749 US dollars.

The Minisforum EliteMini UM890 Pro is a compact mini-PC featuring the AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS (8C/16T) and its integrated Radeon 780M iGPU. It's pretty much an ideal system for office tasks, media consumption and light gaming. An external GPU can be connected via OCuLink to significantly increase the computer's 3D might. The 32 GB of RAM and the fast 1 TB PCIe SSD that we tested the system with ensured excellent performance with no lag. Its efficient internal dual-fan cooling solution keeps temperatures stable without making a lot of noise, making the Minisforum EliteMini UM890 Pro one of the quietest mini-PCs with a Ryzen 9 APU on the market. There are plenty of ports here: two USB 4 / Thunderbolt ports, an HDMI, a DP and dual 2.5 Gbit/s LAN ports. Four displays can be connected simultaneously to this mini-PC.

The Beelink GTI13 Ultra is a powerful mini-PC based on Intel's Core i9-13900HK. Thanks to the 14 cores and 20 threads, it offers strong multi-core performance for demanding applications. However, due to the weak iGPU, the mini-PC is not suitable for gaming on its own. For those who want to game, a proprietary PCIe x8 eGPU dock is supported, which can massively increase 3D performance by giving the user direct access to a full-size desktop graphics card. The internal cooling solution ensures efficient heat dissipation with little noise. The Beelink system scores further plus points due to its integrated power supply and a set of internal speakers (that admittedly could have been a little louder). This is a fairly upgrade-friendly system, too, as far as mini-PCs go.

The Geekom GT1 Mega is a powerful mini-PC. In our testing, we took a close look at the system and its Intel Core Ultra 9 185H. Predictably enough, the 16 CPU cores and 22 threads, supplemented by the powerful Intel Arc series iGPU, helped the small PC prove quickly that it offers plenty of grunt for most kinds of tasks. With 32 GB of DDR5 RAM and a 2 TB PCIe 4 SSD, the GT1 Mega offers sufficient resources for demanding tasks such as video editing, multitasking and light gaming. The device supports up to four 4K monitors or one 8K display; its modern connectivity, including Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, as well as two USB 4 (Thunderbolt) and dual 2.5 Gbit/s Ethernet ports future-proof the product, putting it ahead of many rival mini-computers.

The Geekom AX8 Pro is a stylish mini-PC that has a distinctive blue color case. Its internals deserve some praise, too as it is powered by AMD's powerful Ryzen 9 8945HS APU, mated to 32 GB of DDR5 RAM and a 2 TB SSD. Upgrade options are limited here somewhat, meaning just a single storage device can be installed. Its internal cooling solution isn't perfect, limiting performance a little. Nevertheless, the small computer has plenty of computing power to offer, helping it obtain a good rating.

The Geekom AX8 Pro is a stylish mini-PC with great performance. However, to keep up with the competition, you need a little more than an attractive-looking paint coating nowadays.

Geekom offers the 32 GB RAM and 2 TB SSD SKU for 999 euros. You can save some cash by heading to Amazon.de, where the device is sold for 849 euros.

The GMK NucBox K11 is a bit of an eye-catcher thanks to a bit of RGB lighting. With its AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS, the compact powerhouse offers plenty of performance that is also throttling-free. The mini-PC offers sufficient performance for office, multimedia and demanding multitasking workloads. Despite the powerful hardware, the product tends to be pleasantly quiet and cool thanks to two two fans inside. This little computer offers a versatile enough set of ports and interfaces, including USB 3.2, HDMI, DisplayPort, 2.5 Gbit/s LAN and Wi-Fi 6, making it virtually ideal for flexible use in the home office or as a media center.