Mini PCs are bought on price and judged on size, and this category is the rare case where the ranking agrees with both. The top of this list is 0.146 litres; the bottom of it is 1.1 litres — a 7.5× difference in volume between machines that cost within a few hundred dollars of each other.
Every figure below is the live computed Mars Score.
Highest score in the catalog: Khadas Mind 2
Mars Score 74.0 at $999. 0.146 litres and 435 g — less than a fifth the volume of most machines here and lighter than many phones-plus-case — with a Core Ultra 7 155H, 32 GB, 1 TB and Thunderbolt.
It is genuinely pocketable in a way nothing else on this page is, and that is what the score is rewarding.
Best value: Geekom A8
Mars Score 73.1 at $749. A Ryzen 9 8945HS with 32 GB and 1 TB in 0.6 litres — the strongest CPU-per-dollar here. No Thunderbolt is the notable omission.
Who should buy it: anyone who wants a desktop-replacement mini PC and does not need an external GPU or a Thunderbolt dock.
Best built: ASUS NUC 14 Pro+ and NUC 15 Pro
Both 72.2, at $1,199 and $1,399. Both 0.7 litres, 32 GB, 1 TB, Thunderbolt, six USB ports. The 14 Pro+ runs a Core Ultra 9 185H at 85 W; the 15 Pro runs a newer 285H at 65 W — newer silicon in a lower power envelope, which usually means quieter.
At $200 more for the 15 Pro, the choice is whether a quieter machine is worth it. In something this small, it often is.
Most CPU for the least money: Minisforum UM790 Pro
Mars Score 71.8 at $649. Ryzen 9 7940HS, 32 GB, 1 TB, 0.75 litres — the cheapest machine here with a top-tier mobile CPU and full memory.
Biggest of the small: Beelink SER9 HX 370
Mars Score 70.4 at $999. A Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 — the strongest processor in this top ten — in 0.9 litres. The volume is why it ranks where it does, and it is also why it will run that chip harder than the smaller boxes can.
The macOS option: Apple Mac mini M4 Pro
Mars Score 69.1 at $1,399. 0.34 litres — second smallest here — with three Thunderbolt-class ports, an M4 Pro, and the configuration that holds it back: 24 GB of RAM and 512 GB of storage where every Windows box here ships 32 GB and 1 TB, at a higher price.
Neither is upgradable afterwards, which makes Apple's base configurations a real cost rather than a starting point. On performance per watt it has no competition on this page.
The budget end
GMKtec NucBox K11 (68.6, $769) is a Ryzen 9 8945HS — the same chip as the Geekom A8 — in 1.1 litres, the largest box here, for $20 more. The A8 is the better buy.
Beelink EQ14 (67.4, $349) is an Intel N150 at 15 W with 16 GB and 500 GB in 0.4 litres. It is not a fast computer and it is an excellent media box, home server or thin client.
GMKtec NucBox M6 (67.1, $349) is the same price with a Ryzen 5 6600H — considerably faster than the N150 — at 45 W in 0.55 litres. Between the two $349 machines, take the M6 unless you want the EQ14's much lower power draw for a device that runs continuously.
How to choose, in four questions
- Litres is the specification you are buying. If size does not matter to you, a desktop tower is cheaper and faster.
- Thunderbolt or not. Only the Khadas, both NUCs and the Mac mini have it. It is the difference between one cable to a monitor-dock and four cables.
- 32 GB and 1 TB is the Windows standard here at every price above $649. Apple asks more for less.
- TDP predicts noise. 15 W to 85 W on this page, in boxes with fans the size of a coin.
All mini PCs in the catalog are ranked on the mini PCs page, and the full dataset behind these scores is open data.
Turn this reading into a better product decision
This buying guide is a decision framework, not a substitute for checking the exact variant, regional price, availability, and warranty that apply to you. Use the linked catalog data to separate published facts from personal priorities, then compare the final shortlist directly rather than relying on a generic ranking.
Verify the fit
Open the Mini PCs category page to filter the relevant field, then inspect full product profiles and the score methodology.
Keep the recommendation current
This article references 10 catalog products; use the live product pages for current specifications and comparison links.
vsMars keeps editorial judgment, normalized Mars Score inputs, and affiliate links separate. If a detail is missing or out of date, report it so the catalog and this article can be corrected.