The Geekom A9 Max 2026 Edition improves on last year’s model with an upgraded AMD Ryzen AI 9 processor, though the rest of its components remain identical. However, Geekom also added its more efficient IceBlast 3.0 cooling, which lets this incredibly fast mini PC run at full power with minimal fan noise.

This new version keeps the same all-aluminum case and port selection I loved on the original, too. Just like with the standard Geekom A9 Max, you still get four handy USB-A ports on the front, with enough connectivity around back to drive up to four displays simultaneously. While you can certainly open this mini PC up to add another M.2 SSD, there’s also one of Geekom’s standard SD card readers on the side for quickly expanding your storage capacity.

At $1,799, the Geekom A9 Max 2026 Edition is certainly a pricey mini PC. However, you can typically find it for a few hundred dollars off on Geekom’s website, making it only slightly more expensive than its predecessor. That's not bad, given that RAMageddon doesn’t look to be slowing down anytime soon.

Just like I did with the original, I’ve been using this upgraded mini PC as my daily driver for the past month. During that time, its internal fan never made a peep, and the system hasn’t missed a beat or slowed down at all. However, just like with the first-gen A9 Max, it is a bit trickier to open and upgrade than past Geekom mini PCs I’ve tested.

My Geekom A9 Max review will help you decide if this is the best mini PC for your workflow or if it’s worth picking up last year’s model for slightly less.

Geekom A9 Max 2026 Edition review: Cheat Sheet

• What is it? A follow-up to last year’s compact, silver mini PC with desktop-class power under the hood and loads of front and rear ports.
• Who is it for? Those who need a powerful mini PC with desktop-class performance to replace a larger system or their laptop.
• What does it cost? The A9 Max 2026 Edition costs $1,699 on Amazon but it’s currently discounted to $1,485 on Geekom’s website where you can use code TGA9MAX26 to get an additional 8% off.
• What do we like? The upgraded and more powerful Ryzen AI 9 processor, its compact form factor, the ability to power it via USB-C, the highly generous rear and especially front port selection, and its excellent RAM and storage expandability.
• What don’t we like? The more premium price compared to last year’s model, the more difficult-than-usual case opening process for upgrades, and the easily detached internal Wi-Fi antennas.

Geekom A9 Max: Specs

Geekom A9 Max 2026 Edition: The ups

The Geekom A9 Max 2026 Edition keeps what works about the original with loads of ports at the front and back, an all aluminum case and plenty of opportunities to upgrade it further if you’re so inclined. However, it now features a faster processor and even better cooling.

Sleek, silver and souped-up

At 5.31 x 5.20 x 1.85 inches, the Geekom A9 Max 2026 Edition retains the same compact footprint as the original, which is slightly larger — albeit shorter — than Apple’s redesigned Mac mini M4. It won’t take up any noticeable room on your desk, but you do have the option to mount this mini PC behind a monitor thanks to the included VESA mounting plate. However, given those handy front ports and the side-facing SD card reader, I wouldn’t recommend hiding it away.

With a weight of just 1.54 pounds, the A9 Max has a premium heft without being heavy, meaning you can easily slip it into a backpack. While it comes packaged with a traditional power brick that plugs into a rear barrel port, you don't actually have to use it. One of the two USB4 ports around back supports Power Delivery input (marked "PD-in"), allowing you to power the entire system with a compact 100W GaN charger instead — a convenient perk I've also seen on other mini PCs like the MSI Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG.

Design-wise, this new A9 Max is virtually identical to its predecessor on the outside. Under the hood, however, it sports an upgraded AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 470 processor and Geekom’s new IceBlast 3.0 cooling. While the original was already fast, this refreshed chip pushes the system's total AI capabilities from 80 up to 86 TOPS (trillions of operations per second) of processing power.

If you look at the results from our lab tests, you might be scratching your head as to why last year's original A9 Max actually outperforms this newer model. Fortunately, there’s a simple explanation for this that could be a pro or a con depending on your workflow and technical expertise.

Like the original model, this 2026 Edition features 32GB of DDR5 RAM. However, the original split that memory across two sticks in a dual-channel configuration (2 x 16GB). On this newer model, Geekom ships the system with a single 32GB stick of DDR5 RAM. Running in single-channel mode severely bottlenecks the memory bandwidth, choking the processor during heavy multi-core tasks and synthetic benchmarks.

I spoke with Geekom about this design choice, and they explained their reasoning: it's all about upgrade paths. Since the A9 Max 2026 Edition is highly upgradeable, keeping a single slot open means that if you want to jump to 64GB of RAM down the line, you can simply buy a matching 32GB stick rather than having to throw away two perfectly good 16GB sticks.

The good news is that while using the new A9 Max as my daily driver, I personally didn’t notice any real-world slowdowns or hangups. In fact, I was quite impressed with its day-to-day snappiness, and the integrated Radeon 890M graphics even managed to deliver a very playable experience running Death Stranding 2 on a 1080p monitor.

Ultimately, if you’re the type of user who prefers a "set-it-and-forget-it" machine and has no intention of ever opening up the case, you'll get better out-of-the-box performance value from the original A9 Max. But if you plan on immediately upgrading this mini PC to its limits and can benefit from the long-term potential of the HX 470 processor, the 2026 model makes a lot of sense — provided you don't mind paying extra for it.

The anti-Mac Mini M4

Despite what Apple wants you to think, there are plenty of us that still rely on USB-A ports instead of USB-C ones. Well, if like me, you’re one of those people, then Geekom has the perfect mini PC for you. On the front of the A9 Max, you get four USB-A ports and a 3.5mm headphone jack. These easy-to-reach ports are great for plugging in flash drives or 2.4 GHz USB dongles for accessories like mice, keyboards and controllers.

Then around back, you get two more USB-A ports (one is high-speed like the four around front while the other is USB 2.0), two HDMI 2.1 ports, two USB4 ports, dual 2.5 gigabit Ethernet ports and a barrel port power connector. That second 2.5 GbE port is great if you want to connect a NAS device to this mini PC, for instance.

As I mentioned before, with two USB4 ports and two HDMI 2.1 ports, the A9 Max can drive up to four 4K monitors simultaneously. Likewise, you could use the USB4 port on the right for power instead.

Although I adore my Mac mini M4, I’m constantly trying out different stands and hubs to add those missing USB-A ports to it. With the A9 Max, I have more USB-A ports than I ever did on my big old desktop gaming PC.

Faster yet cooler

One problem you often run into with mini PCs is excessive fan noise. This comes with the territory, since you’re dealing with a smaller system overall. For the most part, I haven’t run into this with Geekom’s mini PCs besides with the Intel-powered Geekom IT15 I reviewed last year. However, when the original A9 Max was left running demanding workloads for long periods, its internal fan would get quite noisy.

That’s why with the 2026 Edition of the A9 Max, the company upgraded its cooling system to IceBlast 3.0. While the original has dual-copper heat pipes, this upgraded version features a massive full-copper module that’s paired with a bigger custom turbo fan with larger blades. Since the blades are larger and this new module holds heat better, the single fan is able to move more air at lower, much quieter RPMs. As such, the A9 Max 2026 Edition is able to run at peak power without getting overly hot or loud.

Personally, the original A9 Max never got too loud for me during standard tasks, even with dozens of Chrome tabs open across multiple displays. However, if you plan on pushing this mini PC a lot harder, then this new cooling solution will absolutely make a difference. Before deciding between it and the original, I recommend carefully considering how you’re actually going to be using it on a daily basis.

Geekom A9 Max 2026 Edition: The downs

The A9 Max 2026 Edition is a powerful and full-featured mini PC, but it’s not without its downsides. The upgraded processor and cooling are nice to have, but they’re not a must-have upgrade over the original. At the same time, opening this mini PC up to upgrade it still proves somewhat tedious given how easily its Wi-Fi antenna cables come unattached.

Mind those pesky Wi-Fi antennas

For the most part, opening the A9 Max 2026 Edition up to upgrade its RAM or to add extra storage is fairly easy. After flipping it over, you have to remove the four rubber feet at each corner to reveal standard Phillips screws.

With other Geekom mini PCs you can get right to their components, but with this one, you first have to remove its massive heatsink before doing so. It’s fairly easy to take off as you just have to remove a few more screws, but like with the original A9 Max, there is a catch.

The A9 Max’s Wi-Fi antenna cables are taped onto the heatsink, and when you take it off, it’s very easy for them to come unattached. Unfortunately, they’re installed underneath this mini PC’s M.2 SSD, and reattaching them can be quite tedious to do.

With the heatsink removed, you can see the single stick of 32GB of DDR5 memory and the free M.2 slot next to the SSD. While it’s positioned for a much smaller 2230 SSD, it's easily accessible if you want to quickly drop in a short drive to expand your capacity.

Honestly, Geekom’s mini PCs are pretty easy to open and upgrade, and this new A9 Max is no exception. Just be forewarned that you’ll likely have to put up a bit of a fight to get those Wi-Fi antenna cables reconnected after doing so.

Not quite an A10 Max

With the Geekom A5 2025 Edition I reviewed, it had been two years between when the original released and when the upgraded version came out. With the A9 Max 2026 Edition, though, the original A9 Max came out just last year.

As you might have guessed from earlier in this review, the main reason Geekom decided to put out a new version of this mini PC so quickly was to fix the cooling issues of the original. That aggressive thermal throttling and loud fan noise was a deal-breaker for a lot of people, and fortunately, the A9 Max 2026 Edition fixes all of this with its IceBlast 3.0 cooling. Along the way, you also get a slightly faster processor, which is unfortunately a bit handicapped due to the single-channel RAM configuration Geekom went with this time around.

Don’t get me wrong: the original A9 Max was an excellent mini PC, and so too is this one. However, instead of a slight performance upgrade and improved cooling, I wouldn’t have minded seeing Geekom jump straight to a true "A10 Max." Given higher component costs due to RAMageddon, though, maybe it’s for the best that the company waited to take things to their next logical conclusion.

Geekom A9 Max 2026 Edition: Verdict

The Geekom A9 Max 2026 Edition is a refined version of the original A9 Max, with some slight upgrades under the hood that make a big difference in day-to-day use. It’s quieter, cooler, and faster, but you are paying a bit more compared to what you would have last year. Still, you’re getting an ultra-fast mini PC with desktop-class performance and more ports than you'll find on most full-sized towers.

Now, I wouldn’t recommend upgrading to the 2026 Edition if you already own the original A9 Max. However, if you want a fast mini PC that you’ll be able to use at full power for years to come, it’s definitely worth the higher price tag.

Instead of a black square case with an Intel or AMD chip inside, with the Ascent QN10, Asus is doing things differently — both with its design and its silicon.

Unlike with its Intel-powered NUC mini PCs or AMD-powered ExpertCenter ones, the Ascent QN10 is the first to use Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chips, specifically the Snapdragon X2 Elite. As such, Asus has given this mini PC a sleek silver case with an anodized aluminum finish as opposed to the black plastic it uses on others.

At Computex 2026, I got a chance to see and hold the newly unveiled Ascent QN10 in person. While I wasn’t able to fully test it just yet, based on our previous benchmark testing of Snapdragon X2 Elite laptops, I’m excited to see what this chip can do when unleashed in an Asus mini PC for the first time.

The new Asus Ascent QN10 is so much more than the chip powering it though. Here are my initial impressions after some one-on-one time with it away from the crowds on the show floor.

Asus Ascent QN10 Specs

Sleek, small — and silver

At just 5.1 x 5.1 x 1.5 inches, the Ascent QN10 is smaller than some of the other Asus mini PCs I’ve reviewed in the past like the tall variant of the NUC 14 Pro. It’s no longer cube-shaped either, nor is it rectangular like the new Asus NUC 16 Pro. Instead, what we have here is a perfectly uniform square block with ports on the front and back and vents on either side.

Speaking of ports, there are two ultra-fast USB4 ones right on the front of the Ascent QN10 that support speeds of up to 40 Gbps, can output video via DisplayPort 1.4 and also offer Power Delivery. Right next to them, you get a 3.5mm headphone/microphone combo jack and two USB-A ports for connecting your accessories.

Personally, I’m looking forward to how you can grab two portable monitors or even a pair of the best smart glasses for some extra screen real estate in a pinch. Likewise, having these faster ports up front is great for transferring data to and from an external hard drive or even your smartphone.

Asus has done something incredibly clever with the Ascent QN10’s cooling, too. While the vents that bring in cool air on the left side form a dense, uninterrupted block of vertical slits, the exhaust grills on the right side are physically split by a horizontal strip of aluminum. The reason for this is pretty interesting.

Since the Ascent QN10 uses a blazing-fast PCIe Gen 5 SSD which tends to run hotter, Asus added a second internal fan just to cool it. To avoid having the heat from the SSD and CPU mixing together, that physical gap on the right panel keeps the exhaust channels isolated. So cool fresh air comes in all at once on the left but gets separated on the way out.

Then on the back of the Ascent QN10, we still have a barrel port connector for power along with another USB4 port, two more USB-A ports, HDMI 2.1, and a fast 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet port. Overall, this mini PC has a phenomenal mix of front and rear connectivity. At the same time, despite its small size, it can drive up to four 4K displays simultaneously as well.

We’re definitely going to have to get an Ascent QN10 in for testing, but so far, it looks like a promising and powerful mini PC. There is one catch though: it’s missing a useful feature you'll find on almost all of Asus’ other mini PCs.

No hiding this one

When you flip the Ascent QN10 over, things look slightly different than they would on Asus’ NUC or ExpertCenter mini PCs. There isn’t a latch to quickly gain access to its internals, nor are there brackets to attach a VESA-mounting plate.

Instead, there are four white feet around the vents in the middle of the Ascent QN10 with screws at each corner. You can certainly open this mini PC up, but you will need a screwdriver to do so. While you can’t add more RAM due to how Qualcomm’s Snapdragon architecture is engineered, there are dual M.2 slots and both support up to 2TB for a total of 4TB of storage when fully equipped.

Now, it wasn’t the non-upgradeable RAM or the QN10 not having a toolless design that surprised me most; it was how you can’t VESA-mount this mini PC. One of the perks of using one of the best mini PCs is that — for the most part — you can usually mount them behind your monitor. Doing so gives you the space-saving benefits of an all-in-one computer like an iMac but at a fraction of the price and with more flexibility.

Given its sleek silver design and anodized aluminum case, though, I think Asus wants its first Snapdragon-powered mini PC to sit front and center on your desk. That’s alright with me, but I do wish Asus had included an integrated fingerprint reader on the power button or even next to it for faster logins. Since the Ascent QN10 is the kind of mini PC you can't hide away behind a monitor, having biometric security right at your fingertips would have been a nice touch.

Only AI will tell

I’m glad that Asus gave me a chance to see and hold the Ascent QN10 before its official release. However, there’s only so much I can glean from it without having it powered on and connected to a monitor.

Besides its sleek design and the premium components inside, the big sell here is the Qualcomm Hexagon NPU. It features 80 TOPS and is powerful enough to run AI agents like OpenClaw, Hermes, or Claude Desktop directly on the Ascent QN10. With Qualcomm’s AI Hub, it should be easy enough for even beginners to get started running AI locally. Since this mini PC is ARM and not x86-based, it should be a whole lot quieter and cooler when doing so too.

A few more questions remain as well, like how much the Ascent QN10 will actually cost when it releases. For now, though, I think this mini PC has the potential to be a great Mac mini M4 alternative for Windows users who are looking to get started with AI agents.

Stay tuned, as I’m definitely calling in one of these for review.

• I tried the new ROG NUC 16 and Asus’ upgraded mini gaming PC is complete overkill — but in the best way possible
• All 8 laptops launching with Nvidia RTX Spark this fall and what they can do
• I held the MacBook Neo in one hand and the new XPS 13 in the other — and Dell’s $699 laptop is surprisingly lighter

The new Asus ROG NUC 16 is the kind of device you need to experience firsthand to truly appreciate what this console-sized PC is capable of. Thankfully, while everyone else at the ROG 20th anniversary event made their way upstairs toward the DJ, I slipped away for some one-on-one time with this mini gaming PC. I’m incredibly glad I did, because the raw performance packed into this tiny case completely blew me away.

Even though we’re dealing with just a 3-liter case here, Asus has managed to pack this device full of powerful components. From an Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX processor to up to a Nvidia RTX 5080 Laptop GPU and even 128GB of DDR5 memory fully configured, the ROG NUC 16 is no slouch.

My favorite thing this time around is that in addition to the standard black, it now also comes in white. However, if you prefer black but want something different, there’s always the even more powerful ROG NUC 16 Edition 20 which features gold accents all around like the new ROG Xbox Ally X20 I checked out when I first arrived at Computex 2026.

So what can a console-sized mini PC with all the latest components actually pull off gameplay-wise? Quite a lot. If the Steam Machine just doesn’t seem like it has enough power to make your living room PC gaming dreams come true, then the ROG NUC 16 could be just what you’re looking for.

Asus ROG NUC 16 Specs

Console-sized PC power

On the front of the ROG NUC 16, there are two high-speed USB-A ports and a USB-C port along with a 3.5mm audio jack. There’s also a lightstrip above the power button with ROG branding on the right.

One big difference this time around is that Asus has completely redesigned the ROG NUC 16’s stand. Instead of having to manually screw it in like on the ROG NUC 970 I reviewed a few years ago, you now get a removable one made of two pieces that works in both vertical and horizontal orientations.

At the same time, the ROG NUC 16 now knows which orientation it’s in thanks to the G-sensor in its motherboard. Depending on which orientation you have the device in, its triple-fan QuietFlow cooling system will adjust accordingly for the best airflow.

Around back is where things really get interesting with the ROG NUC 16. On the left, you have all your video-out ports from the Nvidia GPU inside which include dual HDMI 2.1, dual DisplayPort 2.1 and a Thunderbolt 4 port. Then on the right, there are four more high-speed USB-A ports and a 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet port.

I’ve tested larger mini PCs like the Framework Desktop with fewer USB-A ports, so I really like how Asus has given you more than enough for all your peripherals. The ROG NUC 16 has an impressive selection of ports and powerful components inside but how well does it game? That’s what I was about to find out.

Small footprint, max graphics

At its ROG 20th Anniversary Event, Asus had all of its standard devices launching at Computex 2026 set up in the main room and the special edition ones for the anniversary in a smaller room off to the side.

What I liked about the ROG NUC 16 setup in particular was how I could see both the black and white version on either side and try it out in the middle. While I couldn’t switch between games like I could on the ROG Xbox Ally X20, Capcom’s Pragmata was already loaded up and ready to go. While I had read my colleague Tony Polanco’s review, I didn’t have a chance to play it myself, so this was great.

When playing with a mouse and keyboard, the game ran buttery smooth on the ROG NUC 16. It looked great too, especially as this mini gaming PC was paired with a 27-inch ROG Swift OLED gaming monitor.

One thing that really surprised me was that I didn’t hear a peep out of the ROG NUC 16 while playing. Since it had likely been running for hours before I got to try it, I figured the fans would have ramped up by now. However, with three active cooling fans and dual vapor chambers instead of standard copper heat pipes, the ROG NUC 16 feels like the kind of mini PC you can game on for hours without having to put on one of the best gaming headsets to drown out fan noise.

Obviously we’ll need to get one in for testing and put it through the paces at home. However, during my brief time with the ROG NUC 16, I was quite impressed with its performance overall. After skipping last year’s ROG NUC 2025, going from the ROG NUC 970 to this one was a massive improvement and all my previous gripes have been fixed. Well, all but one of them.

Portability has a price

Back when I first tried out one of Asus’ ROG NUC mini gaming PCs, the top-tier configuration was expensive at $1,799 for the ROG NUC 970. However, it wasn’t out of reach for those who wanted a premium mini PC they could game on and easily throw into a backpack to take with them anywhere. In the years since though, the price of an ROG NUC has climbed steadily upward.

For instance, last year’s ROG NUC 2025 launched with a base price of around $3,200. Unfortunately, this new ROG NUC 16 is even more expensive with a starting price of $3,799 for the baseline configuration. Then if you want the Moonlight White model seen here, you’re going to be paying even more at $4,700. Now Asus isn’t entirely to blame for this as due to RAMaggeddon, component prices just keep going up and up.

Will the ROG NUC 16 be worth it for most people? Probably not. Keep in mind that you’re paying a higher price for a premium machine you can take with you anywhere. Also, thanks to its new design and how Asus has reworked its cooling, the ROG NUC 16 will stay quiet under load while similarly-specced mini gaming PCs will sound like a jet engine under load.

If you’re looking for that console aesthetic but prefer to play on PC, then you might want to take a look at the Minisforum G1 Pro I recently reviewed. It is slightly larger but still smaller than a PS5 Pro by a fair margin when standing vertically. However, unlike the ROG NUC 16, it has an internal power supply instead of a large power brick and you can actually upgrade its graphics card since it uses a standard — albeit mini-sized — desktop GPU.

For those with money to spend who are short on space or travel overseas for extended periods, the ROG NUC 16 is the most powerful mini gaming PC you can get right now. And thanks to its powerful components, it will smoke any console, well at least until the PS6 and next Xbox arrive in a few years.

• I held the MacBook Neo in one hand and the new XPS 13 in the other — and Dell’s $699 laptop is surprisingly lighter
• All 8 laptops launching with Nvidia RTX Spark this fall and what they can do
• I just tested Microsoft Surface Laptop Ultra — Nvidia RTX Spark brings life to one of the best laptops I’ve ever tried

Let’s get this out of the way: The Dell 24 AIO is no iMac, especially when it comes to performance. That said, I don’t think Dell’s all-in-one desktop should be immediately dismissed. That’s because it's a solid, no-fuss productivity machine that nails the basics and exceeds expectations for entertainment.

It's not a powerhouse capable of handling demanding games or video editing, and its display leaves much to be desired. However, this minimalist all-in-one is a perfect fit for those who don't need all the bells and whistles of a more powerful rig, such as students and remote workers.

Simplicity, convenience, and reliability are all things the Dell 24 AIO brings to the table, and it delivers on all of them quite well. However, its shortcomings prevent it from being an instant recommendation. Find out more in my full review.

Dell 24 AIO review: Cheat Sheet

• What is it? The Dell 24 AIO is an all-in-one desktop designed to save space and deliver great performance for everyday tasks like web browsing and document editing.
• Who is it for? Remote workers, students, and home-office-havers who are only looking to tackle basic productivity tasks, listen to music, and watch content.
• What does it cost? The most budget-friendly configuration we reviewed starts at $1,349. If you want all the highest-end specs, the all-in-one desktop can run you up to $2,549.
• How are the speakers? While all-in-one stock speakers don’t typically impress, the Dell 24 AIO stands out for its crisp, punchy sound system.
• Can it handle gaming? The Dell 24 AIO is not well-suited for power-hungry tasks like gaming and photo/video editing.

Dell 24 AIO review: Specs

Dell 24 AIO review: The ups

The Dell 24 AIO impresses thanks to its strong performance, sharp display, and generous port selection.

Great performance

Every day, productivity tasks are the Dell 24 AIO’s bread and butter.

During my testing, I used it for most of my work, including writing reviews, sending emails, filling out spreadsheets, and basic web browsing. It handled all those things swimmingly, and I never noticed any slowdown, even when having a bunch of tabs open at once.

Our Geekbench 6 CPU performance data aligns with this. Single-core performance, which handles those low-lift tasks I mentioned above, is strong at 2,567. That’s nowhere near the 3,646 score of the M4 iMac, but still comparable to the impressive Lenovo Yoga AIO 27, which scored a 2,889.

The multi-core scores paint a different picture, though, and show why the Dell 24 AIO is worse at handling more demanding tasks like gaming and photo/video editing. The Dell AIO scored 7,789, while the Lenovo and iMac scored 15,550 and 14,724, respectively.

While the Dell 24 AIO’s multi-core scores don’t touch those of the M4 iMac and Lenovo Yoga AIO 27, you still shouldn’t have any issues with the basics when using the AIO. Once you start taking on more demanding projects, that’s when you’ll run into trouble, but I’ll get to that later. Otherwise, you can expect the Dell AIO to be a reliable daily driver desktop.

Space saving design

One of the main reasons to buy an all-in-one desktop is to save space, and the Dell 24 AIO does just that. The entire setup is just three pieces: The monitor/PC, keyboard, and mouse. So, no matter what kind of real estate you’re working with, you should absolutely have room to fit the AIO into your workspace comfortably.

After placing it on your desk, setting up the AIO is a breeze — it’s as simple as plugging in the included power adapter and booting it up. From there, you’re off to the races.

Beyond the space it saves, the Dell 24 AIO also looks great. I usually prefer a more minimalist look for my tech, and to me, this AIO nails it. The all-white body forgoes flashiness but still has some character.

I also really like that the monitor’s speaker system is on the front of the computer. It makes for a way better audio experience than other desktops that opt for back-facing speakers, which shoot directly into the wall behind it and distort the finer details you probably wouldn’t want to miss (more on those speakers in a bit).

For me, the only downside of the Dell 24 AIO’s physical design is the fixed stand, which only allows tilt adjustments. If you’re looking to change the height of the display or swivel it from side to side, you’re out of luck. I found the fixed height okay for me, but the lack of swivel made it unnecessarily difficult to access the back of the computer, where all the ports are. A slight annoyance, but definitely worth considering.

Impressive speakers and webcam

I’m not normally impressed with stock speakers. That goes for monitors, laptops, and even TVs. But the Dell 24 AIO shocked me with how great its built-in speakers sound.

High and midtones sounded super crisp, and I could even hear a decent amount of bass, whether I was listening to music or watching a film. And because the sound system supports Dolby Atmos, I was able to get a much more immersive surround-sound experience from whatever content was on the screen.

I’m more accustomed to the tinny, crackly built-in speakers you’ll find in many laptops and monitors today, so the full-bodied audio experience of the Dell 24 AIO was a pleasant and welcome surprise.

The monitor’s 8MP webcam is also a highlight. It looks crystal clear during video calls, and even has facial recognition support for logging in to your various accounts faster.

Fantastic port variety

The AIO has a really nice selection of ports that should cover most people's needs.

You’ll get a bunch of USB ports, including a USB 2.0 duo and three USB 3.2 ports. An Ethernet port is also here if you want to plug in for faster internet speeds, and a 3.5mm jack in case you don’t have a pair of Bluetooth headphones.

What I really liked having, though, was the desktop’s pair of HDMI in and out ports, which allows you to connect another laptop or monitor to use as an extended display. I had my laptop connected to the AIO for most of my review period, and it was really convenient to have a second screen that I could pop in and out of on the fly while getting work done.

Dell 24 AIO review: The downs

The Dell 24 AIO has a lot going for it, but it also has some serious setbacks.

It’s no powerhouse

As I mentioned earlier, the Dell 24 AIO isn’t exactly a performance workhorse. Even though it's not meant for that, it’s still a downside that it can’t handle even light gaming or larger creative projects.

Every game we tested looked like a slideshow if it didn’t crash completely, and the AIO struggled to run demanding apps like those in the Adobe Creative Cloud suite (which aligns with our Geekbench 6 testing data in the performance section above).

This desktop is definitely better for the basics, and if that’s all you need, you should have no problems here. But if you’re a creative who requires more from your desktop, you’re probably better off looking elsewhere. When you can get an iMac at a similar price point that can handle a much heavier workload, it’s hard to look past the AIO’s shortcomings in this area.

Display lacks detail

The Dell 24 AIO’s display is a bit of a mixed bag. When it comes to color accuracy, it actually performs really well, and yielded a Delta-E result that was on par with both the M4 iMac and Lenovo Yoga 27 all-in-one desktop. Delta-E is how we measure color accuracy during testing, and the lower the number we get, the better.

The Lenovo Yoga scored a Delta-E of 0.21, the M4 iMac a 0.22, and the Dell 24 AIO a 0.22 as well. So, it’s hanging right there with some heavy hitters in that regard.

But that’s really where the highlights of this display end. When we conducted our brightness tests, the Dell AIO immediately fell behind, scoring an average brightness of just 228.8 nits compared to the Lenovo’s 352.6 nits and the iMac’s 450 nits. It’s pretty apparent just looking at the screen with your naked eye, too.

During my review period, I couldn’t help but feel like the display was a little bit dim, even with the brightness settings jacked up. There are a few different display presets that you can cycle through to try to tweak it to your liking, but the standard mode has the highest average brightness out of all of them, so don’t expect it to get much better than that.

The FHD panel can only handle up to 1200p resolution, and while it’s not a complete dealbreaker, I did notice some artifacting when I got closer to the screen, especially around smooth-edged logos or highly detailed images. Again, if you’re just using this computer to take on super basic tasks, this probably won’t be as glaring an issue. But if you’re a stickler for image quality, you’re definitely going to notice the imperfections in this lackluster display.

Disappointing keyboard

While it’s nice that the Dell 24 AIO comes bundled with a mouse and keyboard, one of the latter was a huge issue for me.

The AIO’s keyboard is perfectly serviceable in terms of size and form factor, but the feedback I got while typing on it really missed the mark. The keys are missing that tactile, clicky sensation that I want from a keyboard. Instead, they just feel kind of mushy, and it really affected how quickly I could type on them.

The keyboard feel is subjective and specific to each person, so your mileage may vary with this one, but I personally couldn’t get with the included keyboard on the AIO. If I owned one of these all-in-one desktops, I’d probably connect one of my other keyboards.

Dell 24 AIO review: Verdict

Even though I would personally want a more powerful all-in-one desktop for my demanding workflow, I still think the Dell 24 AIO is a great option for a very specific type of person.

The Dell AIO is easy to set up, and its minimalist design makes it simple to use with little friction. It handles the basics with flying colors, has great built-in peripherals, and features a diverse array of ports that’ll allow you to get even more mileage out of your machine.

For those reasons, it’ll most likely be a match for someone who isn’t seeking luxury, but something that’s uncomplicated and reliable when it comes to tackling whatever the day throws at them.

Creative types and gamers will probably want to steer clear of this all-in-one due to its display and performance pitfalls, but students and remote workers who value the bare necessities should keep the Dell 24 AIO on their radar.

The Steam Controller launched last week and sold out in less than 30 minutes. As expected, eBay listings went live shortly after, with the peripheral marked up by hundreds of dollars. Valve has since implemented a queue system for Steam Controller orders, and if a recent rumor is true, the company will do the same for the upcoming Steam Machine.

As Wccftech reports, a new leak suggests that Valve is bringing back the reservation queue system—the same one used for the Steam Deck’s launch. That alone is interesting, but the leak also suggests how many versions of the PC/console hybrid we should expect.

For those who don’t know, the reservation queue is tied to a vetted Steam account. By requiring a purchase history or a verified account, Valve can prevent scalpers from using thousands of burner bots to swarm checkout pages. Those who’ve had active Steam accounts for an unspecified amount of time will get priority on the line. Anyone trying to flip a console on eBay for a 300% markup will be out of luck.

One of the more interesting details from this alleged leak is that there will be four distinct models. Valve has confirmed 512GB and 2TB models, but we can make educated guesses about the other two. As Wccftech notes, one could have 1TB of storage, while the other could be a bundle with the Steam Controller. I agree with this assessment.

The big question about the Steam Machine is its price. Given the ongoing RAM crisis, it’s safe to assume Valve is waiting as long as possible before revealing the official cost. If the company can keep prices in the $599 to $899 range, it would certainly undercut the PS5 Pro, which now costs $899 after PS5 price hikes.

Given the unofficial nature of this story, please take it with a healthy dose of skepticism. We’ll keep you updated on any further developments, so stay tuned for more!

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Today (April 20), Apple announced that CEO Tim Cook is stepping aside to become the executive chairman of the firm's board of directors. John Ternus, senior vice president of hardware engineering, will become the next steward of Cupertino starting September 1, 2026.

Cook will help transition Ternus this summer and will likely host WWDC 2026, which kicks off in June.

“It has been the greatest privilege of my life to be the CEO of Apple and to have been trusted to lead such an extraordinary company. I love Apple with all of my being" Cook said in a press release.

Tim Cook has led Apple for the past 14 years since Steve Jobs resigned in 2011. In total, Cook has worked at Apple over 25 years.

Ternus joined Apple in 2001 as part of the company's product design team and became the VP of hardware engineering in 2013.

"Having spent almost my entire career at Apple, I have been lucky to have worked under Steve Jobs and to have had Tim Cook as my mentor," Ternus said. "I am filled with optimism about what we can achieve in the years to come."

Who is John Ternus?

John Ternus has been a front runner to take over the head seat for awhile now, and currently is the youngest top executive at the company at 50 years old. Assuming things go well, he could have an equally long tenure.

The rise of Ternus suggests the company is looking for a more hardware and engineering focused future.

Ternus joined the executive team in 2021 when he became the the senior vice president of Hardware Engineering. He has overseen the production and introduction of a number of product lines including the iPad, AirPods and several generations of the iPhone, Mac and Apple Watch.

He unveiled the M1 chip, Apple's first in-house designed CPU in 2020, and the iPhone Air last year.

Ternus' most recent impact was with the MacBook Neo, Apple's take on a budget-friendly laptop that quickly made an imprint on that category and has sold out so quickly

"“We’re always focused on ‘how do we make a given product better,’” said Ternus in an interview with Tom's Guide. “We’re always pushing. And we never think like, ‘well, what impact if we did something here would have on a product over here?’”

What's next for Apple?

Ternus will take over at an interesting, and somewhat fraught time for Apple and tech as a whole.

Tim Cook has already been navigating the tariff situation, and now the ongoing Iran War. There's also the RAM crisis which isn't expected to abate until 2028, at the earliest. Apple has seemingly been on top of things but reports have shown that even Apple is eating costs associated with sky high memory prices.

Meanwhile, the 20th anniversary of the iPhone is coming next year and rumors suggest it will be a huge change. Plus, Apple is expected to debut its first pair of smart glasses later this year and the first foldable iPhone this September.

Both devices are new categories for Apple that come at a time when price hikes, memory shortages, and AI are the talk of tech.

It'll be interesting to see how Ternus navigates these choppy waters while trying to bring new enthusiasm to the company.

Johny Srouji named Apple's Chief Hardware Officer

As Ternus transitions to CEO, Apple also announced a new head of hardware in Johny Srouji.

“Johny has been an incredible partner on the executive team, and is going to be an extraordinary chief hardware officer,” said incoming Apple CEO John Ternus in a press release. “I look forward to continuing to work closely with him in our new roles.”

Srouji joined Apple in 2008 and led development of the A4 chip, Apple's first in-house iPhone silicon. Since then he has been in charge of hardware engineering teams from silicon and batteries to cameras and sensors.

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The Minisforum G1 Pro isn’t your typical mini PC. Instead, it feels like a true small form factor (SFF) rig thanks to its internal, desktop-grade power supply and its dedicated GPU. We aren’t dealing with a power-limited laptop chip here; instead, you’re getting a low-profile Nvidia GeForce RTX 5060.

After seeing the G1 Pro at Computex last summer, I knew I had to get one in for testing. I’ve been using it for both work and play for almost two months now, and it hasn’t disappointed on either front. With an AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX processor and 32GB of DDR5 RAM under the hood, the G1 Pro handled my daily workload with ease. Then, when work was done for the day, it transformed into a console-like gaming powerhouse capable of playing the latest AAA releases with the settings cranked.

Still, at $1,439, the G1 Pro is more expensive than your average mini PC — though it’s still significantly cheaper than the Asus ROG NUC. There are also some trade-offs to consider: its small footprint means a sparse port selection for accessories, and the G1 Pro can get loud when you push its hardware to the limit.

My Minisforum G1 Pro review will help you decide if this is the best mini PC for your setup and if it really packs enough of a punch to make you consider ditching your console for good.

Minisforum G1 Pro: Cheat Sheet

• What is it? A gaming-focused mini PC with a desktop-grade power supply and GPU.
• Who is it for? Gamers who don’t have the space for a full tower, those who like to travel with their gaming PC and people who want workstation power in a small form factor with the option to play demanding games too.
• What does it cost? The Minisform G1 Pro costs $1,439 at Minisforum and Amazon.
• What do we like? Its console-like design, the fact that it uses desktop-grade components, that you can swap in more RAM or storage, how there’s no bulky power brick and that you can even upgrade its GPU.
• What don’t we like? The form factor limits port availability and it can get loud when playing demanding games cranked up to max settings.

Minisforum G1 Pro: Specs

Minisforum G1 Pro: The Ups

The Minisforum G1 Pro is far from your standard mini PC. However, its powerful components and upgradability make it just as useful in your living room as it is in the office.

Even sleeker than a console

At 12.4 x 8.5 x 2.25 inches with a white outer shell, it’s hard not to draw comparisons between the G1 Pro and Sony’s PS5. Personally, though, I prefer Minisforum’s more uniform design. On the left side of the G1 Pro’s case, there are two triangular sets of vent holes while the right side is completely flat.

A black strip runs between the two sides and on the front, there’s a high-speed USB-A port, a USB-C port (that can do video out), a 3.5mm audio jack and the power button. There are also customizable RGB lightstrips on either side of the G1 Pro’s front ports.

Now around back is where things get interesting. In the center, you get two more high-speed USB-A ports, another USB-C port (that can also do video out), an HDMI 2.1 port and surprisingly, a 5 Gigabit Ethernet port. Then on the left side, you get another HDMI 2.1 port, two DisplayPort 2.1b connections and a DisplayPort 1.4a one too from the G1 Pro’s dedicated GPU. Finally, there’s a standard PC power port along with an on/off switch on the right side.

Unlike with the PS5, the G1 Pro comes with a vertical stand in the box. It screws onto the bottom of the device using a thumb screw for additional support. While you can technically use the G1 Pro horizontally too, doing so is a bit awkward because when you flip it over to have its vents facing up, the Minisforum and AtomMan logos are upside down. Now if you were to mount it under your desk horizontally, this wouldn’t be the case and the device would still have plenty of airflow.

Just like with my PS5 Pro or Xbox Series X, one of my favorite things about the G1 Pro is that it doesn’t have a bulky power supply like the Geekom A9 Max and many of the other mini PCs I’ve tested. In fact, the only other mini PC I’ve tried that uses an internal power supply is Apple’s Mac mini M4.

Since standard PC power cables are incredibly cheap, I plugged one in at my desk and had another in the entertainment center under my TV. That way, when I did want to play some of the best PC games on a large screen, I could just move the G1 Pro into my living room.

Console aesthetic, workstation performance

The G1 Pro may have a more gamer-friendly aesthetic but unlike the AtomMan G7 PT, it won’t look out of place in an office setting. Sure, its white shell and unique design will draw attention but not the unwanted kind.

While the G1 Pro may be marketed as a mini gaming PC first and foremost, it’s a surprisingly capable work machine too. A big reason for this is because of its upgradeability. For instance, while my review unit shipped with 32GB of DDR5 RAM, you can actually put up to 96GB of RAM in its small case — but more on that later.

In terms of my daily workload which consists of dozens of Chrome tabs opened simultaneously and editing images in GIMP, the G1 Pro never missed a beat. It handled everything I threw at it with ease with plenty of power left over for more demanding tasks.

In the table above, you can see how well the G1 Pro fared compared to the competition. It held its own in Geekbench’s single-core tests in our lab, but its multi-core results weren’t nearly as high as those from the A9 Max, Framework Desktop and even the Intel-powered AtomMan G7 Ti. Still, when transcoding a 4K video to 1080p in our Handbrake test, the G1 Pro finished the task in just over three minutes.

Another area where the G1 Pro really excels is with connectivity. In addition to Bluetooth 5.4, you also get full Wi-Fi 7 support. When connected to one of the best Wi-Fi 7 routers in the other room and running a speed test, I saw download speeds of 1.5 Gbps which is quite fast over Wi-Fi. Then again, if you have a real need for speed, you can always use an Ethernet cable to connect the G1 Pro directly to your router using the 5 Gigabit Ethernet port around back.

The biggest difference between the G1 Pro and the rest of these mini PCs though is in gaming performance, especially since it’s the only one with a dedicated, desktop-grade GPU.

Not your average mini PC GPU

Typically when gaming on a mini PC, you’re relegated to using either integrated graphics or a discrete laptop-style GPU. The latter is obviously better but with the G1 Pro, you don’t have to settle for either of these lesser options. Instead, you have the power of a discrete, desktop-grade Nvidia RTX 5060 GPU at your disposal.

The G1 Pro is mainly designed for playing games at 1440p. However, as I had it hooked up to a 4K gaming monitor, I leveraged Nvidia DLSS 4 — and then later DLSS 4.5 — to bump up the framerate in more demanding games.

With Super Resolution enabled, Death Stranding 2 ran like a charm on this smaller, console-sized mini PC. I also played through a bit of Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart with DLSS enabled for equally impressive results. As it’s still in development, I even ran the demo for the upcoming skateboarding sim Skate Style natively and even at 4K, it looked and ran great.

In our lab tests, the G1 Pro performed well across the board without DLSS enabled. We saw 90 fps in Red Dead Redemption 2 at 1080p, while Cyberpunk 2077 saw a less than ideal but still playable 45 fps at native resolution. With DLSS and upscaling enabled, though, you can easily push past 60 fps in the most demanding AAA titles.

Having a desktop-grade Nvidia RTX 5060 installed from the get-go is one of the most compelling things about the G1 Pro. However, just like its RAM and storage, you can actually swap out your GPU later on if you need even more power.

Small but surprisingly expandable

Opening up the G1 Pro to make upgrades is surprisingly simple. After removing the vertical stand and two screws on the base of the machine, the vented side panel just slides right off.

Doing so lets you see the Nvidia RTX 5060 from Gigabyte on the left, a large blower-style fan above the CPU in the center and the 350W power supply on the right. Despite the G1 Pro’s smaller size, Minisforum managed to pack a lot of powerful components into this case with well-managed cables to boot.

Now you can add more memory or storage, but doing so requires unplugging the power supply’s main connector and removing the CPU fan. While one of the M.2 SSD slots is occupied with a 1TB drive, there’s a free one next to it. In total, you can add up to 8TB of storage with a 4TB SSD in each slot. Minisforum even includes an extra SSD heatsink in the box, which is a nice touch for those adding a second high-speed drive.

Although you can’t see it here, there’s a single stick of 32GB DDR5 RAM underneath the CPU cooler. However, there’s a second, free slot next to it. Once RAMaggedon is behind us, you could utilize both to configure the G1 Pro with a whopping 96GB of memory.

A quick note on the single-channel RAM configuration my review unit shipped with: running a PC in single-channel mode does lead to a bottleneck, which is likely why those Geekbench multi-core scores from earlier were lower than expected. However, if you do decide to upgrade the G1 Pro’s RAM, you can just add another 32GB stick; if you had two 16GB sticks, you’d have to ditch them entirely to reach 64GB or more.

Though 96GB of RAM will definitely be overkill for most, if you’re using this mini PC for 8K video editing or running LLMs locally, it’s nice to know that you have plenty of room to expand in the future. Speaking of which, since the G1 Pro uses a standard GPU — albeit a low-profile one — you could theoretically swap out the included RTX 5060 with an RTX 6060 once Nvidia’s next-gen GPUs hit the market.

Minisforum G1 Pro: The Downs

The Minisforum G1 Pro is truly a remarkable mini PC that breaks new ground. However, it’s not without its downsides, which include a sparse port selection for your accessories and fans that can get quite noisy when running demanding workloads or graphically-intensive games.

Port shortage (but not for video)

Just like with the AtomMan G7 Ti, I wish the G1 Pro had a few more USB-A ports. Since I switch between computers so much, I prefer using a 2.4 GHz USB dongle for my mouse and keyboard as opposed to Bluetooth. This lets me quickly get up and running when setting up a new PC.

You do get three USB-A ports — one on the front and two on the back — with the G1 Pro. However, since I have a pair of Kanto Ora bookshelf speakers hooked up via USB along with the dongles for my mouse and keyboard, I found myself at a loss when I wanted to plug in the dongle for a controller. One more USB-A port to get the total up to four would have been a nice addition here.

While you don’t get quite as many USB-A ports as you do on a machine like the Geekom A9 Max, you do get loads of video out ports. Both the front and back USB-C ports are capable of video out, but the G1 Pro also features two HDMI 2.1 ports and two DisplayPort connections.

If you want to run a multi-monitor setup, the G1 Pro is more than capable of doing so with ease. However, if you have a lot of older accessories that use USB-A, then you’ll likely need to pair this mini PC with a hub to get all the ports you need.

The beast unleashed

Let’s face it: mini PCs can get noisy due to their smaller size, and the G1 Pro certainly suffers from this, but only when pushing the machine with demanding games or intensive workloads. With my sound meter, I measured 40dB when using this mini PC for work which is roughly as loud as a quiet library. However, when I booted up a resource-intensive game like Death Stranding 2, I saw sound levels reach as high as 60dB.

Although 60dB is quite loud if you have the G1 Pro sitting right next to you on a desk, switching to a pair of wired USB-C headphones did the trick and made that extra fan noise a lot less noticeable. One of the best gaming headsets would have worked just as well.

To help manage the noise, Minisforum’s pre-installed software allows you to switch between Work, Gaming, and Beast modes. These modes adjust the Ryzen 9's power limit from 60W all the way up to a staggering 100W. Depending on which one you use, the G1 Pro will prioritize either a quiet workspace or raw performance. While the software is intuitive and easy to use, I would have liked to see a dedicated physical mode switch on the front of the case, similar to the one on the AtomMan G7 Ti or G7 Pt.

Minisforum G1 Pro: Verdict

The Minisforum G1 Pro certainly lived up to the initial early impression I had when I first saw it at Computex last summer. It’s sleek, small and packed with powerful but more importantly upgradeable components and this really helps set it apart from other mini PCs as well as Minisforum’s previous devices.

At $1,439, it is more expensive than a console as well as most other mini PCs. However, for the price, you’re getting a dedicated Nvidia GPU which gives you access to DLSS and loads of other features. At the same time, you’re not stuck with soldered RAM and also have the ability to add more storage or even to swap out its low-profile GPU for a more powerful one down the line.

Despite its small package, the G1 Pro delivers both as a gaming machine and as a workstation. While I would have loved a few more USB-A ports, that’s by no means a dealbreaker. The same is true for heightened noise levels under heavy load since wearing a pair of headphones completely drowned out all that extra sound.

If you’re looking for a mini PC you can also game on and don’t want to be stuck with a laptop GPU or an external GPU dock, the G1 Pro is an innovative and fantastic machine for both work and play.

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Although you certainly can leave your Mac on for days at a time without any issues, a newly discovered macOS bug will certainly make you think twice about doing so.

As reported by Tom’s Hardware, the AI infrastructure and developer tools startup Photon recently discovered a “ticking time bomb” that affects every Mac. Fortunately, though, this isn’t a security bug that can be exploited by hackers. Instead, it’s the kind of bug that could leave you scratching your head if you use one of the best MacBooks and leave your laptop on for over a month at a time.

According to a blog post from Photon, “every Mac has a hidden expiration date.” No, your Mac won’t become unusable, and you won’t have to upgrade to a new machine. However, “after exactly 49 days, 17 hours, 2 minutes and 47 seconds of continuous uptime,” macOS experiences an “integer overflow” that “freezes the internal TCP timestamp clock.”

But what does this mean for the average Mac user? Well, once your machine has been running for exactly this long, existing TCP network connections won’t expire as they normally should. Essentially, this means that your Mac won’t be able to connect to the internet, which is why many of us get a computer in the first place.

Photon likely let Apple know once it discovered this issue, and the firm is currently working on its own solution. However, there’s an easy fix that won’t require an update or bringing your Mac to an Apple Store.

A simple workaround

If you’re worried about your Mac losing internet connectivity, don’t be. The issue itself stems from integer overflow, where your Mac’s TCP timestamp clock keeps counting until it reaches a max value of 4,294,967,295 seconds or 49.7 days.

To get around this, all you have to do is reboot your Mac before the 49-day mark, and everything will be fine. Just like on one of the best iPhones, you should reboot your Mac every week. To make things easier, you can even schedule your Mac to turn off and on.

Besides fixing this specific macOS bug, a reboot also flushes memory leaks, clears system caches and temp files, cools down the machine and resets peripheral controllers, which can help rectify other odd glitches with Bluetooth and USB-C docks.

Apple isn’t alone here either, as Windows 98 also crashed after 49.7 days of uptime. Likewise, when it comes to running out of digits while counting, this same issue is why we were all so worried about Y2K back in 1999, and it’s also why the year 2038 could lead to similar concerns when Unix is no longer able to measure time for the same reason. But that’s a problem for another day.

I’m sure that Apple is aware of this issue and is taking steps to address it, hopefully in the next big macOS update. In the meantime, though, just remember to give your Mac a reboot every seven days, and you’ll be perfectly fine.

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If you have an Apple ecosystem at home, you probably already know the rarity of finding a good deal from the iPhone maker. With the most affordable Apple products still costing upwards of AU$800, it's safe to say that an Apple purchase is a certified investment.

That said, any discounts that undercut Apple devices by 10% or more are worth cheering for, and these killer prices I've just found are no exception.

Now celebrating its fiftieth year, Apple has cheekily discounted a range of its best-sellers on Amazon. With up to 40% off Apple Watches, MacBooks, iPhones, iPads, and accompanying accessories, Apple's Amazon storefront has a complete list of discounted items.

To get you started on finding your next Apple product, I've handpicked my favourite nine deals below. With hot prices across the latest Apple Watch 11, AirPods 4 and iPhone Air, these discounts aren't exclusive to older products, which is a big win in my book.

You'll need to act fast to secure an Apple bargain, though — these Amazon prices won't stick around too long!

Apple has discontinued the infamous cheese grater Mac Pro and its $700 wheels. As of March 26, the iconic Apple Mac Pro is no longer on the Apple website; instead, would-be shoppers are redirected to other Mac computers.

Apple confirmed to 9to5Mac that it will no longer be offering the Mac Pro, and that there are no plans to develop new models.

With this week's discontinuation that drops Apple's desktop lineup to three devices:

• 24-inch iMac M4
• Mac mini M4 or M4 Pro
• Mac Studio with M4 Max or M3 Ultra

Plus the three laptops; MacBook Neo, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro.

A short history

The cheese greater Mac Pro debuted in 2019 alongside the Pro Display XDR (also recently discontinued). The original version was powered by an Intel Xeon W chipset, featuring 32GB of ram and 256GB SSD. A $52,000 version had a 28 core Intel Xeon W chip with 1.5TB of RAM and a 4TB SSD.

The last update it got was in 2023, when Apple refreshed the model with the M2 Ultra chip, and priced it at $6,999. As recently as June 2025 it was rumored that a new M5-powered Mac Pro would arrive this year and a low-end Mac Pro. With a lack of significant updates, the writing has been on the wall for the Mac Pro for a couple of years now.

Perhaps wait on a Mac Studio

If you're looking for a high-end Apple desktop, all we have left is the Mac Studio, but you may want to wait on upgrading. Currently, Apple offers the Studio in mismatched M4 Max and M3 Ultra CPU options.

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has claimed that an M5 Ultra-powered Mac Studio is coming this year. Though, he hedged that it will arrive after Apple announced the M5 Ultra and Max chipsets.

At the beginning of March, Apple revealed the new MacBook Pro M5 Pro and M5 Max, but has yet to announce the M5 Ultra. In previous years, Apple launched its M ultra chips in March for the M1 and M3, with the M2 Ultra debuting in June.

It's possible that Apple could reveal the M5 Ultra at WWDC 2026, which takes place June 8 - 12.

If that's the case, Apple may debut the Mac Studio M5 Ultra this October when it typically reveals its new MacBooks and MacBook Pro laptops. This year's versions have been rumored to feature an M6 chip and OLED display.

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I never thought I’d go from carrying one of the best mini PCs in my pocket to dropping it in a dock and instantly being able to play AAA games. That was until I tried Khadas’ new Mind Graphics 2.

Unlike other mini PCs, where you have to open them up to upgrade their RAM or storage, the Khadas Mind and now the Khadas Mind 2 can be upgraded in seconds with two unique docks. While the Mind Dock adds more ports and a handy volume knob, the Mind Graphics dock takes things to a whole new level with a desktop-grade GPU.

This isn’t your standard USB4, OCuLink, or Thunderbolt-powered eGPU dock either. Instead, it uses Khadas’ proprietary 122-pin Mind Link connector for an even faster connection. Paired with an Nvidia RTX 5060 Ti, the new Mind Graphics 2 has more than enough power for the best PC games, but you can also use its GPU to turbocharge creative workflows like photo or video editing.

After trying out the original Khadas Mind with the first Mind Graphics dock, here’s what it's been like using the more powerful Mind 2S with the Mind Graphics 2 for a week, and why it will be hard to go back to a standard mini PC.

Part GPU, part workstation

At 7.83 x 5.24 x 4.33 inches, the Mind Graphics 2 doesn’t take up all that much space on your desk at all compared to a DIY eGPU dock. Still, though, it makes the Mind 2S at 5.75 x 4.13 x 0.79 inches look absolutely tiny in comparison. In the box, you get the Mind Graphics 2 and a power cable, besides an original Mind, Mind 2, or Mind 2S mini PC; that’s all you need to get started.

There are quite a few handy ports on the front, including a 3.5mm headphone jack, a USB-C port, and an SD card reader, along with a customizable indicator light above the Khadas logo. This is a nice change from the Mind 2S and Khadas’ other pocketable mini PCs, which only have a power button up front.

Around the back of the Mind Graphics 2 is where things start to get interesting. You get dual HDMI 2.1b ports, a DisplayPort 2.1b, two USB-A ports, a USB-C port, and a 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet port. That USB-C port isn’t for connecting peripherals, though. Instead, you can plug one of the best laptops into it and take full advantage of the RTX 5060 Ti inside, even if you don’t have one of Khadas’ mini PCs.

The Mind Graphics 2’s CNC unibody aluminum shell doesn’t just give this eGPU dock a slick look; it also acts as a secondary heat sink. In fact, this is why you can run a desktop-grade GPU in a small 2.5-liter space without it sounding like a jet engine. However, it is on the heavier side at six pounds, but this helps keep it firmly planted on your desk even while you’re disconnecting and plugging in new cables around back.

On top of the Mind Graphics 2, there’s a cutout that houses a male Mind Link connector. To start using this eGPU dock with one of Khadas’ mini PCs, you just drop the device on top, and it magnetically connects to the Mind Graphics 2. It almost feels like magic, and the first time I docked the Mind 2S, it reminded me of inserting an iPod into one of those fancy speaker docks back in the day.

Not so mini anymore

To test out the Mind Graphics 2, I decided to swap out the Mind Dock I was using at my Logitech MX Master Series-themed desk setup. Even with the extra height from this eGPU dock, I still had plenty of clearance under my main ultrawide monitor, and I was also able to plug in my dual portable monitors on either side of it to power my less conventional triple monitor setup.

In order to get the Mind 2S, I reviewed working with the dock, and I had to update its firmware. However, once that was done, the Mind Graphics 2 and the RTX 5060 Ti inside it showed up in Device Manager in Windows 11 instantly and in the Mind app.

In the Mind app, you can see the device info, update its firmware, and change the color of the indicator light above the Khadas logo on the front. One big change that I like about this new version of Khadas’ eGPU dock compared to the original Mind Graphics is that it now comes standard with 16GB of VRAM. Previously, there was an 8GB version as well as a 16GB version.

It’s always great to have options, but with PC games becoming increasingly demanding — especially on an ultrawide monitor — I’d much rather have 16 than 8GB of VRAM.

The Mind 2S looks great on top of the Mind Graphics 2, and the two make a nice pair. I also really like how my stationary peripherals are plugged into the dock itself, but I still have spare USB ports on the back of the Mind 2S as well as on the front of the dock for plugging in external drives or charging my other devices.

Besides its desktop-grade GPU, the Mind Graphics 2 has a couple of other neat tricks up its sleeve. For instance, on the right side of the dock, there’s an integrated fingerprint scanner as well as volume buttons.

The fingerprint scanner also works as a button, and when pressed, it instantly mutes any audio coming from the Mind Graphics 2’s built-in dual 5W speaker system. Need a microphone for video calls or even your favorite AI chatbot? Well, there are also dual microphones inside the Mind Graphics 2 as well.

Using the Mind 2S with the Mind Graphics 2 was perfect for my daily workload. I had extra ports and an SD card reader front and center where I needed them, and I really appreciate having a fingerprint scanner for quickly logging into Windows each morning.

I’ll admit that most of my work takes place in a browser these days, but I did mess around in Windows and let a few apps, including GIMP and Steam, default to using the Mind Graphics 2’s RTX 5060 Ti instead of the integrated Intel Arc 140T GPU on the Mind 2S.

Now, if I still edited video like I used to back in the day, this dock’s extra graphics power certainly would have come in handy. Instead, though, I decided to put it to the test by loading up a few of my favorite PC games.

From rendering to gaming

As I found out when I used the Mind 2S to build a proper triple-monitor setup on a budget, its integrated graphics actually let me play some less demanding games as well as some older titles quite well. With it connected to the Mind Graphics 2, though, I could finally step up to playing the latest games with ease.

Since I grew up skateboarding every day, I’ve always had a soft spot for skate games. Normally, when testing out new mini PCs with either an integrated or a discrete GPU, I like to boot up the skateboarding sim Session. This time around, though, I decided to test out the Mind Graphics 2 with the upcoming game, Skate Style. It uses a similar control scheme where each of the joysticks on your controller is mapped to either foot, but as you can see in the picture above, the game has a much more polished look to it.

With the Mind Graphics 2, I was able to crank up the graphics settings as well as enable DLSS for an additional performance boost. While the game is still in early access, it ran great on this setup, even on my ultrawide display. It’s a testament to the 122-pin Mind Link connection; there was none of the 'stutter' you usually associate with external graphics solutions.

From there, I decided to up the ante by playing a bit of Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart with all the bells and whistles enabled. Even when playing in 21:9, it ran smooth as butter at a steady 60 fps. The monitor I’m using here is more productivity-focused with just a 60Hz refresh rate. However, I do want to try out the Mind Graphics 2 with one of the best gaming monitors to push the framerate even further to 120Hz or even 240Hz in games that support it.

I also fought my way through the last boss in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, but since that game doesn’t have native 21:9 support, I didn’t take any photos. Likewise, I picked up the Dead Space remake on sale, and that game ran great, too, in ultrawide mode.

I still need to put the Mind Graphics 2 through a bit more testing, but based on my experience so far, it’s an excellent addition to Khadas’ growing Mind ecosystem. I really like how this accessory takes one of the most unique mini PCs out there and instantly transforms it into a true gaming rig, albeit in a much smaller form factor.

Managed modularity

Now at $1,349, the Mind Graphics 2 certainly won’t be for everyone. You can definitely cobble together your own external GPU dock for a whole lot less, but that kind of defeats the purpose. The Mind Graphics 2 is an elegant solution to a common problem, needing a bit more graphical prowess for more demanding workloads and of course, playing the latest PC games when you do get some downtime at the end of the day.

Another reason you might consider a pre-built eGPU dock like this one is for all of the extras. In addition to all those video out ports around back, you’re also getting a few handy front ports, a fingerprint scanner, and built-in speakers and microphones.

Now, if you don’t need a GPU and want to beef up Khadas’ Mind, Mind 2, or Mind 2S, there’s always the standard Mind Dock, which also adds more ports, built-in speakers, and, as I mentioned, a tactile volume knob. Having used both, I like the low-profile design of the latter, but turning a pocketable mini PC into a gaming rig just by docking it can’t be beat.

Khadas isn’t stopping with an eGPU dock, though, as the company also recently released its Mind x Play add-on for its mini PCs. Instead of letting you play games, that accessory actually takes one of its Mind mini PCs and turns it into a laptop, complete with its own screen, keyboard, trackpad, and built-in battery. I’m planning on trying that out next, but I also want to see how the Mind Graphics 2 adds to the company’s upcoming Mind Pro mini PC.

I never thought I’d be docking and undocking a mini PC like this one, even after using it on the go with a pair of AR glasses, but here we are. Sure, it’s a bit niche, but if you want a mini PC you can bring to the office for work and then magnetically attach to an eGPU dock for some gaming when you get home, you won’t find anything else like the Mind and Mind Graphics 2, and trust me, I’ve looked.

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At some point towards the end of last year, it was becoming clear to anyone wanting to get into PC gaming that a prebuilt was becoming more cost effective than building from scratch. And out of all the towers I’ve tested — for not just performance but bang for your buck (if that’s even a thing anymore) — iBuyPower is ranking high with the RDY Element 9 Pro R07.

Sporting a respectably powerful spec pairing of AMD’s Ryzen 7 7800X3D CPU and Radeon RX 9070 XT GPU, alongside 32GB of DDR5 RAM, recreating this kind of setup on PC Parts Picker would set you back about $2,300-$2,400. But thanks to thinking ahead and stocking up, this team’s able to get that for $250 lower than the average builder cost.

Are these costs still problematic? Yes. The RAM price crisis is something that will continue to hit hard (at least until the AI bubble bursts). However, in a space where we’re searching every nook and cranny for even a whiff of value in computing, it’s good to see a premium desktop tower like this with a three-year warranty and impressive cooling stamina coming in at this price in 2026.

From that striking design of the case that showcases your components almost like a neon museum to the performance potential, this is one of the best gaming PCs you can snag right now.

iBuyPower RDY Element 9 Pro R07: Cheat Sheet

• What is it? This is a pre-built gaming PC.
• Who is it for? This is for the “serious but not extreme” gamers — with specs sitting firmly in the mid-to-high tier.
• What does it cost? You can snag this for $2,049. The site says it’s discounted from $2,349, but it’s rarely on sale at full price.
• What do we like? This is a stylish tower with plenty of RGB chic, which reveals the impressive cooling that is sure to keep all those high performance components running at max sustained speed across all your favorite AAA titles.
• What don’t we like? The keyboard and mouse, while nice to have, are rather basic, and the lighting customization is a little limited.

iBuyPower RDY Element 9 Pro R07: Specs

iBuyPower RDY Element 9 Pro R07: The ups

The Radeon RX 9070 XT is a personal favorite gaming GPU of mine, so to get an entire pre-built around this card has been a lot of fun to daily drive! But iBuyPower’s work extends so much further than that.

It’s quite the looker

I’ve seen a lot of RGB-laden pre-builts that do a good job of showing off all those components inside your case, but this is on a different level. The two sides of glass give you a full glorious view of everything going on inside — rather than just a small window.

And the end result is an unmistakably premium aesthetic that feels much more modern compared to other simpler tower cases. Though fair warning, that glass is a fingerprint magnet!

And, since it’s a gaming PC, of course there’s plenty of RGB to inject some vibrancy into affairs here. Of course, if you’re more of a fan of subtlety, this may be very in your face — at which point you should get Asus Armoury Crate software installed to tweak some of the lighting controls.

But being honest, as someone who has been an RGB doubter, I’m quietly impressed and often catch myself staring at the four swirling 120mm fans illuminating the outer regions and the XPG RAM sticks pulsating.

As for the convenience of it, the side glass is completely screwless and can be removed easily, ports are conveniently placed on the front, and while it’s rather heavy at over 35 pounds, the dimensions keep it easy enough to carry.

Impressively performant

The Element 9 Pro sits right in that “I want a beast, but I’m not insane” bracket, and what you get at this level is stellar 1440p gaming performance that can be cranked up to 4K. I normally use my tower in a dual setup kind of layout — connected by DisplayPort to the Alienware’s AW2752Q monitor, and then by HDMI to my TV to get both desk and couch gaming.

Starting with the desk, this combo of CPU, GPU and RAM makes this quite a workhorse for content creation and AI-infused productivity. Not all the way (Nvidia GPUs still have a lead with the way they use cores to optimize to renders and edits), but more than enough.

Moving over to gaming, and without any of the FSR Redstone AI trickery turned on, you’re able to get a solid 4K picture at the highest detail. Though it's worth saying AMD GPUs always struggle a bit with ray tracing compared to Nvidia.

With FSR features turned on, that frame rate immediately accelerates with resolution scaling.

AMD’s tech has been going from strength to strength, and while Nvidia’s DLSS maintains a healthy lead in terms of virtually eliminating any of the telltale signs like ghosting and picture smearing, FSR comes damn close. Even when blown up on a giant TV, you’d struggle to notice it without some slow-motion pixel peeping.

Great warranty protection

One of the things that can often get ignored in the initial purchase of a shiny new PC is the long-term life of it, and that’s where the warranty comes in. iBuyPower offers a rather impressive three years of labor and two years of parts protection.

The company will handle diagnostics and repair within those three years, or replace defective components within the two. Of course, you’ll be using your PC for much longer than this, which is where the lifetime technical support comes in.

Doing a test call with the company’s technical support was a rapid process through the phone line’s menu tree, and a human assistant quickly resolved my faked issue of ever so slightly unseating a RAM stick. That’s great reassurance for such a high value purchase.

Oh, and speaking of longevity, shout-out to not pre-installing the GPU. Yes, that does mean that you have to follow a guide and install it yourself (the screws to attach it to the back panel of the case can be a little awkward to get to), but it also reduces packaging and ensures that PCIe slot isn’t stressed in transport.

iBuyPower RDY Element 9 Pro R07: The downs

So far so good, but it’s not all perfect out the box for the Element 9 Pro.

Mid keyboard and mouse

On one hand, I shouldn’t complain. The fact the Element 9 Pro comes with an included RGB gaming keyboard and optical mouse is quite the nice-to-have that other companies don’t provide.

But the faster you can upgrade to one of the best mechanical keyboards and best gaming mice, the better. The membrane switches on the keyboard feel a little mushy and slow on the depress — not great for fast-paced multiplayer. And there is definitely a cheap plasticky feel across the board and mouse.

RAMageddon has impacted this price

Viewing this in a vacuum of where we stand in 2026, this is a decent price. But we can’t ignore the fact that configurations of this level have gone up roughly $350-$400 since summer 2025. The RAM price crisis has hit pre-builts hard, and while iBuyPower is doing well to buy in bulk to get ahead of these issues, every time they have to comes with a cost penalty.

So the time on this price is surely running out before it goes up again!

iBuyPower RDY Element 9 Pro R07: Verdict

But at the end of the day, this is one of the best pre-built towers I’ve ever tested. The RDY Element 9 Pro R07 packs impressive performance into a gorgeous design with impressive long-term support and even a 60-day return period too.

And the liquid-cooled gaming ensures long-term stability of the performance, while looking fly as hell too.

Whether you’re thinking about upgrading from a Chromebook or ditching Windows for good, there’s never been a better time to switch to Mac, especially with the release of the new MacBook Neo. Starting at $599 (or $499 for education), this is Apple’s most affordable MacBook yet and a great way to get started with macOS. However, it’s not your only option at this price point.

Released back in 2024, the Mac mini M4 also starts at $599 (with that same education discount available). Sure, you will need a separate monitor along with a keyboard and mouse but chances are, you probably already have a display and your existing peripherals will likely work with macOS. While the MacBook Neo is arguably the best budget laptop you can get right now, the Mac mini M4 is one of the best mini PCs overall.

If you don’t plan on bringing the Neo with you and will mostly be using it at home, then the Mac mini M4 becomes a much more compelling option. Then it just comes down to whether or not you prefer to be anchored to a desk or sitting on the couch when using your computer. Although you’re paying $599 for either machine, one comes equipped with a mobile chip while the other uses a full-blow desktop chip that’s significantly more powerful.

Now that we’ve tested and reviewed the MacBook Neo, we can see how it stacks up against Apple’s smallest Mac mini yet. If you only have $599 to spend on a new Mac, read this first before you rush out and buy the Neo as the Mac mini M4 is an equally impressive machine.

MacBook Neo vs Mac mini M4: Specs

MacBook Neo vs Mac mini M4: Design

The design of these two Macs couldn’t be more different. While the MacBook Neo is a 13-inch laptop, the Mac mini M4 is a compact mini PC that Apple redesigned in 2024 to be its smallest Mac ever.

Despite being the most affordable MacBook yet, the Neo borrows quite a lot from the aesthetic of the MacBook Air. It sports a fanless design, an ultra-thin chassis made from aluminum and comes with rounded corners for a more modern look.

In addition to Silver, the Neo is also available in three vibrant shades: Blush (pink), Indigo (deep blue), and Citrus (yellow). Meanwhile, like other desktop Macs, the Mac mini M4 only comes in Silver.

At 2.7 pounds, the Neo is very light and extremely portable which makes it easy to slip into a backpack. On the other hand, the Mac mini M4 is technically lighter at just 1.5 pounds. However, since you’ll need a monitor along with a keyboard and mouse, it’s not nearly as easy to bring with you.

On the MacBook Neo, you get two USB-C ports and a headphone jack on the left side of the laptop with no ports on the right side at all.

Unlike with the previous model, Apple decided to add ports to the front of the Mac mini M4 and just like on the Neo, there are two USB-C ports as well as a headphone jack. Around back though, the Mac mini M4 comes equipped with three Thunderbolt 4 ports, an HDMI port, a gigabit Ethernet port and a power port.

When it comes to power, the Mac mini M4 can only be powered using the AC port at the back and the included power cable. The Neo comes with a compact 20W charger and is capped at a slower charging speed so you can’t use a higher-wattage one to quickly charge it.

You can use either of the Neo’s USB-C ports for charging. However, the front one is the better option for charging as it’s a slower USB 2.0 port while the one at the rear is USB 3 and can be used to connect to an external display or for an external SSD.

The keyboard on the Neo feels great to type on with 1mm of travel but it isn’t backlit. On the base model, you also don’t get Touch ID like on more expensive MacBooks.

If you want to use your fingerprint to login or for authentication instead of entering your password, then you’re going to need to spend an extra $100 on a Neo with this functionality and extra storage. Likewise, the Neo has a mechanical trackpad instead of a Force Touch one like on the MacBook Air.

MacBook Neo vs Mac mini M4: Performance

Performance varies greatly between the MacBook Neo and the Mac mini M4, as they’re powered by entirely different classes of silicon. While the Mac mini uses the desktop-grade M4 chip, Apple brought the Neo’s price down to $599 by using the A18 Pro — the same mobile processor that powered the iPhone 16 Pro back in 2024.

In our lab tests, both chips showed comparable single-core performance. This means for 'burst' tasks like opening apps or loading a heavy webpage, both Macs will feel equally snappy. However, the Mac mini M4 pulls ahead in multi-core workloads, making it the superior choice for video editing or heavy multitasking.

The biggest performance divider isn't just the chip, but the memory. The $599 Mac mini M4 ships with 16GB of RAM as standard, whereas the Neo is stuck with 8GB and there’s no way to upgrade. In our real-world stress test, the Neo began to struggle once we hit 20 open browser tabs, leading to sluggishness and tab reloads. The Mac mini, with double the memory, handled twice that load without breaking a sweat.

Thermals also play a big role when it comes to performance. The Neo’s fanless design makes it completely silent, but it will eventually throttle or slow down during long 4K video exports or heavy gaming sessions to stay cool. The Mac mini M4 features an internal fan that, while near-silent, allows it to maintain peak performance indefinitely.

MacBook Neo vs Mac mini M4: Display

The MacBook Neo has a 13-inch LED-backlit panel with a 2408 x 1506 resolution at 219 pixels per inch (ppi). As such, it meets Apple’s “Retina” standard and it’s also quite bright at 500 nits. Still, even with this extra brightness, you’re better off using it indoors since it has a glossy finish and you can’t upgrade to Apple’s Nano-Texture glass option like you can with more expensive MacBooks.

With only one high-speed USB-C port, you’re limited to connecting the Neo to a single external display. Likewise, you’re also stuck at 60Hz which means you won’t be able to take full advantage of high refresh rate monitors that go up to 120Hz — like Apple’s new Studio Display XDR — or even higher.

You don’t get a display with the Mac mini but thanks to the power of the M4 chip driving it, you can connect up to three external displays at the same time. When it comes to their resolution, you can run two displays at 6K at 60Hz and a third at 5K at 60Hz over Thunderbolt 4. There’s also an HDMI port around back that can output at 4K at 60Hz. Likewise, if you only want to run a single monitor, the Mac mini M4 can actually drive an 8K display at 60Hz or a 4K display at 240Hz.

Using the Neo with a single, large external display will likely be enough for most people. However, if you want to run a dual or even a triple-monitor setup for maximum productivity, then the Mac mini M4 is the better option.

MacBook Neo vs Mac mini M4: Graphics

Both the MacBook Neo and the Mac mini M4 are surprisingly capable gaming machines for $599, thanks to their support for hardware-accelerated ray tracing and mesh shading. However, while the Neo often relies on MetalFX upscaling to hit playable framerates, the Mac mini M4 has the raw horsepower to push higher settings natively.

Since the Neo uses the A18 Pro, it handles AAA titles that have been ported to iOS remarkably well. In our testing, Resident Evil 4 and the long-awaited Hollow Knight: Silksong played surprisingly well on the Neo's 13-inch screen. You can also tap into the entire Apple Arcade library, including the newly released Oceanhorn 3: Legend of the Shadow Sea, which looks beautiful on the Neo's glossy Retina display.

However, Cyberpunk 2077 pushed this budget MacBook to its absolute limits. Since the Neo is fanless, it began to thermally throttle after about 20 minutes of gameplay, causing the framerate to dip into the low 20s. The 8GB of RAM also led to occasional stutters in open-world sections.

The Mac mini M4 is a much better option for extended play sessions. With 10 GPU cores and 16GB of RAM as standard, it didn’t slow down at all during our hour-long Cyberpunk stress test. Its internal fan kept the temperature stable, allowing the M4 to maintain its clock speeds indefinitely. If you’re a casual gamer who wants to play indie hits or mobile ports on the go, the Neo is a delight. However, if you want a machine that can actually act as a budget gaming PC at your desk, the Mac mini M4 is the clear winner.

MacBook Neo vs Mac mini M4: Outlook

Switching to Mac has never been easier with two excellent options for the same $599 price. However, choosing between the two isn’t necessarily about which one is better, but rather where you plan on working.

The MacBook Neo is the most affordable MacBook yet and as such, it’s the perfect laptop for students, writers and travelers that need a machine they can go from a backpack to open on a table in seconds. You are giving up raw power for portability but in return, you’re getting a beautifully designed laptop with a 13-inch retina display that blows most budget Windows laptops and especially Chromebooks out of the water.

Now if you want a desktop workstation on a budget and already have a monitor and the necessary peripherals, then the Mac mini M4 is a more powerful though stationary computer. With double the RAM and a desktop-class chip, it’s ideal for multitasking and more demanding workloads. Plus, thanks to its internal fan, it won’t throttle under pressure.

Ultimately, the choice between the newer MacBook Neo or the slightly older Mac mini M4 comes down to whether you value portability or power more. If you need a computer you can bring with you or even move from room to room easily, then the Neo is the better choice. However, if you don’t mind working at a desk and paying a bit more for a monitor and peripherals (if you don’t have them already), then the Mac mini M4 is still an excellent option.

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Whenever Apple announces new devices it means that some older ones get discontinued. Last week, Apple revealed a slew of new products including the intriguing MacBook Neo, budget-friendly iPhone 17e and more powerful MacBook Pro M5 Pro/Max laptops.

As part of streamlining the devices it sells, the company discontinued 15 existing devices. Surprisingly, not every device is years old. The oldest was released in 2019, while the most recent only debuted six months ago.

Here's the list of 15 discontinued products:

• iPhone 16e with A18 (2025)
• 11-inch iPad Air with M3 (2025)
• 13-inch iPad Air with M3 (2025)
• 13-inch MacBook Air with M4 (2025)
• 15-inch MacBook Air with M4 (2025)
• 13-inch MacBook Pro with M5 and 512GB storage (2025)
• 14-inch MacBook Pro with M4 Pro (2024)
• 16-inch MacBook Pro with M4 Pro (2024)
• 14-inch MacBook Pro with M4 Max (2024)
• 16-inch MacBook Pro with M4 Max (2024)
• Mac Studio with M3 Ultra and 512GB memory (2025)
• Studio Display with A13 Bionic (2022)
• Pro Display XDR (2019)
• Pro Stand for Pro Display XDR (2019)
• Pro Display XDR VESA Mount Adapter (2019)

For the most part, the Apple is just swapping one product for its updated version. The iPhone 16e gets the boot for the 17e. The M3 iPad Air has been replaced by the M4 version, the same for the M4 MacBook Air models which have been replaced with M5 MacBook Airs.

The surprising discontinuation is the 512GB MacBook Pro M5, which was announced in October 2025 for $1,599. Instead, the new base model features 1TB of internal storage, and costs $1,699.

It's unclear if this related to the ongoing memory crisis that is reducing storage and RAM options for many companies.

Finally, we have the two oldest devices: the original Studio Display from 2022 and the Pro Display XDR (released in 2019), which were replaced by the new Studio Display XDR and an updated base version.

What does discontinued mean for your devices?

Unlike Apple's vintage or obsolete devices, discontinuation just means the company no longer sells these products through official channels. However, they are still eligible for software updates, repairs and support for at least five to seven years after their initial release date.

Apple typically places devices on its vintage list around five years after the company stops selling them. At that point, they're unlikely to get software updates, and repairs will only be available as long as parts are available. So if you own any of these discontinued products, you still have some time before you need to consider an upgrade.

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The Khadas Mind 2S is unlike any mini PC I’ve tested yet. Despite its smaller, pocketable size, it features full-sized ports around back and enough power under the hood that it felt more like a workstation than a mini PC when plugged in at my desk.

After reviewing the original Khadas Mind, I was eager to get my hands on this new, upgraded model. While it now features an upgraded Intel Core Ultra 7 255H processor, 64GB of LPDDR5X RAM and comes with a 2TB SSD, Khadas still managed to make it fit inside the same-sized case.

Although it is on the expensive side at $1,599, there aren’t any optional upgrades to worry about as those are the specs you get with the only configuration of the Mind 2S. Then, if that’s a bit out of your price range or more power than you can handle, you could always pick up the significantly cheaper Mind 2 which starts at $799. Either way, you’re still getting the same sleek design and excellent port selection. If you need more ports or even more power, you can always expand its capabilities with one of Khadas’ optional Mind docks.

I’ve used this PC at home, while traveling and even with AR glasses for the past 10 months and in my opinion, it’s easily one of the best mini PCs you can get today. Read on though to see if this pocketable powerhouse is for you or if you’d be better off with something less portable and more stationary.

Khadas Mind 2S: Cheat Sheet

• What is it? A powerful yet pocketable mini PC that feels more like a workstation than your typical device in this category.
• Who is it for? Those who want workstation-class power in a small, quiet package with the option to add more ports or even dedicated graphics via the Khadas ecosystem.
• What does it cost? The Khadas Mind 2S costs $1,599, but the standard Khadas Mind 2 starts at $799 and comes in three configurations.
• What do we like? Its sleek unibody-style aluminum enclosure, the slim "carry-anywhere" design, the versatile port selection, the easy-access SSD slot on the bottom, and the expansive modular dock ecosystem.
• What don’t we like? The significant price jump between the Mind 2 and Mind 2S and that it can get slightly noisy under heavy load.

Khadas Mind 2S: Specs

Khadas Mind 2S: The Ups

The Mind 2S retains everything that made the original a standout — its ultra-compact, premium build — but adds a significant spec bump that pushes it into true workstation territory. While the design is still a win, it’s the massive jump in internal power that truly makes this new model shine.

Sleek, premium and pocketable

At 5.75 x 4.13 x 0.79 inches, the Mind 2S is the exact same size as the original Mind mini PC. Despite using the same case, Khadas has made some changes to the device’s internals.

For instance, while the original Mind had a solid cooling setup, this new model features a pure copper vapor chamber liquid cooling system. Likewise, the PCIe connector on the bottom of the Mind 2S has been upgraded to PCIe 5.0 which doubles its bandwidth to 256GT/S but more on that later.

Around back, the port selection appears identical to the original Mind at first glance. However, Khadas has upgraded the ports on the Mind 2S and you now get two high-speed USB-A ports, an HDMI 2.1 port, a USB 4 port and a Thunderbolt 4 port. Given the Mind 2S’ tiny size, this is quite the selection of ports.

For instance, when I ditched my laptop for the Mind 2S with a pair of Xreal One AR glasses, I was able to power the device using a large portable powerbank, connect the glasses via the other USB-C port and use one of the USB-A ports for my low-profile mechanical keyboard’s 2.4 GHz dongle. All with one port to spare since I used a smaller trackball mouse that connected via Bluetooth with that setup.

The Mind 2S is a very versatile mini PC but it’s the upgraded chipset and all of the extra RAM Khadas added this time around that makes a difference.

Now with more power

The Khadas Mind was no slouch in terms of power, but the Mind 2S takes things to a whole new level. Unlike the standard Mind 2, which uses Intel’s Series 1 Meteor Lake chips, the Mind 2S is equipped with a Core Ultra 7 255H chip from Intel’s Series 2 Arrow Lake-H family. Not to be confused with the hyper-efficient Lunar Lake chips found in many of today’s ultra-thin laptops, Arrow Lake-H is all about raw performance and heavy multi-tasking.

The reason Khadas went with Arrow Lake over Lunar Lake is clear: the company has always positioned the Mind 2S as a workstation in a mini PC’s body. With 16 cores and 16 threads, the Ultra 7 255H offers double the core count of a typical Lunar Lake chip. This architectural choice is also what allowed Khadas to outfit the Mind 2S with a massive 64GB of RAM, whereas Lunar Lake is physically capped at 32GB. Power draw is another big factor; the Mind 2S can pull up to 115W under load, providing the kind of sustained performance you’d normally expect from a much larger desktop.

As you can see in the table above, the Mind 2S performed great across the board. It kept pace with the much larger Geekom A9 Max in both single and multi-core tests and even managed to beat out the Mac mini M4 by nine seconds in our video encoding test using Handbrake. Given that the Mind 2S has a significantly smaller footprint than its rivals, I’m quite impressed by how well it fared in our testing lab.

In addition to more cores and threads, the chipset Khadas picked for the Mind 2S has another trick up its sleeve for when you’re not using it purely as a workstation.

Not just for work

Ever since Khadas first sent over the Mind 2S, I’ve been using it both on the go with AR glasses and at home. Thanks to its unique form factor and the fact that it’s powered using a standard USB-C power adapter, this mini PC has found its way into quite a few of my desk setups—including my first triple-monitor one I put together last spring.

The Mind 2S has easily been able to handle my daily workload, which consists of multiple Chrome windows with dozens of tabs open in each and some heavy photo editing. However, when using it at that triple-monitor setup, curiosity got the best of me and I decided to see what it would be like to game on it.

Even with three 1080p monitors and using Intel’s Graphics Software to stitch them together into a single display, the Mind 2S was able to run loads of older titles flawlessly. I credit this to the Intel Arc 140T iGPU inside its Core Ultra 7 255H chip.

One of the biggest perks of having 64GB of RAM is that I was able to use the Shared GPU Memory Override in the Intel Graphics Command Center to set aside 32GB of memory specifically for the iGPU. This essentially gave the Mind 2S more "VRAM" than many dedicated gaming laptops, which helped immensely with texture-heavy games.

Now, don’t expect the Mind 2S to be a gaming-focused mini PC like the Asus ROG NUC 970 or the AtomMan G7 Ti. However, if you’re playing less demanding games at 1080p and don’t mind turning down a few settings here and there, you can absolutely game on it. But if you want to take things to the next level graphics-wise, Khadas has that covered too.

Instantly expandable

Before we get into the optional Mind Dock and Mind Graphics Dock, the Mind 2S has another trick up its sleeve. If the 2TB of onboard storage isn’t enough, all you have to do is flip this mini PC over and push down on the magnetic cover to reveal a free M.2 2230 slot.

The slot supports up to a 2TB SSD, allowing you to essentially double your storage capacity in seconds. It’s an impressive inclusion for a PC you can slip in your pocket. Speaking of portability, the Mind 2S also features an integrated 5.55Wh battery. While it isn't meant for working on the go, it allows the device to enter a low-power standby mode for up to 25 hours when unplugged. This lets you move the PC between docks or rooms without having to save your work or reboot.

Besides that SSD slot, the bottom of the Mind 2S features Khadas’ proprietary Mind Link connector. This 122-pin interface has been upgraded to PCIe 5.0 x8 on the 2S, to make it even faster. The Mind Dock adds a fingerprint scanner, a volume knob, and a wealth of extra ports, while the Mind Graphics dock houses a desktop-grade GPU.

I haven't tested the new Mind Graphics 2 yet, but I spent a lot of time with the original model. One second I was working with the mini PC powered by my monitor’s USB-C port, and the next I was playing Final Fantasy XV with a desktop Nvidia RTX 4060 Ti. The upcoming Mind Graphics 2 will push this even further with an RTX 5060 Ti that takes full advantage of the 2S’s faster PCIe 5.0 bandwidth.

I will admit that both the Mind Dock at $179 and the Mind Graphics docks which range from $849 to $1,349 are on the expensive side for optional accessories. Still, they take what was already a fantastic mini PC and transform it into a legitimate desktop replacement.

You can absolutely use the Mind 2S on its own, but the ecosystem is what truly makes it feel like the future of computing. Oh, and did I mention Khadas recently released its new Mind xPlay accessory for $399? It essentially turns this mini PC into a laptop, complete with its own display, keyboard, and trackpad.

Khadas Mind 2S: The Downs

The Mind 2S is a powerful computer and the perfect follow-up to Khadas’ original Mind but it’s not without its downsides, both of which stem from its much smaller form factor compared to other, less expensive mini PCs.

Not quite silent (especially under load)

For the most part, you won’t really hear the Mind 2S while you’re working. It has a slight, and by no means annoying, hum when using it for less-demanding tasks like web browsing or standard office work. In fact, I’m quite impressed by how quiet it is, given it’s less than an inch thick.

When you push the Mind 2S with heavy workloads like video editing, though, it can get noisy. For instance, when I tried running some more demanding games using its integrated graphics, the fan spun up something fierce. It's a high-pitched whir that lets you know the internal cooling is working overtime to keep that powerful Arrow Lake chip from overheating.

While it's by no means a dealbreaker, if you want a dead-silent mini PC, the Mac mini M4 is still the gold standard. The Minix Elite EU715-AI is another good option if you want something that runs Windows and stays practically silent during your workday, though you do sacrifice the cutting-edge performance and the unique modularity of the Khadas Mind for peace and quiet.

Paying a premium for pocketable power

Let’s face it: $1,599 is a steep price to pay for a mini PC. This is especially true when you can pick up an equally powerful Geekom A9 Max for several hundred dollars less, or even a base Mac mini M4 at a fraction of the cost. With the Mind 2S, you’re essentially paying a "form factor tax."

In addition to this high up-front price, if you want to push the Mind 2S to its limits as a workstation or a gaming PC, adding a Mind Dock and the new Mind Graphics 2 pushes the total price past the $3,000 mark. At that point, you’re firmly in the territory of high-end gaming desktops or premium workstation laptops — both of which offer similar raw power and with the latter, portability.

If you don’t plan on taking advantage of the Mind 2S’s unique modular capabilities and pocketable nature, it will likely be overkill for most people. Fortunately, the standard Mind 2 is significantly cheaper, with a starting price of $799. It gives you all the perks of the Khadas ecosystem and that signature build quality without the same initial sticker shock.

Khadas Mind 2S: Verdict

The Khadas Mind 2S continues to impress me with its sleek design, powerful internals, and its place as the newest addition to Khadas’ growing Mind ecosystem. Despite its pocketable size, you still get full-sized ports and expandable storage. Likewise, thanks to its internal battery, this is the kind of mini PC you could actually bring with you to work and then back home in the evening — all without ever powering it down.

At $1,599, the Mind 2S certainly won’t be for everyone. In fact, I’d consider it a "special edition" device for existing Khadas Mind fans who want the maximum amount of power in this specific form factor today. Then again, with the Mind Pro now available for pre-order at $1,799, it might be worth waiting and paying a bit more for that next-gen Panther Lake chip if you're chasing the absolute ceiling of performance.

Still, if you want a seriously fast, dockable mini PC you can carry in your pocket right now, the Mind 2S is a fantastic machine that stays true to the solid foundation laid by the original Khadas Mind.

As the rest of the tech world seemingly falls apart thanks to the ongoing RAM crisis, Apple is slated to have a busy start to 2026 with a slew new devices expected to launch in the next six months.

From the refreshed iPhone 17e to new iPads, we expect to see a variety of devices, including a new budget-friendly MacBook to take on Chromebooks and cheaper Windows notebooks. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman confirmed a number of new devices in his PowerOn newsletter, many of which we've covered. Here's what Apple should release soon — and what's on the horizon.

iPhones: iPhone 17e

Apple's e-series is going to be an annual spring release with the second version launching this year in the iPhone 17e. Most of the changes with this model will reportedly be internal with new chips and the addition of MagSafe charging.

It should get the A19 chip from the iPhone 17 plus the Apple-developed C1 modem and N1 wireless chip. This means the iPhone 17e should support Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread - the smart home low-power mesh.

Unfortunately, the iPhone 17e may retain the $599 of the 16e, which makes it not quite as budget-friendly as you'd like a downgraded iPhone to be.

As my colleague Tom Pritchard noted, "It may be a cheap iPhone, but we've seen cheaper, and I'm wondering whether buying a used flagship iPhone is a better use of your money."

Later this fall, we expect to see the iPhone 18 Pro, 18 Pro Max and the iPhone Fold launch in September.

iPads: Entry-level, Air, Mini

Gurman claims that at least three refreshed iPad models are coming this year, including a new base model, iPad Air and an updated iPad mini.

Like the 17e, the biggest upgrades will all be internal. All three are expected to get the new in-house Apple wireless and modem chips. Additionally, they should get faster processors. Gurman claimed they would get the A18 chip, but an earlier report based on leaked internal documents indicated that the iPads would get the newer A19 chipset or the M4 chip.

The base model will get the A19, while the iPad Air will get the M4 set.

Finally, at the end of 2025, it was rumored that the iPad mini 8 will get an OLED upgrade, and it might feature the A20 Pro CPU that will feature in the iPhone 18 Pro later this year. The upgraded iPad mini isn't expected to launch until later this year after the iPhone 18 Pro launch.

MacBooks: Budget, M5 Air, and new Pro models

Apple launched its MacBook Pro M5 in October last year but was missing the M5 Pro and M5 Max/Ultra models. The most current rumors have set the high-end Pro models to launch as early as the week of March 2. We expect the MacBook Air M5 to launch around this time as well.

The more interesting potential release is the rumored cheap MacBook meant to take on low-cost Windows laptops and Google Chromebooks. Rumors have slated this budget MacBook to cost around $599, likely as a way for Apple to kneecap the refurbished market for deals like the M1 MacBook Air from Walmart.

The laptop should have a 12-inch to 13-inch display and run on the A18 Pro chipset, though that is speculation. I haven't seen a release date in the rumor mill, but I would put a couple bucks on it launching alongside the iPhone 17e, creating a "budget ecosystem" for Apple. Possibly, it could debut as part of a week of MacBooks with the Pro models.

Finally, on the computing front, Apple could finally release an updated Studio Display and Mac Studio desktops. Allegedly, new Mac minis, likely with the M5 chip, are on the docket as well. It's not clear when these devices will launch. Plus, an OLED MacBook Pro M6 is rumored to launch at some point this year, likely in October, its usual window.

iOS 26.4: Siri 2.0, iOS 27

One of our complaints about the 16e was the high price point and the lack of actual Apple Intelligence, thanks to Apple's struggles with AI and creating a true Siri 2.0.

That version should finally launch with iOS 26.4, likely in March, which will include upgrades to Siri. The real upgrade probably won't launch until WWDC 2026 in June when we'll learn more about iOS 27 and the Google Gemini partnership to bolster Apple Intelligence.

All in all, it's a busy season for the tech giant, and Tom's Guide will be there to cover all the new devices and help you decide if it's time to upgrade.

More from Tom's Guide

• New Snapdragon X2 Elite benchmarks surface — and Apple and Intel should be worried
• 5 Apple Watch settings you should change right now for more accurate heart rate tracking
• Best iPhones: Which iPhone should you buy?

The Minix Elite EU715-AI is one of the rare mini PCs that manages to pack high-end performance into an absolutely tiny chassis without compromising on cooling or noise. At just over an inch and a half tall, it barely takes up any room on your desk, and yet, despite its small size, it runs nearly silent.

Minix didn’t cut corners here either. Instead of using an underpowered processor for the sake of going smaller, the PC maker equipped the Elite EU715-AI with one of Intel’s Meteor Lake chips, along with enough RAM and storage to handle most workloads. However, if you need more, you can always open this mini PC up and easily upgrade it.

After spending over a month using it as my daily driver, I’m seriously impressed by just how quiet it is while handling everything I’ve thrown at it. Still, I wish there were a few more USB ports around back, and you’re definitely paying a premium price for its “Elite” all-metal case and whisper-quiet design.

My Minix Elite EU715-AI review will help you decide if this is the best mini PC for your needs or if it’s worth going with something slightly louder and taller for a lot less.

Minix Elite EU715-AI: Cheat Sheet

• What is it? A business-focused mini PC that packs high-end performance into an absolutely tiny case.
• Who is it for? Users who want a powerful workstation that saves desk space and stays practically silent even under load.
• What does it cost? The Minix Elite EU715-AI costs $1,300. While it carries a premium price tag, this mini PC comes fully equipped with enough RAM and storage that most won't need to upgrade it for years.
• What do we like? The ultra-compact size, the convenience of standard USB-C power, the near-silent operation and the ability to easily add more storage later.
• What don’t we like? The high entry price and a frustrating lack of rear ports make cable management a challenge.

Minix Elite EU715-AI: Specs

Minix Elite EU715-AI: The ups

There’s a lot to like about the Minix Elite EU715-AI, from its tiny footprint to how you’ll practically never hear its internal fan spin up. However, it’s the small things, like the included power adapter and how upgradeable it is, even with such a thin profile, that stood out to me most.

Tiny package, plenty of power

Measuring 5.51 x 5.43 x 1.56 inches, the Elite EU715-AI is just slightly wider than the Mac mini M4, but it’s also half an inch shorter. This mini PC won’t take up much space on your desk at all, and Minix even includes a VESA mounting bracket if you want to install it behind a monitor. Be warned, though: it’s so quiet you might actually forget it’s there.

On the front, you get two high-speed USB-A ports, a Thunderbolt 4 port and a headphone/microphone combo jack. There are also two tiny microphones located above its front USB ports to complement its “AI” branding, just like on the MSI Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG. However, it lacks a built-in speaker like on that mini PC, so you will need to bring your own speakers to converse with your favorite AI chatbot or if you need to jump on a call.

Around back, you get two USB-C ports (one of which is used for power), one USB-A port, HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 1.4, and two 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet ports. There is also a Kensington lock on the right side and vents to expel hot air above the rear ports.

Under the hood, the Elite EU715-AI is powered by an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H processor and 32GB of DDR5 memory. It also comes with a 1TB M.2 SSD and Windows 11 Pro. In our lab tests, the Elite EU715-AI beat out newer Intel-based mini PCs like the Geekom IT15 across the board despite having an older, first-generation Intel Core Ultra Series 1 chip.

The reason for this performance gap is that the EU715-AI features a 16-core processor designed for high-performance laptops, whereas many newer 2nd-gen Core Ultra (Lunar Lake) chips focus on power efficiency over raw processing power. While the Elite EU715-AI is a powerful yet pricey mini PC, it was the low noise levels that impressed me most.

Mac mini quiet

Just like I did with the AceMagic F2A, I had to break out my sound level meter to test the Elite EU715-AI, but for the opposite reason. With the F2A, its dual fans made a very audible hum and got as loud as 55dB. The same was true with the Geekom IT15, which hit 54dB. It’s a completely different story with the Elite EU715-AI, which was significantly quieter at just 36dB.

With other mini PCs I’ve tested, like the Atomman G7 TI, there’s a physical button on the front to switch between performance modes. With the Elite EU715-AI, I don’t even need one; even with over 20 Chrome tabs open across three windows, it never so much as made a peep while I was working. Even when I’d leave it on in the background, it wasn’t audible at all.

If you don’t want to hear your computer at your desk, the Elite EU715-AI is the closest a Windows-based mini PC has gotten to Mac mini M4 noise levels (or lack thereof) yet in my experience.

No barrel port here

One common feature that less premium mini PCs often share is large power adapters that use a vendor-specific barrel port connector. Fortunately, you won’t find one here. Instead, the Elite EU715-AI uses a standard 100W USB-C power adapter.

I know this is a small thing, but as someone who’s constantly building desk setups and trying out new mini PCs, I don’t like being stuck with a bulky, non-standard power adapter. Since the Elite EU715-AI relies on a 100W USB-C connection, the included adapter is very compact and roughly the size of a standard phone charger. Just like with the even smaller (and pocketable) Khadas Mind, this means you can actually use a third-party GaN charger if you want an even more portable setup for travel.

Some newer mini PCs like the Geekom A9 Max and the Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG let you use one of their USB-C ports for power in lieu of their barrel ports. However, since they still keep the barrel jack on the rear panel, that connector ends up being wasted physical space. That isn’t the case with the Elite EU715-AI; the back of the unit is cleaner because it was designed specifically for USB-C power input.

Easy upgrades in a small case

Even with a mini PC as small as the Elite EU715-AI, you can still open it up and upgrade the existing components — and you’re able to add new ones too. In this case, you can swap out the included 32GB of RAM for up to 96GB.

Likewise, you can also swap the included 1TB M.2 SSD for a 4TB drive, and there’s also a free M.2 2280 slot where you can add another 4TB drive for a total of 8TB of storage. Not bad for such a tiny case.

To get to the Elite EU715-AI’s internals, I flipped it over and removed a screw at each of its four corners.

One thing I really like about this mini PC, compared to the Geekom A5 and most of the others I’ve reviewed, is that I didn’t have to remove the rubber case feet on the bottom to get to these screws. Instead, Minix slightly offset the Elite EU715-AI’s feet and put the case screws closer to the edge. That way, you can easily open its case without worrying about damaging those rubber feet.

Minix Elite EU715-AI: The downs

The Minix Elite EU715-AI is a seriously impressive mini PC in a very petite package. Unfortunately, it’s not without its downsides that make cable management more difficult and put a serious dent in your wallet.

Short on ports

I don’t know about you, but when I want to plug wired devices into my computer, I prefer to do so at the back so that I can run their cables behind my desk. Well, the Elite EU715-AI does come equipped with three USB-A ports for doing so. The problem is, two are on the front and only one is at the rear.

Although this likely won’t be a deal-breaker for most people, at this price, I’d like to see a few more ports and even an SD card reader. Now, I get there are space limitations around back due to the Elite EU715-AI’s case, but both the Asus NUC 14 Pro and the original MSI Cubi NUC 1M both have dual USB-A ports around back. While they don’t have a DisplayPort like the Elite EU715-AI does (something you rarely see on a mini PC), the latter retains the same dual 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet ports.

Speaking of ports, I have another gripe with one of the rear ports in particular.

Underpowered rear USB-C video

Having a Thunderbolt 4 port on the front of the Elite EU715-AI is very convenient for quickly connecting a portable monitor. But what if you’ve permanently incorporated one into your desk setup? Well, I have a portable monitor next to my ultrawide, and as such, I’d rather connect it to the Elite EU715-AI using the USB-C Gen 2x2 port around back. Unfortunately, when I tried it with two different portable monitors, I couldn’t get either of them to work.

Eventually, I just used an angled USB-C extension cable and plugged my portable monitor into the Thunderbolt 4 port on the front instead of the more conveniently located USB-C one on the back. It worked well enough, though this fix did take away from the Elite EU715-AI’s sleek design.

After a bit of research, I finally found the problem. While both the Thunderbolt 4 port up front and the USB-C one around back provide 15W of power (and most portable monitors need 8-12W), the rear port seems to experience handshake issues where it isn’t able to “negotiate” the power draw required by the monitor while simultaneously handling a video signal.

Once I added another USB-C cable and connected it to an outlet to power the portable monitor, I was able to get the rear port working correctly. However, I would have loved to have the same one-cable connection I have at the front of the Elite EU715-AI around back.

Paying an Elite premium

When Minix first launched the Elite EU715-AI in May 2025, it was originally priced at $999. At the time, this was already more expensive than similarly specced mini PCs from brands like Minisforum and Geekom, but its compact form factor and all-metal case helped justify the "Elite" branding.

In the time since, however, the ongoing RAM crisis has pushed the price of memory through the roof. As a result, PC makers and retailers have been forced to raise prices significantly, much like how the Xbox Series X is now more expensive at $649 than it was when it launched back in 2020.

Let’s face it: you’re going to be spending more for PCs, laptops, and other electronics today than you would have just a few months ago. The problem with the Elite EU715-AI, though, is that you’re paying a $1,300 premium for a mini PC with an Intel Core Ultra Series 1 processor when Core Ultra Series 3 (Panther Lake) processors have already arrived.

Given that my colleague Jason England just reviewed a laptop with one of these new chips, I can tell you the performance and efficiency gains are significant, and they'll likely be making their way to mini PCs any day now. This makes the "Series 1" hardware inside this Minix feel two generations behind the curve for such a steep price.

Minix Elite EU715-AI: Verdict

The Minix Elite EU715-AI stands out thanks to its ultra-compact case and the premium materials used throughout its design. Despite being two generations older, its Intel Core Ultra 7 155H processor is still very powerful and more than equipped for a wide variety of workloads. Its near-silent operation — peaking at just 40dB — is equally impressive given the thermal and acoustic limitations that usually come with such a small chassis.

Although I would have liked to see a few more ports around back, and I think swapping the position of the Thunderbolt 4 and USB-C ones would make sense, you’re still getting a solid selection. This includes features you rarely find elsewhere in this size, like DisplayPort 1.4 and a dedicated USB-C power port.

My biggest gripe, though, is with the price. Although slightly premium, $999 was originally the perfect price point for a machine like this. Unfortunately, Minix is just one of many manufacturers forced to raise prices due to the ongoing RAM crisis. The blame for this $1,300 sticker price doesn’t fall on the company; instead, the rapid expansion of AI infrastructure has effectively hijacked the global memory supply.

Still, if you’re looking for a whisper-quiet mini PC with a very small footprint and the option to upgrade it down the line, the Elite EU715-AI could be worth the premium. This is especially true considering that memory prices aren't expected to settle until at least 2027, and may even increase further as the year goes on.

I was over the moon at the idea of a completely redesigned Mac mini in a much smaller case with a more powerful M4 chip. That was until Apple finally showed off its new design, revealing that, this time around, the power button on the Mac mini M4 would be on the bottom instead of on the back of the device.

The Apple Magic Mouse with its oddly placed charging port immediately sprung to mind. At least with a wireless mouse though, you don’t have to plug it in all that often. Now with one of the best mini PCs, a power button is integral to their daily use. Apple on the other hand saw things quite differently.

Shortly after the Mac mini M4’s launch, Apple’s SVP of Worldwide Marketing Greg Joswiak and SVP of Hardware Engineering John Ternus explained in an interview with IThome that the underside of the Mac mini M4 was the “optimal spot” for its power button due to the redesign. At the same time, they also noted that most Mac users never actually turn their devices off.

Although I used a Mac growing up and while in college, back when I reviewed the Mac mini M4, I had mostly been using Windows-based mini PCs. As such, I initially scoffed at the idea of never shutting down my computer and how Apple had practically made the device’s power button unreachable.

Now though, after using the Mac mini M4 for over a year I realized Apple just might have been right.

A non-optional accessory

Just like when I spent a week testing out the Mac mini M2 ahead of the release of this updated model, the first accessory I added to the Mac mini M4 was a USB-C powered dock and stand.

I know most people are fine using Bluetooth accessories these days but since I’m constantly switching between computers, I actually prefer one of the best mechanical keyboards and a trackball mouse with 2.4 GHz USB receivers. With three USB-A ports on the front, I even have one left over to plug in a flash drive. Likewise, with an SD card reader on the left, it’s easy to quickly take photos off my camera.

The Satechi Mac Mini M4 Stand & Hub also has another trick up its sleeve. When you flip it over, there’s a free slot where you can install up to a 4TB M.2 SSD. Doing so lets you get around paying the Apple Tax for extra storage. Also, thanks to the fact that the Mac mini M4 comes with 16GB of RAM as the new standard, you likely won’t have to jump up to an upgraded model since this accessory easily lets you add more storage space.

The other big problem the Satechi Stand & Hub solves is that you can now easily reach the Mac mini M4’s power button. Without it, you’d have to awkwardly tilt the device over on your desk anytime you wanted to power it back on after a shutdown.

Although I haven’t stopped using this accessory with my Mac mini M4 for over a year now, the cutout at the back isn’t the killer feature I initially thought it would be.

Powered on and forgotten

Even though I still think the Mac mini M4 is the best mini PC for most people and especially for Apple users, I’ve been using it less lately so that I can spend my time testing and reviewing other, Windows-based mini PCs.

When OpenAI rolled out its ChatGPT Atlas browser back in October of last year though, I was tasked with installing it and doing a hands-on. Since it was Mac-only at that time, I got it up and running on my Mac mini M4. Now if I had one of the best MacBooks on hand, it would have been a lot easier taking pictures of this new AI-powered browser running on a Mac. Instead, I ended up putting a new desk setup together just to do so.

To Apple’s credit, when I was done, I didn’t shut down the Mac mini M4. Instead, I let it go into sleep mode and that was that. Much to my surprise though, when I returned from CES 2026 last week, I saw its status light was still on. After a few taps on my keyboard, it instantly sprung back to life, completely oblivious to the fact that I had left it powered on for almost three months.

It was at that moment that it dawned on me, maybe Apple was right. With a new puppy in our game room sleeping where I previously worked, I’ve found myself working from the Mac mini M4 in the next room and letting it fall asleep on its own each night for the past week.

I think what surprised me the most though is that besides that small white indicator light, I wouldn’t have known Apple’s mini PC was sleeping as it’s completely quiet when doing so and it isn't a light sleeper like some of the Windows-based mini PCs I’ve tested and reviewed. It doesn’t “wake up” for updates or from overly sensitive peripherals.

Even when my son would bump into my desk when running over to check on the puppy, the Mac mini M4 never stirred. That was until I started typing on the keyboard in front of it.

From hidden to essential

Now that I fully understand Apple’s reasoning with the Mac mini M4’s power button placement, I’d still like to see some changes with the Mac mini M5 or whatever comes next. Instead of tucking it away on the underside of the device, what if Apple actually made it useful?

After reviewing the MSI Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG and loving the fingerprint scanner integrated into its power button, I’d love to see Apple do something similar with the next Mac mini. Right now, if you want to use Touch ID to do things like log in, use Apple Pay, install new software or buy apps from the Mac App Store, your only option is to purchase a Magic Keyboard with Touch ID separately. But imagine how much more useful this functionality would be if it was built right into your Mac?

Even if Apple doesn’t want to give up the biggest selling point of its most expensive keyboard, there are other ways the Mac mini’s power button could be useful. Given that we’re getting an upgraded and more intelligent Siri soon, imagine if a short press of the power button could bring that up while a long press could be used to shutdown your computer. The possibilities are really almost endless once you bring short, long and even double presses into the mix.

It might have taken me over a year, but now, I finally understand why Apple compromised with the placement of the Mac mini M4’s power button. I’d say I was going to shut down my computer now but given that it’s been on for months, I guess I’ll just step away from my keyboard and let it drift off to sleep.

More from Tom's Guide

• I tried this new mechanical keyboard with the Mac mini M4 and it puts Apple’s Magic Keyboard to shame
• Mac mini M4 — 4 reasons to buy and 3 reasons to skip
• I gave my Mac mini M4 the ultimate upgrade with this Mac Pro-style case and it fixes some of my biggest complaints

RAMageddon strikes again, as Framework is increasing desktop prices by up to $460. The company had already raised laptop prices in recent weeks, so it was inevitable that its desktops would be affected.

“We held off on it as long as we could,” said Framework in a blog post, “but with LPDDR5x memory prices from our suppliers continuing to increase rapidly, we've had to update the pricing on Framework Desktop systems and Mainboards.”

Framework says that the prices of 128GB parts have spiked the most, with costs now going up by up to $460, as mentioned above. However, the company will honor the original pricing for existing pre-orders.

\And this might be a small consolation, but the price of rigs with 32GB and 64GB of RAM will only go up by $40 each. The company claims that the 32GB Framework Desktop Mainboard is cheaper than building your own desktop PC from parts with similar performance.

A rough year ahead

Framework says it has limited price increases to only cover the cost increase of RAM from its suppliers, and is using "Weighted Average Cost" of inventory to accommodate the volatility in RAM purchase prices. “We will continue to do everything we can to make our computers accessible during this time, and we'll keep you informed throughout,” said Framework.

That last statement is accurate, as Framework has indeed continued updating the original blog post whenever it has raised prices. The transparency is welcome, as it means customers won’t be blindsided by price hikes from the company.

Given how some industry experts don’t expect the RAM situation to stabilize until 2028, we’re going to hear more stories like this throughout 2026. If you’re a tech enthusiast like me, then this year is going to be rough.

It’ll be interesting to see how much higher component prices will go before customers decide it’s not worth upgrading their computers. I don’t know about you, but I certainly don’t plan to purchase any PC parts unless it’s an emergency. I suspect this will be common throughout 2026.

More from Tom's Guide

• I think 2026 will be a breakout year for laptops and a brutal one for buyers
• The strange disappearance of the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 with Intel Panther Lake and integrated graphics
• I just tested Lenovo’s Legion Pro Rollable concept, and now my gaming laptop feels boring

While one of the best laptops will certainly do the job for most people, I’ve always found them limiting. From their non-modular designs to the constant worry of keeping a battery topped off, I prefer to work on a desktop whenever possible.

In fact, I’ve gone so far as to bring one of the best mini PCs with me when I travel, and more recently, I ditched my laptop entirely for a pocketable mini PC and a pair of AR glasses. The catch is that I still have to bring a keyboard. But what if I didn’t?

The Raspberry Pi 400 was the first device to truly put the keyboard-PC back on the map. At less than $100, you aren't paying a premium for the form factor, but being limited to ARM-based Linux meant it could never be my daily driver for work.

HP recently showed off its new EliteBoard G1a, which feels much better suited for a mainstream audience as it offers a full Windows 11 Pro experience that easily fits in a backpack. After going hands-on with it, I think I’m finally one step closer to leaving my mini PC behind and just working from a keyboard — even if the dream isn't quite perfect yet.

Finally, a pro-level keyboard-PC

At first glance, the HP EliteBoard G1a doesn’t look that different from any other keyboard you’d find in an office setting, as it has a full-size layout with a numpad on the right. It’s only when you see it from the side that you notice the laptop-like vents and two USB-C ports on the top left corner.

On the version I saw, these were the only two ports on the device — one is a high-speed USB4 port and the other is USB 3.2 Gen 2.

What surprised me most about the EliteBoard G1a is that both of these ports are capable of video out. With one of the best monitors that has at least 65W of USB-C Power Delivery, you can actually run a dual-monitor setup right from the keyboard. This effectively turns your display into a docking station, leaving your desk completely clutter-free.

When you flip the EliteBoard G1a over, the cooling vents reveal its true nature. Powered by an AMD Ryzen AI 300 Series processor with up to Radeon 860M graphics, it’s a legitimate powerhouse.

Beyond standard office work, it’s equipped to handle creative apps like Photoshop and even light gaming — tasks that would bring a Raspberry Pi 400 to its knees.

The device can also be outfitted with an optional 32Wh internal battery. This isn’t meant for working on the go with a portable monitor; instead, like with the Khadas Mind mini PC, it’s designed to let you move from one desk to another without shutting down or rebooting.

Even the power button feels "Elite." A solid white LED means it’s powered on, while a blinking light indicates Modern Standby — ready to wake up with a single tap. You can even opt for a version with an integrated fingerprint sensor for Windows Hello, so you can securely login as you’re powering up the device.

During my hands-on time, the experience was snappy and, more importantly, practically silent. An HP rep explained that it’s tuned to stay at or below 38dB, backed by a TÜV certification for low noise. For a moment there, I almost forgot there was a whole computer underneath my fingers.

Close but it doesn't quite track

I was quite impressed with the EliteBoard G1a, but it isn’t without its shortcomings, the most significant of which is the numpad on the right. If you’re an accountant or a real number cruncher, you probably need those keys, but for the rest of us, it feels like wasted space.

A trackpad would be a whole lot more useful for a device meant to be a portable all-in-one. HP is actually exploring adding a trackpad version to the EliteBoard G1a lineup, but in the meantime, the device at least comes with a pre-paired wireless mouse to bridge the gap.

As someone who couldn’t imagine working without one of the best mechanical keyboards, the real deal-breaker for me is the typing experience. To achieve that ultra-thin 12mm profile, the EliteBoard G1a features a low-profile scissor-switch membrane keyboard instead of true mechanical switches.

The silver lining is that the design is remarkably modular; the keyboard deck is spill-resistant and easy to replace if it gets damaged or if you accidentally douse it in coffee.

If the EliteBoard G1a had mechanical keyswitches and a trackpad on the right, it would be the perfect device for me, especially given how much power that AMD Ryzen AI 300 chip packs into such a tiny form factor. Unfortunately, it’s currently designed for business users where a quiet membrane keyboard is par for the course.

Now that HP has shown you can cram a powerful Windows 11 computer into a keyboard, I'm hopeful other PC makers will follow suit. Here’s to hoping one of them decides to go all-in on the premium typing experience and gives us a keyboard-PC with both mechanical switches and a trackpad.

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The Lenovo Yoga Mini i is an absolutely tiny mini PC in a puck-shaped chassis that still manages to pack a serious performance punch thanks to the inclusion of Intel’s new Core Ultra Series 3 chips. However, it has quite a few tricks up its sleeve that could easily earn it a place amongst the best mini PCs.

Unveiled during CES 2026, this is the second mini PC from Lenovo’s Yoga line, and as such, it sports the same aluminum finish from the company’s premium line of consumer laptops. Despite its small size, Lenovo has outfitted the Yoga Mini i with an excellent selection of rear ports, but there are also a few handy ports on the side.

I briefly went hands-on with the Yoga Mini i at CES, but its unique form factor immediately made it stand out. However, it wasn’t until I learned more about this mini PC that its unique design and built-in AI capabilities truly clicked.

Here are my initial thoughts on the Yoga Mini i and why I think it just might be the perfect desktop companion.

Lenovo Yoga Mini i hands-on review: Specs

Lenovo Yoga Mini i: Price and availability

The Lenovo Yoga Mini i will have a starting price of $699 and is expected to launch in June 2026. However, we’ll likely learn more about other, more powerful configurations of this mini PC and what they’ll cost when we get closer to its release this summer.

Lenovo Yoga Mini i: Design

At 5.12 x 5.12 x 1.91 inches, the Yoga Mini i is slightly larger as well as slightly shorter than Apple’s Mac mini M4 and it also features a case that’s made from aluminum. However, its round form factor instantly sets it apart, especially among other rectangular mini PCs.

On the front, the Yoga logo is visible in the center with two holes for its built-in microphone above, and the Lenovo logo is etched onto the top of its case. Conveniently, on the side of the Yoga Mini i, there’s a Thunderbolt 4 port along with a 3.5mm combo headphone and microphone jack.

Then around back, there’s a single USB-A port, an HDMI 2.1 port, two USB-C ports — one of which is used to power the device with 100W PD-in — a second Thunderbolt 4 port and a 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet port. This is quite a lot of ports for a device this size, given the limitations that come with using a rounded case instead of a rectangular one.

When you flip the Yoga Mini i over, there’s a small stand on the bottom of the device with a rubber ring that wraps all the way around to keep it firmly planted on your desk. Then above that, there are circular holes all the way around this mini PC, which serve a dual purpose. Not only do they provide ventilation as part of their 360-degree airflow system, but they also provide audio output from the Yoga Mini i’s built-in speaker.

It’s clear a lot of thought went into the design of this mini PC, but as I said before, it has a few more tricks up its sleeve.

Lenovo Yoga Mini i: Qira and Wi-Fi sensing

When I first went hands-on with the Yoga Mini i, Lenovo hadn’t announced its new Qira AI Assistant yet. However, when I went and checked it out again after the announcement, I finally saw the full picture.

At first glance, the Yoga Mini i looks just like one of the best smart speakers and it actually kind of is, in a sense. Although you can bring up Lenovo’s new AI assistant from within Windows, you can also tap on the top of the Yoga Mini i to do so as well. While I haven’t gotten a chance to try this out yet, I can already see how useful this could be when working at your desk.

In addition to opening Qira, you can also tap the top of this mini PC to share files and to turn its RGB underglow light on or off. Speaking of its built-in lighting, you can also have this light sync to music playing from its built-in speaker.

For its final trick, Lenovo has equipped this mini PC with Wi-Fi sensing capabilities. By constantly monitoring how its wireless signals reflect off of walls and furniture, the Yoga Mini i can detect when a large physical object like a person walks in front of it.

By opening the Lenovo AI Turbo Engine app, I was able to customize the color of the Yoga Mini i’s underglow light and pick from several different lighting effects. After setting the light’s color to red and the lighting effect to breathing, I stepped away from the device, and the instant I was back in front of it, it greeted me with a cool little light show.

Now I don’t know how useful this will be on an everyday basis yet, but I’m excited to try this out for myself in my full review later this year. However, I can already imagine using this feature to quickly see if my PC is still on when I come back into the room.

Lenovo Yoga Mini i: Performance and in use

Like I mentioned before, I was only able to briefly go hands-on with the Yoga Mini i, and I won’t know how well it actually performs until we get one into our testing lab. Still, it was quiet, apps opened quickly and it didn’t feel sluggish at all, likely because it’s rocking one of Intel’s new Core Ultra Series 3 chips.

I can already see myself using this device as my next mini PC, with it front and center on my desk. I really like how there’s a fingerprint reader integrated into its power button, as this will let me quickly log into Windows without having to enter a PIN. Likewise, I won’t have to plug in a pair of speakers to listen to music or to watch videos and its built-in microphone will probably work in a pinch for meetings, though it will probably be more useful for using Lenovo’s Qira AI assistant.

Even though the Yoga Mini i is small enough to fit in your pocket, it can actually drive up to four high-resolution displays thanks to its dual Thunderbolt 4 ports, HDMI 2.1 port and high-speed USB-C port that supports video out. I’ll have to try this out for myself, but from what I’ve seen so far, the Yoga Mini i already looks like an impressive mini PC.

Lenovo Yoga Mini i hands-on review: Outlook

The Lenovo Yoga Mini i is far from your typical mini PC, for better or worse. You can’t mount it behind a monitor and I doubt you’ll easily be able to open it up to add another SSD or to swap out its RAM. However, if you’re after a smaller device with a unique design and more than a few features you won’t find anywhere else.

I’m looking forward to putting the Yoga Mini i through its paces and using it as my daily driver later this year. Hopefully Qira is as impressive as Lenovo has made it out to be but even if it’s not, this sleek mini PC certainly stands out from the crowd. Either way, stay tuned for my full review.

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I never thought I’d head out for a trip and leave my laptop behind, but after spending a year with my pocketable mini PC and AR glasses setup, I finally did.

Don’t get me wrong, one of the best laptops is a much better fit for most people, but then again, I’m not most people. While I love my trusty ThinkPad, I rarely use it. It’s a great machine, but I’ve been spoiled by my home office desk setup.

Being able to write stories like this one with a dual-monitor or even a triple-monitor setup gives me more than enough screen real estate for multiple Chrome windows with at least half a dozen tabs open in each one. I also love the feeling of having a mechanical keyboard under my fingers as opposed to the membrane-style ones you find on most laptops. Then I have my trackball mouse with customizable buttons which gives me improved accuracy while putting less strain on my wrist.

I tried everything to recreate that experience on the road — including using a dual-screen portable monitor — but it wasn’t until I first put on a pair of AR glasses that things finally clicked. Then it just came down to finding one of the best mini PCs that was small enough and could be powered by USB-C to bring the whole setup together.

I did just that at the beginning of this year. At that time, it was just a proof of concept. However, in the months since, I’ve put it to the test while traveling and now, it’s found a permanent place in my carry-on. Here’s how this unconventional combo went from a wild experiment to my biggest surprise of the year.

From my pocket to the plane

Back in 2024, I reviewed the Khadas Mind mini PC. Unlike the Mac mini M4 or the Geekom A9 Max though, the Khadas Mind mini PC looks more like a portable hard drive and is small enough to slip into a pocket.

While the original was impressive, I used the newer, more powerful Khadas Mind 2S for this project. My favorite feature is that it offers full-sized ports — including Thunderbolt 4, USB4, HDMI, and two USB-A ports — so I don't have to lug around separate dongles.

Since the Mind 2S (and the Mind) can be powered via USB-C, I’m not tethered to a wall outlet. I can use a standard GaN charger or even a high-capacity power bank for a truly mobile workstation. For my display, I use a pair of Xreal One AR glasses. They have built-in speakers and an ultrawide mode that recreates the side-by-side window experience I love so much with my ultrawide monitor at home.

After testing this unique setup out around my home, it was time for my first real test: a trip to NYC for the unveiling of the Nintendo Switch 2. Much to my surprise, after going hands on with Nintendo’s latest console, I managed to write my entire hands-on review with this mini PC and AR glasses combo.

Even more surprisingly, I was able to fit my wireless mechanical keyboard, mini trackball mouse, and the rest of this setup on an airplane tray table with everything powered by my Ugreen Nexode Power Bank. Since I managed to pull that off and loved working from my hotel with this mini PC and AR glasses combo, I decided to put my setup to the true test by bringing it with me on an international trip.

Ready for prime time

Although CES in Las Vegas is the go-to show for new tech and futuristic concepts every year, Computex in Taiwan is just as impressive. Instead of being in the city of lights with all that glitz, you’re at the heart of where your favorite laptops, monitors, and gadgets actually get made. For that reason, myself and the rest of the Tom’s Guide computing team have been traveling halfway across the world to see the action in person for the last few years.

This year, in addition to my laptop (just in case), I also decided to bring my mini PC and AR glasses setup, and I’m glad I did. When I’m out on the show floor, I like to travel light as there’s plenty of walking between the two exhibition halls — TaiNEX 1 and TaiNEX 2 — that make up the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center. Lugging around a laptop means I need a larger bag, but with the Khadas Mind 2S and the rest of the accessories in my setup, I was able to fit everything plus my camera into a much smaller bag.

When it was time to update the live blog or work on a story, I headed to the press room and got to work. As you can see in the picture above, I have the Mind 2S plugged into a Ugreen Nexode GaN charger, with the other USB-C port connected to my Xreal One AR glasses. On the table, I have plenty of room for my slim mechanical keyboard and my mini trackball mouse, the Elecom Bitra.

Given that my colleagues and I sometimes have to divide and conquer at a big show, I found the Adaptive-Transparency Mode on the Xreal One AR glasses incredibly useful. By default, the shortcut button on top of the right temple is set to switch to Transparency Mode, which turns off the display so I can see my surroundings. This let me keep working while remaining aware of my team, including if someone had just walked into the room.

Sure, I did get some looks in the press room at Computex, but they weren’t the typical ones I’d get when using a setup like this in public. Instead, everyone was curious about the gear, and I even had a local Taiwanese reporter come up and interview me about it on video. At the end of the day, I’m glad I brought it to Taiwan and plan on doing the same for CES 2026 next week.

Leaving my laptop behind

Shortly after I returned from Taiwan this summer, my family and I had a trip planned to the south of Texas. In the rush to pack, I still had a bit of unfinished work to attend to. For a moment, I thought about slipping my laptop into my backpack but then it hit me: I didn’t need to.

Instead, I packed the Khadas Mind 2S, the Xreal One AR glasses, my low-profile mechanical keyboard, and my mini trackball mouse. I only had to catch up on a few things before I could fully enjoy the trip, and I knew this setup would be more than enough. After checking into the hotel and putting my little one down for the night, I got everything set up and got to work.

While everyone else slept, I sat in the armchair in my hotel room and managed to clear every remaining item off my list. What I really loved about using AR glasses instead of a laptop is that there wasn’t a glow from a screen that might wake up my son. In fact, besides the moment I took the glasses off my face, the entire room remained completely dark.

In the end, what began as an experiment just to see if it was possible turned into one of my favorite setups of the year. If I hadn’t tried out the original Khadas Mind, I never would have thought of it.

I don’t know what next year will hold or what new setups I’ll have a chance to build, but I know this mini PC and AR glasses combo is a winner I plan on using for years to come.

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Desktop PCs are getting expensive — you can thank the RAM pricing crisis for that. But there are cost efficiencies you can make here and there to get a monster tower for cheaper. The answer? Go boring and ditch the RGB tax.

I’ve been testing the RTX 5080 version of the Dell Tower Plus, which my colleague Alex reviewed and gave 4 stars. One look at Dell’s website (U.K — no points for guessing where I'm from based on my last name), and you’ll find it at £2,500. To get a gamer-centric equivalent, the Alienware Aurora R16 with the same spec comes in at well over £3,000.

And the situation is similar in the U.S. too. The RTX 5060 Ti-armed version of the Dell Tower Plus costs $1,769 to the $2,099 of the Aurora

So in a world where we’re all looking for ways to cut costs and get the maximum bang for our buck, I’m here to defend the dullness. While it’s not as clear cut when you get into the details (cooling being one particular example), it’s proving more cost-effective to get a more basic tower specced out the wazoo over a gaming beast. Let me explain.

Bland is the brand

The Dell Tower Plus is super unassuming — I mean look at it. As Alex said in his review, it is “a breath of forgettable fresh air,” and I agree. The aesthetic is basic and utilitarian in nature, and that’s A-OK with me.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I am a sucker for good RGB and well-presented components through a tempered glass side (you’ll see as much in Terry the Tom’s Guide test bench). But given the chances your tower will go underneath your desk, all that pizazz would just be wasted on illuminating the floor.

Instead, this low-key look just kind of fades into the background of your desk nicely, while also keeping its considerable power a secret. Honestly, I’m here for it.

Near-parity for less

And speaking of that “considerable power” I took a look inside to see an Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, 32GB of DDR5 RAM, 1TB of storage and an RTX 5080 GPU. All of it is popped onto a proprietary motherboard, which for those more confident, you could get into and tinker. But it’s meant to be for Dell only to touch under its warranty. This is the cost of affordability.

But the end result is seriously impressive performance that matches up to its gaming ilk while staying quiet (more on that in a second).

Another thing to point out is the cooling solution here. While the Alienware Aurora R16 does have an all-in-one cooler and a couple 120mm fans to keep everything tip top, the Dell Tower Plus has a far simpler cooling solution with a fan at the back and large CPU cooler.

When I took the side off and looked at the way it manages thermals, I was shocked by how quiet it had been the entire time. Not only that, but CPU and GPU temperatures never exceeded the maximum (160-degrees Fahrenheit) that we saw in testing the Alienware Aurora R16.

As Alex said, this is “a wolf in corporate sheep’s clothing,” and Dell’s really thought about everything here.

Where does the extra money go?

When it comes to gaming pre-builts, the premium often comes in the flash of it all. The price of all those key components are all relatively fixed — you’re investing in three key things here:

• A fancy case: That unique, flashy case is usually designed and tooled to be eye-catching for gamers. If you don’t need that edginess, you can save some money.
• The brand name: A brand like Alienware or Asus ROG carries a premium cost with it, so opting for Dell here may have chopped some change off the total price too.
• Advanced (and often unnecessary) features: Outside of that premium lighting, you’ve got a more advanced cooling solution, too. But given temperatures weren’t that different at all, skipping it is another cost-saving measure you can make.

That’s not to say this is all pointless. If you want the flashiness, go right ahead. I won’t deny gaming PCs look cool! But it’s a corner you can cut without sacrificing power but reducing the price you pay.

Should you play it safe (and boring)?

So this is my case for choosing an office box over a spaceship — a boring desktop tower over the gaming PC. RG-be damned, because you could take that $200 saving, get yourself a 4K monitor like the Gigabyte M27UP and make the most of that RTX 5080.

Are there downsides? Sure — the same issues you’d get with any pre-built. Lack of modular customizability and the use of proprietary parts being chief among them.

But as is becoming clear at the moment, it’s now cheaper to go pre-built over building yourself at the moment (thanks RAMageddon). And dodging the RGB-laden options is another way to save yourself some cash while still getting the same sustained performance.

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There's been no shortage of rumors regarding Apple's next iMac. Shortly after a leak suggested that Apple would launch an all-in-one desktop with an M5 Max processor, a new leak has emerged suggesting that Apple will switch to an OLED panel for the upcoming iMac.

Korean publisher The Elec reports that Apple is planning an OLED iMac, which would be a significant departure from the IPS LCD panels currently used in iMac devices. Though if you've ever used the latest iMac, you know that Apple has made the most of that screen tech to create a solid-looking display, and I expect the company will do the same with its first OLED iMac.

What we know about the new iMac OLED

Apple is apparently asking Samsung and LG, companies it typically partners with to make displays for its devices, for information on meeting the specs Apple has put forth.

Presumably, the display makers will be able to handle what Apple wants, and then it'll be a matter of Apple getting quotes to determine which company can meet the demands for a better price.

And what are those specs? Fortunately, the leak from The Elec contains the specs Apple has requested: "The iMac OLED specifications recently requested by Apple are known to be 24 inches, 600 nits of brightness, and 218PPI (Pixels Per Inch) in pixels," reads the request reported by the Korean publication.

If the iMac with an OLED display comes out, it would improve the all-in-one computer's brightness. In fact, based on the specs Apple is looking for in the report, the screen could be up to 20% brighter than the existing 24-inch iMac.

Before you get too excited, the report also suggests that because this is in the early stages, Apple won't finish the OLED iMac until 2027 or 2028, with a release window sometime after that.

The other bit of bad news is the 24-inch size mentioned in the specs. Apparently, Apple isn't looking into larger OLED displays for the iMac, as the OLED tech it's considering doesn’t support panels larger than 30 inches. If you've been holding out for a large iMac with an OLED, you might need to keep the hope burning for a while longer.

MacBook Pro OLED up first

Apple has gradually started switching its devices to OLED, but it hasn't gone all-in yet. First, the Apple Watch got the newer screen technology. From there, Apple started adding OLED to its beloved iPhone and iPad models.

On the back of its smartphones, the Cupertino company is expected to put OLED screens on the MacBook Pro M6. And it could also be the first MacBook with a touch screen display.

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This week, a massive code leak revealed more than 30 Apple devices could debut in the next couple of years. Surprisingly, though, a separate code leak emerged shortly afterwards, revealing at least one more Apple product on the horizon.

Apple is reportedly developing a new iMac Pro featuring its M5 Max chipset, according to leaked internal software seen by MacRumors. The massive leak was the result of a prototype of iOS 26 that was accidentally sold, which contained a “ kernel debug kit” used by Apple’s engineers.

Typically, these systems label unreleased Apple devices using codenames or platform names. Sometimes they also include secondary references to chipsets or marketing names.

According to MacRumors, the software references an iMac codenamed J833c running platform H17C. H17C is a label associated with Sotra C, an alleged codename for the M5 Max chip. This line suggests that Apple is actively testing an iMac featuring the M5 Max.

There are other devices in the code like iPad minis running tvOS that are probably just used for internal Apple testing. However, the J833c codename appeared earlier this year in a different leak.

That July leak revealed every Mac product that could launch in 2026, including a variety of MacBooks and Mac Studios. However, that leak only showed the iMac featuring a standard M5 chip.

The M5 Pro and Max chips are expected to debut in 2026, and there have been rumors of Apple developing a high-end “Pro” iMac going all the way back to 2022. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has reported a few times that Apple is working on an iMac with a bigger screen.

Other Macs

Apparently, the leaked kit also confirmed a few other Mac devices that were highlighted in the July leak. It lists 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pros with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, a 14-inch MacBook Pro featuring an M6 chip, and 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M6 Pro and M6 Max chips.

Additionally, it also lists 13 and 15-inch M5 MacBook Air models, an M5 and M5 Pro Mac mini, and new Mac Studio models, which could feature the M5 Ultra chip. The rumored budget-friendly MacBook featuring an A18 Pro chip is also listed.

We’ll have to wait until next year to find out if some of these leaked Macs turn out to be real products, but for now, take all this info with a grain of salt. If you’re planning to upgrade to one of the best MacBooks, though, it might be worth waiting until next year if you want a new laptop with a more powerful M5 Max or Ultra chip inside.

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The Geekom A9 Max is an incredibly fast mini PC that delivers excellent performance thanks to its AMD Ryzen AI 9 processor. This is paired with powerful components throughout, along with the ability to upgrade its RAM and storage down the line, all in a compact case that’s only slightly wider than the Mac mini M4.

At $1,199, the A9 Max is on the expensive side. However, this isn’t your typical mini PC, as you’re getting desktop-class power and practically all the ports you could need. In typical Geekom fashion, you have loads of rear ports with the ability to drive up to a quad-monitor setup. However, it was the four USB-A ports around front and the convenient SD card reader on the side that impressed me most.

Not only is the A9 Max powerful, it’s also very quiet. During the two months I spent using it as my daily driver, its internal fan never made more than a peep while the system stayed cool. This is likely due to the large heatsink under its motherboard, which did make opening its case up a bit more difficult than with the other Geekom mini PCs I’ve tested in the past.

My Geekom A9 Max review will help you decide if this is the best mini PC for your needs and whether or not it’s worth spending a bit more on a seriously fast yet compact machine.

Geekom A9 Max: Cheat Sheet

• What is it? A compact, silver mini PC that provides desktop-class power and loads of front and rear ports.
• Who is it for? Those who need a powerful mini PC with desktop-class performance to replace a larger system or their laptop.
• What does it cost? The A9 Max costs $1,199, though it's currently discounted to $1,089 on the company’s website.
• What do we like? The powerful Ryzen AI 9 processor, its compact form factor, the ability to power it via USB-C, the highly generous rear and especially front port selection, and its excellent RAM and storage expandability.
• What don’t we like? The premium price tag, the more difficult-than-usual case opening process for upgrades, and the easily detached internal Wi-Fi antennas.

Geekom A9 Max: Specs

Geekom A9 Max: The ups

The Geekom A9 Max certainly earns its name with plenty of power under the hood, loads of ports at the front and back and a solid upgrade path should you want to add even more memory and storage later on.

Sleek, silver and solid

At 5.31 x 5.20 x 1.85 inches, the A9 Max has a slightly larger footprint than the Mac mini M4 on your desk but is slightly shorter. Likewise, you get a VESA mount and screws in the box should you want to mount this mini PC behind your monitor. However, with all those handy front ports, I wouldn’t recommend it but more on that later.

On the front of the A9 Max, there are four high-speed USB-A ports — one of which is an always-on charging port — and a headphone jack along with the power button. On the left side, you get an SD card reader and on the right, there’s a Kensington Lock to secure this mini PC at your desk.

Around back, you get two more USB-A ports (one of which is high-speed, the other is USB 2.0), two HDMI 2.1 ports, two USB4 ports, dual 2.5 gigabit Ethernet ports and a barrel power connector. If you don’t plan on using the A9 Max with a quad-monitor setup, you can use one of the USB4 ports (the one marked PD-in) and a 100W or higher GaN charger instead of the external power supply, just like on the MSI Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG.

Four rubber feet on the underside of the A9 Max kept it firmly planted on my desk and I really like how its aluminum outer shell gives this mini PC a more premium look. However, if you want some color, there’s also a purple version available for the same price.

While the design and ports are excellent on the A9 Max, it’s the power under the hood that’s really the standout feature of this mini PC.

Mini but mighty

Geekom definitely didn’t skimp on the A9 Max’s components and this absolutely shows during my day-to-day usage. It’s powered by an AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 processor, which is paired with 32GB of DDR5 memory and you also get plenty of storage thanks to the included 2TB M.2 SSD.

On the connectivity side, you’re getting Wi-Fi 7 support along with Bluetooth 5.4. I also really liked having not one but two 2.5 gigabit Ethernet ports which can come in handy if you want to connect the A9 Max to one of the best Wi-Fi routers via Ethernet and use the other port to transfer files to a NAS device.

As you can see in the table above, the A9 Max also performed really well in our benchmark tests. While the Geekom IT15 was slightly ahead of it in Geekbench, the A9 Max pulled ahead when it came to moving large files and encoding video. Personally, I found the IT15 to be somewhat on the noisy side under load while the A9 Max never reached more than a slight hum during my real-world testing.

I used the A9 Max as my daily driver at a dual-monitor setup for two months and I was seriously impressed with its performance. As a Chrome power user with dozens of tabs open at a time, it never once slowed down and it was just as speedy when editing photos in GIMP.

Although I didn’t have a chance to test its gaming performance, in our lab, it hit 72 fps in Sid Meier’s Civilization VI: Gathering Storm at 1080p and 37 fps at 4K. With a machine this powerful, you could easily play plenty of modern titles at 1080p with the settings turned up and it will likely handle older titles with ease.

I primarily used the A9 Max for work and one thing really stood out for me when doing so as it made my workflow a lot simpler.

Ports at your fingertips

On most mini PCs, you typically get two USB-A ports, a headphone jack, and maybe a USB-C port up front which is more than enough for most people. However, when you have a USB-C port with video out on the front, you typically don’t have one at the rear. Since Geekom usually gives you not one but two USB4 ports around back, the company decided to go all out on USB-A ports on the front, and this is one of my favorite things about the A9 Max.

As I switch between computers quite often, I like to use the 2.4 GHz USB dongles that come with most wireless keyboards and trackball mice. This lets me quickly change computers without having to pair all of my peripherals over Bluetooth. With the A9 Max, I can have my USB adapters plugged in up front and still have two USB-A ports left over for plugging in flash drives or even charging my phone or tablet.

Another useful feature that you’ll often find on practically every Geekom mini PC is the full-size SD card reader on the left side. This is very convenient for me as it allows me to quickly download photos from my camera like the ones in this review.

Given that you can absolutely game on the A9 Max, theoretically, you could set it up in your living room and connect four wired controllers for a modern-day, N64-like experience. This is absolutely something I want to try when I get time — maybe over the holidays.

Geekom A9 Max: The downs

The A9 Max definitely delivers when it comes to ports, power and upgradeability. However, opening it up and accessing its internals wasn’t as easy on some of the other mini PCs I reviewed. Plus, you’ll need to be very careful with the cables for the Wi-Fi antennas when doing so.

Upgrading can be tricky

Just like with the Geekom A6 I reviewed, opening up the A9 Max starts with flipping it over and removing its rubber feet. This time around though, the glue used to attach them to the bottom of the case was quite strong and I needed to use a pry tool to remove them. Fortunately, I had one on hand from installing one of the best dash cams in my car.

One thing that I do like about Geekom’s rubber feet though is that they slot in on either side. This means that if the adhesive does wear off, you’ll still be able to reattach them on the bottom of the A9 Max. With the feet off, I then used a screwdriver to remove four screws to access the A9 Max’s internals. This is normally all you have to do but Geekom did things a bit differently with this mini PC to keep it cool.

You see, underneath the bottom of its case, there’s a large metal heatsink you also have to remove before getting access to its internals. Removing it meant unscrewing four screws on the A9 Max’s corners and two on either side of the heatsink.

Now here is where things went slightly awry for me. Do you see the two wires taped down on the backside of the heatsink? Well, those are for the A9 Max’s 3D spatial antennas. They’re designed to help boost the device’s Wi-Fi signal and they were definitely an improvement over the ones on the IT15 before I opened the case up. The problem is that they become detached quite easily, which I didn’t realize until after I put the A9 Max back together.

With that done, I was able to access the A9 Max’s motherboard where you can swap out the included M.2 SSD for something larger or add a smaller M.2 2230 SSD if you want to have dual drives inside this mini PC. Likewise, you can also swap out the memory and add more RAM too.

The slightly more difficult disassembly process is by no means a deal breaker. However, if you are going to open the A9 Max up, I’d recommend taking your time and being extra careful when removing the heatsink. That way, you won’t have to reattach those two Wi-Fi antennas which can be quite tedious to do.

Geekom A9 Max: Verdict

The Geekom A9 Max is one of the most impressive mini PCs I’ve tested yet. From its sleek aluminum case to its powerful internals and conveniently placed front and rear ports, there isn’t anything I’d change about its design. The A9 Max also holds up well under both heavy and light workloads and it served me quite well as my daily driver during the time I spent with this mini PC.

You also have plenty of upgrade opportunities here from adding a second SSD to swapping out the included one and adding more memory. While the 3D spatial antennas that connect to its Wi-Fi card could be a bit more snug when it comes to their connection, you just have to be careful and take your time when removing the A9 Max’s heatsink.

The A9 Max delivers and then some, which is why I’d easily recommend this mini PC to anyone looking to downsize from a desktop or those who don’t want to plug in their laptop to a dock when using it at their desk in a more permanent setup.

Whenever a friend came to me asking for gaming PC advice, my tip was always the same: build it yourself. Beyond it (normally) being cheaper, there’s just something so therapeutically satisfying about putting it all together yourself and watching it leap into life.

But we’re in a crisis situation for PC components — RAM prices have exploded and SSD costs are following, and for the first time since I can remember, it’s actually cheaper to just get a pre-built PC than it is to build it yourself. Let me talk you through my investigation.

By the numbers

I went to my trusty go-to source whenever I start planning a PC build — PC Part Picker — to figure things out. Let’s start with replicating this modest MSI RTX 5050 system on Newegg, which is currently $829.

Running it through PC Part Picker, matching the exact components where I can, before even adding a power supply and case, we’ve already blown past that price at a total cost of $895.07.

And it’s the same for other systems, too.

• First, let’s start with this Skytech Azure Gaming desktop — coming with AMD Ryzen 7 7700 CPU, RTX 5060 Ti GPU with 16GB of video memory, 32GB DDR5 RAM and a 1TB PCIe Gen 4.0 SSD. Other things to consider are the 650W Gold-rated power supply and the air cooler. Currently, it’s $1,299 (down from $1,449). The total cost on PC Part Picker for either identical components or as close as I can get is $1,455.63.
• This AMD variant of the Skytech Azure Gaming desktop packs an AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D CPU, Radeon RX 9070 XT GPU, 32GB DDR5 RAM and a 2TB SSD. On Newegg, it’s $1,899. On PC Part Picker, a near-identical configuration is $1,975.65.

But the one that floored me personally was heading over to the Alienware store. Dell’s pre-builds are cool and all, but they do come with a hefty premium cost. Currently, the company has an RTX 5070 Ti build for $1,529 — packing Intel Core Ultra 7 265F, 16GB DDR5 RAM and a 1TB SSD.

Finding the individual parts (I had to do a little poking around to find the cheapest RTX 5070 Ti on Newegg, as it’s not on PC Part Picker), the DIY cost ended up over $200 more expensive, and that's without a case.

This is accurate as of the time and date of writing: 7 a.m. ET on Friday, December 5. I followed every spec, but there will be some differences in cases, coolers, component brands and power supplies. In these situations, I opted for the cheapest option I could find.

Why are pre-builds cheaper?

It comes down to one key thing: stock. Most retailers and computing brands will have these ready-made and good to go from their warehouses — using the stockpile of RAM and SSDs they already have on their books.

A lot of companies saw this starting to happen and managed to get their orders in early enough to keep themselves sort of protected from what’s happening now, which is why you see the price differential. If you were to buy parts now, you’re buying at the current market price.

Going the DIY route used to be the lower-cost way, because the added cost of the company building it is removed (you build it yourself after all). But the massively rising cost of RAM has brought it to the point where the time to build it yourself is actually more expensive than just getting someone else to do it for you.

But this won’t last long

Stockpiles dry up, and demand is high. While there are some decent pre-builds you can get right now, they won’t be around for long. You’ve already seen this from PC builders like CyberPowerPC and Maingear, who have issued start warnings about price changes coming as early as December 7.

So it’s only a matter of time until bigger retailers start to raise prices, too. As I've said, orders of RAM from the two key fabrication plants still making consumer memory are fully booked throughout 2026. This problem will only get worse.

Rather than dwell, this is Tom’s Guide, and I’m here to give actionable consumer advice. If you were looking for a new gaming PC and you’re bewildered by the insane cost to build one yourself, here are the pre-built PCs I personally recommend to save you a bit of cash — before things get a whole lot pricier.

More from Tom's Guide

• Stop waiting: Buying a GPU in 2026 will cost you more — here are the Nvidia, AMD and Intel deals to grab now
• How to get Xbox Full Screen Experience on any Windows 11 PC — even if you don't have the option in settings
• Think you're a spreadsheet wizard? You ain't seen nothing 'til you've watched the Excel World Championships — here's how

The price of laptops, tablets, GPUs and PC components has already been under pressure this year. But now, thanks to the skyrocketing cost of RAM and SSD storage chips, it's looking like retail prices for tech could moon in 2026.

Look, I know you're hearing a whole lot about Black Friday deals right now, so I'll try to not make this sound too dramatic. But this year's sales season could be the last chance you get computing tech at these prices before huge increase next year.

...well the whole not sounding "too dramatic" didn't last long. But the point stands! Let me explain.

What’s happening?

The problem has been quietly growing throughout 2026, but now it's here with a bang thanks to the AI boom. You see, to run the likes of ChatGPT and Gemini, AI companies need to buy a whole lot of silicon for its data centers to handle all of your prompts. The critical chips in all of this are DRAM (Dynamic Random-Access Memory) and NAND flash, but you may know them by their other names: RAM and SSD storage respectively.

As the demand for these chips started to skyrocket because of this boom, two things have happened:

• The companies that manufacture these types of chips are seeing demand for cheaper, older memory chips vanish, given their biggest customers (companies behind the AI boom) are throwing handfuls of cash at them for the latest stuff. So these older options are being phased out.
• Smaller NAND flash chips are being deprioritized in favor of the highest bidders looking to pack their AI data centers with tons of memory.

Both of these together are leading to drastic silicon shortages, which are in turn leading to higher manufacturing costs for PC and smartphone brands, and inevitably, price jumps for us.

How bad could it be?

In one word: bad. In two words: real bad.

One place we can already see it happening in real-time is with DDR5 RAM kits you can buy for your desktop PC. People are finding prices are up to 171% higher compared to 2024. Looking at what I’ve been tracking to buy — the Crucial Pro 32GB DDR5 kit was $174.99, and it’s now $300 in just over one month. That is astonishing.

As for laptops, TrendForce’s latest investigation (reported by TechPowerUp) has this pinned at a predicted 5-15% price rise in 2026. Meanwhile, AMD and Nvidia are already signaling price hikes for their GPUs, and this could be by at least 10%. Combine GPU and RAM jumps, and that could be a massive increase for prebuilt PCs.

But there is a small window of hope

Luckily, a lot of companies do pay attention to this stuff and plan ahead — stockpiling the chips they need to prepare for high demand moments (like Black Friday).

That is why I can confidently say that this is your last chance to grab a laptop, GPU or PC before the big old price surge takes effect. The only one to publicly acknowledge this is happening is Lenovo, but I know other companies are too.

So what you have between now and the end of Cyber Monday is a final chance to grab a laptop at MSRP, a GPU at slightly below MSRP, and a desktop at a reasonable price before the memory surge sends those prices up in smoke.

Surge-proof Black Friday tech deals

Laptop deals

Desktop PC deals

Tablet deals

GPU deals

RAM deals

Don’t wait for something new

To sum up what my chats have been like with people in the industry over the past couple of months in one word, it would be nervous. There’s a lot of new stuff coming down the line like Intel Panther Lake and Snapdragon X2 Elite, and I’m definitely excited to try them out.

But what if it's way too expensive to even consider an upgrade? And at that point, the prices of those older systems have probably gone up with reduced supply anyway. You’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t.

One thing I’m noticing from seeing what are the most clicked Black Friday deals on our site is that value for money is so critical. And if this trend continues, that feeling of value is going to evaporate quickly from the tech of 2026.

For more discounts, check out our Black Friday deals live blog.

Shop today's best Black Friday deals

• Amazon: 50% off Ring, Ninja, AirPods and more
• Walmart Plus: 50% off @ Walmart
• REI: half-off Arc'teryx, Patagonia, more
• Dell: monitors from $69, laptops from $299
• Nectar: 50% off mattresses + bundles
• Best Buy: laptops from $149
• Lenovo: doorbuster deals from $319
• Wayfair: up to 80% off home decor
• Lululemon: top picks from $9
• Newegg: Doorbuster deals from $6
• Walmart: holiday gifts from $15
• Birkenstock: deals from $20 @ Nordstrom
• Saatva: luxury mattresses from $1,099

The MSI Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG is a compact mini PC with plenty of power under the hood in a sleek, all-black case. Besides being a powerful mini PC well suited for business and productivity, it’s also a Copilot+ PC which means you get instant access to Microsoft’s latest AI features and a dedicated Copilot button right on the front.

MSI didn’t stop there with AI though as the Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG includes the company’s own AI Engine software to automatically adjust this mini PC’s settings based on the task at hand.

Likewise, you also get a feature you rarely see on other mini PCs: a built-in microphone and speaker. This lets you interact with Microsoft Copilot or other AI assistants hands-free and personally, I really enjoyed pressing the button on the front to instantly bring up Copilot when I needed to.

Packed with either a high-end Intel Ultra 7 or Ultra 9 processor and plenty of memory, the Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG is the perfect little desktop companion for getting work done. It has a similar front port layout, but it lacks the second HDMI port that was useful for quick dual-monitor setups on the older MSI Cubi NUC 1M.

Still, besides two variations to pick from (with a less powerful Ultra 5 variant available in some regions), there are also slightly cheaper barebones configurations of the Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG if you’d rather provide your own storage and operating system.

My MSI Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG review will help you decide if this is the best mini PC for you or if something cheaper without all its AI-powered features would be a better fit.

MSI Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG: Cheat Sheet

• What is it? A sleek, all-black mini PC with plenty of ports and some unique features.
• Who is it for? Business users or professionals that want a small and quiet mini PC that comes with Microsoft’s Copilot+ AI features built-in.
• What does it cost? The MSI Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG costs $949 for the standard model or $1,054 for the upgraded version. However, you can also get either one in a barebones configuration for slightly less but you will have to provide your own storage and operating system.
• What do we like? Its near-silent operation, the built-in fingerprint scanner and Copilot button on the front, the two Thunderbolt 4 ports at the back (one can be used for power in) and how MSI makes it easy to mount and use this mini PC behind a monitor.
• What don’t we like? That there’s one less HDMI port on the back compared to the previous model, and how its RAM is soldered to the motherboard, which means you can’t upgrade it.

MSI Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG: Specs

MSI Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG: The ups

The MSI Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG manages to pack more powerful internals into the same small chassis without adding extra noise. However, it’s the new AI-powered features and a few key upgrades that allow it to easily outshine its predecessor.

A silent powerhouse

At 5.34 x 5.22 x 1.97 inches, the Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG has the exact same dimensions as the Cubi NUC 1M. However, MSI has made some slight tweaks to both the front and back of this new mini PC while retaining the same overall design.

Up front, you get two high-speed USB-A ports, a microSD card reader and a headphone jack like before. However, the power button has moved to the left side of the Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG to make space for the new Copilot button and an integrated fingerprint scanner. At the top, there are also now two small holes which are used for the built-in microphone.

On the back of the Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG, you get a nice selection of ports including two USB-A ports, two Thunderbolt 4 ports, two 2.5 gigabit Ethernet ports, HDMI 2.1 and a barrel port connector for its 120W power supply. If you look closely at the Thunderbolt 4 port on the right though, you’ll notice a small plug icon. This was one of my favorite things while testing since you can swap out the included power adapter for any USB-C GaN charger providing 100W Power Delivery (PD) instead.

I spent a month or so using the Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG as my daily driver and during that time, I was really surprised by just how quiet it was, even when dealing with more demanding workloads like photo editing and transferring large files. In fact, I had both it and the Geekom IT15 in the same room and while the latter got noticeably loud doing these same types of tasks, the Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG remained almost silent.

During benchmark testing, the Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG showed a massive improvement over its predecessor when transcoding video files in Handbrake and scored higher in Geekbench 6.3’s multi-core tests. However, it fell slightly behind the Cubi NUC 1M in single-core performance. This is a deliberate architectural trade-off though. With its newer Lunar Lake chips, Intel optimized them for improved power efficiency and AI performance in small systems, rather than prioritizing higher speeds for a single task like its older Raptor Lake chips did. The Geekom IT15 did easily beat out the Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG overall, but like I mentioned, it was a lot louder while doing so.

The Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG is an excellent mini PC for work and business-related tasks, but thanks to its integrated Intel Arc Graphics 140V graphics, it can handle photo and video editing as well as some light gaming too. However, this mini PC has another trick up its sleeve that makes it ideal for covert, behind your monitor setups.

Mountable but better front and center

Inside the box with most mini PCs, you’ll find a VESA plate adapter that lets you mount the computer behind your monitor to free up space on your desk. While MSI also includes one with the Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG, it takes things a step further.

You see, with your mini PC mounted behind your monitor, reaching its power button can be awkward. To solve this, MSI developed a proprietary HDMI-CES feature called Power Link that automatically turns on the 2MG (and the 1M) when you turn on your monitor.

However, you will need a compatible MSI monitor that supports Power Link to pull this off. I tested this with the Pro MP271A E2 business and productivity monitor MSI sent over with the Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG and it worked like a charm.

Given that you may not have an MSI monitor on hand or aren’t ready to swap out your current display, you also get a wired external power button. It plugs into the side of the Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG and has an adhesive back which makes it easy to stick anywhere on your desk for quick access.

Although I really enjoyed using the Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG behind a monitor as it almost felt like an all-in-one computer like the M4 iMac, I actually preferred having it right in front of me at my desk. That way, I could use the microSD card reader on the front to quickly take photos off my camera and the integrated fingerprint scanner in its power button made logging into Windows seamless. There’s another reason you’d want to have this mini PC within arm’s reach though.

Copilot+ on your desk not your lap

Up until very recently, if you wanted a Copilot+ PC with all of Microsoft’s AI-powered features, you’d have to spring for one of the best laptops. Fortunately, that’s no longer the case and you can now find a few mini PCs that come with Copilot+ certification.

The Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG is the first one I’ve tried though and while I typically prefer Gemini over ChatGPT, I found myself using Copilot more often than I thought I would. This is because it has a dedicated Copilot button on the front right next to its microSD card reader. What I liked about this approach is that instead of opening a new tab or a new Chrome window, I just pressed the button and Copilot sprung to life.

Another feature that really impressed me is that with the built-in microphone and 2W internal speaker, I could also pull up Copilot’s voice mode and chat away with Microsoft’s AI assistant while I worked. Likewise, the built-in microphone also proved handy when I wanted to use voice search in Chrome.

In addition to a dedicated Copilot button, you also get access to the rest of Microsoft’s Copilot+ PC features like live captions and translation, Windows Studio Effects to improve your video calls, Cocreator in Paint, click-to-do contextual AI and the company’s somewhat controversial Recall feature. These are all powered by the Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG’s NPU which is rated at up to 48 TOPS.

Overall, the Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG is ideal for business-related tasks but it’s also quite well-suited for AI ones too.

MSI Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG: The downs

The Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG certainly improves upon its predecessor with more impressive specs and some useful new features, all within the same sized case. However, it’s not without its downsides, which include one fewer port around back and less long-term upgradability.

Complicating multi-monitor setups

Don’t get me wrong, with two Thunderbolt 4 ports and an HDMI 2.1 port around back, the Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG can easily power a triple-monitor setup. However, as someone who tested and reviewed the 1M, I immediately noticed that there was one less port around back.

With the Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG, you have almost an identical port layout to the 1M. However, instead of a second HDMI port underneath the Thunderbolt 4 port on the right like on the 1M, there’s just a blank space.

Now I know Thunderbolt 4 is the more versatile port overall but if you want to quickly put together a dual-monitor setup with practically any two monitors, HDMI is the easiest way to do so. To run a dual-monitor setup now, you are forced to dedicate one of the precious Thunderbolt 4 ports to video output using a USB-C to HDMI/DP adapter like I did in the picture above. Likewise, while all of the best monitors have HDMI, only more expensive models come with Thunderbolt or USB-C inputs.

When taking a close look at the rear ports on the Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG I noticed another downgrade too. While there were two USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps) ports on the 1M, these have been swapped with much slower USB 2.0 ones. You still get two high-speed USB-A ports on the front but if you want to plug in one of the best external hard drives to back up your data, you’re more likely to use one of the rear ports instead of one on the front.

The missing HDMI port on the Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG stood out to me most but there’s another big change inside that makes buying a higher-specced version of this mini PC from the get-go a better option if you’re interested in using it as your long-term work machine.

Fast but not quite futureproof

With either an Intel Core Ultra 7 258V or an Intel Core Ultra 9 288V under the hood, the Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG is a fast and very capable mini PC, especially as either variation also comes with 32GB of LPDDR5X memory. However, one of the perks of using a mini PC over a laptop, is that most of them are upgradeable. Opening up the NUC AI+ 2MG is easy enough — just four screws on its underside that do double duty as its feet.

Once inside, you can swap out the included M.2 SSD for something larger. However, you’re going to want to back up that drive first as there isn’t a second free M.2 slot for adding extra storage. While the single slot does support the latest, ultra-fast PCIe 5.0 drives, you are capped at whatever capacity you install.

Unlike the 1M though, you aren’t able to swap out its RAM either. This is because, like with the Ryzen AI Max chip in the Framework Desktop, the LPDDR5X memory is soldered directly to the motherboard. This design is necessary for the highest possible power efficiency and speed of the Intel Ultra 7 or 9 processor, but it means that while MSI gives you a generous 32GB as standard, jumping up to 64GB in the future just isn’t possible.

MSI Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG: Verdict

The MSI Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG is an impressive, whisper-quiet Copilot+ mini PC with plenty of power under the hood and enough improvements across the board to make upgrading from the older Cubi NUC 1M worthwhile.

Not only can you easily mount and power it on/off behind your monitor but the integrated fingerprint scanner in the power button and the dedicated Copilot button are just as good of a reason to keep it front and center on your desk.

MSI gives you a great selection of both essential and more powerful ports and it’s always great to see a built-in microSD card reader for extra storage or transferring photos. While I would have liked to have a second HDMI port and faster USB-A ports around back, the Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG makes up for this with 32GB of soldered, faster LPDDR5X RAM in the base model and its new Copilot+ features as well as the built-in microphone and speaker to quickly converse with your AI assistant.

Given the current retail price, if you’re after a powerful mini PC with a generous 3-year warranty and readily available after service to use as your next work machine, the Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG is easy to recommend, especially if you’re invested in Microsoft’s ecosystem and require the power of a dedicated NPU. Given the changes MSI has made between it and the 1M, I’m excited to see what’s new in the follow-up to the 2MG.

If I had this slick Lenovo Yoga AIO (starts at $1,229) in college, I wouldn’t just be popular – I’d be legendary.

“Just set your phone there,” I’d say, pointing at the base of the 27-inch monitor. The built-in wireless charging pad would instantly juice it up. My roommate would whisper, “You might actually be the coolest person I know.” Yes, you read that right. The Yoga’s pedestal doubles as a phone charger.

Unfortunately Lenovo launched this polished all-in-one PC 15 years too late for me to be a dorm-room celebrity. My window has closed, but yours hasn’t. Whether you’re college bound or upgrading your home office, this desktop is one of the best all-in-one PCs I’ve tested.

And as much as it pains me to say it, especially as a recent Windows-to-Mac convert, the Lenovo Yoga AIO outperforms one of the most popular all-in-ones on the market: Apple’s M4 iMac. But we’ll get to that.

That said, the Yoga is far from flawless. A few quirks could make you think twice. The real question is, are they easy to forgive or instant dealbreakers? Let’s find out.

Lenovo Yoga AIO 27 review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? The Lenovo Yoga AIO 27 is a space-saving all-in-one PC with a 27-inch rotating display, built-in JBL speakers, a wireless charging base and an adjustable stand.
• Who is it for? Students, remote workers, and creative workers who want a solid productivity-minded daily driver with minimal desk clutter.
• What does it cost? The reviewed desktop (Intel Core Ultra 7 255H, Intel Arc 140T, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) sells for $1,319 at Best Buy, but you can find a cheaper configuration via Lenovo.
• What’s good about it? It’s a true all-in-one PC that comes with everything you need out of the box, plus the base doubles as a wireless phone charger. Additionally, it comes with a JBL speaker setup and easily accessible ports.
• What’s not so good? The display’s lowest adjustable height is too high, the webcam is unimpressive, the sound is middling, and an annoying pop-up greets you every time the desktop wakes.

Lenovo Yoga AIO 27 review: Specs

Lenovo Yoga AIO 27 review: The ups

The Lenovo Yoga AIO’s built-in charging pad is undeniably cool, and I’ll get into the details later, but this desktop brings a lot more to the table.

Rotating display

If a display can’t turn 90 degrees like the Lenovo Yoga’s glorious 27-inch QHD panel, it’s dead to me.

A quick spin into portrait mode transformed this slick 1440p display into a vertical powerhouse for reading, editing, and browsing. I scrolled through my inbox, spreadsheets, and notes without constantly needing to flick the mouse wheel.

It’s a head-turner, too. How often do you stumble upon a display in portrait mode? Plus, it’s solid and sturdy. Once you find your perfect angle, the rotating 27-inch panel stays locked without budging.

Part of me wishes the Lenovo Yoga AIO featured a touch screen. But honestly, I’ve made peace with its non-touch design; it spares me from living in a smudge-covered nightmare.

Impressive display color accuracy

Whether I was firing up a reality TV show on Peacock or watching a review on Tom’s Guide’s YouTube channel, the Yoga’s 27-inch, 1440p display delivered true-to-life colors and immersive visuals that kept me glued to the screen.

But this isn’t just my personal opinion – the benchmarks back me up.

For context, we measure color accuracy using Delta-E scores: the closer to zero, the better. We recently tested two all-in-one PCs that rival the Lenovo Yoga AIO: the Apple’s M4 iMac and the HP OmniStudio X 32. The Yoga’s score of 0.21 beats both the OmniStudio X 32 (0.33) and the iMac (0.22).

Combine that accuracy with wide color coverage, and you’ve got a display that’s both lifelike and rich in tone. Lenovo claims that the display covers 99% of the sRGB color gamut, which means that the panel should reproduce nearly all standard digital colors, ensuring that web content, images, and designs appear accurate and true to the creator’s intent. In our testing, we discovered that the panel actually achieves 117 % sRGB, so the result is richer colors, making everything pop with extra visual impact.

For comparison, the OmniStudio X 32 covers 145% while the iMac covers 112%.

Looking at DCI-P3 color coverage, the Yoga covers an impressive 83%, beating the iMac’s 79.2%. However, the OmniStudio X 32 reigns supreme with flawless 100% coverage.

Addicting keyboard

Having reviewed countless laptops, I can confidently say that Lenovo — right up there with HP — consistently delivers some of the clickiest, most satisfying keyboards around. This Yoga desktop is no different.

The included dark gray wireless keyboard recharges via USB-A to USB-C, though I keep mine connected full-time to the rear USB-A port. It’s got a dedicated number pad, shield-style keys, and a clean, modern design. Plus, I feel as if my fingers are flying across the keyboard as I type on it. Each press feels crisp and deliberate, with excellent tactile feedback. It’s great for long work sessions without the mushiness you get from lower-quality desktop keyboards.

Decent for light gaming

Don’t laugh, but I’m a woman in my 30s who enjoys playing Roblox, from fast-paced first-person shooter games to laid-back, slow-paced exploration games. Most Roblox experiences require low system demand, so I tested the Yoga AIO with a mix of both ends of the spectrum. It handled everything effortlessly: no lag, no stutters, just smooth gameplay.

One moment, I was soaring through the air, hurling snowballs at other players. The next, I was wandering wide-eyed through the gilded halls of a virtual castle dripping with gold. The Yoga AIO kept up without breaking a sweat, proving it’s more than capable of casual gaming sessions like these.

For what it’s worth, we ran the Sid Meier’s Civilization VI: Gathering Storm (1080p) benchmark on the Yoga; it averaged 56 frames per second. On the same test, the M4 iMac hit 50 frames per second.

However, push it beyond casual, non-intensive titles and the cracks will begin to show.

Base doubles as a phone charger

This might be my favorite feature on the Lenovo Yoga AIO. Whether it was my iPhone 16 Pro Max or the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra (I’m a phone reviewer, so I keep a small fleet of devices), both charged effortlessly on the built-in Qi wireless charging pad at the desktop’s base.

As long as your phone supports the Qi standard, it should work here. You just need to align the back of your device with the charging icon on the pad. When it’s in the sweet spot, you’ll get the familiar “I’m charging!” ding or see the telltale animation light up your screen.

Solid variety of ports

The Lenovo Yoga AIO offers a well-rounded selection of ports that should satisfy most users. On the side, you’ll find a USB-C, a USB-A, and a 3.5mm headphone jack for quick, easy access. Around the back, there’s another USB-C, two more USB-A ports, Ethernet, and both HDMI-in 2.1 and HDMI-out 2.1, plus the power connector.

The HDMI-in is a nice addition, allowing you to use the Yoga’s 27-inch display as a monitor for another device. An extra USB-C port would be ideal, or maybe an SD card reader, but this mix delivers plenty of flexibility for peripherals, external displays, and wired networking.

Lenovo Yoga AIO 27 review: The downs

While the Yoga AIO has a lot of features I applaud, there are some I should warn you about.

Dim compared to rivals

My home office is situated next to a bright window, and the Lenovo Yoga AIO’s display stood up to the challenge. Even with sunlight streaming in, colors remained vibrant, text stayed sharp, and I didn’t find myself squinting or tilting the screen to cut down on glare.

However, compared to rivals, the Yoga AIO is dim. On SDR mode, the desktop averages 353 nits, but can climb to 464 nits on HDR mode. The OmniStudio X 32 and iMac, on the other hand, provide more luminance. On SDR mode, they average 580 nits and 450 nits, respectively. On HDR mode, the HP outputs a whopping 720 nits; the Apple desktop notched 512 nits.

Against the blazing brightness of the HP and iMac, the Yoga AIO sits firmly in the shadows.

Mouse misses the mark

The mouse that ships with the Lenovo Yoga AIO has a lot of great features. It has a polished, slick, dark gray appearance that looks like it would fit in any high-end boardroom with C-suite executives.

It’s highly responsive, too. Cursor movements track with pinpoint precision, clicks register instantly, and there’s no noticeable input lag. The scroll wheel has just the right amount of resistance, making it easy to move quickly without overshooting. It feels tuned for both speed and accuracy.

However, I don’t like that this is a battery-powered mouse that relies on a USB dongle plugged into the Yoga’s base. Yes, Lenovo claims the battery lasts up to 12 months. But in 2025, it feels dated compared to rechargeable options like Apple’s Magic Mouse, which eliminates disposable batteries altogether.You know what? Not even Apple’s Magic Mouse gets a pass here – even rechargeable mice can be a hassle. Call me old school, but maybe it’s time we bring wired peripherals back. A cable-free desk is cool, but never having to think about batteries nor recharging is a luxury we should have never given up.

Height adjustment stops too short

I let my dad try out the new Lenovo Yoga AIO, and within seconds, I saw a flicker of disapproval cross his face.

“Wait a minute,” he said. “The display’s too high — can you lower it?” I tried, but it had already reached its lowest setting and wouldn’t go any further.

In other words, I couldn’t get the screen level with his eyes — and it’s not like he’s particularly short. At 5’8”, he’s average height. Looks like we’ll need office chairs with a little extra lift to meet it halfway.

Webcam is lame

Built-in webcams are notoriously awful across the PC industry, but the 5MP shooter on the Yoga is tragic. It’s grainy, delivers poor color accuracy, and struggles in anything less than perfect lighting. Shadows crush detail and highlights blow out easily. Even under bright daylight, the image looks soft and slightly washed out, making it decent for quick calls, but far from flattering for professional video meetings or content creation.

On the plus side, there’s a physical webcam switch on the right side of the base, letting you shut it off instantly and keep any Peeping Toms at bay.

“Base Mode Input Signal Not Detected”

Each time I power on or wake the system, a “Base Mode Input Signal Not Detected” banner flickers on screen for a split second before the PC proceeds without issue.

My hunch is the AIO briefly scans for all possible inputs at wake (e.g., internal PC, HDMI-in, USB-C). While it’s looking, the screen reports “no signal,” but then a moment later, it finds the right source and everything’s normal.

It appears to be benign and functionally harmless, but it’s definitely annoying. The M4 iMac would never do this to me.

OK speakers

The built-in JBL speakers (two 3W tweeters and two 5W woofers) deliver clean, fairly full sound for a desk setup. Voices are clear, podcasts and Google Meet calls cut through – and there’s enough punch for music and YouTube at moderate volumes.

You won’t get the warm, honeyed tone or wide stereo spread of the M4 iMac’s six-speaker array. The bass is lighter and the soundstage is flatter, but for an all-in-one, it’s convenient. Everything is integrated, so you don’t need to bother trying to secure one of the best computer speakers. Plus, your desk stays tidy.

Lenovo Yoga AIO 27 review : iMac M4 vs. Lenovo Yoga AIO 27

I’ve been comparing the Yoga AIO with other recently reviewed all-in-one PCs, including HP’s OmniStudio X 32. But what really caught my attention is how decisively the Yoga outperformed one of the most popular AIOs on the market: Apple’s iMac. Let’s dive into the performance benchmarks, starting with CPU tests.

CPU performance tests

The iMac with the M4 chip (10 cores) is Apple’s fastest all-in-one PC. However, in some cases, it struggled to keep up with the Intel Core Ultra 7 255H, a CPU with a 16-core setup.

On one hand, after running Geekbench 6 on the iMac, it edged out the Yoga desktop with a single-core score of 3,546, beating the Lenovo AIO’s score of 2,889. This means the iMac is snappier and more responsive in handling lightly threaded tasks, including opening apps, navigating the OS, loading web pages, and more. However, that’s where the victory ends for the Apple device.

The multi-core scores for the iMac and the Yoga were 14,724 and 15,500, respectively, with Lenovo taking the win. This translates to the Yoga being more efficient at handling heavier, multi-threaded tasks (e.g., running multiple apps while taking a call and streaming music in the background).

If you’re wondering how the OmniStudio X 32 fared, it mustered a measly single-core score of 2,133 on Geekbench 6. The HP desktop still struggled to catch up with the iMac and Yoga with a puny multi-core score of 12,128.

Speed tests

We also tested the Yoga AIO and the iMac to see which one edits videos faster using the Handbrake benchmark (it tracks how long a device takes to transcode a 4K video to 1080p).

The Yoga AIO was faster, taking only three minutes and 58 seconds to complete the task. Unfortunately, it took the iMac five minutes and three seconds to do the same, giving the Lenovo machine a clear edge in video transcoding.

The OmniStudio X 32 managed to beat the iMac, but not the Yoga, with a transcoding time of four minutes and 50 seconds.

Now, let’s move on to SSD performance. In the BlackMagic disk speed test, the Yoga AIO posted a write speed of 3,289 MBps, edging out the iMac’s 3,045 MBps. Read speeds told a similar story: the Yoga hit 3,989 MBps, comfortably ahead of the iMac’s 2,895 MBps.

As for HP’s OmniStudio X 32, it lagged behind both, managing just 2,456 MBps for writes and 2,759 MBps for reads. This is a noticeable drop in speed compared to the Lenovo and Apple machines.

Lenovo Yoga AIO 27 review: Verdict

Admittedly, as someone who only recently crossed over to macOS after being a Windows fangirl for far too long, I’m not ready to switch back. I’m too attached to Final Cut Pro, Apple’s Continuity magic, and the instant ease of AirDropping files between my iPhone and Mac.

However, the data doesn’t lie. In most of our performance and speed tests, the Yoga AIO edged out the iMac. And while Apple’s desktop is many things, it’s not doubling as a Qi phone charging station. The Yoga’s built-in wireless charger is a convenience I didn’t know I needed until now.

If you’re brand-agnostic, the choice might come down to features and workflow. Both sit in the same ballpark on price: the Yoga AIO starts at $1,229 (the model tested here is $1,319.99 at Best Buy), while the M4 iMac we compared it against is $1,299. So ask yourself: do you value a built-in phone charger and stronger multi-core performance, or is the seamless interoperability of macOS (e.g., AirDrop, Continuity, and all) the key to your productivity?As for me, I’m sticking with Mac. But if you choose Windows, I won’t judge you. You’ll be getting a seriously capable all-in-one.

The 2025 Dell Tower Plus ($749 to start) is a remarkably customizable desktop PC packed into an unassuming tower case that looks ripped from a '90s PC magazine ad.

Personally, I love the look of the Tower Plus PCs because I review gaming PCs for a living, and I'm getting tired of big, heavy cases bedecked in RGB lights and jagged edges. Our Dell Tower Plus review unit is a breath of forgettable fresh air by comparison, packing enough power to run most games well into a mid-sized white box that blends right into your desk setup.

Admittedly, the included accessories aren't amazing and you can't achieve the heights of power with the Dell Tower Plus that you can with the priciest and best gaming PCs. But you can get pretty great performance from the Plus if you're willing to spend enough, and any serious PC game fan will probably want to buy their own keyboard and mouse anyway.

Dell Tower Plus review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? The Dell Tower Plus is a highly customizable desktop PC that can be anything from an inexpensive workhorse to a mid-tier gaming PC depending on how you configure it.
• What does it cost? The Tower Plus starts at $999 on Delll's website and can be upgraded to the point it costs around $3,000, but Dell runs regular sales so you can often find it for a few hundred bucks cheaper.
• Who is it for? Anyone who wants a fairly quiet, highly customizable PC in an unassuming case for a reasonable amount of money.
• What do we like? The boring case design may turn some people off, but I like how subtly the Dell Tower Plus blends into a desk. I also like the price-to-performance ratio of our review unit, and I appreciate how quietly it runs even after gaming for hours.
• What don’t we like? As much as I like the Dell Tower Plus, my big hands feel a little cramped when I'm working inside the mid-size case and not everyone will love the boxy, bland design.

Dell Tower Plus review: Specs

Dell Tower Plus review: The ups

The Dell Tower Plus may not look like much, but it's got it where it counts. After working and gaming on our review unit for a few weeks, there are a few strengths I think you need to know about.

Great for gaming (as long as you avoid 4K)

Now, that heading is a little misleading because I spent most of my time with the Dell Tower Plus review unit gaming in 4K on my LG C1 OLED TV and had a blast.

But I was playing games like Assassin's Creed Valhalla and Dying Light 2, which are a few years old at this point. And if you love playing games like that, the Dell Tower Plus review unit (and its GeForce RTX 5070 GPU) is great since it easily achieves framerates of 60+ FPS with all graphical settings cranked to the max.

When I went to play really demanding games like Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, the results weren't as great. I could still play the game just fine, but I had to dial the settings down a smidge and enable Nvidia's DLSS upscaling tech to achieve the same 60+ FPS.

Our lab testing backs this up, because while our Dell Tower Plus review unit had no trouble blowing through most games at 60+ FPS in 1080p, it was a different story when we cranked things up to 4K. While you can get decent frame rates gaming at 4K if you're willing to dial down the graphical settings a bit and rely on upscaling, you're going to struggle in demanding titles like Black Myth: Wukong and Cyberpunk 2077.

As you can see from the results table, our Dell Tower Plus review unit couldn't quite keep up with the Alienware Aurora (Intel Core Ultra 265KF, GeForce RTX 5070, 32GB RAM) and the HP Omen 35L (AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D, GeForce RTX 5070, 32GB RAM) gaming PCs we recently tested. But they're both more expensive as well, so the fact that they put up higher scores in these benchmark tests makes sense.

And unlike the Dell Tower Plus, most of the gaming PCs we review at Tom's Guide would immediately stand out in an office. Not so with the Tower Plus, which looks like an office PC from the '90s yet works as hard as anything you can buy today.

If you don't believe me, check out our performance testing results below. While it's a similar story in terms of the (slightly more expensive) Alienware and HP outperforming the Dell, the scores are neck-and-neck—with Dell's Tower Plus holding its own in terms of CPU performance, SSD speed and video editing chops.

Some of these tests, like the Geekbench 6 benchmark, are synthetic tests that assign the PC a score based on how effectively it can compete a series of tasks. But others, like our video editing test, are real-world tests that evaluate things like how long it takes the PC to transcode a 4K video file down to 1080p.

As you can see from the results, you can expect decent performance from a Dell Tower Plus PC configured like our review unit. Whether you're gaming, editing photos or cutting video you should be able to count on good to great performance, especially when working at 1080p or 1440p.

Subtle, quiet performance

Another thing I really appreciate about our Dell Tower Plus review unit is how quiet it runs, even after hours of gaming.

I know because I've left it running all sorts of games for days, everything from Cyberpunk 2077 to Dying Light 2 to Baldur's Gate 3 and Doom: The Dark Ages. While performance varies depending on the game, the noise coming out of the PC is always quieter than I expect.

That's not to say it's silent, of course. I did consistently notice a low hum coming from the PC after an hour or two of gaming, which makes sense since when I put my hand near the rear of the PC after long sessions, it's often quite hot.

That's something to keep in mind if you plan to be rooting around blindly behind your PC during marathon gaming sessions. It doesn't get hot enough to burn, but after an all-nighter with Dying Light 2, I definitely felt enough heat coming off the back of the PC that I was afraid to touch it.

But even then, I barely heard more than a low hum coming from the Dell Tower Plus. While it's not silent, I am amazed at how effective this PC is at quietly cooling itself—especially when you consider how boxy the case is.

Plenty of ports

You get a nice array of ports on the Dell Tower Plus, which I appreciate because this is such a broadly customizable PC that you could need a broad variety of accessories depending on what you use it for.

On the front you get USB-A and USB-C as well as a headphone jack and SD card slot, while on the back you get more USB-A ports for accessories as well as Thunderbolt 4, HDMI on the motherboard, optical and of course an RJ-45 Ethernet jack for wired Internet speeds while gaming.

While I wish you got another USB-C port or two, I was repeatedly impressed with how easy it was to connect and disconnect gadgets as I moved our Dell Tower Plus review unit around to different testing setups.

Dell Tower Plus review: The downs

If you can't tell already, I'm quite fond of the Dell Tower Plus and its low-key office chic design. But there is a downside to this compact, chunky case.

Innards are a little frustrating to access

It's hardly a deal-breaker, but I did want to quickly point out that the compact interior of our Dell Tower Plus review unit made me uncomfortable about the prospect of upgrading or repairing it down the line.

That's not to say that it's a mess when you crack open the case. In fact, I found the interior of our review unit to be clean and neatly organized when I opened it up to peer inside last week.

What I also found was that my big paws had a hard time accessing components inside the case. That's probably to be expected when you buy a PC in such a compact mid-tower case, but I wanted to warn you ahead of time just in case you were planning to get your hands dirty and you have big mitts like mine.

I also wish it was a little easier to actually open the side panel and peek inside. Our Dell Tower Plus review unit has a single screw on the rear that you need to loosen in order to pop the side panel off, which only takes a minute.

But it does take a minute and typically requires a screwdriver, which is a little frustrating when many gaming PCs these days have simple cases that just require you to press a switch to open them up.

Dell Tower Plus review: Verdict

I quite like the Dell Tower Plus because it's highly customizable and pretty affordable, packing the latest components into a drab mid-tower case that blends in anywhere.

For some people that might be a deal-breaker, but for myself and others like me I think there's real appeal in having this much leeway to kit out a desktop PC. I reviewed our Dell Tower Plus like a gaming PC because that's how it's outfitted, but you can use these desktops for more than that—with prices ranging from $749 to $3,000-plus, the Dell Tower Plus can fill a wide range of roles.

That said, it can't compete with the creme de la creme of gaming machines. At time of publication the Dell Tower Plus tops out at an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 GPU, for example, which means it will never be able to outperform the best gaming PCs.

But the Dell Tower Plus doesn't cost an arm and a leg, either. Speed freaks may look elsewhere, but for the rest of us the Dell Tower Plus can be a real diamond in the rough thanks to its strong value, unassuming looks and versatile design.

For me it feels like the Millennium Falcon of gaming PCs: it may not look like much, but the Dell Tower Plus has got it where it counts.

Prebuilt or build your own? That's a question many gaming PC enthusiasts have been umming and ahing about for years, but I've been fully prepared to take the plunge by planning out a list of parts and components needed to feel the glory of building my very own desktop.

But here I am, playing Battlefield 6 in 4K at over 200 frames per second (FPS) on a prebuilt, custom-made Frontier gaming PC from Quoted Tech. And I'm perfectly happy to leave my "build-your-own" dreams behind (for now). For those after a simple plug-and-play setup, this desktop will do the trick.

The Canadian-based PC builder has made a name for itself with its various pre-built custom gaming PCs, with its Frontier desktop I received landing right in the mid-range. Well, if that's what you want, as Quoted Tech allows for plenty of customization no matter what tower you choose — all so you can find the right price for your needs.

While big brands like Alienware, MSI or Acer opt for more unique cases with flair and more specific components, Quoted Tech brings understated, minimalist towers with a range of parts that can be fitted in, and the Frontier makes it easy to take apart and customize with your own internals if needed.

Not that you'd need to, as being prebuilt, this machine comes with commendable mid-range specs, including an AMD Ryzen 7 9700X CPU, RTX 5070 GPU, Kingston Fury Beast 32GB of DDR5 RAM and a Kingston NV3 1TB SSD. Plus, the MSI Pro X870-P motherboard with Wi-Fi 7 support comes with a huge array of ports.

It's a shame Quoted Tech's PCs aren't more widely available (but they do ship to the U.S.), and there isn't much in the way of software tools to mess around with.

As a way to tinker with the PC build you want, though, and get a sleek-looking PC that runs whisper-quiet and has that pretty RGB glow that's hard not to enjoy, this Frontier gaming desktop can easily find itself as one of the best gaming PCs to grab.

Quoted Tech Frontier: Cheat sheet

• What is it? A pre-built desktop made for gaming with plenty of customization options.
• Who is it for? PC gaming enthusiasts looking for a reliable, minimalist and ready-made desktop that can be changed to fit their liking.
• What does it cost? This entirely depends on the configuration you purchase, but the Frontier is available from $1,107 at Quoted Tech's website. However, the unit I received will set you back $2,143. While it's made in Canada, it's also available to purchase in the U.S. — but only from its site (for now).
• What do we like? It's powerful performance across 1080p and 4K resolution, subtle yet stylish case that allows for cool airflow and easy customization options.
• What don’t we like? It's not quite available everywhere (no luck in the U.K., for instance), certain configurations can really bump up the price and its software tools are barebones. Oh, and only two USB-C ports?

Quoted Tech Frontier: Specs

Quoted Tech Frontier: The ups

Quoted Tech's Frontier gaming PC is a neat, well-put together that will happily fit in on a majority of desk setups, and with its impressive performance for its mid-range specs, quiet operation and subtle appeal, there's not a lot to complain about.

Performance that shines (for the price)

At the start of the year, I stated that Nvidia's RTX 5070 would be my new gold standard, and I suppose I got what I wished for. It may not be the strongest GPU around, as our RTX 5070 GPU review will tell you, but it certainly does a fine job at playing a huge range of demanding PC titles with great results in this Quoted Tech Frontier PC.

With its AMD Ryzen 7 9700X CPU, RTX 5070 graphics, 32GB of DDR5 RAM and 2TB SSD, the Frontier desktop is up to the challenge of playing demanding, popular PC titles with impressive performance. And at its just over $2,000 price tag (compared to other customizable gaming PCs like the Maingear MG-1 Ultimate, which will set you back over $500 more with similar configurations), that's a pretty good deal.

I know. From the benchmarks above, especially when compared to the RTX 5090-equipped Alienware Area 51 (that's $5,699 by the way) and Corsair Vengeance i8300 (at a whopping $7,399), this Frontier's configuration almost seems silly. But this is with 4K resolution at settings cranked up to max, and without Nvidia's DLSS 4 and multi-frame generation tech turned on.

Change to 1080p settings, which is well below what it can handle, and you'll find frame rates for Doom: The Dark Ages at 97 FPS, Cyberpunk 2077 at 73.6 FPS, Black Myth: Wukong at 55 FPS and so on. Of course, the RTX 5070 is perfect for 1440p gameplay, and I saw the Frontier handle this in its stride, too.

But in real-world testing, I was comfortably gaming on a 4K display in all of its visual splendour. I saw this when I tested Battlefield 6, and I was extremely impressed.

Even without DLSS 4 upscaling or Nvidia's AI tech, Battlefield 6 was running super smoothly with a high level of detail, as most settings were set to Ultra, with a few on High (as the game automatically set it). At 4K resolution, I was seeing frame rates hit just over 60 FPS. Not bad for an RTX 5070 graphics card, even though it only offers up 12GB of GDDR7 video memory (VRAM).

But with DLSS upscaling set to Quality, and frame generation at x4, I was seeing frame rates skyrocket to an average of 216 FPS and some beautiful landscapes amid the destruction happening around me.

Aside from gaming, though, Quoted Tech's Frontier PC does a fine job at handling multitasking and daily computing tasks thanks to its AMD Ryzen 7 9700X CPU. It may fall behind in multi-core performance in Geekbench 6 compared to the pricey top hitters, but its single-core and SSD results are pretty much similar. Plus, at three minutes for transcoding a 4K video to 1080p, that's actually the same time as an M5 MacBook Pro (yes, desktops and laptops are different, but Apple's MacBooks ain't no slouches).

As a PC for those looking for high-end gaming without needing to break the bank, and to handle work and productivity, Quoted Tech's Frontier PC will provide.

As custom as it gets

If you're just getting into gaming PCs but just don't know where to start on building one (and, of course, just want to get to playing games), Quoted Tech makes a great case to grab a prebuilt desktop instead — but with plenty to tinker with anyway.

Not only does it provide multiple configuration options upon checkout so you can find the parts that meet your budget, but its Fractal Design Pop Air Black case makes it easy to take it apart and access the components you need to change.

By simply unscrewing the side glass panel (no screwdriver required), you can get inside the PC and mix and match other internals to your liking. Of course, with the prebuilt PC you get (like the Frontier I received), you'll likely stick with those specs for a long while. But being able to modify and upgrade your rig is what gaming PCs are about, and the case makes all that possible.

I also appreciate how many of the panels are magnetically attached, making them easy to remove and clean the inevitable dust from.

Quiet as a hum

After testing many gaming laptops that sound like they're about to reach Mach 5, it's nice to hear a near-silent hum of a well-cooled, well-optimized gaming PC that doesn't scream went put under any kind of pressure.

Much of that is due to its open, ventilated design and 240MM liquid cooler, with the RGB-lit fans giving the PC space to breathe on the top and rear. Not once did I feel like I was putting my PC under too much pressure (even with 4K gameplay), as it kept the same low fan noise that I would barely even notice.

Even though the Frontier configuration I received isn't the strongest around, pushing it to its limits won't turn its fans into a jet engine, and for quiet households, that's a perk to appreciate.

Otherwise, expect a no-nonsense design to adorn your desk setup, with a particular highlight being the grilled front panel displaying an attractive RGB lighting effect that catches the eye.

Quoted Tech Frontier: The downs

The Quoted Tech Frontier offers plenty of major highlights as a prebuilt gaming PC, but it isn't all sunshine and rainbows. For one, its USB-C ports are extremely limited, and another, it would be nice to see these PCs more readily available beyond their Canadian roots and the U.S.

USB-C, where are you?

Out of the extensive ports this Frontier gaming PC offers, including a whopping 10 USB-A ports, three DisplayPort outputs, an HDMI and a connection for its Wi-Fi 7 (shark fin-like) antenna, you'd think it would be able to offer more than just two USB-C ports.

Regardless of their capabilities (USB4 with 40 GB/s transfer speeds and DP support), having just two USB-C ports leaves a sour taste. Whether it's connecting an external SSD, a wireless gaming headset with 2.4GHz connectivity or more, there isn't much to play with.

Moreover, these are all placed on the rear, as there's no access to a USB-C port on the top of the case. Annoying? Yes, but not a complete deal breaker. At the very least, there's plenty of USB-A ports to plug gaming mice, keyboards and more into.

Catch one, if you can

If you're after a prebuilt gaming PC, you'll likely find it on a third-party retailer site or on a custom PC manufacturer's site. Quoted Tech falls heavily into the latter, as its website is the only place you'll be able to build your gaming desktop of choice.

That's not such a bad thing, and other brands like MainGear follow the same suit. The problem is, you won't be able to find one at other retailers, and while it's built in Canada, there's only so many regions it's available in right now.

That includes Canada (of course), but Quoted Tech's PCs are also available to ship to customers in the U.S., which is a major plus. But for anywhere else, it's a no-go. I was lucky enough to be sent one overseas to London, but for general consumers abroad, that isn't an option.

Quoted Tech Frontier: Verdict

Building a gaming PC that matches your budget and performance needs can be a beautiful thing. But that also requires time and patience. If you're looking to tinker with a customizable desktop but prefer a plug-and-play setup to simply get to gaming, the Quoted Tech is a fantastic shout.

I'm a huge fan of the Frontier's customizability, impressive price-to-performance and near-silent performance, even if it isn't the strongest gaming PC out there. But not everyone needs RTX 5090 performance with sky-high frame rates, and for the RTX 5070 configuration I received, it does a mighty fine job.

Looking to upgrade in the future? Well, the Quoted Tech cases make it easy to pull apart and fit your own components in, which is always a welcome perk if you're interested in playing around with a desktop.

Sure, it would be nice to see more USB-C ports, but not everyone will have an easy time getting their hands on one. But, instead of a unique build from a big-brand manufacturer that may struggle to use specific components you intend to get down the line due to its case, or spending a fortune on mid-range gaming performance, the Quoted Tech Frontier is a PC that won't disappoint.

The Geekom IT15 is a powerful mini PC that delivers the latest Intel performance and futureproof Wi-Fi 7 connectivity in a sleek, all-black, and highly compact case. Available in two configurations, it features Intel’s 2nd gen Core Ultra processors and can be easily upgraded with more memory and storage.

At either $1,199 for the high-end configuration or $899 for the less powerful one, the IT15 is clearly a premium machine designed for demanding workloads and AI tasks. You get a wide selection of front and rear ports, including two USB4 ports, an SD card reader on the side and a 2.5 GbE port for blazing-fast wired connectivity.

Although I’ve reviewed several Geekom mini PCs, this is my first time testing one with an Intel processor instead of one from AMD. While the company packed plenty of power under the hood, the IT15’s compact case does mean its fan can become noticeable when multitasking heavily. Fortunately, Geekom includes a mounting bracket, allowing you to easily put this mini PC behind your monitor to keep it out of sight.

My Geekom IT15 review will help you decide if its premium performance and cutting-edge features are worth the price and make it the best mini PC for you, or if one of the company's AMD-powered A-series machines is a better fit for your needs.

Geekom IT15: Cheat Sheet

• What is it? A compact, all-black mini PC with plenty of power and ports.
• Who is it for? Those who want a powerful mini PC to replace a desktop or laptop and don’t mind spending slightly more to do so.
• What does it cost? The base Geekom IT15 configuration costs $899 while the high-end one costs $1,199.
• What do we like? The sleek, all-black design, the generous port selection (including dual USB4), Wi-Fi 7 connectivity, quad-display support, and easy upgradeability.
• What don’t we like? The noticeable fan noise under heavy multi-tasking, the lack of a front-facing USB-C port and the premium price tag.

Geekom IT15: Specs

Geekom IT15: The ups

The Geekom IT15 immediately stands out in a sea of boring-looking mini PCs with its sleek, all-black look; however, it's the sheer power packed into its compact chassis and the excellent upgradeability that truly makes this mini PC a top contender.

Not just another silver box

The IT15 is absolutely tiny. At just 4.6×4.4×1.8 inches, it’s smaller than the Mac mini M4 but only slightly larger than the less powerful Geekom A6. However, by going with an all-black design, this system immediately stands on its own. While the sleek black finish is somewhat prone to fingerprints, I prefer its subtle look over the rough matte texture of the MSI Cubi NUC 1M.

On the front, you get two handy USB-A ports and a headphone jack next to the power button. I would have liked a USB-C port up front, but Geekom typically places them around back, and for good reason. Still, there’s ample room for one on the left side.

Just like with the company’s other mini PCs, you get a whole slew of ports around back. In addition to two HDMI 2.0 ports, two USB-A ports, and a 2.5 GbE Ethernet port, you also get two USB4 ports above the HDMI ones.

Geekom puts its USB-C ports around back as they're full-featured, offering video-out functionality. With dual HDMI and dual USB4, you can run up to a quad display setup. I personally stuck to my standard ultrawide monitor with a portable monitor underneath it when testing this mini PC.

Another useful feature is the full-size SD card reader on the side. I simply pop the SD card out of my camera, insert it into the IT15, and easily transfer my photos, like the ones used in this review.

In terms of design, the IT15 absolutely nails it with a clean look and plenty of vents for airflow around back and on the sides. However, it’s the powerful Intel Core Ultra processor that really makes this mini PC stand out from the competition.

Small footprint, big power

The IT15 may be small, but Geekom has managed to pack plenty of power into its tiny chassis. Available with either an Intel Core Ultra 5-225H or the Intel Core Ultra 9-285H processor, this mini PC can easily handle demanding workloads like photo and video editing, and can even manage 1080p gaming if you stick to older titles or adjust settings in newer ones.

During my time using the IT15 as my daily driver, it had no trouble handling dozens of Chrome tabs or the photo editing I do in GIMP. The only interruption was some fan noise during heavy multitasking, but the machine performed flawlessly.

One small but useful feature is the power flexibility: while it does come with a standard external power adapter, one of the rear USB4 ports supports power, which means you can use a compact 100W GaN charger instead of the bulky stock adapter.

In the test lab, it performed quite well — demonstrating excellent single-core and multi-core performance thanks to the powerful Intel Core Ultra 9 285H processor in my review unit. Surprisingly, it even managed to outperform the Geekom A9 Max—which was released two months later—in both Geekbench tests. The Geekom A9 Max pulled ahead in the video encoding test, likely due to its more powerful AMD integrated graphics.

Crucially, Geekom ships this mini PC with 32GB of DDR5 memory as the standard—just like the A6—which is a great starting point for most users. For those who need more, you can easily upgrade to 64GB to extend its lifespan and performance even further.

Upgrades are only a screwdriver away

Accessing the IT15's internals is a simple task that even those who haven't built a computer before will be comfortable with. You simply flip the mini PC over and remove the four screws integrated into its rubber feet.

With that done, you just lift up the bottom of the case to expose the components. One thing that I really like about the IT15 compared to other mini PCs I’ve reviewed is that there isn’t a ribbon cable connecting the two pieces, which can easily become damaged if handled incorrectly.

Since its memory isn’t soldered to the motherboard, you can easily swap out the two included 16GB sticks for two 32GB sticks to upgrade its RAM to the maximum of 64GB. For storage, you get a free, smaller M.2 2242 slot next to the main SSD that supports up to 2TB of additional storage.

With a more expensive mini PC like the IT15, it’s great that Geekom gives you a clear upgrade path. This capability allows you to easily extend the life of this mini PC or give it an immediate performance boost depending on your workload.

Geekom IT15: The downs

The Geekom IT15 definitely delivers in terms of performance and ports but it’s not without its issues with the biggest being the audible noise when multitasking heavily. At the same time, I experienced some Wi-Fi issues and download speeds that were less than ideal.

Intel inside, noisy outside

While the performance of the Intel Core Ultra processor inside the IT15 was exactly what I expected, the audible noise while multitasking was not. As my first review of one of Geekom’s Intel-based "IT" line mini PCs, the noise was its most surprising drawback.

Of the mini PCs I’ve reviewed over the past two years, the IT15 was the second loudest at 54 dB, placing it just behind the Acemagic 2FA (55 dB). The Acemagic also got loud enough to be distracting and featured an Intel Core Ultra chip (albeit one from the previous generation).

Our own testing confirmed that this is an issue specific to Geekom’s implementation of Intel’s mobile processors. The noise behavior is similar to that of the older Geekom IT12, which also had audible fan noise when working under heavy loads. A relatively easy remedy might be using a larger case or changing the fan design for these Intel-based Geekom mini PCs.

The IT15 isn’t a bad mini PC by any means, but if fan noise distracts you, then I recommend going with one of Geekom’s AMD-based devices instead. For instance, I’m writing this review on the A9 Max, and even with dozens of tabs open across multiple windows simultaneously, its fans have barely made a peep this entire time.

Wi-Fi woes (now fixed)

Given the IT15 is the first Geekom mini PC I’ve tested with Wi-Fi 7 on board, I was eager to put its faster wireless speeds to the test. My review unit, however, had an initial problem that drastically reduced its Wi-Fi performance. After troubleshooting and speaking with Geekom, I was eventually able to resolve the issue and get the IT15’s Wi-Fi working correctly.

Even then, the speeds weren’t nearly what they should have been. With a 10 gigabit fiber line and one of the best Wi-Fi 7 routers (the eero Max 7) just eight feet away, I initially saw speeds plateau at around 500 Mbps down, which was concerning given the router's proximity to the IT15.

Since my router was so close, I decided to stop relying on Wi-Fi and instead, I used the 2.5 GbE Ethernet port around the back. Plugged in, I immediately saw much faster and more reliable speeds.

Just recently though, I went back to the IT15 and ran a series of speed tests over Wi-Fi. Much to my surprise, my download speeds jumped to 1,195 Mbps and my upload speeds soared to over 2 Gbps. After my initial Wi-Fi issue with the IT15, I have been diligently installing the latest Wi-Fi drivers updates from Intel. Based on this final round of speed tests, the latest update definitely did the trick, suggesting those slower initial speeds were caused by a software issue.

Although this issue started off as a major down, it effectively fixed itself with a few key driver updates. New buyers should have a much better initial experience than I did but it’s always worth installing the latest drivers and updates for the best wireless performance.

Geekom IT15: Verdict

The Geekom IT15 is a powerful and highly capable mini PC that serves as an excellent choice for users looking to downsize from a bulky desktop. With its Intel Core Ultra 9 (or Ultra 7) processor, generous ports with quad-display support, and easy upgrades, it’s a future-proof machine worth the price.

The inclusion of Wi-Fi 7 provides fast wireless speeds, but the 2.5 GbE port offers even better performance if your router is equipped with multi-gig downstream ports.

While the IT15's performance is stellar, it is essential to consider the noise. The fan noise during heavy loads is noticeable and can be distracting if the PC is placed right on your desktop. Similarly, my initial Wi-Fi issues were eventually solved by simply installing the latest Intel drivers, showing the machine isn't without its initial quirks.

If you are a power user who prioritizes top-tier performance, speed, and expandability in a small chassis, the Geekom IT15 is easy to recommend. However, if silence is paramount and you find audible fan noise distracting, we suggest taking a look at the company’s excellent AMD-based “A” series mini PCs instead.

The Geekom IT12 2025 Edition is a refreshed yet just-as-affordable take on the original IT12, and a good reminder of how capable budget mini PCs can be by leveraging older but still-powerful hardware.

Typical pricing is $499 in the US, £494 in the UK and AU$899 in Australia for the Core i7-1280P, 32GB RAM model reviewed here. There's also an i5-12450H variant that's a bit cheaper, or you can drop back to 16GB of RAM. UK buyers also get access to a more powerful Core i9-12900HK variant for £599.

The compact, understated chassis looks nice on a desk, and you still get a generous array of full-size ports on the front, side and rear, including dual 40Gbps USB4 Type-C connections.

While the original IT12 paired its 12th-gen Intel platform with a Core i7-12650H CPU, the 2025 refresh switches to a Core i7-1280P. The newer chip clocks a little higher and adds more efficiency cores, but it also runs with lower base and turbo power, so day-to-day CPU speed is broadly the same. Intel Iris Xe replaces UHD Graphics and delivers roughly a 20% lift in light games and GPU-assisted tasks. Both processors launched in 2022 as premium mobile options and still feel punchy today.

Upgradability is a key advantage of the Geekom IT12. The bottom panel comes off easily after undoing four screws, and you can add another M.2 SSD or a 2.5-inch drive. And while the IT12 does use older DDR4 memory, it's still readily available to buy, and you can install up to 64GB.

Read on to see whether this compact, budget-friendly desktop fits your workload or if you’re better off spending a little more on the best mini PC.

Geekom Mini IT12 2025 Edition: Cheat Sheet

• What is it? An inexpensive mini desktop built for everyday tasks like web browsing, document creation and a bit of casual gaming.
• Who is it for? Those who want a capable but very affordable Windows mini PC.
• What does it cost? Standard pricing is $499 in the US, £494 in the UK and AU$899 in Australia for the i7 / 32GB / 1TB configuration with Windows 11 Pro.
• What do we like? The understated chassis that looks smart on a desk, a wide selection of front, side and rear ports including a full-size SD Card reader, the easy-to-open and upgrade design, and that it's quiet in everyday use.
• What don’t we like? It uses older 12th-gen silicon and DDR4, has no front USB-C ports, can get audible under sustained load, and the full price isn’t the best value, though it's quite frequently on sale.

Geekom Mini IT12 2025 Edition: Specs

Geekom Mini IT12 2025 Edition: The ups

From its clean, understated look to the decently powerful hardware and generous range of ports on the front, side and back, the Geekom IT12 2025 Edition is an appealing option. What really makes it stand out, though, is the affordable pricing (especially when on sale) that pushes it firmly into great bang-for-buck territory.

Compact build, flexible design

Many mini PCs blur together thanks to the same boxy silhouette, but the footprint here is important, as it's small enough to sit under a monitor stand or beside a keyboard without crowding your workspace. Still, the Geekom IT12 earns a spot on your desk for more than just its (lack of) size.

Port placement is fairly practical. The frequently used USB and 3.5mm jack connections live up front for easy access, with the display and network ports are at the back so cables can run straight off the desk. There’s a full-size card slot on the side for quick photo or video offloads, which is handy if you plug in peripherals only occasionally and don’t want dongles hanging around.

Airflow on the IT12 is set up a little differently. Perforated mesh panels on both the left and right sides pull in fresh air, while a wide vent runs across the rear to push warm air out above the ports. The raised feet give the base some clearance on a desk, which helps it stay quiet in everyday use and keeps temps in check under load.

If you prefer an even cleaner setup, the included VESA mounting plate lets you hide the IT12 behind a monitor. It attaches to the display’s standard VESA holes, then the PC slides or screws onto the bracket for a snug fit. You can mount it high or low to keep ports accessible, and the bracket leaves space for power and display cables to bend without strain. It's a simple little extra that frees up desk space and keeps the mini PC out of sight, but it's still accessible if needed.

All in all, the compact shape, great port selection and the desk or VESA flexibility make the IT12 easy to integrate into your setup.

Ports around every corner

Shrinking down to the IT12 doesn’t mean giving up I/O. Ports are spread across the front, back and side, so you can keep your desk tidy without reaching around every time.

The front panel hosts two USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 ports rated at 10Gbps and a 3.5mm audio jack next to the power button. I’d still love to see a front 40Gbps USB-C port for fast portable SSDs, but given the price point, it’s far from being a dealbreaker.

Around the back are the heavy lifters — two USB4 Type-C ports (with DisplayPort alt mode) for displays or fast peripherals, two HDMI connections for easy multi-monitor setups, 2.5Gbps Ethernet, plus one USB-A 10Gbps and a standard USB-A 2.0 port for basics that don't need high speed.

There’s also a full-size SD Card slot on the right side for quick photo downloads, while the left has a Kensington lock for security.

Affordable doesn't mean slow

Over several weeks I put the Geekom IT12 through a stack of benchmark tests, as well as using it with my workload. That includes a mess of Chrome windows and enough tabs to work the 32GB of RAM, plus Photoshop and other apps, all while driving a three-screen setup. For a budget-friendly machine, it handled the mix with fewer hiccups than I expected.

In stress tests and heavier multi-core workloads I did see the IT12 take a bit longer than more capable mini PCs or laptops, and when the CPU was loaded for sustained periods the fan is fairly audible. It never became intrusive in a quiet room, but you will notice the pitch rise when the IT12 is working hard.

The little mini PC chassis earns points for upgradability. If the included SSD starts to run out of space you can drop in a second M.2 drive and even add a 2.5-inch HDD or SSD for bulk storage, which makes it easy to split fast apps and large media libraries without resorting to external drives.

Despite the compact size, the graphics subsystem can drive a serious productivity setup. The IT12 supports up to four screens, and happily did so in my tests, and the mix of USB-C and HDMI outputs make it easy to connect the latest displays, as well as older models.

For my typical workflow I run two 24-inch monitors over HDMI plus a portable USB-C screen. This layout left the second USB-C port free, which usually had my high-speed external SSD plugged in via a 40Gbps USB-C extension cable. I did also connect an extra USB-C portable monitor to test four displays.

Geekom Mini IT12 2025 Edition: The downs

The Geekom IT12 2025 Edition gets a lot right for the affordable market it's aimed at, with strong everyday performance and a very practical design. Still, there are trade-offs, including its older Intel 12th-gen platform with DDR4, only modest CPU gains over the previous IT12 model and audible fan noise when pushed.

While it's still solid value, Geekom favors an endless cycle of discounts across different mini PC models, so the overall value is annoyingly variable, despite the IT12 often sitting at roughly 20% off. If you’re happy paying full price, it's not a bad deal, but we'd suggest checking out higher-end mini PC models (like the Geekom A6 or even the Apple Mac mini M4) before pulling the trigger, as they are sometimes discounted down closer to IT12 levels. The just as affordable Geekom A5 is also worth checking out.

Performance and benchmarks

Like I mentioned earlier, the IT12 2025 Edition isn’t a brand-new setup — it’s a mild refresh that keeps the same compact chassis and port layout but swaps the CPU from a Core i7-12650H to a Core i7-1280P. The latter chip clocks a little higher and brings more efficiency cores while dialing back base and turbo power, so in day-to-day use performance is actually very similar.

The change you will notice is graphics. In the 2025 IT12, an Intel Iris Xe iGPU replaces the UHD Graphics of the older model and gives a useful boost in GPU-heavy tasks. In my benchmarks, it's roughly a 20% bump in light games and creative apps, which is a nice bonus. Both processors debuted back in 2022 as top-tier mobile parts and still feel punchy today, so you’re not trading down in responsiveness, you’re gaining a bit of visual grunt without adding heat or noise.

I like that Geekom focused the update where it helps everyday workflows rather than chasing a newer CPU. All in all, this 2025 refresh makes the IT12 slightly better value than the older unit, especially if you catch it on sale.

In our benchmark results, you can see the benefit of the Intel Core i7-1280P CPU, which offers snappy single-core performance, while still giving loads of multi-core grunt for heavier workloads. For example, in the Geekbench multi-core benchmark, the A6 is slightly faster than the IT12, but the latter pulls ahead in the single-core test.

This means that if your workload is mostly web use and document creation, the IT12 will feel faster than the A6. Whereas if you do a lot of rendering or multi-core workloads, the A6 is slightly faster.

While the affordable Geekom mini PCs are not built for serious gaming, the A6’s Radeon 680M gives it a clear edge when you do want a bit of casual play. In our Sid Meier’s Civilization VI: Gathering Storm test, the IT12’s Iris Xe iGPU managed 33.22 fps, whereas the A6 pushes much closer to that 60 fps sweet spot thanks to the more powerful Radeon 680M integrated GPU.

That extra graphics headroom isn’t just useful for games. You’ll also feel it in day-to-day work that uses the GPU — tools like Adobe Photoshop, photo and video editing and even video-call background blurring. That said, the IT12 iGPU is still decently powerful and perfectly fine for most common tasks.

Another potential reason to pick the A6 over the IT12 is memory speed. The A6 uses newer DDR5, which can move data a lot faster than the IT12’s DDR4. The extra speed helps most when the graphics chip is working hard — things like light gaming, editing video or doing photo edits.

It also keeps multiple displays a little snappier when the machine is under load. Whereas for everyday stuff like web apps, docs and email, you won’t feel much difference.

Geekom Mini IT12 2025 Edition: Verdict

The Geekom IT12 2025 Edition gives great performance for an affordable mini PC. You get a wide array of front, side and rear ports, support for up to four displays, and a case that opens quickly for RAM and storage upgrades. The tiny footprint, VESA mount in the box and practical port layout mean it's easy to fit into your setup without adding clutter.

It’s an easy recommendation for budget-minded buyers if you can snag it at around 20% off. If your workloads lean towards the heavier side, or you want better gaming ability, you might be better served spending a bit more on a higher spec model.

Ditching that laptop you have permanently plugged into a monitor or downsizing from a big, bulky desktop for one of the best mini PCs is something I can’t recommend enough, especially as someone that personally did both. While you might not think a mini PC is powerful enough to handle your workload or to play games on, these ultra small form factor computers have come a long way in the past few years.

Not only are they small enough to easily move between rooms but you can also travel with a mini PC. At the same time, most of them are upgradeable with the ability to add extra storage or even swap out their memory. Though there are mini PCs dedicated to gaming with powerful integrated graphics or even dedicated GPUs, you can also plug in an external graphics card dock if you find yourself missing the full PC gaming experience.

I’ve tried a lot of different mini PCs over the past two years but this week, I finally used an AI-powered one as my daily driver. Even though my daily workload can easily be handled without an NPU, I’ve grown fond of having an AI chatbot at the ready for quick questions or for additional research that would normally involve having a dozen or so Chrome tabs open at once.

Here’s what it’s been like spending a week with the new MSI Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG and why this particular mini PC is one I want to have front and center at my desk instead of off to the side or tucked away behind my monitor.

More power with the same footprint

A few months ago, I finally got to try out the original MSI Cubi NUC 1M after going hands-on with it at Computex the previous year. Just like with the Asus NUC 14 Pro, I really liked how it was available in multiple configurations to suit your or your business’ needs. The Cubi NUC 1M also had a few cool tricks up its sleeve like an external power button which makes it a whole lot easier to turn on when mounted behind your monitor.

The new MSI Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG builds on the original’s very solid foundation but as its name implies, adds AI to the mix. You see, this is one of the first Copilot+ mini PCs. However, unlike the best AI laptops, it’s powered by one of Intel’s Lunar Lake chips as opposed to Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Series chips. This means that you can still run all your favorite Windows apps and aren’t limited to ARM-based ones.

At 5.34 x 5.22 x 1.97 inches and 1.47 pounds, the Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG is the exact same size as the Cubi NUC 1M but slightly heavier. While its case is nearly identical, MSI has made a few changes up front to better handle AI-focused workloads and for improved security. For starters, the 2MG has a built-in speaker and microphone so that you can talk directly with your favorite AI chatbot right out of the box. Likewise, there’s also a dedicated Copilot button right on the front but more on that later. On the security side, you get an integrated fingerprint scanner in the 2MG’s power button that you can use for logging into Windows via Windows Hello.

In day-to-day use, these small tweaks make a meaningful difference and I’ve been excited about testing them out at home ever since I first saw the Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG at CES 2025 at the start of this year.

Around back, you still have a nice selection of rear ports with two USB-A ones, two Thunderbolt 4 ports, two 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet ports, an HDMI 2.1 port with MSI’s Power Link tech on board and a barrel port power connector. There is one glaring omission though and that’s the second HDMI port on the left side that the Cubi NUC 1M had. Still, this is more than enough ports to power a triple monitor setup and to connect a lot of accessories.

While the MSI Cubi NUC 2MG eventually ended up front and center at my desk, I did try it another way first as this is one of this mini PC’s unique selling points.

Made for mounting

Just like with the Cubi NUC 1M and many other mini PCs, the 2MG is designed in such a way that you can easily mount it behind your monitor. In the box, you get a VESA-compatible mounting plate and the screws to attach it to your monitor. However, MSI takes things a step further with its Power Link tech and an external power button.

If you haven’t heard of MSI Power Link before, it’s a proprietary implementation of the HDMI-CEC standard that turns on the 2MG (or the 1M before it) when you power on your monitor. For this to work though, you need an MSI monitor that supports Power Link. If you’re using one of the best monitors from another brand, this is where the 2MG’s external power button comes into play. You just plug it into the side of the 2MG, route the cable around to the front of your monitor and with a tap, it powers on your computer.

As MSI also sent over one of its Pro MP271A E2 business and productivity monitors alongside the 2MG, I got to try out Power Link first hand. It worked like a charm and by pressing its power button, the 2MG mounted behind it sprung to life too. Getting everything setup was really easy as well and if you’re short on desk space, you might want to consider a combo like this yourself.

Given that I review the best standing desks alongside the latest mini PCs, I have plenty of free desk space. So after trying out the 2MG like this, I decided to build a dual-monitor setup around this powerful little mini PC using the Oakywood Standing Desk Pro. Coming from an ultrawide monitor, sure I wanted a bit more screen real estate than just a single 27-inch monitor but I also wanted to put the fingerprint scanner and the dedicated Copilot button on the 2MG to the test.

But even better on your desk

At the start of this year, I ditched my ultrawide monitor for a dual-monitor setup that I absolutely loved. In fact, taking everything down for my next desk setup stung a little bit. That’s why when thinking of a way to put the 2MG’s front buttons to the test, I basically recreated my previous setup, albeit with the Keychron K2 HE keyboard I recently picked up and the Logitech MX Ergo S trackball mouse I’m currently testing out. And to light my new workspace, I’m using a pair of monitor light bars from Quntis as you can control two of them simultaneously using the same puck.

With an Intel Core Ultra 7 processor with an Intel Arc integrated GPU, 32GB of LPDDR5x RAM and Wi-Fi 7 on board, it’s been a breeze working from the MSI Cubi NUC 2MG all week. This mini PC is fast, quiet and with an Eero Max 7 mesh router on the other side of the room, I’m consistently getting download speeds of 1.3 gigabits per second (Gbps), though I could plug in an Ethernet cable and take that up to 2.5 Gbps in a pinch for larger downloads now that I have faster fiber internet instead of cable.

Given that I use one of the best Android phones and do most of my work in Google Workspace, I’ve slowly started integrating Google Gemini into my workflow. While I’d never have it write for me, I do like to run what I’ve written by Gemini to get its take on my latest stories as I’m putting them together. At the same time, I like to use Google’s AI chatbot to bounce ideas off of like I would with my co-workers, since it too likes to work late at night just like me.

Although I could just pull up a Chrome window and type bard.google.com into my browser’s address bar like I normally do (yeah I still use its original name and URL), I decided to turn to Copilot instead for helpful suggestions and for bouncing ideas off of. I know a lot of people love and use ChatGPT (which powers Copilot) all the time but it hasn’t won me over in the same way. I guess a lot of this comes down to being so fully immersed in Google’s ecosystem but part of testing new devices like the MSI Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG is trying new things right?

So with the 2MG front and center between my new dual-monitor setup, every time I’d pull up Gemini, I made a point to physically press its dedicated Copilot button instead. While Copilot’s (and ChatGPT’s) overly enthusiastic and chatty demeanor didn’t win me over, having an AI chatbot at my beck and call with the push of a button absolutely did.

One thing that I really like about this implementation is that the Copilot button on the 2MG opens a separate floating window that doesn’t require me to open a new tab in my browser. I also really like that when I’m done with Copilot, a push of that same button almost instantly removes this floating window from my screen.

For the most part, I’ve just been typing, copying and pasting or uploading images with both Gemini and now Copilot. However, as you can actually use ChatGPT’s voice functionality on Windows (looking at you Gemini), I decided to give that a try too.

Using Copilot Voice with the built-in microphone and speaker on the Cubi NUC 2MG was about as plug and play as it gets. However, I wish there was a way to go directly into voice mode to save me an extra click. Maybe something as simple as a double press of the mini PC’s Copilot button to go directly into voice mode. Still, everything worked well and for broader questions about the weather before I headed out to shoot photos or even with questions about the 2MG, Copilot Voice was a fun and welcome change from just entering text and reading back responses.

One other thing that I did try at first before deciding to go all in on Copilot was remapping the dedicated button on the front of the 2MG. There is an option to change what app it opens in the settings menu of Windows 11 but on my review unit, I had a choice between Copilot and Microsoft 365 Copilot. I know you can easily remap the Copilot button using Microsoft’s PowerToys utility but given that I will have to wipe this mini PC and send it back, I pivoted to just trying out Copilot on its own for a week.

Although I won’t be ditching Gemini for Copilot anytime soon, it was a fun little experiment and I absolutely loved having an AI chatbot directly integrated into my operating system. However, it was pressing the physical button on the 2MG and seeing it spring to life that really impressed me the most.

Physical buttons are due for a comeback

With one of the best gaming PCs, a business-focused desktop or even a more powerful workstation, you usually have your computer off to the side of your desk and for good reason. However, with a mini PC like the 2MG or even the Mac mini M4, having your computer front and center is a lot more practical and something you might actually do if you want to use its front ports. For instance, the microSD card reader on the 2MG has been a godsend for quickly getting photos (like the ones in this article) off my camera.

I’ve tried other mini PCs like the AtomMan G7 PT or the G7 TI that also have physical buttons on the front. However, instead of launching apps like a chatbot, their buttons are used to quickly switch between performance modes when pivoting from work to gaming after a long day. While I do like this approach too, having that dedicated Copilot button on the front of the 2MG has really rekindled my love for physical buttons and I want to see more of them.

Remember when Apple added its customizable Action button to the iPhone? Well, what if MSI or any of the other mini PCs makers out there did the same thing. Or how about if they added a button like the Essential Key on newer versions of the Nothing Phone to give you quick access to a personalized vault to store your screenshots, notes and more. That would be pretty useful too. The possibilities are almost endless and despite their smaller size, there’s still plenty of extra space on the front of most mini PCs.

A dedicated Copilot key on newer laptops running Windows 11 always felt a bit off to me, especially as someone who prefers a desktop setup with one of the best mechanical keyboards. However, on a mini PC like the MSI Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG, it just feels right.

Stay tuned for my full MSI Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG review but in the meantime, let me know in the comments below what you’d use an extra customizable button for on the front of your PC.

More from Tom's Guide

• I ditched my laptop for a pocketable mini PC and a pair of AR glasses — here’s what happened
• I put 3 stacked monitor setups to the test and this is the one I’m sticking with
• I took the Framework Desktop out to my living room and I can’t believe I’m actually gaming in 4K on an iGPU

A new report from AppleInsider claims Apple is working on an upgraded Mac mini that would feature an M5 or M5 Pro chipset. The latest leak is a follow-up to a July rumor that revealed the entire forthcoming Mac lineup through 2026.

The roadmap revealed a Mac mini codenamed J837s, set to release next year. However, this new leak suggests the upgraded tiny computer might launch before the end of 2025, likely in October when Apple typically debuts its next-generation Macs.

The currently available M4 Pro Mac mini had the codename J773s, with the M4 Mac Mini dubbed J773g, which lends credence to the assumption that the J837s is the M5 Pro Mac Mini.

The Mac mini M4 introduced a huge redesign with plenty of ports on both the front and back of the device, more memory and a smaller footprint compared to the 2023 M2 Mac mini. It’s our pick for the best mini PC, especially if you prefer Apple’s OS over Windows.

Coupled with the M4 chipset, it's a powerhouse, even with its controversial power button placement. That glaring flaw is fixable with some fun and clever solutions.

According to AppleInsiders, the M5 mini likely won’t get any design changes at the level of the M4 Mac Mini. Instead, all of the upgrades will be internal, though beyond the new chip, we’re not sure what other upgrades the device is slated to receive.

More from Tom's Guide

• The Rise of Samsung: Why Apple Is Losing Ground in the Smartphone War
• Apple is building a secret new operating system — and it's not for your iPhone or Mac
• Google TV Streamer vs Apple TV 4K: Which streaming device wins?

From cheaper games to tweaking your settings to get them exactly how you want them, there’s a lot of perks to being a PC gamer. However, being stuck at your desk when your console-wielding counterparts are sprawled out on the couch in front of their massive TVs isn’t one of them.

Sure, if you have one of the best gaming PCs with a powerful GPU, you could bring your rig out to the living room for some couch gaming — that is if you live by yourself. I used to do just this back when I was on my own but now with a family and a little one at home, having a big bulky gaming desktop under my TV just isn’t feasible.

Not only would doing so put my gaming PC at risk of getting knocked over or damaged, but it would definitely throw off the aesthetics of the living room I’ve spent the last two weekends remodeling. While you can probably convince your significant other that your game console definitely deserves a place in the living room, doing so with your gaming PC is a much harder sell.

As I’ve spent the past few years testing and reviewing the best mini PCs, I’ve also moved away from building and using larger, desktop gaming PCs, especially as graphics card and component prices have skyrocketed in recent years. Much to my surprise though, I’ve been able to play quite a few of the best PC games on some of the mini PCs I’ve tested. However, it wasn’t until I reviewed the Framework Desktop that I told myself this might be the perfect mini PC for a more discrete, yet still quite powerful living room PC.

Here’s what it’s been like using and gaming on the Framework Desktop on a 65-inch TV from the comfort of my couch for the past week and why a mini PC like this one could easily earn a permanent spot in my entertainment center.

PC building, miniaturized

Best known for its repairable and upgradeable laptops, Framework is a company I’ve been following since the release of the first Framework Laptop back in 2021. It wasn’t until the start of this year when the company announced that it would be making a mini PC, though, that my interest was truly piqued.

You see, unlike the rest of the mini PCs I’ve checked out in the past, this one would be modular with upgradeable parts as well as highly customizable.

With multiple side panel options available and a unique front panel with slots for 21 different tiles, you can really make the Framework Desktop your own. On the front of its case, there are two slots where you can add whatever ports you want from your standard USB-A and USB-C to SD and microSD card readers. thanks to the company’s Expansion Cards which also come in a number of different colors and finishes.

With most mini PCs, I unbox them and then go right to incorporating them into one of my desk setups. With the Framework Desktop though, I had to build it first. Besides being a lot of fun and taking me back to my PC building days, this was also incredibly easy.

Framework takes all of the guesswork out of building a PC by pre-installing the motherboard, CPU and RAM. All you need to do on your end is to install your storage and the CPU fan, close everything up and you’re ready to go.

You do need to install your own operating system with both Windows and Linux supported right out of the box. As I’m not quite ready to delve back into the world of Linux distros, I went with Windows 11, though for a living room gaming PC, I’m sure something like Bazzite would work like a charm on the Framework Desktop.

The last thing besides its more compact form factor that makes the Framework Desktop perfect for moving between rooms or even taking it with you on the go is the optional carrying handle. This one is still in the works and will likely be finalized soon but Framework sent over a prototype with my review unit for me to test out.

Back to the couch in style

With a completely empty room, it’s very easy to see all the potential possibilities before you start bringing your furniture back in. I originally picked up this entertainment center due to the fact that there was enough space on either side to fit a PS5 or Xbox Series X.

After dealing with overheating issues from my own Xbox Series X not having enough room for good ventilation though, I started thinking about putting a mini PC there instead. As it turns out, there’s more than enough space for the Framework Desktop there and airflow isn’t an issue at all, since all of the hot air from my review unit’s AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 CPU is expelled out of the side instead of from the top.

Another thing that I really like about the Framework Desktop is that it uses a standard PC power cable. They’re readily available and, best of all, very inexpensive so picking up an extra one won’t be an issue at all. As I have a few on hand from various PCs I built over the years, I could leave one plugged in here and have another at my desk to easily move the Framework Desktop from my office out to the living room in a pinch.

With a living room PC setup, you’re definitely going to need one of the best keyboards and a wireless mouse for downloading updates, opening games and browsing the web. While I always used to have a Logitech K400 and later a Logitech K400 Plus wireless keyboard with built-in trackpad at the ready for using my PC in the living room, this time around I wanted to do things differently.

Given the more refined look we’re going for with our remodeled living room, I decided to use the Keychron K2 HE wireless mechanical keyboard with magnetic Hall Effect switches I recently picked up, as I love its rosewood side panels. Given that I wanted to play games on the Framework Desktop with one of the best PC game controllers, I’m using a mini trackball mouse from Elecom alongside it.

After changing the Framework Desktop’s resolution to match that of my TV, it was time to put it to the test with a few more demanding games that I’ve struggled to run well on some of the other mini PCs. Fortunately though, thanks to AMD’s Radeon Super Resolution feature and its game-boosting FSR tech, things worked out even better than I had expected they would.

Playing is believing

With AMD Ryzen AI Max 385 or an Ryzen AI Max+ 395 and from 32GB to 128GB of LPDDR5x memory, the Framework Desktop is a petite powerhouse capable of handling a variety of workloads from everyday web browsing and office tasks to photo/video editing and even running AI models locally.

While testing it for my review, I was quite impressed with its performance as I used it for work during the day. However, it wasn’t until I dimmed the lights and fired up a few of my favorite games at night that I was blown away.

Unlike some other gaming-focused mini PCs I’ve tested in the past such as the Asus ROG NUC 970 or the AtomMan G7 Ti, the Framework Desktop doesn’t have a discrete GPU. Instead, everything from work to gaming is handled by its APU which combines a CPU and a GPU on a single chip. This helps cut down on costs while also freeing up room inside its case, all while using less power in the process.

Normally with integrated graphics on a mini PC, you’re quite limited as to what sorts of games you can run and what resolutions you can play them at. Typically while playing games on mini PCs, I’ve opted for a lower resolution 1080p monitor over a 4K display like the one in my living room TV. However, after testing some games in my office on the MSI MPG 321URXW QD-OLED 4K gaming monitor, I knew the Framework Desktop was up to the task of playing games on my TV.

I know some PC gamers might scoff at the idea of using Nvidia’s DLSS or in this case, AMD’s FSR performance and framerate-boosting tech but in this case, it’s the perfect solution. I never would have been able to run more demanding games like Final Fantasy VII Rebirth or Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart on PC without it.

In both of these titles, I saw smooth and steady frame rates of 60 fps with either it or AMD’s Radeon Super Resolution enabled. And since I was sitting a lot farther back from the screen on my couch, I wasn’t pixel peeping and going over every imperfection. Instead, I was able to kick back and play some PC games almost as effortlessly as I would have on a game console.

The best of both

In terms of your initial investment, gaming on a console will always beat a PC. However, with a full-fledged computer, anything’s possible. I’ve worked on the Framework Desktop, edited photos, played games and almost as importantly, I had a really fun time building and customizing it.

As this is a review unit after all, it’s not going to remain a permanent fixture in my living room but even if this was my own PC, I still don’t think it would. Instead, I like the flexibility of using it in my office for work or gaming and then when everyone’s out of the house or asleep for the night, I can easily bring it out to the living room for some big screen gaming.

Likewise, with a starting price of $1,099, the Framework Desktop isn’t exactly a budget mini PC like the Geekom A5 I just reviewed. It’s actually more of a crossover between a standard mini PC and a small form factor (SFF) desktop. While you could likely put together a comparable little gaming PC for around the same price or even less, I really like how Framework has simplified the process of PC building for those who might be hesitant to try doing so out for themselves.

It’s not really that hard after all but with the Framework Desktop, you also get the customization the company is known for and once this mini PC finally becomes readily available (you can preorder one now), I guarantee there will be even more custom tiles, side panels and maybe even alternate carrying handles so that you can truly make it your own.

When I first reached out to Framework about reviewing its first desktop computer, I thought I was just going to see what the company’s modular devices were all about. However, I ended up seeing the full potential of AMD’s latest integrated graphics and given how far they’ve come so far, I really feel like the sky is the limit for what you can pull off without a dedicated GPU.

More from Tom's Guide

• I ditched my laptop for a pocketable mini PC and a pair of AR glasses — here’s what happened
• The 5 things I'm glad I knew before buying a mini PC
• I didn’t expect this mini PC that looks like a PS5 to be this powerful or customizable — and now I can’t wait to try it out

I've been building, buying and breaking PCs for over 20 years, and I've learned a few things along the way about what (and what not) to do. Now that I write about computers for a living here at Tom's Guide, I often have to tap that painfully-earned expertise to answer questions from readers and colleagues about how to navigate the modern PC market without running into trouble.

If you're currently in the market for a new computer and aren't sure what to buy yet, I have a few tips and considerations to keep in mind before making a purchase.

When you're ready to make a purchase, you can also scope out our regularly updated list of the best computers and best gaming PCs we've reviewed for some more buying advice, as well as our in-depth hands-on reporting and testing results.

What do you need to do with it?

Before you start budgeting, pricing out parts or looking at reviews, the first thing you should think about is simple: why do you need this PC, and what will you use it for?

I know that sounds simple, so simple you've probably already done it. But I have to ask because I often get questions from readers like "what's the best all-in-one for gaming?" or "what's the best mini PC for working remotely?"

These questions aren't bad or wrong, but they do force me to ask: what do you want this for? Because I can recommend an all-in-one that's good for gaming or a mini PC that you can technically travel with (thanks to my colleague Anthony Spadafora's portable mini PC setup), but I would rather recommend the ideal PC for your needs.

Plus, figuring out what you want to do with your PC will help set a price range for what you'll spend. Really cheap PCs often can't do much more than browse the web and do basic productivity work, but that's perfect for a young student or an older parent. If you want a gaming PC, however, you should expect to spend at least four figures to get something decent.

So before we go any further, ask yourself: Am I getting this PC to do basic work and homework, to play games, to create demanding content (like apps, games and videos), or something else?

How much can you afford to spend?

Next step: What's your budget?

Knowing how much you'd like to spend will help you effectively search for and find the PC (or parts) you need. And while prices of electronics tend to fluctuate more than usual these days, depending on supply and demand, I can still give you some rough estimates of how much you can expect to get for your money.

If you can't afford to spend more than $1,000, you can still get a decent desktop or a nice all-in-one PC, but it probably won't be great at running modern games or demanding apps. One of the outliers is Apple's Mac mini M4, which packs a surprising amount of processing power into a tiny box that's easy to fit on your desk and starts at $599.

You can even get a decent gaming PC, though you may have to break past the $1,000 barrier by a few hundred to achieve it. The Dell XPS 8960, for example, packs modern gaming PC power into a nondescript PC case for roughly $1,100 to start.

If you can afford to spend between $1,000-$3,000, you can afford basically any PC you want besides a top-of-the-line gaming PC. But if cutting-edge PC gaming is your goal, expect to spend $2,000 - $5,000 for the best of the best.

Do you need a discrete graphics card?

Next question: do you need a discrete graphics card in your new PC?

Before we dig in, let me remind you that a discrete graphics card is typically a big, expensive PC component that's effectively a bundle of processors that are optimized for graphics.

They're one of the primary things to care about when buying a gaming PC, but having a decent discrete GPU (graphics processing unit) is also important if you plan to edit video, develop games or do serious AI work.

On the other hand, if you don't care about that kind of work or serious PC gaming, you might be able to get by with a cheap, outdated GPU or no GPU at all. Most PCs have CPUs that come with an integrated graphics chipset, so if there's no GPU in the PC, your CPU can still do a decent job of generating images and video.

You'll know whether or not a PC you're buying has a GPU by looking at the specs, and there are three main manufacturers to choose from: AMD, Intel and Nvidia. While Nvidia has a reputation for selling the most powerful and most expensive graphics cards (looking at you, Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090), AMD also makes some great GPUs that tend to be a better value if you're not gaming in 4K. Intel recently re-entered the GPU market, and its GPUs (like the Intel Arc B580) have proven surprisingly effective for 1080p gaming on a budget.

How much RAM do you need?

You might think the next thing I'm going to make you worry about is the CPU, but actually, I think you should care more about RAM.

Because if you're buying a new (not used) PC these days, you're likely going to get a half-decent CPU onboard if you spend at least $600-$1,000. It won't be as good as the M4 chip in the Mac mini, admittedly, but it probably won't be a problem.

What's more likely to give you headaches over time is not having enough RAM for your needs. I say that because I've noticed PC manufacturers tend to skimp on RAM, and a paltry 8GB is still depressingly common to see among budget PC listings.

Now, if you're running ChromeOS or Linux, you might be able to get away with 4GB of RAM. But if you're using macOS or Windows, I think you want at least 8GB of RAM and probably 16GB, just to be safe.

16GB of RAM is the sweet spot for most home and office PCs, but if you're going to do more demanding work than basic tasks, you might want more. RAM (Random Access Memory) is key when doing things like multi-tasking, playing games or editing video, and not having enough of it can cause your PC to feel sluggish, hang or even crash.

So if you're going to do serious gaming, editing or coding work, I highly suggest you try to find budget for at least 32GB of RAM. If you really want to splurge, you can even get modern PCs with upwards of 48-64GB of RAM, but that's overkill that nobody but hardcore PC game players and video editors really needs to worry about.

What operating system would you prefer?

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• I review laptops for a living and these AR glasses are now my go-to accessory for eliminating "tech neck"

HP just announced the perfect gaming PC for me. The new HP Omen 35L Stealth Edition is a refreshed version of the HP Omen 35L I reviewed last year. In addition to updated internals, like the latest AMD CPU and Nvidia RTX 50-series GPU, this model has an all-black chassis, hence its “Stealth” moniker. This might not seem like a big deal, but to me, it’s a huge selling point.

I got to see this desktop first-hand at a recent HP event and was immediately drawn to this mid-tower. RGB lighting has become synonymous with gaming, which is all well and good, but I wouldn’t exactly call myself an RGB fan. I even turn all RGB lighting on my personal gaming rig at home. The Omen 35L Stealth Edition’s nondescript design almost makes it appear like an average office PC, which I think is quite impressive.

This PC doesn’t just have visual appeal; it also boasts components powerful enough to play the best PC games. There's a wide range of configurations, with your choice of up to a 14th Gen Intel Core or AMD Ryzen 9 CPU and up to an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 GPU. Choices for RAM and SSD storage are also plentiful.

Higher-end configurations will cost more, but the entry-level Omen 35L Stealth Edition starts at a relatively affordable $1,499. Like the previous Omen 35L, both the new model and the Stealth Edition will feature industry-standard parts, making it easier for you to upgrade or replace parts as needed. This was a big feature of the last Omen 35L, so it’s great to see HP continue this trend.

Both the standard and the Stealth Edition of the HP Omen 35L are expected to launch sometime in October. I gave the previous Omen 35L our Tom’s Guide Editor’s Choice award, so I have big hopes for its successor — especially the Stealth Edition. We’ll keep you posted with any updates, so stay tuned for more!

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• Getting a gaming PC? 7 things you need to know before you buy
• This RTX 5090 Corsair gaming PC has redefined gaming for me
• This RTX 5090 beast is so powerful that it feels alive

The Maingear MG-1 ($1,529) is one of the company's most affordable customizable gaming PCs, at least to start, so when Maingear offered to send us one for review I kept my expectations in check.

But when the top-of-the-line MG-1 Ultimate ($5,269) that Maingear built for us finally showed up at my door, I was impressed. Before I even had a chance to plug it in and see how well it performs, I was charmed by the (fairly) portable mid-size case and the eye-catching custom panel on the front.

One of the big selling points of the MG-1 are these swappable front panels, and I love how they remind me of the old Xbox 360 faceplate days. But if that was the most exciting aspect of this gaming PC I'd quickly lose interest.

But after a month of testing and using the Maingear MG-1 Ultimate I'm pleased to report this is one of the best gaming PCs I've reviewed this year. Like most great gaming PCs it's pretty expensive, but if you can afford it you're getting a potent powerhouse that's easy to customize, easy to move and so quiet you'd barely know it was running, even after gaming for hours.

Maingear MG-1 Ultimate review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? The top-of-the-line 2025 MG-1 gaming PC from Maingear, a well-known vendor of customized gaming PCs and laptops.
• What does it cost? While the base Maingear MG-1 starts at $1,529, to order the top-of-the-line MG-1 Ultimate review unit Maingear loaned us would cost you just over $5,000.
• Who is it for? This is a mid-size gaming PC for folks who want to play the best PC games in 4K at great framerates.
• What do we like? The excellent RTX 5090-fueled performance, whisper-quiet fan noise, compact case and attractive swappable front panel make this a killer gaming PC for the office or living room.
• What don’t we like? The only thing that hurts about this loaner gaming PC (besides the high price tag) is having to return it at the end of the review.

Maingear MG-1 Ultimate review: Specs

Maingear MG-1 Ultimate (2025) review: The ups

Great for gaming in 4K

The custom MG-1 review unit that Maingear sent us is pretty expensive, but in return you get a compact, quiet gaming PC that can run many of the latest games at 4K with all the graphical settings cranked to max.

Our testing reveals that even when you do that you can often expect to get around 60 frames per second at 4K, but it's not consistent. Some of the most demanding games, like Black Myth Wukong and Cyberpunk 2077, will push this system so hard at max settings that even the RTX 5090 and AMD Ryzen 9 CPU will struggle to keep a smooth 60 frames per second at 4K.

To show you what I mean I've charted the Maingear MG-1's performance in key games below and put it up against two other pricey RTX 5090 gaming PCs we've reviewed recently, the Alienware Area 51 ($5,699 as tested) and the Corsair Vengeance i8300 ($7,399 as tested).

As you can see, the more expensive gaming PCs outperformed our Maingear MG-1 review unit by a small degree in most games. But in a few cases (namely Assassin's Creed Shadows and Red Dead Redemption 2) the Maingear actually beat out Corsair's Vengeance i8300 by a smidge.

That's a bit amazing given that the Vengeance costs over $2,000 more and is also larger and heavier, so it's more of a pain to fit into your entertainment setup. So while the Alienware Area 51 desktop comes out smelling like roses, our testing proves the Maingear MG-1 is smaller and nearly as good as the Corsair despite being far cheaper.

A similar story played out when we put the MG-1 Ultimate through our battery of general performance tests, but this time it performed a bit better compared to the more expensive Area 51 and Vengeance i8300.

As you can see from the chart of results above, our MG-1 review unit consistently outperformed either the Alienware, the Corsair or both in our Geekbench 6 CPU tests and our SSD speed test. And in our video editing test, which times how long it takes the PC to transcode a 4K video down to 1080p using Handbrake, Maingear's MG-1 Ultimate actually outperformed both the Alienware and Corsair RTX 5090 PCs.

Factor in the fact that our MG-1 review unit is cheaper and smaller than either competitor, and you start to see why I love this mid-size gaming rig.

Whisper-quiet even after gaming in 4K for hours

Another thing I love about the MG-1 Ultimate is how quiet it is, even after hours of playing games like Cyberpunk 2077 and Red Dead Redemption 2 at 4K with all settings cranked to max.

While I do hear the fans spin up after extended (1-2+ hours) gaming sessions or when the room gets quite toasty, I almost never notice them. And when I finally did, I had to fire up our Corsair Vengeance i8300 review unit to remind me what a really beastly full-sized gaming tower PC can sound like when things get hot and heavy.

The MG-1 Ultimate doesn't get terribly toasty under load, either. When I was testing the Vengeance i8300, for example, I noticed that after a few hours of PC gaming on the couch my entire living room would feel warm. By contrast, Maingear's mid-sized rig doesn't feel noticeably warm, even after hours of gaming, unless I put my hand directly against the exhaust.

Clean interior that's easy to access

I like a PC case that's neatly organized and easy to open, so I'm very happy with the MG-1 case that houses this beastly machine.

Not only does the PC run quiet and have lots of room to work inside the case, the tempered glass side panel is easy to remove once you remove the screws fastening it in place. Popping it back on is just as easy, which I really appreciate.

Maingear touts a few additional selling points for this case, including the fact that the MG-1 was designed in partnership with company co-owner, professional game streamer and former pro eSports player Michael "Shroud" Grzesiek.

That's all fine and good, but I'm more excited about the swappable magnetic front panel.

That swappable, customizable front panel is just fun

Hey, I get maybe not everyone will love the silly appeal of being able to order new swappable front panels from Maingear for $99 a pop (or $129 if you want a custom one), but I love it.

There are loads of fun designs and patterns to choose from, and the whole thing reminds me of nothing so much as the swappable faceplates we used to use on the old Xbox 360.

While it's a bit goofy that Maingear custom-printed us one with the TG logo on it for the purposes of this review, I have to admit I like seeing a pop of color on the PC when I sit down at my desk every morning.

And since the Maingear logo in the top center of the panel glows in concert with the PC's RGB settings, whatever front panel you add will feature a fun bit of RBG flair winking out from the middle.

Maingear MG-1 Ultimate review: The downs

As much as I like the 2025 Maingear MG-1 Ultimate, there is one big downside to buying one that I should make clear before wrapping up.

A gaming PC this good costs an arm and a leg

Look, I would have a hard time affording the MG-1 Ultimate that Maingear sent us for review on my journalist's salary. I could do it, but I'd probably spend half a year or more scrimping and saving to minimize the strain on my credit. Most people will likely face a similar quandary when considering whether to buy a boutique PC like the MG-1.

Now admittedly, you can get a less powerful version for thousands of dollars less—upgrading from the base RTX 5050 to the top-of-the-line GeForce RTX 5090 GPU adds over $2,500 to the price alone, for example.

And again, this high-end MG-1 Ultimate performs nearly as well or better in our testing as 2025 gaming PCs that cost hundreds or thousands more. So while it is damn expensive, if you're aiming for RTX 5090 levels of performance this might actually be a fairly canny way of maximizing what you get for your money.

Maingear MG-1 Ultimate review: Verdict

If it's not clear already, I'm quite fond of Maingear's 2025 MG-1 Ultimate.

The machine Maingear sent us for review packs a powerful AMD + Nvidia CPU/GPU combo that punches above its weight in terms of performance, and I love how quiet it remains even after hours of use.

But even when it's switched off, I like how nice the MG-1 looks on a desk (especially with a cool front panel design) and I appreciate how easy it is to move from room to room. And when it's time to upgrade or swap something out, I love that you can quickly unscrew some fasteners and pop the side panel off for easy access.

After a month with this machine I can't find anything to complain about besides the high price, and that's par for the course when you're buying high-end gaming PCs. So if that's what you're after, I highly recommend Maingear's MG-1 as one of the best I've tested in 2025.

The Framework Desktop is a powerful and highly customizable mini PC that’s equally well-suited for work, gaming and local AI workloads. But we are talking about Framework, so it's much more than that.

Just like with Framework’s laptops, it’s incredibly easy to build and repair thanks to its replaceable parts. However, unlike with other mini PCs, it’s also very customizable since you can use the company’s Expansion Cards to configure its front ports to your liking and its magnetic front panel can be personalized using a number of different swappable tiles.

The only components you can’t swap out are its AMD Ryzen AI Max processor and LPDDR5x memory, which is soldered to the motherboard due to this chip’s limitations. You do get to pick from three CPU and memory configurations when putting together your Framework Desktop though. Likewise, you can either pay extra for storage and the computer’s operating system at checkout or you can bring your own to save a bit of cash.

My Framework Desktop review will help you decide if this is the best mini PC for your needs and workflow or if you’d be better off with something smaller, cheaper and less customizable. For me though, this computer is the small form factor desktop I’ve always wanted. Here’s why.

Framework Desktop: Cheat Sheet

• What is it? A mini PC or small form factor desktop computer with powerful internals that’s highly customizable and you build yourself.
• Who is it for? PC hobbyists, gamers and AI developers that want a lot of power in a small yet customizable form factor.
• What does it cost? The Framework desktop starts at $1,099 and goes up to $1,999 depending on the processor and RAM you choose. Keep in mind though, you will need to pay extra for a CPU fan, storage, Expansion Cards, tiles for the front panel and a Windows license.
• What do we like? It’s unique form factor, how portable it is, the well-designed case, the various customization and expansion options and its powerful AMD Ryzen AI Max processor.
• What don’t we like? That the RAM isn’t upgradeable due to limitations with AMD’s Ryzen AI Max chips and how the higher-end configurations can get expensive, especially when you need to buy storage and a Windows license separately.

Framework Desktop: Specs

Framework Desktop: The ups

The Framework Desktop builds on the company’s experience with customizable and easily repairable laptops but in a mini PC form factor. Everything about this mini PC from its unique case and customization options, to the fact that you have to build it yourself make it stand on its own. However, it’s the extra power under the hood from that AMD Ryzen AI Max processor that makes the Framework Desktop such a versatile desktop or laptop replacement.

PC building simplified

If you’ve ever built a PC before, you’re in for a familiar but much simpler experience with the Framework Desktop. This is because its motherboard, CPU, RAM and power supply come pre-installed. In fact, you don’t even have to plug in any cables either.

Putting the Framework Desktop together starts with opening its case. From there, you need to install your M.2 SSD and the CPU fan before closing everything up and loading either Windows or Linux onto your new PC.

In total, it took me around 15 minutes to put everything together, though I did stop and take pictures and videos along the way. I found the whole process to be quite refreshing compared to building a traditional PC where simple mistakes can not only be time consuming but also quite expensive.

I did have to download Windows 11 and install the operating system from scratch but this way, you don’t have to worry about any of the bloatware you find on other pre-built PCs or laptops.

Custom look, custom ports

When configuring your Framework Desktop, the parts you pick can give this mini PC quite a different look once everything’s put together.

For instance, I went with a sleek, all-black design with more of a business-focused look to it. However, I could have easily chose a CPU fan with RGB lighting and a translucent side panel for something that looks more like one of the best gaming PCs than a sleeper build.

At the time of writing, there are actually three CPU fan options to choose from but you can also get a fan mounting kit and use your own fan instead. Given the all-black look I was going for, I went with the Cooler Master Mobius 120 fan, though Framework also sent over one for Noctua for me to check out as well. Given that the Framework Desktop’s side panel slides right off, swapping out one fan for another later on would be quite easy to do.

What excited me most about the Framework Desktop when it was first announced was its customizable front panel. It has 21 slots for plastic tiles that you can easily snap in with your thumb. You can mix and match colors, or choose tiles with logos like Framework or AMD. Framework even sent one with the Tom’s Guide logo, and I expect more custom options will come as the system grows.

Behind the front panel, there are two open slots for Framework’s Expansion Cards, which let you choose what ports you want on the front of the mini PC. These cards come in different colors and finishes to match the look of your setup. For my review unit, I chose a USB-A and an SD card reader, but I also really liked the translucent pink USB-C card.

Small, mighty and portable

At 3.81 × 8.09 × 8.9 inches, the Framework Desktop is definitely on the large size for a mini PC. I’d say it straddles the line between a more cube-shaped mini PC like the Geekom A6 and a true small form factor desktop PC case due to its size. Still, it’s small enough to slip into a backpack and the optional carrying handle makes it very easy to move this computer from one room to another.

Even though it’s compact, the Framework Desktop is powerful thanks to its Ryzen AI Max chip. There are two CPU options — one with 8 cores and 32 graphics cores, and another with 16 cores and 40 graphics cores. You can also choose between 32GB, 64GB, or 128GB of memory.

I tested the mid-range setup with an AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395, 64GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD. With 16 cores and 32 threads, it was more than I needed for my usual tasks, which mostly involve running several Chrome windows with lots of tabs and doing some photo editing in GIMP.

Although there aren’t any extra Expansion Card slots around back, you still get a nice selection of rear ports which include two USB-A, two USB 4, an HDMI 2.1 port, dual DisplayPort 2.1 connections, a 5 GbE Ethernet port and a headphone jack.

While I wish there were a few more USB-A ports for my older devices, one thing I really appreciate about the Framework Desktop is that as it has an internal power supply, you can use a standard PC power cable. Of the mini PCs I’ve tested only the Mac mini M4 has an internal power supply while the rest use bulkier external ones.

I’d say the base version of the Framework Desktop will be more than enough for most people but you could upgrade to the version with 64GB of RAM for future proofing or for playing games (more on that later). Meanwhile, the 128GB version of this mini PC is best suited for those that want to run AI models like Llama locally.

Another thing that really surprised me about the Framework Desktop was just how fast my download speeds were when using it with one of the best Wi-Fi 7 routers. It comes equipped with both Wi-Fi 7 and a 5 GbE Ethernet port for fast wireless and wired connectivity.

For instance, when running a speed test over Wi-Fi, I saw download speeds of 1.52 gigabits per second (Gbps). Then when I plugged it into my Eero Max 7 mesh router using an Ethernet cable, I was able to take almost full advantage of the bandwidth offered by my 10 gigabit fiber connection. All in all, the Framework Desktop delivers and then some both on the performance and the connectivity front.

Not just for work

As I mentioned before, the Framework Desktop is a very versatile mini PC and as such, it can be whatever kind of computer you need it to be at the moment. While I spent a lot of time using it as a work machine during the day, at night, it effortlessly transformed into a gaming PC.

Based on the gaming benchmarks ran in our testing lab, you’d think that the Framework Desktop is best suited for 1080p or even 1440p gaming. However, in my testing on the MSI MPG 321URXW QD-OLED 4K gaming monitor at home, I walked away quite impressed after playing several more demanding PC games like Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart.

While the latest entry in the FF7 remake series doesn’t support AMD’s FSR tech, I still managed to get a smooth frame rate of 60 fps when I enabled Radeon Super Resolution in the pre-installed AMD Software: Adrenaline Edition app. The same was true in Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart which does come with support for FSR 3.1

Obviously upscaling and frame-gen tech aren’t for everyone and in that case, you’ll get excellent results at 1440p and especially at 1080p with it turned off on the Framework Desktop. Still, being able to play newer and more demanding titles in 4K using an integrated GPU is quite impressive. Likewise, with two USB 4 ports around back, you could always plug in an external graphics card too.

It’s also worth noting that if you opt for a Framework Desktop with more memory, you can allocate extra RAM to this mini PC’s Ryzen AI Max chip for improved graphics performance. For instance, in AMD’s app, I was able to split my review unit’s memory in half with 32GB going to the system and the other 32GB going to its graphics.

Framework Desktop: The downs

The Framework Desktop is an impressive debut into the world of mini PCs by a company known for its repairable and upgradeable laptops. However, it does have its downsides too which include this PC’s higher price as you are buying into an ecosystem after all and the fact that you can’t upgrade its RAM or processor.

Not quite a barebones build

The Framework Desktop makes building a PC easier, but it’s not as flexible as a true barebones setup. You only get two CPU options and a few RAM configurations. The Ryzen AI Max is a strong processor, so it makes sense for Framework’s first desktop — but the downside is that the RAM is soldered in and can’t be upgraded later if your needs change.

You also don’t save much money compared to other pre-built PCs, since the price doesn’t include a CPU fan, storage, Expansion Cards, or a Windows license if you don’t want to use Linux.

Overall, I really like the Framework Desktop and have had a wonderful experience building and using it for the past two weeks. Your money could go further with a full-size desktop PC especially when you factor in sales on components.

However, that would defeat the purpose of the Framework Desktop. At the same time, as someone who has built small form factor PCs in the past, you’re always going to pay a premium for smaller parts like mini ITX motherboards, SFX or SFX-L power supplies and of course, low-profile graphics cards.

As such, if you’re thinking about buying your own Framework Desktop, then you’re definitely going to want to think long and hard about your needs and workflow before committing to a specific configuration. While the base configuration will likely meet the needs of most people, opting for the middle of the road one like my review unit or even the fully equipped configuration if you have the budget for it might make more sense for futureproofing.

Framework Desktop: Verdict

The Framework Desktop stands out from typical mini PCs, and that’s one of its biggest strengths. Instead of a fully pre-built design, it lets you customize the look and features with its tiled front panel and Expansion Cards. You can also choose different side panels and CPU fans — or even use your own — making it a much more personal and flexible experience than most other mini PCs.

While the soldered RAM and being limited to two variations of one processor might not be for everyone, this decision is what allows the Framework Desktop to be readily mass produced instead of a more niche, boutique-style mini PC. Likewise, some PC gamers might scoff at the idea of gaming on an integrated GPU but the Ryzen AI Max’s Radeon 8050S or 8060S graphics get the job done while allowing you to play a wide variety of both newer and older games.

The Framework Desktop could be a new way forward for mini PCs as well as small form factor desktop overall. Only time will tell but so far, it has rightfully earned its place among the best mini PCs you can get today.

The Geekom A5 2025 Edition is a refreshed but more affordable version of the original A5 that shows just how capable budget mini PCs have become.

Often available for less than $300, this rose gold-colored mini PC doesn’t skimp on style or ports. The chrome edge along the top and the lined airflow cutouts give the Geekom A5 2025 Edition a more premium look, and you’ll find full-sized ports around every corner of this mini PC.

While this refreshed version of the A5 has a slightly less powerful processor than its predecessor, it more than makes up for that in upgradability. The case opens easily, allowing you to add more storage in the extra M.2 SSD slot or even the 2.5-inch drive bay. Likewise, while it uses older DDR4 memory, you can easily swap out the included 16GB of RAM and go all the way up to 64GB.

My Geekom A5 2025 Edition review will help you decide if this small, budget-friendly desktop computer is the best mini PC for you or if it’s worth spending slightly more for something more powerful.

Geekom A5 2025 Edition: Cheat Sheet

• What is it? A small, budget-friendly mini PC that’s well suited for browsing the web, office work and even some very light gaming.
• Who is it for? Those who want a capable but very affordable mini PC to replace an old desktop or laptop.
• What does it cost? The Geekom A5 2025 Edition has a starting price of $399, but is frequently on sale for much less. Right now, you can get it for just $299 on Geekom’s site or for $319 on Amazon(where Tom's Guide readers can get 8% off using the code TOMSGA52025), but it has dropped as low as $265 during big sales events.
• What do we like? It’s unique, rose gold chassis, the wide selection of front and rear ports, that it’s easy to open and upgrade, and that it isn’t overly loud during normal usage.
• What don’t we like? The new processor in the A5 2025 Edition has fewer cores than the one in the original A5, and it uses USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 ports instead of faster USB4 or Thunderbolt 4.

Geekom A5 2025 Edition: Specs