I review mini PCs for a living and these 7 early Black Friday deals let you downsize for less

The Kamrui E3B was my previous pick for the best budget mini PC as you get plenty of power for the price. However, this deal gets you the upgraded version that comes with a more powerful AMD Ryzen 7 7730U processor, 16GB of DDR4 RAM and a 512GB M.2 SSD. On the front of the E3B, you get two USB-A ports, a USB-C port with video out and a headphone jack. Around back, you get HDMI and DisplayPort for video out, a Gigabit Ethernet jack and, surprisingly, four more USB-A ports. In my Kamrui E3B review, I praised its near-silent fan and its sleek, all-black design.

The Geekom A5 (2025 Edition) is my new pick for the best budget mini PC. It’s powered by an AMD Ryzen 5 7430U processor and comes with 16GB of DDR4 RAM and a 512GB M.2 SSD. While you don’t get a USB-C port on the front (just two USB-A ports and a headphone jack), around back you get two USB-C ports with video out, two HDMI ports, two USB-A ports and a 2.5 Gbps Ethernet port. Oh, and did I mention there’s an SD card reader on the side? In my Geekom A5 2025 Edition review, I said this affordable mini PC performs even better than it looks with its unique rose gold colorway.

The standard Khadas Mind packs an Intel i5-1340p processor, 16GB of DDR5 RAM and a 512GB SSD into an absolutely tiny package. There’s a power button on the front, cooling on the sides and around back, you get two USB-A ports, two USB-C ports (one for power) and an HDMI port. However, there’s also a free M.2 SSD slot on the bottom if you want to add more storage to the base Khadas Mind. In my Khadas Mind review, I praised this pocketable mini PC for its slim profile and the fact that you can add more ports or even a graphics card thanks to Khadas’ first-party docks.

The base model Mac mini M4 is a big step up from its predecessor and likely enough for most people without any expensive upgrades. It comes with Apple’s powerful M4 chip, 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. You also get plenty of ports in a tiny package with three Thunderbolt 4 ports, two USB-C ports, HDMI and Ethernet. If it wasn't for the awkward power button placement and the complete lack of USB-A ports, I would have easily given this one 5 stars in my Mac mini M4 review.

The Beelink SER8 comes fully equipped with 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD along with plenty of ports. In fact, the SER8 can be used in a triple-monitor setup as around the back; you get an HDMI 2.1 port, DisplayPort 1.4 and a USB4 port along with three USB-A ports and a 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet port, which is perfect for multi-gig internet plans. Powered by a Ryzen 7 8745HS processor, this mini PC is perfect for work and can even handle some light gaming thanks to its built-in Radeon 780M graphics. You can also upgrade the SER8 with up to 64TB of DDR5 RAM and 2TB of storage if you need even more power later on.

be the perfect mini PC for you. It has a full aluminum design, a great selection of front and rear ports, and Geekom’s IceBlast 1.5 tech, which keeps it cool in use. The A8 can even power a quad-monitor setup around the back; there are two HDMI 2.0 ports, a USB-C port capable of video out and a USB 4 port. While I haven’t reviewed the A8 yet, I did review its smaller sibling, the A6. In my Geekom A6 review, I couldn’t believe that it was smaller than both the Mac mini M4 and even the very tiny Asus NUC 14 Pro. The A8 gives you even more power than the A6 as it packs a Ryzen 9 8945HS processor into the same small case.

The GMKtec Nucbox EVO-X1 is powerful enough in its own right, but on the front, in addition to your usual front ports, it has an Oculink port. This can be used to connect this mini PC to an external graphics card dock to transform it into a full-fledged gaming PC. Even if you don’t go that route, the EVO-X1 features a powerful Ryzen AI 9 HX-370 processor with built-in Radeon 890M integrated graphics. You also get 32GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD, and a case that lets you use this mini PC vertically if you don’t want to have it lying flat on your desk. Dual 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet ports also make it a great choice for those with a NAS, and with 50 TOPs, it’s also great for local AI workloads.