Top desktops and mini pcs compared

About Top desktops and mini pcs compared

Desktops and mini PCs differ as much on the deal around the machine as on the machine itself, so this ranking weighs price at entry, what the plan includes and where it runs. The 42 brands here split into clear groups. Mini PC makers such as GEEKOM, Gmktec and Minisforum assemble new compact boxes to order and list entry prices below the €240.29 for this category. Full retailers such as Scan, CyberPowerPC and ALTERNATE carry desktops and gaming PCs alongside laptops, and their returns, warranty and support terms matter more than the headline price. Refurbishers like Loop Mobile and asgoodasnew sell machines that have had a previous owner, which changes both the specification and the cover. The trade-off to weigh is simple: the lowest entry price, or a longer returns window and a longer warranty behind it.

How we picked

Brands here are scored on weighted signals: cost at 40%, offer at 40% and trust at 20%. Cost reads the entry price against the rest of the category, where the median is €240.29. Offer reads what the catalogue contains, whether build to order is offered and how far memory goes, since a mini PC that tops out early limits how long it stays useful. Trust reads the warranty length, the returns window, the support channels a buyer can reach and the markets a brand names as its own. Figures come from each brand's own product, support, shipping, returns and company pages, and are shown as published. Where a brand states a warranty as a span, that span is carried through whole rather than trimmed, and where a brand lists several markets, the list is the set it names. Partners that serve your country are listed first in this ranking, then the rest by score. No score here rests on personal buying experience.

Our top picks

1. 1. Coolblue Belgium

   Coolblue Belgium earns a place in this ranking on the terms around the sale rather than on a desktop range. Its listed catalogue is audio, from headphones and earbuds through speakers to hi-fi and turntables, with entry at €22.99, returns of 30 days and a warranty of 2 years. Support runs on email, phone and help centre, so a fault can be raised by phone, and it serves BE, NL and DE. Buyers who want a mini PC or desktop built to order will find that at a specialist such as Gmktec, while Coolblue Belgium lists Windows, macOS, ChromeOS, Android and iPadOS for a different kind of hardware.

   • Free delivery threshold: €0
   • Return window: 30 days
   • Extended warranty: Yes

   Pros

   • You have 30 days to send an order back, which takes the risk out of a big purchase.
   • Every product carries 2 years of cover, and an extended warranty is available on top of it.
   • Delivery is free on every order, with the threshold at €0, and click and collect is offered for small items.
   • Refurbished is part of computers, phones and audio here, which the JBL range does not cover: its categories run audio, gaming and refurbished.

   Cons

   • Support runs on email, phone and help centre only, so there is no live chat in the list.
   • The noise cancelling earbuds listed run 8 hours on a charge, well under the 40 median across the products compared here.
   • A 30 days return window places Coolblue Belgium at 3 of 80 brands compared, so it is not the longest window in the field.

2. B2. Blackview

   Blackview closes this ranking outside the machines it scores, since its listed range is new phones and rugged phones with Android as the operating system and Intel as the only graphics brand in intel, so it does not compete for a desk machine budget. Entry starts at €149.95. A phone buyer still gets cover, with a 1 year warranty, 30 day returns and support on email, phone and chat across DE, FR and IT. For the hardware this ranking scores, Beelink above is the nearer fit, since its whole range is mini PCs with memory to 128 GB.

   • Price from: €149.95
   • Warranty: 12 months
   • Return window: 30 days

   Pros

   • Returns of 30 days rank near the top of the brands tracked, at 2 of 42.
   • Support covers email, phone, chat, the help centre and the community through email, phone and chat, so replies can come by whichever route suits.
   • Store categories span computers, phones and audio, so phones, audio, gaming and computers sit together.
   • Entry price of €149.95 keeps the range within reach for buyers comparing rugged models.
   • Product types list new phones and rugged phones, pairing everyday handsets with rugged ones.

   Cons

   • Entry price of €149.95 sits above Oukitel at $107.99, so it is not the cheapest way in.
   • Warranty of 12 months places Blackview mid-table on cover length, at 12 of 33.
   • Multiroom is a no, so the audio range does not cover whole-home linking.
   • Codec support runs to aac only, narrower than most rivals in the audio category.

3. 3. GEEKOM: best for top-pick

   GEEKOM takes the top pick here because the whole offer sits together: mini PCs and laptops from $219, memory of 256 GB at the top of the range, a warranty of 3 years and 30 days to send a machine back. It lists build to order, so the memory and processor fit can be chosen, and it names US, GB and DE as its markets, with Windows and Linux both supported. Against Scan next in this ranking, the limits are graphics and support: chips come from amd and intel only, so NVIDIA cards sit outside the range, and support runs on email, help centre and community, with no phone line or live chat in that set. Scan gives up the low entry price for a wider catalogue and a single market.

   • Price from: $219
   • Build to order: Yes
   • Warranty: 3 years

   Pros

   • Price starts at $219, among the lower entry points in the 34 brands ranked on price from.
   • A warranty of 3 years places it at 1 of 34 brands ranked on warranty length.
   • Build to order is yes, so memory and storage choices fit the machine you actually need.
   • Returns run 30 days, giving room to change your mind after delivery.
   • Windows and Linux are both offered, so the same range serves home and technical buyers.

   Cons

   • Support runs on email, help centre and community only, with no live phone or chat line listed.
   • Graphics come from amd and intel, so buyers wanting dedicated gaming cards will look elsewhere.
   • Product types are mini pc and laptop, with no full-size desktop towers in the range.
   • Entry price of $219 sits at 17 of 34 brands ranked on price from, so it is a good rate rather than the cheapest.

4. 4. Gmktec

   Gmktec has the lowest entry price of the mini PC builders in this ranking, with machines from $169.99 and memory of 192 GB across mini PCs, desktops and gaming PCs built to order. It is also the only brand here with a student discount, which lowers the cost further for eligible buyers. The trade-off is the terms. Returns run 7 days, the tightest window in this ranking, and the warranty of 1 years sits under the 1.5 median. Support on email, chat and help centre includes live chat but no phone. Against Minisforum next, a machine of the same class costs $194.90 with a longer returns window.

   • Price from: $169.99
   • Build to order: Yes
   • Warranty: 1 year

   Pros

   • Entry prices start at $169.99, which ranks 11 of 34 brands on starting price.
   • Build to order is offered, so you can pick a configuration instead of a fixed bundle.
   • The range covers mini pc, desktop and gaming pc, so mini PCs, desktops and gaming PCs sit with one seller.
   • RAM goes up to 192 GB across the range, and a student discount is offered.
   • Delivery is $0, so the entry price is close to the price you pay.

   Cons

   • Warranty is 1 year, which ranks 14 of 34 brands and sits under the site median of 1 years.
   • Returns run 7 days, a short window if a mini PC arrives with a fault you need to spot quickly.
   • Support runs on email, chat and help centre only, with no phone line listed for hardware troubleshooting.
   • The range runs on Windows alone, so there is no macOS or Linux option here.

5. 5. Beelink

   Beelink keeps a single focus in this ranking, mini PCs and nothing else, shipped from $329 to a market list that runs from the US and Canada through the UK, France, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Russia, Japan, Korea, Australia and the Gulf states, listed here as US, CA and GB. Memory tops out at 128 GB, the warranty runs 3 years and returns last 30 days. Against Gmktec just above it in this ranking, Beelink gives up the student discount and phone help, since support runs on email, help centre and community, and its cards come from AMD and Intel only.

   • Price from: $329
   • Build to order: Yes
   • Warranty: 3 years

   Pros

   • Cover of 3 years on a compact PC is long for a seller that deals direct rather than through a dealer.
   • A 30 day return window gives buyers time to live with the machine before deciding to keep it.
   • Memory tops out at 128 GB, with graphics options from amd and intel.
   • Machines are built to order, so memory and processor choices are settled when the order goes in.

   Cons

   • The range covers mini pc only, so anyone after a laptop or a full desktop looks to GEEKOM, Scan or CyberPowerPC.
   • Support runs on email, help centre and community, all written channels, so a buyer with a machine that will not boot has nobody to call.
   • The listed operating systems are Windows only, which narrows choice for anyone who wants another system installed by the seller.

What to look for

Entry price against the category

The median entry price across this ranking is €240.29, and the lowest listed entry is €22.99. A brand under the median is worth a look, provided its warranty and returns match.

Warranty length

The median warranty here is 1.5 years and the longest runs to 3 years. Longer cover is a clearer sign of trust at the same price, and it matters most on a machine you plan to keep.

What the range contains

Desktops appear on 71.4% of the ranking and gaming PCs on 61.9%. Build to order appears on 71.4% of it, which matters if you want a chosen memory or processor fit.

Where it runs

Windows is the operating system on 86.1% of the ranking, Linux on 16.7%. The markets a brand names decide where a return can be arranged at all.

Support you can reach

A help centre appears on 97.5% of the ranking, email on 77.5% and a phone line on 70%. Chat is the least common of those routes.

Frequently asked questions

Top desktops and mini pcs compared by country

• Australia
• Canada
• France
• Germany
• Italy
• Netherlands
• Spain
• United Kingdom
• United States

The data behind this ranking

All data and the CSV