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Best mini gaming PC 2025: top small form factor PCs

Find the best small form factor gaming PC for you with our top SFF PC picks. Including options from Corsair, Geekom, and Minisforum.

What is the best mini gaming PC? The traditional image of a custom gaming PC is a hulking behemoth of a machine, with frantically spinning fans, blazing rainbow RGB LEDs, and a monstrously large graphics card. However, the best mini gaming PCs can be compact, quiet, and elegant, all while providing performance that can rival full-size desktop rigs.

We've tested a wide range of options from ultra-compact ones, which are similar to small laptops in performance, to true powerhouses. Our top choice overall is the FAQ section at the bottom of this list to answer all your burning small PC questions.

Why you can trust our advice ✔ At PCGamesN, our experts spend hours testing hardware and reviewing games and VPNs. We share honest, unbiased opinions to help you buy the best. Find out how we test.

Geekom AX8 Pro

Geekom AX8 Pro

Best overall mini gaming PC

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Geekom AX8 Pro specifications:
Graphics AMD Radeon 780M
U AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS
RAM 32GB (2 x 16GB) Crucial DDR5-5600
Networking 2.5G Ethernet, WiFi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2
Storage 2TB Acer N7000 NVMe M.2 SSD
Connections 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 2, 3.5mm headphone jack, 1 x USB 4.0 Type-C, 1 x USB 3.2 Type-C, 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2, 1 x USB 2.0, 2 x HDMI 2.0, 2.5G Ethernet
Dimensions 4.6 x 4.37 x 1.51 inches
Weight 1.21lbs (548g)
Pros
  • Really well built
  • Powerful U specs
  • Genuinely tiny and light
Cons
  • Fan noise gets loud under load
  • Quite expensive
  • Limited gaming performance

The Geekom AX8 Pro packs a lot of power into a very small package, with some of the best specs you'll see in a mini gaming PC. Small, but mighty, the AX8 Pro is formidable enough to make it your primary PC, especially if you're more of a casual gamer, and it manages to look great doing it, too, in a sleek sparkling silver design.

The Geekom AX8 Pro really is one of the smallest mini PCs that you can buy, measuring just 4.6 x 4.37 x 1.51 inches. That's nearly small enough to fit in your pocket, and at 1.21lbs, it's light enough, too. Inside, however, are some serious components, with two powerful AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS or AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS gaming Us from which to choose.

This is a powerhouse machine for the 9-to-5, but gaming performance isn't quite as accomplished, though still capable. Its AMD Radeon 780M GPU can handle 1080p gaming surprisingly well, as long as your expectations are in the right place. During our own tests using low ing-game presets, games such as F1 2024 proved more than playable, managing 73fps on average. More intensive games such as Cyberpunk 2077 struggled, however, hitting only 43fps.

The beauty of the Geekom AX8 Pro is its design, though. This is a handsome, portable, well-built mini PC with great specs that casual gamers will love, as long as they can deal with some noisy airflow during heavy loads. If you can afford it, the Geekom AX8 Pro will make for a great PC for daily use, although serious gamers will need to look for a machine with a more powerful GPU.

Read our full Geekom AX8 Pro review.

Minisforum UM773 Lite

Minisforum UM773 Lite

Best budget mini gaming PC

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Minisforum UM773 Lite specifications:
Graphics AMD RDNA 2 680M
U AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS 8 core 3.2GHz – 4.75GHz
RAM 32GB DDR5
Storage 512GB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD
Connectivity RJ45 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet Port, USB3.2 Gen2 Type-C, USB3.2 Gen2 Type-A ×2, USB2.0 Type-A ×2, USB4 Type-C, HDMI ×2, 3.5mm Combo Jack ×1, WiFi 6E, Bluetooth
Cooling Liquid metal thermal compound, Airway Design 120 fan, two heat pipes
Dimensions 5.03 x 4.9 x 1.8 inches (12.78 x 12.45 x 4.57 cm)
Weight 3.65 lbs (1.66 kg) including power brick
Pros
  • Small yet mighty
  • Plenty of RAM
Cons
  • Reported defective WiFi cards

This sub-$400 Minisforum UM773 houses an AMD 680M that has integrated graphics of a power level between that of Valve's Steam Deck and the Asus ROG Ally, which as we all know by now are very capable little machines.

The 680M is allowed to perform at its best because of the inclusion of very fast DDR5 RAM which AMD's Us and iGPUs particularly benefit from, with this machine packing in a plentiful 32GB of it no less. This GPU isn't as capable as its younger sibling, the 780M, but it has a lower power draw that helps to keep this compact system from running too hot.

Esports titles will run well at 1080p and emulation will be no problem at all. Older titles too will run well. The latest AAA games will requiring turning in-game settings down to low while running at 1080p, but most will still be playable.

While the Minisforum Venus UM773 doesn't offer the same portability as the Deck or Ally, it makes up for it in connectivity with a plethora of ports making this a very practical little machine.

It is also surprisingly upgradable with two SODIMM slots, a PCIe 4.0 M.2 slot, and room on the bottom for a 2.5-inch hard drive. You could also connect an eGPU via the USB4 port if you wanted some extra GPU down the line as the U will age more gracefully than the iGPU.

Corsair One i500

Corsair One i500

Most powerful mini gaming PC

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Corsair One i500 specifications:
Graphics Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 Super
U Intel Core i9 14900K
RAM 32GB (2 x 16GB) Corsair Vengeance 6,000MHz DDR5
Storage 2TB Samsung PM9A1 SSD
PSU 1,000W Corsair SF1000L
Connectivity 2 x USB-A 3.0, 1 x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2, mic/headphone jack (front), 4 x USB 2, 3 x USB-A 3.2 Gen 2, 1 x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2×2, Ethernet, 6 x audio jacks (rear)
Cooling Corsair custom AIO liquid cooler
Dimensions 11.8 x 7.6 x 15.3 inches (18.7 x 30 x 39.3cm)
Weight 15.8 lbs (7.2 kg)
Pros
  • Gorgeous, design
  • Superb gaming pace
Cons
  • Can be noisy under load
  • Very price

The Corsair One has become a PC design icon since the original debuted in 2017, and we've been fans ever since. The One i500 is a slightly larger version of the standard One, with a deeper chassis that enables it to house the most powerful components, but it's still a comparatively small gaming PC and it arguably looks better than ever with its wood ed finish.

Inside,you can get up to an Intel Core i9 14900K U and a choice of various Nvidia GPUs, up to and including the GeForce RTX 4090.

Despite its compact sizing, there's no sacrifice in gaming performance. We tested the RTX 4080 Super version and it ran Cyberpunk 2077 at 2,560 x 1,440 with the Ultra ray tracing preset at 106fps, thanks to some help from the frame-generation tech in Nvidia DLSS 3. F1 23 at 4K with Ultra High settings averaged 94fps in our tests.

In of downsides, the 120mm AIO cooler on the U doesn't have enough power to enable the Core i9 14900K to hit its peak boost speeds, and it can make quite a lot of fan noise when running games at full load. But that's a fair compromise for a PC this small housing such powerful hardware. It's also an expensive machine when fully specced up. Otherwise, this is the most beautiful mini gaming PC on our list; perfect if design is your priority no matter the cost.

Read our Corsair One i500 review.

Origin PC Chronos V3

Origin PC Chronos V3

Most upgradeable mini gaming PC

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Origin PC Chronos V3 specifications:
Graphics Nvidia RTX 4070 Ti 12GB
U AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D
RAM 32GB Corsair Vengeance DDR5 5600Mhz
Motherboard ASUS ROG Strix X670E-I WiFi
PSU 850 Watt CORSAIR SFX-L Series
Storage 1TB Samsung PM9A1 M.2 NVMe PCIe Gen 4.0
Connectivity 2 x USB-C 4.0, 1 x USB-C 3.1, 5 x USB-A 3.2, 3 x USB-A 2.0, 5 x USB-A 3.2, 3.5mm headphone/mic
Cooling 2 x 120mm fan, 80mm fan, iCUE H100i ELITE CAPELLIX XT Liquid U Cooler
Dimensions 7.87 x 17.71 x 10.6 (20cm x 45cm x 27cm)
Pros
  • Powerful all-rounder
  • Easily upgradeable
  • PCIe Gen 5.0
Cons
  • Not the smallest
  • Expensive

Custom PC builder, Origin, has updated its Chronos line to use parent company Corsair's svelte 2000D case which, like the One i500, uses a vertical design for a small but tall tower able to house powerful hardware. It isn't the smallest mini gaming PC around but it packs a punch and looks great.

With systems including up to AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D Us and Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Ti GPUs, you're getting 4K-capable gaming performance from this small-footprint package.

The obvious downside here is a high price. The Chronos starts at $2,413.82 for an Intel Core i7-14700K / Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 TI configuration but rises to $3,226.30 for that 9800X3D / 5070 Ti option. That is just the price of high-end hardware, though, with the extra costs getting you far more performance than the integrated graphics of much more compact PCs.

Blackview MP200

Blackview MP200

Best mini PC under $300/£300

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Blackview MP200 specifications:
Graphics Intel Ultra-HD Graphics
U Intel Core i5-11400H
RAM 16GB DDR4 3200MHz
Storage 512GB M.2
Connectivity USB 3.2 Gen 2 x 4, HDMI 2, USB type C, 3.5mm Headphone Jack, Wifi 6, 1000Mbs LAN
Dimensions 183.2 x 150 x 75.5mm
Weight 1.52lbs (690g)
Pros
  • One of the cheapest mini PCs
  • Good for daily tasks
Cons
  • Noisy fans during medium loads
  • No dedicated graphics card

The Blackview MP200 is the ideal mini PC for those who want to spend as little as possible. Its competitive pricing makes it our top cheap option, but that price does mean limitations with performance.

Inside the MP200, the Intel Ultra-HD Graphics hinder gameplay considerably. It's not impossible to play the best PC games, but you'll have to run at very low resolutions and modern AAA titles likely won't run well if at all, with Intel's GPU having not at all for ray tracing, for instance.

There are enough ports to add three displays with USB 3.2 connectivity, and the storage and RAM can both be doubled if you want to add second modules and upgrade the machine further down the line. We'd recommend the Blackview MP200 if you want one of the cheapest Windows 11 PCs on the market, but if gaming is your priority then lack of graphics card and cooling will let you down.

Read our Blackview MP200 review.

Asus ROG Ally X

Asus ROG Ally X

Best portable mini gaming PC

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Asus ROG Ally X specifications:
Graphics AMD 780M
U AMD Z1 Extreme APU 8 core
RAM 16GB LPDDR5 6400Mhz Dual channel
Display 7 inch IPS 1080p 120Hz (VRR)
Storage 512GB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD, microSD
Connectivity ROG XG Mobile Interface, USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C
Cooling Dual fan design
Dimensions 11.02 x 4.37 x 0.83 ~ 1.28 inches (28.0 x 11.1 x 2.12 ~ 3.24 cm)
Weight 1.34 lbs (0.61 kg)
Pros
  • Inexpensive
  • Very powerful
  • Highly portable
Cons
  • Armory Crate software needs improving
  • Windows 11 isn't the best portable OS

Ok, so the Asus ROG Ally X isn't really a mini gaming PC by any traditional measure. However, if you really want the most portable way to easily gaming on the move, the ROG Ally X is the current best option, outside of grabbing one of the best gaming laptop options.

We've specifically chosen the ROG Ally X over the Steam Deck OLED as the Ally X not only has a much faster U and GPU and larger, higher resolution screen, but the fact it runs Windows makes it a far more accessible true PC for most gamers. The Steam Deck's Linux-based SteamOS can do tasks other than play Steam games but it won't run other game launchers or familiar Windows apps.

Meanwhile, if you're thinking one of the best gaming handhelds isn't the ideal way to work or do desktop gaming, just that you can use a Steam Deck dock to mount the Ally X on your desk then plug it into your monitor, keyboard, mouse and more.

Switch the device to run at its highest power mode – a mode that would normally chew through the onboard battery – and you're getting an 8-core U with a 720p-1080p-capable gaming GPU that's plenty powerful enough for desktop tasks and gaming. You can even use one of the Ally X's USB4 ports to connect an external GPU.

At $799, the Ally X isn't a cheap device when compared to a handheld like the Nintendo Switch but when you consider it can also be a proper mini PC as well, it seems like a lot better value.

Read our Asus ROG Ally X review for more information.

Best mini gaming PC FAQs

Is a mini PC good for gaming?

Yes, a mini PC can be good for gaming, but you'll need to have a good look at the GPU specs. Larger mini PCs based on mini-ITX motherboards can often accommodate a seriously powerful graphics card, just like a desktop PC, but the smallest mini PCs often rely on integrated graphics, such as on many laptops. This is where the GPU is inside the U, as the small case doesn't have the physical room to accommodate the cooling system for a full-size graphics card.

If you want one of these tiny PCs, then you need to compromise on gaming performance, but that doesn't mean you can't play games at all. If you can find a mini PC that uses one of Ryzen 5 8600G, then it will have a half-decent Radeon GPU built into it. This won't be able to play the latest games at high graphics settings, but in our tests, they can often handle running games at 1080p with low settings.

Can a mini PC replace a full-size desktop?

Yes, a mini PC can replace a desktop. In fact, the latest high-end mini PCs, such as the new Corsair One i500, can offer exactly the same components you would find in the best gaming PCs, including a 24-core Intel Core i9 14900K U and a mighty Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 GPU. You really can have your mini PC cake and eat it now.

However, you won't have the same room for expansion as a full-size machine. Most mini-ITX motherboards only have a single PCIe slot, which will be used for your graphics card, and there are usually only two DIMM slots for RAM too. Most people don't have multiple PCIe cards, though, and you can still get plenty of memory into a pair of DIMM slots.

Why are some mini PCs so tall?

Mini PCs come in all shapes and sizes to suit various needs, but if you want one that can handle a high-end U and graphics card then it needs to make room for them. That doesn't just mean you need physical room for the components; you also need room for airflow to cool them, or for radiators if they use liquid cooling.

That's why some high-end gaming PC cases have instead been built upwards rather than outwards. This means the PC still has a small footprint, so it doesn't take up too much space on your choice of Fractal Design Mood case, for example, will be 453mm tall, so it can house a water-cooled U and decent graphics card, but its footprint is a neat 212 x 212mm square.

Can you upgrade a mini PC?

Yes, you can upgrade a mini PC, but the extent to which you can upgrade it depends on the PC in question. Some mini PCs are based on mobile components intended for laptops, and you won't be able to change the U or GPU, but you may well be able to upgrade the memory if it's installed in standard DIMM or SODIMM slots, or the SSD if it uses is a standard M.2 or SATA connector.

Also, even some mini PCs based on standard desktop components can be a hassle to upgrade, as they're designed to accommodate specific components that line up with the case and cooling system. For example, you can easily upgrade the SSD and RAM in the Corsair One, but not the motherboard or graphics card.

If you think you might want to upgrade the core components, such as the U or GPU, in your mini PC later, it's best to go for one based on a standard mini-ITX case and motherboard that doesn't use proprietary components, such as the Origin Chronos V3.

For more ways to start your gaming PC journey, check our our best PC case to start building your own system.