These go for anywhere from $100 to close to $1k.
IMHO its a huge compromise for small size computer.
No expansion, no real video card option, massive thermal throttling due to small size, driver issues, longevity issues, etc.
For me its a pass but wondering what others think.
I would much rather have a cheap real computer.
I did research some Mini PCs on Amazon a year or two ago, and found some that look like a decent deal, but I’d rather have a full-sized computer.
I plan to build my first computer with my next system, which allows me to pick each component.
I think that’s the best way to go, though it is the most complicated way to go. 
it very much depends on the mini pc, e.g. Mac Mini M1/M2: very fast, no throttling, 7y+ of updates and not even very expensive for the compute power.
The Intel/Ryzen ones are all over the place, this is a nice yt channel of a guy who tests a lot of them:
I meant the ones like the Ace Magician or BeeLink.
go ryzen imo better integrated gpu in its apu. they’re great for casual to decent work depending on the cpu. great as a ‘tv computer/media’ and some gaming. of course nothing will beat a full size computer with a discreet GPU.
I look into it now and then. I’ve tinkered with hooking my phone up to the TV and using a BT mouse and keyboard over the past 20 years. Much better experience with an old laptop hooked up to a TV with the BT or similar wireless keyboard and mouse.
I’ve built my desktop computers since the late 90’s, but usually went for bigger cases. Most of the sub $500 mini PC’s I’ve seen on Amazon have pretty bad specs. Mediocre CPU, ultra slow hard drive, and limited RAM.
I bought an Asus Windows tablet almost 10 years ago that has similar specs and performance to the lower priced mini’s I see available today and won’t deal with that slow performance again.
Interesting observation.
i’d rather get a micro atx instead or a notebook, depending on use/times you need to move it out of the house
They have their uses, especially in office environments, but for most people, a standard mid tower would be better suited. I will say that I do like having a mini PC for serving as a PFSense box. Easy to throw behind some furniture or within a cabinet.
I had one (low spec but very low power, for light uses), served a few years, then died suddenly. Not fixable of course. Now heading to the recycling bin.
I would advise to save your money and buy fixable computers.
Kind of what I was thinking as well.
“Use the right tool for the job.”
If you’re using it as dedicated POS equipment, or casual WPing and websurfing, a mini is likely fine.
If you’re expecting to run a grafix-intensive game or pretty much any bloated M$ OS, well, lotsa luck.
A RPi 0W can be used as a single-use VPN that can be slapped on the back of a monitor, and if specs permit, even powered from the monitor’s usb port.
A slightly beefier RPi can be used to serve up videos from your… collection.
Ie, you’re not gonna buy a road-rat to tow a horse trailer, while a F-250 duallie just to commute to/from work is overkill and just as silly.
Scale the tool to the job needed.
I work remotely. Any time I’m working while on the road for more than a couple days, I’ll bring a mini, a 24" monitor, and keyboard. I run multiple VMs for work, and a mini with 64g ram is easier/cheaper to achieve than a laptop. With my weaker laptop, I need a good internet connection to use cloud infrastructure instead of local VM.
I have set this up on an amtrak. I have run it off solar as well. Monitor/pc are each 10-20w load.
The thermal design on minis is a lot more forgiving than laptops, so the minis that use the ultra-light CPUs tend to run cool. I don’t think the minis with desktop processors in them are an especially good idea.
I have an asus and an acemagik. Nothing special about either. Linux os.
I got a cheap Intel NUC to drive the living room TV. It has worked well for the past 7 years. Little, quiet, low-power, and works well enough to play videos and browse the web and even do some light gaming. Like, I went through Dead Cells 5BC on that thing.
I also got a generic mini-PC a couple years ago to replace my aging router/firewall/server, and it has been pretty solid. Small, low-power, dual gig-E, and the entire outer shell of the PC is a giant heat sink so it stays cool even without a fan. It’s completely silent, and has enough power to do everything I need from it.
But for my main computers, I use something a bit more powerful. Still on the low end, though. I just don’t do a lot of power-hungry computing. The main resources I need are RAM and storage, and a nice screen and keyboard. I’m fine with a moderate CPU, and I’ve had no need for a GPU until just recently… since it’d be nice to have hardware to run AIs on.
I run a Debian base system with extras added as necessary, with X11 instead of Wayland, and things mostly “just work” and don’t need much power. I usually have hundreds of windows open at a time, many of which have multiple tabs inside (232 in my browser right now, oops)… and it works pretty well even with an old mid-grade PC. A lot of software just doesn’t need the latest and greatest hardware.
Which one do you have.
232 tabs? Serious?
Both are “U” series ryzen processors with 8 physical cores, with displayport. The U series are the 15W power sippers. Both got upgraded ram/storage. Model #… Pn50 on the Asus, I think? That one is stashed elsewhere. The AceMagician is “amd6pro”. I have roughly the same setup as the other person.
In just one of the browsers.
I use a different browser by default, a lightweight one, and it usually accounts for like a hundred windows, each containing multiple tabs. However, it takes zero CPU while not being actively used, and all those hundreds of tabs use less RAM than just one tab in Chrome.
Plus, of course, 100+ terminals most of the time. It barely takes any resources at all.