Runner-Up, Best Overall: Apple Mac mini at Apple, “A sophisticated and compact desktop-class computer.' Best Budget: Lenovo IdeaCentre 310S at Best Buy, 'The 500GB of hard drive storage has more than enough space for pictures, videos, and applications.”.
What ram would be best for the latest mini mac? (2013) preferably the best value, I don't want to be spending heaps of money on the smallest differences.
It’s extremely expensive, but if you’re looking for unbridled power to get through professional workloads, the iMac Pro is the best Mac for you. Read the full review: iMac Pro 5.
Mac mini features high-performance 2666MHz DDR4 SO-DIMM memory for faster rendering, working with massive files or running multiple virtual machines. And now you can configure even more memory — up to 64GB — to run even heavier workloads.

Our editors independently research, test, and recommend the best products; you can learn more about our review process here. We may receive commissions on purchases made from our chosen links.

The Mac mini is still an ideal digital hub and makes a great media Mac. The HDMI out makes it ideal to hook up to HDTVs.” Sziehr: “I use a current gen mac mini as a server.

The Rundown

Best Overall:HP Pavilion Wave at Amazon, 'It delivers exceptional performance for the size, with plenty of power to spare.'
Runner-Up, Best Overall:Apple Mac mini at Apple, “A sophisticated and compact desktop-class computer.'
Best Budget:Lenovo IdeaCentre 310S at Walmart, 'The 500GB of hard drive storage has more than enough space for pictures, videos, and applications.”
Best Alternative to Windows:Acer CXI3 Chromebox at Amazon, “Browsing the web with 20 tabs open and streaming 4K video won’t slow you down.'
Best Gaming:Lenovo Legion C530 Cube at Lenovo, “Built with one-touch, tool-free access to all the inner workings you might want to upgrade later on.”
Runner-Up, Best for Gaming:MSI Trident 3 Arctic at MSI.com, 'One of the smallest VR-ready PCs ever made.'
Best Value:ASUS VivoMini PC at Amazon, “The VESA support for wall mounting makes it the perfect media machine.'
Best for Business:HP ProDesk 400 at Amazon, 'Designed to hold up for more than 120,000 hours of use.'
Best Kit:Intel NUC8 Mini PC Kit at Amazon, 'The smallest NUC Intel has ever created, and also the most powerful.'

Our Top Picks

Best Overall: HP Pavilion Wave

At first glance, it’s easy to mistake the HP Pavilion Wave for a stylish Bluetooth speaker or digital assistant. It’s actually both of these things, but it’s also a mini PC packed with plenty of features. And that unique design serves a purpose — the top of the Pavilion Wave is a parabolic speaker that directs high-quality audio (from B&O Play) 360 degrees around the room.

The Pavilion is powered by a 7th-generation quad-core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM, and both a hard drive and solid-state drive that are 1TB and 256GB respectively. It delivers exceptional performance for the size, with plenty of power to spare for demanding tasks like video or image editing. This PC can easily handle 4K video playback, and multi-monitor support ensures that you can watch video on one monitor and multitask on another. Built-in Amazon Alexa adds voice control so you can check a calendar, create shopping lists, or ask questions without pulling up a browser.

The compact design weighs a nominal six pounds and measures only 9.25 inches in height.

Runner-Up, Best Overall: Apple Mac mini

While Apple’s laptops and all-in-one desktops get all the glory, the Mac mini is a sophisticated and compact desktop-class computer. As with most Apple products, the mini’s design is the first thing you notice — available in Apple’s muted Space Gray color, the hardware measures a mere 7.7 x 7.7 x 1.4 inches and weighs under three pounds. At that size, it seems like the mini might have performance limitations. But that’s not the case.

Apple’s move to a solid-state drive ensures the mini will run faster, cooler and quieter. Buyers can choose between two 8th-generation Intel processors (i3 or i5) as well as up to 64GB of RAM and 2TB of SSD storage. Note that the RAM is user-upgradeable after purchase, but the SSD is not. An Intel UHD Graphics 630 chip won’t satisfy most gamers, but it’ll work fine for basic gameplay and 4K video playback. Capable of powering up to three displays at once, the mini comes equipped with four USB-C Thunderbolt 3 ports alongside HDMI and dual USB 3 ports.

Best Budget: Lenovo IdeaCentre 310S

With a striking design and affordable price tag, the Lenovo IdeaCentre 310S is a compact PC the whole family can enjoy. Packed with 500GB of hard drive storage, there’s more than enough space for pictures, videos, and applications. The IdeaCentre 310S also includes 4GB of RAM, an AMD A9-series processor, and AMD’s Radeon graphics card that can handle 1080p video playback with aplomb but probably won’t be able to handle 4K streaming.

If the lack of 4K streaming isn’t a dealbreaker, then the Lenovo has plenty of other convenient features. For one, it’s tiny — nearly 50% smaller than the average desktop-class PC. Measuring less than 3.5 inches wide, the hardware is easy to fit on or under a desk. However, the small size didn’t prohibit Lenovo from cramming in a bevy of ports. The front of the computer is adorned with four USB 2.0 ports as well as a built-in media reader for a variety of memory cards. Lenovo has even included a DVD/CD burner, which is often only found on full-size desktop hardware. The addition of 802.11ac Wi-Fi standards ensures the Lenovo can browse and download at fast speeds.

Best Alternative to Windows: Acer CXI3 Chromebox

If you’re looking for solid performance but don’t necessarily need Windows, the Acer CXI3 Chromebook is a terrific mini PC. It comes equipped with an Intel i7 processor (8th generation), 16GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. Even browsing the web with 20 tabs open and streaming 4K video won’t slow you down. Chrome OS isn’t a gaming system, but it can handle some browser-based games.

The hardware itself falls firmly in the mini PC category. Measuring 5.9 x 5.9 x 1.6 inches in size and weighing only 1.2 pounds, it’s lighter than the vast majority of laptops, let along desktop units. The black plastic shell is low-profile and designed to hide the hardware components inside. The front of the computer is well-equipped with two USB 3.0 ports, a microSD card slot, power button, and a headphone jack. The rear of the hardware adds in more connectivity with four additional USB 3.0 ports, HDMI, USB Type-C and Ethernet.

Best for Gaming: Lenovo Legion C530 Cube

Small but capable, the Lenovo C530 is a serious piece of hardware in a portable package. It has the latest 8th Gen Intel Core i5 or i7 processors, 32GB of RAM and up to 256GB SSD, making this computer a true powerhouse. Fully capable of handling the latest in VR-gaming, you have your choice of NVIDIA’s GTX 1060, 1050 Ti, or 1050 graphics card. It will also last you into future, which takes some the sting out of the premium price tag: the C530 is built with one-touch, tool-free access to all the inner workings you might want to upgrade later on.

The exterior of the computer is just as smart as the inside, with an integrated carrying handle that makes it surprisingly portable. A slew of HDMI and USB ports on the back can quickly become a cable nightmare, but Lenovo has avoided this problem by adding a cable organizer in the back (a rare find on mini PCs).

Runner-Up, Best for Gaming: MSI Trident 3 Arctic

MSI’s Trident 3 Arctic is a small yet powerful VR-ready PC — it's actually one of the smallest VR-ready PCs ever made. Weighing only seven pounds and measuring 13.63 x 2.83 x 9.15 inches, it’s about as big as an Xbox One. For a desktop-grade gaming system, it’s lighter and slimmer than most gaming PCs on the market. It can also sit horizontally or vertically, depending on preference.

The Trident 3 runs on an 8th Gen Intel i7-8700 processor and an Nvidia GTX 1070 graphics card, which is enough power for playing 1080p games with ease. For a lower price tag, you can also get configurations with an Nvidia GTX 1060 or 1050 graphics card. The PC

Best Memory For Mac Mini