Best Mini PCs for Your Homelab in 2026

You don’t need a rack server to self-host. In fact, a mini PC is the sweet spot for most homelabbers — low power consumption, silent operation, tiny footprint, and enough performance to run Proxmox with a dozen VMs and containers without breaking a sweat.

I’ve tested a lot of these machines. Here are the ones actually worth buying in 2026, organized by budget.

Why a Mini PC?

Before the recommendations, here’s why mini PCs beat traditional server hardware for most home setups:

• Power consumption: 10-35W idle vs 80-200W for a used rack server. At $0.15/kWh, that saves $50-150/year in electricity alone.
• Noise: Most mini PCs are nearly silent. Rack servers sound like jet engines.
• Space: Fits on a shelf, behind a monitor, or in a closet. No rack needed.
• Performance: Modern Intel and AMD mobile processors are shockingly powerful. An Intel N100 outperforms many Xeon E5 chips from a few years ago — at 1/10th the power draw.
• Partner approval: Your significant other will tolerate a small black box. They won’t tolerate a humming rack in the living room.

The trade-off? Limited expandability (usually 1-2 RAM slots, one or two M.2 slots, no PCIe slots). For most self-hosting needs, this doesn’t matter.

What to Look For

Must-Have Features

• Intel Quick Sync or AMD VCE: Hardware video transcoding for Plex/Jellyfin. This is non-negotiable if you stream media.
• At least 2 network ports (or one good 2.5GbE port): Essential for router/firewall use, helpful for separating management and VM traffic.
• NVMe M.2 slot: For fast storage. SATA is too slow for VM workloads.
• 16GB+ RAM (or upgradeable to it): VMs and containers eat RAM. 8GB is the bare minimum; 16GB is comfortable; 32GB gives you room to grow.

Nice-to-Have Features

• Dual NVMe slots: One for OS/VMs, one for fast storage
• 2.5" SATA bay: Extra storage without external drives
• USB-C with Thunderbolt: Enables 10GbE networking adapters or external GPU enclosures
• AES-NI: Hardware encryption acceleration. Needed for VPN performance (WireGuard, OpenVPN).
• TPM 2.0: Required for Windows 11 VMs

Budget Tier: Under $200

Beelink Mini S12 Pro (Intel N100)

The homelab starter pack. This little box has become the default recommendation for beginners, and for good reason.

Specs:

• CPU: Intel N100 (4 cores, 4 threads, up to 3.4GHz, 6W TDP)
• RAM: 16GB DDR4 (soldered)
• Storage: 500GB M.2 SATA SSD
• Networking: 1x Gigabit Ethernet
• Idle power: ~6W

Pros:

• Absurdly low power consumption — 6W idle, under 20W at load
• Intel Quick Sync for hardware transcoding (handles 4+ simultaneous 4K Plex transcodes)
• Runs Proxmox perfectly
• 16GB RAM is enough for 5-8 lightweight containers/VMs
• Under $150 regularly on sale

Cons:

• Single Gigabit Ethernet (no dual NIC)
• RAM is soldered — 16GB is all you get
• M.2 slot is SATA, not NVMe (still fine for most use cases)
• N100 is a 4-core chip — not great for CPU-heavy workloads

Best for: First homelab server, Pihole + WireGuard + a few Docker containers, media server for a small library.

Our take: If you’re reading our self-hosting beginners guide and want the cheapest possible entry point, buy this. It’s genuinely impressive for the price.

Trigkey Green G4 (Intel N100)

Similar to the Beelink, with dual Ethernet.

Specs:

• CPU: Intel N100
• RAM: 16GB DDR4 (soldered)
• Storage: 500GB NVMe SSD
• Networking: 2x 2.5GbE Ethernet
• Idle power: ~7W

Pros:

• Dual 2.5GbE NICs — perfect for pfSense/OPNsense firewall
• NVMe storage (faster than the Beelink’s SATA)
• Same excellent N100 efficiency

Cons:

• Slightly more expensive (~$180)
• Still limited to 16GB soldered RAM
• Build quality is a step below Beelink

Best for: Router/firewall appliance, or anyone who wants the N100 platform with proper networking.

Mid-Range: $200-$500

Beelink SER5 Max (AMD Ryzen 7 5800H)

The workhorse. This is where homelab gets serious.

Specs:

• CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5800H (8 cores, 16 threads, up to 4.4GHz, 45W TDP)
• RAM: Up to 64GB DDR4 (2 SO-DIMM slots, user-upgradeable)
• Storage: 1x M.2 NVMe 2280 + 1x M.2 NVMe 2242
• Networking: 1x Gigabit Ethernet, WiFi 6
• Idle power: ~15W

Pros:

• 8 cores/16 threads — genuinely powerful, handles 15-20 VMs comfortably
• Upgradeable to 64GB RAM
• Dual NVMe slots for flexible storage
• AMD’s iGPU supports hardware transcoding (with some configuration)
• Excellent price-to-performance ratio (~$300-350)

Cons:

• Single Gigabit NIC (add a USB 2.5GbE adapter if needed)
• 45W TDP means higher idle power than N100 machines
• Fan can get audible under sustained load
• No Thunderbolt

Best for: Primary Proxmox server with multiple VMs, Immich/PhotoPrism with ML processing, development environments, anything needing real CPU power.

Minisforum UM780 XTX (AMD Ryzen 7 7840HS)

Mid-range champion with cutting-edge features.

Specs:

• CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7840HS (8 cores, 16 threads, up to 5.1GHz, 45W TDP)
• RAM: Up to 64GB DDR5 (2 SO-DIMM slots)
• Storage: 2x M.2 NVMe 2280 slots
• Networking: 2x 2.5GbE Ethernet, WiFi 6E
• Idle power: ~12W

Pros:

• DDR5 memory support (faster, more future-proof)
• Dual 2.5GbE — the networking homelabbers actually want
• Zen 4 architecture is noticeably faster than Zen 3 per core
• Integrated RDNA 3 GPU — excellent for hardware transcoding and even light GPU workloads
• USB4 port (Thunderbolt compatible)
• Impressively low 12W idle for the performance on offer

Cons:

• More expensive (~$450-500 barebones)
• You need to add your own RAM and storage (barebones model)
• Fan noise under sustained load

Best for: Power users who want a single box that does everything. Proxmox + multiple VMs + media transcoding + Immich ML processing. The dual 2.5GbE is a huge plus.

Intel N305/N300 Based Systems

The efficiency king. Intel’s N305 is the N100’s big brother — 8 cores instead of 4, same incredible efficiency.

Look for mini PCs from Beelink (EQ12), Minisforum, or Trigkey with the N305. Expect:

Specs:

• CPU: Intel N305 (8 cores, 8 threads, up to 3.8GHz, 15W TDP)
• RAM: Up to 32GB DDR5 (varies by model)
• Networking: Varies — look for dual 2.5GbE
• Idle power: ~8-10W

The N305 doubles the core count of the N100 while keeping power draw under 10W at idle. It’s the sweet spot if you want more cores but don’t need the Ryzen 7’s raw power.

Best for: Efficient always-on server, multiple lightweight containers, NAS + Docker host.

High-End: $500+

Minisforum MS-01 (Intel Core i9-13900H)

The homelab dream machine. This isn’t just a mini PC — it’s a compact workstation disguised as one.

Specs:

• CPU: Intel Core i9-13900H (14 cores, 20 threads, up to 5.4GHz)
• RAM: Up to 64GB DDR5 SO-DIMM
• Storage: 3x M.2 NVMe slots (one PCIe 4.0, two PCIe 3.0) + 1x 2.5" SATA
• Networking: 2x 2.5GbE + 1x 10GbE SFP+
• Expansion: 1x PCIe 4.0 x16 slot (via OCuLink)
• Idle power: ~20W

Pros:

• 10GbE SFP+ networking built in — no adapters needed
• OCuLink port for PCIe expansion (connect an external GPU, 10GbE card, or NVMe shelf)
• 14 cores/20 threads is genuine workstation-class performance
• Three NVMe slots + SATA bay = massive local storage potential
• Intel Quick Sync is incredible on 13th gen
• Can serve as a compact Proxmox + Ceph node

Cons:

• Expensive (~$600-800 barebones, $900+ configured)
• 20W idle is higher than budget options
• Fan runs audibly under load — not silent
• Overkill for basic self-hosting needs

Best for: Running everything. Seriously — Proxmox with 20+ VMs/containers, Ceph storage node, GPU passthrough experiments, 10GbE home network backbone. This is the “one box to rule them all.”

Minisforum UM890 Pro (AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS)

AMD’s answer to the high-end.

Specs:

• CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS (8 cores, 16 threads, up to 5.2GHz, Zen 4 + NPU)
• RAM: Up to 96GB DDR5
• Storage: 2x M.2 NVMe 2280
• Networking: 2x 2.5GbE, WiFi 6E
• Idle power: ~14W

The standout here is the integrated NPU (Neural Processing Unit) for AI inference workloads. As self-hosted AI tools (local LLMs, Immich ML, ComfyUI) become more common, having hardware AI acceleration without a discrete GPU is increasingly valuable.

Best for: Future-proof homelab with AI workload support, or anyone who prefers AMD’s platform.

Comparison Table

My Recommendations

Just getting started? → Beelink Mini S12 Pro. Cheapest way to build a real homelab. Add a USB SSD for extra storage and you’re set.

Want the best value? → Beelink SER5 Max or a Ryzen 7 7840HS system. 8 cores with 64GB RAM handles most homelab scenarios.

Building a proper multi-node cluster? → Three Intel N305 boxes. Low power, 8 cores each, and you’ll have a 24-core Proxmox cluster for under $750 in hardware.

Money isn’t the constraint? → Minisforum MS-01. The 10GbE, OCuLink, and 14 cores make it uniquely capable. It’s the closest thing to a rack server in mini PC form.

Need dual NICs for a firewall? → Trigkey Green G4 (budget) or Minisforum UM780 XTX (performance). Both have dual 2.5GbE built in.

Tips for Setting Up Your Mini PC Homelab

RAM

Buy the maximum RAM your budget allows. VMs and containers consume RAM fast. Here’s a rough breakdown:

• Proxmox host OS: 2GB
• Each LXC container: 512MB-2GB
• Each lightweight VM (Linux): 1-4GB
• Windows VM: 4-8GB
• Immich (with ML): 4-6GB
• Plex/Jellyfin: 2-4GB

With 16GB, you can run 5-8 lightweight services. With 32GB, you can run almost anything. With 64GB, you’re set for years.

Storage Strategy

• NVMe SSD for Proxmox OS, VM disks, and databases. Speed matters here.
• External USB SSD or NAS for media files, photo libraries, and bulk storage. Speed matters less, capacity matters more.
• Consider ZFS mirroring if your machine has two NVMe slots — your data is worth protecting.

Power and UPS

Mini PCs are efficient, but a basic UPS ($50-80) is still worth it. A sudden power loss can corrupt your ZFS pool or database. A small CyberPower or APC unit gives you 15-30 minutes of runtime — enough for a clean shutdown.

Operating System

Install Proxmox VE on the bare metal. Then run everything else as VMs or LXC containers. Even if you only plan to use Docker, putting Docker inside a Proxmox VM gives you snapshots, easy backups, and the flexibility to add more VMs later. Check our Proxmox vs ESXi comparison for why Proxmox is the right choice.

Final Thoughts

The mini PC homelab is having a moment, and for good reason. These machines deliver incredible performance per watt, they’re silent, they’re affordable, and they run every piece of self-hosting software you could want.

Stop overthinking it. Pick a machine that fits your budget, install Proxmox, and start building. The best homelab is the one you actually set up.