Tag Archives: mini pcs

Microsoft RTX Dev Box Has 1,000 Holes, All of Them Intentional

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The economics of AI development have been quietly changing how developers think about their hardware. Cloud GPU bills compound fast when you’re iterating through a model dozens of times a day, and every fine-tuning run or inference loop on a remote server adds to a cost that has no natural ceiling. The push toward local AI compute isn’t just about performance. It’s about moving from a metered relationship with infrastructure to one you own outright and sit in front of.

Microsoft announced the Surface RTX Spark Dev Box at Build 2026 as its answer to that shift. It’s a compact mini PC powered by the NVIDIA RTX Spark superchip, the same ARM-based silicon debuting in the Surface Laptop Ultra, and it arrives on a developer’s desk already configured and ready to run serious AI workloads without touching a cloud endpoint.

Designer: Microsoft

The device’s most distinctive quality isn’t anything in the spec sheet. It’s the body itself, a 3D-printed anodized aluminum chassis perforated with exactly 1,000 vents arranged across its surface in a precise grid. Those vents are functional, the aluminum chassis doubles as the passive heatsink, managing a 100W sustained thermal envelope without a traditional cooling tower. They’re also a deliberate reference: 1,000 vents for 1,000 teraflops, or 1 petaflop, of AI compute. It’s a design that’s equally a statement and an engineering solution, and nothing else on a desk looks remotely like it.

That petaflop is delivered by NVIDIA’s RTX Spark, which combines a 20-core Grace CPU with a Blackwell RTX GPU carrying 6,144 CUDA cores, connected via NVLink-C2C. The 128GB of unified memory shared dynamically between the processor and GPU is what separates this from a high-end gaming box. That memory ceiling is what makes loading a 120-billion-parameter model possible without partitioning it or shunting inference work to the cloud.

The software side ships pre-configured and aimed precisely at the developer who doesn’t want to spend time on setup. WSL2 with native GPU passthrough and full CUDA support comes pre-installed and ready to use, alongside Visual Studio Code, GitHub Copilot, and PowerShell 7. Windows settings are tuned specifically for development work rather than general consumer use, a small but meaningful distinction when your machine runs long overnight training jobs and needs stability rather than a live tiles grid.

Connectivity covers HDMI, Ethernet, USB-C, USB-A, and a headphone jack, nothing exotic, but a port set that covers what a desk-based development machine actually uses. The machine runs under 100W during intensive workloads, which means it can sustain training jobs and agentic pipelines without the kind of thermal throttling that eventually frustrates sustained use.

For a machine announced without a price, the Surface RTX Spark Dev Box is already doing a specific kind of work. It positions local AI inference as a fixed cost rather than a running expense, and it makes that argument in a chassis that doesn’t look like any other mini PC on the market. A 3D-printed aluminum grid covered in a thousand deliberate holes is an odd form for a developer tool, but it makes the machine’s purpose unmistakably legible from across the room. Availability is expected later in 2026 in the US through Microsoft’s online store.

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ASUS ProArt Just Closed the Gap Between a Laptop and a Workstation

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Creative professionals have been carrying a compromise for years. The laptop powerful enough for serious work tends to be too heavy or too loud, and the one thin and light enough for a day bag can’t handle the work. Purpose-built workstations solve the performance side but solve nothing about portability. The gap between the two has been a persistent frustration, not a deliberate choice most people would make.

ASUS is addressing that directly at Computex 2026, where the ProArt P16, ProArt P14, and ProArt Mini PC were unveiled as the first ASUS devices powered by NVIDIA’s RTX Spark superchip. The same ARM-based chip combining a 20-core Grace CPU with a Blackwell RTX GPU and up to 128GB of unified memory runs across all three products, making the performance difference between a laptop and a desktop largely a matter of form factor rather than capability.

Designer: ASUS

The ProArt P16 and P14 are the portable entries, and they arrive 13% thinner and 16% lighter than the previous P16 generation. The P16 weighs 1.77kg at 12.9mm, and the P14 comes in at 1.48kg and 13.9mm. Both are CNC-manufactured in Nano Black and Neo White finishes, and carry 99.9Wh batteries for all-day runtime, a detail that matters when the work is intensive enough to drain power quickly. The machines don’t sacrifice weight for performance or performance for weight.

The display on both laptops is ASUS Lumina Pro OLED, calibrated to Delta E < 1 color accuracy, Pantone Validated, and certified for VESA DisplayHDR True Black 1000. Peak HDR brightness reaches 1,600 nits, which is more than three times what the previous ProArt generation could manage. A 120Hz variable refresh rate, 0.2ms response time, and an anti-reflection coating that cuts glare by 65% complete a panel that keeps color decisions accurate regardless of the lighting conditions a shoot or edit session happens to land in.

Under the hood, RTX Spark’s 1 petaflop of AI compute and unified memory pool change what locally processed work looks like. Rendering a 90GB-plus 3D scene, editing 12K 4:2:2 video, generating 4K AI video, or running a 120-billion-parameter language model locally are tasks that previously needed significantly bigger machines. Adobe is rebuilding Photoshop and Premiere specifically for RTX Spark to deliver 2x faster AI and graphics performance, and a three-month Creative Cloud subscription ships with the ProArt laptops.

The ProArt Mini PC extends the same logic to the desk. At 150 × 150 × 51mm, it fits anywhere a small speaker would and carries up to 128GB of unified memory, 10GbE wired networking, M.2 PCIe Gen 5 expansion, and up to 140W of thermal headroom for sustained demanding workloads. A single RTX Spark-powered box of that size, running AI renders or local large language models around the clock, is a genuinely different proposition for a small studio or home setup than what was available previously.

All three products sit within a broader ASUS ProArt ecosystem that integrates displays, peripherals, creator apps, and AI workflow software into a connected end-to-end experience. ProArt P16, P14, and Mini PC are expected to be available in fall 2026 in select regions, with additional configurations announced closer to launch.

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MINISFORUM AtomMan G1 Pro Packs Desktop RTX 5060 in a White Tower

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Most mini PCs fall into two visual camps: anonymous black boxes meant to hide behind a monitor, or aggressive RGB bricks that look like shrunken gaming rigs. Neither category thinks much about how the machine actually sits in a room. The MINISFORUM AtomMan G1 Pro takes a different route, leaning into a slim white tower form that looks more like a scaled-down desktop than a puck, designed to live on the desk as part of the composition.

The AtomMan G1 Pro is a compact gaming and creator PC that pairs an AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX with a desktop-class NVIDIA RTX 5060. It’s powerful enough for AAA gaming and 3D work, but what makes it interesting from a design perspective is how it packages that hardware into a minimalist vertical tower with a wave-textured side panel and a single, controlled strip of lighting in front.

Designer: MINISFORUM

The G1 Pro stands upright on a small base, with a tall, slim body finished in white rather than the usual black. One side panel is a continuous wave texture that catches light softly instead of shouting with vents and logos. That vertical stance frees up desk space and makes it feel more like a small speaker or piece of audio gear than a traditional mini PC, which changes how you might place it in a living room or studio.

A vertical light strip runs along the front, adding a subtle cyan accent without turning the whole case into an RGB billboard. The MINISFORUM logo is printed vertically, aligning with the tower posture. Front I/O is tucked into that same edge, with a power button, USB-A, USB-C, and audio jack easily reachable but visually quiet, so the wave-textured face stays clean and uninterrupted.

Inside, a full-length RTX 5060 desktop GPU sits vertically alongside the Ryzen 9 CPU, fed by a 350W internal PSU and a third-generation Glacier cooling system. Wide-diameter fans, copper heat pipes, and a two-sided exhaust layout push air through the tall chassis. The tower form is not just aesthetic; it gives the airflow a clear path and lets the machine dissipate up to 300W without looking like a heat sink on legs.

On the back, multiple DisplayPort and HDMI ports support up to four 4K displays, along with plenty of USB and a 5GbE LAN port. That means it can anchor a serious multi-monitor setup for gaming, editing, or coding while still looking tidy from the front. The white shell and vertical stance help it blend into both studio and living room setups without dominating the visual field.

The AtomMan G1 Pro shows what happens when a performance-focused mini PC gets a bit more design attention. It doesn’t abandon specs, but it wraps them in a form that feels more considered than another black brick. For anyone who wants desktop-class power in a machine that can actually sit on the desk without spoiling the view, this little white tower is worth watching when it ships early next year.

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Futuristic mini PC is like a spaceship ready to take gaming to new heights

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Is there a reason why desktops and even mini PCs mostly come in flat boxes? Electronics are still rigid objects, and they have to adhere to flat or similarly boxy designs with today’s engineering limitations. As such, a tower or a box is the most space-efficient container for these pieces that work together to provide all your computing needs. But what if space was less important than aesthetics, especially with today’s more compact hardware? That’s the kind of revolutionary mindset that this mini PC is trying to present with a chassis that is almost literally out of this world, looking more like a spaceship that’s ready to take off and elevate your gaming, and it does so literally as well.

Designer: ACEMAGIC

Mini PCs are no longer that alien to people’s ears, especially thanks to the popularity of the non-PC Mac mini and Mac studio. These computers emphasize compact designs that save you some desk space while still cramming as much power in a tiny boxy. That doesn’t have to be the only design available, however, especially with how small some computer components have become. After all, the latest breed of handheld gaming PCs are technically portable mini PCs, though with even bigger constraints when it comes to performance.

The ACEMAGIC M2A is a mini PC that throws design conventions out the door. Technically, its hardware can all fit in what would be a slim and minimalist rectangular box, but that would be boring and completely unoriginal. Instead, the company aimed to make its product stand out, almost literally, but making it look like a spacecraft similar to those you’d see on sci-fi flicks and shows. Specifically, the main body itself tapers slightly to the side and then splits upward and downward into fins. The style is largely polygonal, which matches the sci-fi theme, with LED accents in front and on the tip of the wings for added flavor.

The design admittedly takes up more vertical space on your desk, and it won’t be something you can conveniently place underneath your monitor (unless that monitor is set up on an ergonomic stand or arm). It is, after all, designed more to have some visual impact rather than space savings, but it does have one practical benefit, whether intentional or not. The bottom fins act as legs that lift the mini PC up, allowing for better airflow into the bottom-mounted fans.

Internally, the ACEMAGIC M2A tries to be a compact gaming PC, and it seems to meet that description, depending on your needs. It practically uses hardware from 2022, so it might not be up to snuff when it comes to more demanding AAA titles today. There are definitely more powerful mini gaming PCs in the market today, ones with the latest CPUs and GPUs, which makes you wonder if this spaceship-like computer’s high price tag is really worth that distinctive design.

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Phone-sized mini PC lets you take your computer and your work anywhere

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Our smartphones have become so powerful that, in theory, they have hardware equivalent to entry-level laptops from a few years back. But despite all that silicon muscle, they can’t really replace our everyday PCs mostly because of the operating system that’s used on most of these computers: Windows. Small, portable, and inconspicuous computers have always been a dream for both users and business owners, whether it’s for working on the go or setting up kiosks, security systems, or space-efficient workstations. This small brick tries to deliver exactly that, giving you the flexibility you need for any kind of computing in almost any context in a size that’s no larger than high-capacity power banks.

Designer: Minisforum

With the popularity of the Apple Mac Mini and, now, the Mac Studio, mini PCs have become more visible in the market. These desktop alternatives, however, are still meant to sit on a table or even on a shelf despite their small sizes. But while these small computers do offer plenty of power to support even some content creation or light gaming, that hardware also closes the door on many possible use cases that would have required them to be less tied down to a table.

The Minisforum S100 is a small, sleek box that you might easily mistake for a power bank. Ironically, it doesn’t actually have its own battery but is a mini PC that you can bring along with you or install in the narrowest of spaces. Despite its small size, it actually boasts a complete set of standard connectivity options, including Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 6.2, 2.5 Gbps Ethernet, USB-A ports, HDMI, and 65W USB-C.

The latter two are what make this design so portable and flexible. On a typical desktop, you can connect it to a USB-C monitor that supports USB-C PowerDelivery so that you don’t even have to plug the S100 into an outlet. You can connect another monitor via HDMI to have a dual-screen setup for increased productivity. And when you’re done for the day, you can pick up the palm-sized mini PC and go, maybe even work or chill in a cafe by connecting an external display and a power bank. The Ethernet port also supports Power-over-Ethernet or PoE, so you can use the S100 as the brains behind a camera security system and not have it plugged in at all.

Despite the flexibility that the Minisforum S100 offers, its performance is hampered a bit by the quad-core Intel N100 processor that runs the show, definitely not the best among the chip maker’s “mobile” processors. Its lower-power operation, however, does allow the mini PC to sip rather than chug electricity and keep thermals equally low. You definitely won’t be running heavy applications, but for $189, a Windows 11 computer you can easily slip into your bag or even your pocket might actually be worth the price.

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ASUS ROG NUC mini PC offers a small gaming box with a big catch

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Handheld gaming PCs might be the buzzword in the industry, but they’re not the only small-form gaming-oriented computers around. In fact, it’s probably thanks to the relative success of the likes of the Steam Deck, Lenovo Legion GO, and ASUS ROG Ally that the formula for compact gaming computers has been tested and proven. It probably shouldn’t come as a surprise, then, that gaming desktops in mini PC form would be popping up more frequently, like this latest entry from ASUS’ ROG brand that carries in its compact body some pretty big specs, a big legacy, and, unfortunately, an equally big price tag.

Designer: ASUS ROG

Gamers, especially those on the PC side of the fence, might already be familiar with the Republic of Gamers brand, but “NUC” might sound alien to them. The name, which stands for “Next Unit of Computing,” actually came from Intel and was used for the chipmaker’s line of mini PCs. After a decade of existence, Intel decided the product line really bore no fruit, definitely not in terms of profit, and decided to shutter the hardware and license the name to ASUS. Thus, the ASUS ROG NUC is pretty much the merger of two DNAs, one from Intel’s somewhat proof-of-concept mini PCs and the other from ASUS’s gaming house.

Unlike Intel’s NUCs, which were pretty much barebone general-purpose budget computers in a small box, the ROG NUC has the beating heart of a gaming laptop, just crammed in a small box that’s just around two inches thick. That includes an Intel Core Ultra processor, the kind that boasts upgraded AI chops, and an integrated NVIDIA RTX 4060 or 4070, depending on the configuration. There are plenty of ports for connection, as well as options for expanded storage that you can easily access thanks to its tool-less chassis.

While those might sound like juicy features for a gaming mini PC, the starting price of $1,629 makes it look less palatable, or $2,199 for the next step up in specs. For that price, you can already get a respectable gaming laptop with nearly the same or even better specs, and you won’t need to hook it up to a monitor, keyboard, and mouse. And unlike a desktop PC, you can’t upgrade anything other than memory and storage, so performance is pretty much a fixed value.

These raise the question of who the ASUS ROG NUC will be for, and the answer is quite a niche market. It will be for PC gamers who don’t exactly need mobility but do have limited desk space for a tower. It might even be for users who already have a more powerful gaming desktop and just need a secondary computer for their office. Either way, these scenarios make that high price tag even less appealing unless ASUS holds a sale immediately after launching the product.

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Stylish mini PC with a detachable speaker can be carried like a luxury bag

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Mini PCs are becoming quite the trend these days, but despite their small and seemingly portable sizes, they’re not exactly meant or easy to carry around. Their boxy shapes, while space-efficient, aren’t conducive for carrying around, not to mention they need to be plugged into a power source, monitor, keyboard, and mouse to even be usable. There are exceptions to this formula, of course, and one manufacturer had the rather unconventional and somewhat outlandish idea of a portable mini PC that you can carry with you without a bag because the PC itself becomes something like a glamorous purse or handbag just by adding a shoulder strap to its sides.

Designer: SOONNOOZ (via Mini Machines)

You can already tell at a glance that this isn’t your run-of-the-mill mini PC. It has a retro-futuristic vibe going with its round rectangle shape, glossy plastic finish, front grille, and chromed levers and feet. The lever at the top is a rather physical volume control that adds a little fun to the act of adjusting the volume. The design is both simple and elegant but actually hides a few tricks that set it further apart from other mini computers.

For starters, the design has two chrome buttons at the sides where you can attach a matching strap to carry it on your shoulders. You’ll probably still want to put it inside a large carrying bag for protection, but you can still carry it directly if you’re just transferring locations quickly, like moving from one room to another in the same building. That said, the SOONNOOZ Mini is not exactly that small, so it might look awkward carrying it like that. And at 1.5kg, it’s not lightweight either.

You’d still need to connect it to some peripherals to use it, of course, but you might not need to have it always plugged in. It has a built-in battery, not unlike a laptop, which could allow you a few hours of use before you need to recharge it. This makes it convenient as a portable entertainment system when paired with a portable projector, though you’ll still need a way to navigate the computer, like with a portable keyboard and mouse.

Its last trick is that its fascia is actually a detachable Bluetooth speaker that can be used on its own. As far as specs go, it’s a pretty standard mini PC that won’t really stand out in terms of performance, though certain configurations could definitely support some light gaming. Interesting as it might be, the SOONNOOZ Mini isn’t something you can acquire outside of China, so its novelty will probably never reach global renown.

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This cyberpunk mini PC adds a little RGB flavor to your workspace

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Mini PCs are becoming quite popular these days, especially with improvements in the processors that drive them. They’ve become dependable desktop PC options, especially for those with space constraints or who detest bulky towers. Some are even capable of gaming, at least within certain limitations. Despite all the internal upgrades, the majority of mini PCs retain their stereotypical box shapes with rather uninspiring designs. And unlike their towering cousins, customization options are pretty limited unless you buy one that was designed with a specific motif from the get-go. That’s the kind of visual experience that this unusual mini PC is trying to offer, carrying a cyberpunk-inspired design and RGB lighting to light up your desk a bit, quite literally even.

Designer: AOOSTAR

The cyberpunk genre gave birth to a design theme that involves bright neon colors set against dark backdrops and a somewhat disorganized composition of lines and polygons that suggest the presence of panels that hide some jungle of wires and circuits underneath. The fictional settings might be gloomy or even disheartening (it’s “punk,” after all), but the designs ironically bring life to products and spaces, at least when done tastefully and with a reasonable balance of elements. The AOOSTAR GOD7 mini PC definitely has that effect without going overboard and turning your desk into a blinding light show.

The design is available in white and black colorways, but it’s definitely the black model that captures the cyberpunk vibe best. The RGB lighting inside shines through polygonal cutouts and vents, giving the semblance of glowing lines and markings prevalent in cyberpunk design. There’s some level of customization when it comes to the colors and “rhythm” of the lights, but don’t expect as much as pro gaming desktops or laptops from bigger brands.

The mini PC is advertised as a gaming computer, but take that label with a grain of salt. It definitely has enough muscle to run a good number of games, but gamers will have to set their expectations properly. Given its more compact size, there is no room for a desktop-grade graphics card, but you can theoretically connect an external GPU enclosure to really take things to the next level. Other than consideration, it’s actually a rather capable computer that would be able to handle most gaming and multimedia tasks you throw at it.

With the rise in both interest and production of mini PCs, it’s only a matter of time before designs become more diversified and, hopefully, more interesting. The AOOSTAR GOD7 packs a decent set of hardware in a design that adds a little pizzazz to your desk without going overboard or becoming too distracting. It has just the right balance of interesting details that will make you want to place it somewhere everyone can see while still having enough room for the more important tools of your trade.

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