Apple announced a new version of the Mac Studio, its high-powered desktop mini PC that’s traditionally competed with computers many times larger. The new Mac Studio has the M4 Max chip that’s currently found in the MacBook Pro, and a new M3 Ultra chip that Apple says will be nearly twice as fast as the M4 Max versions. The mini PC will otherwise be outfitted with USB-C ports certified for Thunderbolt 5, an upcoming evolution of Thunderbolt 4 that can achieve speeds up to 120 Gigabits per second (compared to Thunderbolt 4’s 40 Gigabits per second maximum).
The M4 Max version of the Mac Studio starts at $2,000, and comes with 36 GB of unified memory, which acts as memory for both the computer’s CPU and GPU, and it can be configured with up to 96 GB of memory. The M4 Max equipped Mac Studio starts with 512 GB of internal storage, which can be upgraded up to 8 TB, though buying the maximum amount does add $2,400 to the price tag. It will support up to five external displays, with four Thunderbolt 5 ports on its back, and two slower 10 Gigabit per second USB-C ports on the front.
The M3 Ultra version starts at $4,000 and comes with 96 GB of unified memory, but can be configured with up to 512 GB for those with incredibly demanding AI workloads or cinema-level 3D rendering. It can also hold up to 16TB of internal storage, though that configuration does cost about $10,000 on Apple’s website. It supports up to eight external displays, with four Thunderbolt 5 ports on its back and two on its front.
The Mac Studios will be available March 12, and we’ll update this guide shortly after with our review. Additionally, we’ll be testing a new batch of mini PCs from smaller manufacturers, including the Aoostar GEM12 Pro Max, Beelink GTi14 Ultra, Beelink SER8, Khadas Mind 2, Minisforum AI370, and the Minisforum AI X1 Pro.
We also saw a slew of new mini PCs at the CES 2025 tech trade show, just in time for our latest round of testing.
Asus acquired Intel’s Next Unit of Computing (NUC) business in 2023, and has four different mini PCs we’re interested in testing. The NUC 14 Pro AI+ is built around Intel’s latest Core Ultra Series 2 processors, with Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, and a fingerprint reader. The 14 Pro AI+ also has an E Ink screen on its top with customizable graphics, but we can’t tell whether you can have the display show useful stats like internal temperatures. It’s a Copilot+ PC, meaning it meets Microsoft’s standards to support local generative AI models. The NUC 15 Pro is a more streamlined mini PC with Intel Core Ultra Series 2 processors, but none of the Copilot branding or extra buttons. It has Thunderbolt 4 ports, Bluetooth 5.4, Wi-Fi 7, but in a more subtle case than the 14 Pro AI. The NUC 15 Pro+ is nearly identical to the base NUC 15, but it’s slightly larger and has access to the Intel Core Ultra 9 285H processor, rather than just the Core Ultra 7 lineup. It’s supposed to have better cooling than the 15 Pro as well.
Asus’s ExpertCenter PN54 pivots away from Intel with the AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 APU, which is a CPU with a built-in graphics processor. It has the same Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 connectivity, but has dual 2.5 gigabit ethernet ports. It also has a Copilot button in addition to its power button.
The Asus NUCs we saw in person all seemed easily upgradeable, with easy latches to remove the bottom panel to access internal components. All of these mini PCs also have two USB-A ports and a USB-C on their front, which gives easy access to the ports most likely to be used by accessories. We don’t have exact pricing or a release timeline for these NUCs, but we expect to see them sometime in the first quarter of this year.
Acer announced a mini PC called the Revo Box AI, also built around the Intel Core Ultra Series 2 processors. It will be configurable with up to 32 GB of RAM, comes with Wi-Fi 6E, and has dual 2.5 gigabit ethernet jacks. It will start at $800 and launch in Q2 2025.
We recommended an older version of the HP Z2 Mini G1i, and are looking forward to seeing HP’s newest model. It’s larger than most mini PCs we test, but houses a powerful Ryzen AI Max+ Pro 395 processor and up to 128 GB of unified memory. This AMD architecture could be very competitive with Apple’s M4 Pro chips, especially for those who do a lot of media editing and could use a larger pool of fast memory. We don’t have pricing or availability yet.
The Lenovo IdeaCentre Mini x can come equipped with either a Qualcomm Snapdragon X or Snapdragon X Plus processor, up to 32 GB of RAM, and Wi-Fi 7 connectivity. It looks a bit more pared down than the competition, with one USB-A and one USB-C port on its front. It will be available in April starting at $660.
We’re looking to test mini PCs from smaller manufacturers, and will be evaluating the Minisforum EliteMini AI370 and the Minisforum AI X1 Pro. Both these mini PCs use the powerful AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 processor, which also powers the Asus ProArt P16, one of our top picks for video editing, so we’re interested in how the processors will perform in a different cooling structure. The AI X1 Pro goes on sale at the end of January, and the $1,099 EliteMini AI370 is on sale now. We’ll be testing both in the coming weeks.
Finally, MSI is making a mini PC called the MSI Cubi NUC AI+ 2M. Like our previous top pick, the HP Pro Mini 400, the Cubi NUC AI+ 2M can be powered directly over USB-C by a monitor that can output 100W. This means your desk setup could run on just two cables: one power cable for your monitor, and one cable connecting your monitor to your PC. We really are living in the future—or might be once MSI releases pricing and availability for this mini PC.
