Best Mini PC Builds for Gaming

How to Build a Mini PC

Mini PC is also called Nettop, Mini desktop, Micro PC, and small desktop PC. This type of desktop computer has the appearance and size similar to a TV box or a modem, and it takes up very little physical space.

Its motherboard is generally equipped with low-power-consumption processors, GPU cards, memory cards, 2.5-inch hard disk or solid state drive, and has Wi-Fi communication function. Mini PC is generally used for home entertainment and business office. But some people may like to make it capable of gaming.

Then, how to build a Mini PC? What should you pay attention to? In general, when you plan to build a Mini PC, you should balance size, power consumption, and performance. In ideal case, you should use low-power-consumption but high-performance components to construct a small enough PC.

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Best Mini PC Builds

If you want to build a Mini PC but have no idea what components you should choose, you can refer to the following hardware configurations.

1. Budget Mini PC Build

• CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3400G (4-core, 8-Thread, with Radeon RX Graphics integrated)
• Motherboard: GIGABYTE B450 I AORUS PRO Wi-Fi
• RAM: 8GB DDR4
• Storage: NVMe SSD
• Chassis: InWin Chopin SECC Mini-ITX Tower Case
• Cooler: Noctua NH-L9a-AM4

This Mini PC build is not the best Mini PC for gaming, but it has high cost-effective. If your budget is limited, this plan is a good choice. This Mini PC build cost around $500 (the specific price depends on what RAM and storage you choose).

The Ryzen 5 3400G is capable of topping 50fps on average in GTA V at 1080p on ‘high’ settings. With this Mini PC, you can play Overwatch, LoL, and Dota 2. But with more modern games you’ll have to drop your resolution down to 720p to get some decent gaming performance.

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2. Mid-Range Mini PC Build

• CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600X (6-Core, 12-Thread, with Wraith Spire Cooler)
• GPU: EVGA 06G-P4-1667-KR GeForce GTX 1660 Ti SC Ultra
• Motherboard: GIGABYTE B450 I AORUS PRO Wi-Fi
• RAM: 16GB DDR4
• Storage: NVMe SSD
• Chassis: Fractal Design Core 500 – Mini Tower Computer Case
• Cooler: Noctua NH-L9a-AM4
• PSU: EVGA 600 BR

For those who want a discrete graphics card but still want to keep things cheap and cheerful in a compact PC, this is the best Mini PC for gaming. This Mini PC build is capable of playing all the latest games with 1080p @ 60fps in a small chassis.

3. High-End Mini PC

• CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 3900X (12-core, 24-thread, with Wraith Prism LED Cooler)
• GPU: MSI Gaming GeForce RTX 2080 Super
• Motherboard: ASUS ROG Strix X570-I Gaming
• RAM: 16GB DDR4
• Storage: NVMe SSD
• Chassis: NZXT H210i
• Cooler: Cooler Master MasterLiquid ML120L RGB V2 Close-Loop AIO CPU Liquid Cooler
• PSU: Be Quiet Straight Power 11 Platinum 650W

This high-end Mini PC build can let you breeze through any game at 1440p, and handle a large number of games in 4K, too. If you want to build the best Mini PC for gaming, you can consider this configuration.

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