These PC of the month will be built in a special format that is becoming more and more popular among computer enthusiasts every year — today we will consider miniature builds using mini ITX motherboards. Of course, there are a lot of ready-made mini PCs in stores built because of laptop components, but this is not an option for those who are used to doing everything with their hands. We have prepared «Budget», «Optimal», and «Progressive» computers in compact cases, selecting all components according to their size.
«Budget» mini PC
| Gaming mini PC «Budget» | Price, UAH | |
| Processor | AMD Ryzen 5 5600G | 4900 |
| Motherboard | Biostar B450NH | 3400 |
| RAM | 16 GB G.Skill Aegis DDR4 2x8Gb | 1450 |
| Drive | 1 TB SSD Kingston NV2 SNV2S/1000G | 2600 |
| Video card | AMD Radeon Vega 7 | 0 |
| Cooler | ID-Cooling IS-27i | 650 |
| Power supply | 120 W external (included with the case) | 0 |
| Body | 2E M400-120 120W Black | 1700 |
| The entire PC | 14700 | |
A cheap configuration that can run all the most popular video games and behaves perfectly in operation, and in a mini format, is a good solution for those who do not need excessive power. They want to free up space on their desktop. There are many options on the market, but it is best to build a budget PC of this format on the AM4 platform.
We decided to put a processor in the heart of the computer AMD Ryzen 5 5600G as it is one of the best APUs on the market for the money. You can also take a look at the previous generation models, namely Ryzen 5 4600G and 4650G Pro, if local stores offer them at favorable prices. The difference in power between them is small, so choose what makes the most sense at the time of purchase.
The selection of cheap mini ITX motherboards is not huge, so we decided on Biostar B450NH s-AM4 B450. In this price range, you can also find A520 mini ITX boards, which is also an adequate choice if the user does not plan to overclock the integrated AMD Radeon Vega 7 graphics.
There is no point in overpaying for memory because the performance gain will be less than the cost difference. For a budget PC, something like DDR4 2x8GB/3200 G.Skill Aegis and as a storage device, the following looks like a good option SSD Kingston M.2 1TB PCIe 4.0 NV2.
The combination of 16 GB + 1 TB is definitely enough for most users for everyday tasks. It is not recommended to take a smaller SSD to a miniature computer because the motherboard has only one M2 connector.
Body 2E M400-120 120W Black is one of the most affordable in its class, especially considering the included power supply. The chassis measures only 55×200×200 mm and weighs 1 kg. Despite its compactness, it is well ventilated and allows you to install cooling on the processor up to 30 mm high.
«Optimal» mini PC
| Gaming mini PC «Optimal» | Price, UAH | |
| Processor | Intel Core i5-13500 | 10500 |
| Motherboard | MSI MPG B760I Edge WiFi | 8100 |
| RAM | 32 GB DDR5 2x16GB/6000 G.Skill Flare X5 | 4600 |
| Drive | 1 TB SSD Samsung 980 M.2 2280 | 3300 |
| Video card | Asus Dual RTX 4070 12GB | 25500 |
| Cooler | ID-Cooling IS-50X V3 | 1000 |
| Power supply | 550W Chieftec CTG-550C | 2800 |
| Body | Cougar QBX Black | 2600 |
| The entire PC | 58400 | |
| Lite video card | MSI Gaming X RTX 4060Ti 8GB | 18200 |
| Cooler Lite | BOX | 0 |
| The whole PC Lite | 50100 | |
A balanced mid-range computer cannot be assembled in the same small case because in addition to the motherboard, you need to put in a discrete graphics card. In this category, we will assemble PCs of a slightly larger volume with much more productive components. We have also added an alternative configuration with a cheaper video card and a bundled cooler.
Processor Intel Core i5-13500 is the most successful representative of the i5 family with a locked multiplier. This CPU offers good performance at 1W (important for mini-builds), has 14 cores, and is easy to cool. In fact, the 13500 can work with a box cooler without any problems, and we added one inexpensive one for the sake of example ID-Cooling IS-50X V3 with which the PC will be a little quieter.
Motherboard MSI MPG B760I Edge WiFi is considered to be exemplary in its class — powerful power supply, wireless interfaces, huge radiators and the favorite form factor of mini ITX enthusiasts. It’s also nice to see 2 M2 PCI-E 4.0 connectors on the 17×17 cm board. For a compact PC, it’s a pretty good option for adequate money.
RAM DDR5 2x16GB/6000 G.Skill Flare X5 has reduced the price considerably, so it is now, without exaggeration, the best choice. For a long time, it was profitable to build Intel LGA 1700 on DDR4, but the time has come, as they say. The overpayment for modern RAM is not too high to save on it.
Drive SSD 1TB Samsung 980 M.2 2280 has an impeccable reputation, although it is not cheap. It’s a high-quality and reliable storage that’s not ashamed to be boasted about among enthusiasts and computer nerds.
Asus PCI-E GeForce RTX4070 12GB video card is one of the best on the market in terms of the overall combination of power, power consumption, noise, temperature, and cost. Three-fan models will fit into the chosen computer without any problems, and this economical chip has enough cooling, like the Asus Dual.
Power supply 550W Chieftec CTG-550C has a modular design, which is an advantage for miniature assemblies. The owner will not connect cables unnecessary for the current configuration, thus simplifying the assembly process and allowing for a beautiful, and most importantly practical, cable management. The 550W power is more than enough for the super-economical PC in question.
Body Cougar QBX Black isn’t the pinnacle of mini ITX builds, but it’s a great option for the money. The low price, relatively compact size and the ability to install video cards up to 350 mm long make it worth considering. The Cougar QBX Black is compatible with standard ATX power supplies, mini ITX motherboards and CPU cooling up to 10 cm high.
In the cheaper version Lite you can use RTX 4060 Ti 8 GB. Videocard MSI GeForce RTX4060Ti 8Gb GAMING X has become quite cheap and now looks like a pretty adequate option for the money, and it also has high power per unit of power consumption (like all RTX ADAs).
Since the Intel Core i5-13500 processor has a base TDP of 65 W, the box cooler will handle it. However, is twice as much power consumption worth a 15% increase in power? If this is not critical for the user, then we save 1000 UAH on the cooler.
For «Optimal» PC in mini format you need to give 58 400 UAH. Which seems to be a lot, but on the other hand, the owner gets a modern platform with fast DDR5 memory, one of the best SSDs on the market, a video card that can easily handle any game in Quad HD, and all this in a compact package.
If this is still not convincing and too expensive, then there is an opportunity to reduce the cost of the system unit to 50 100 UAH with a few compromises. Still can’t afford it? The savings in the «Optimal PC Lite» do not end there because you can additionally install a slightly cheaper SSD (-500 UAH), use DDR4 RAM (-1800 UAH) and a less sophisticated motherboard (-2000 UAH). This appears to be beneficial, but in reality, it doesn’t make much sense to save on memory and board when these components are already inexpensive compared to the GPU.
«Progressive» mini PC
| Gaming mini PC «Progressive» | Price, UAH | |
| Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D | 15900 |
| Motherboard | Asus ROG STRIX B650E-I Gaming WIFI | 13400 |
| RAM | 32 GB DDR5 2x16GB/6000 G.Skill Flare X5 | 4600 |
| Drive | 2 TB Kingston KC3000 2048GB M.2 2280 PCIe 4.0 | 7100 |
| Video card | PowerColor PCI-E Radeon RX 7900 XT 20GB | 36100 |
| Liquid cooling | Be Quiet! Pure Loop 280mm | 4600 |
| Power supply | 850W DeepCool PX850G | 6300 |
| Body | Fractal Design Meshify 2 Nano TG Dark Tint | 6600 |
| The entire PC | 94600 | |
| RAM Plus | 64 GB DDR5 2x32GB/6000 G.Skill Trident Z5 Neo | 9300 |
| Drive Plus | 4 TB Kingston KC3000 2048GB M.2 2280 PCIe 4.0 | 15700 |
| Video card Plus | MSI RTX4080 SUPER 16GB GAMING X SLIM | 53000 |
| The whole PC Plus | 124800 | |
This system unit can hardly be called miniature, but it is still 2-3 times smaller than an average gaming PC, and most importantly, it does so with minimal compromise on performance. Building a powerful mini computer is actually harder than it may seem because the user will definitely face nuances when placing components, and you also need to check the dimensions of the cooling system, the length of the GPU, etc.
We have prepared two configurations with 300W graphics cards, as it is not recommended to put something more powerful in such a tight space. Even with the well-thought-out Fractal Design Meshify 2 Nano TG Dark Tint case. The owner of a Mini PC will not get such low temperatures of the graphics accelerator as in a classic computer, so you need to be prepared for this. Also, it should not come as a disappointment that the noise will be louder than in a Full ATX Tower system.
We put the best gaming processor at the heart of the compact «progressive» PC of the month AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D. It is noticeably weaker than Intel’s counterparts in work tasks, but for fun, it is an ideal option. In addition, the 7800X3D consumes little power, which is good for a small case.
Despite the modest TDP, it is difficult to remove heat from the processor, so it is recommended to use a liquid cooling system. The approximate 280 mm is considered to be Be Quiet! Pure Loop 280mm. This «dropsy» will curb the appetites of the Ryzen 7 7800X3D and will not be the loudest component of the system, leaving this honor to the video card.
The motherboard was chosen Asus ROG STRIX B650E-I Gaming WIFI although there are much cheaper options for AM5 in the mini ITX format on the market. This is one of the best models in its class, with almost no serious technical flaws. Fans of top-of-the-line systems in compact cases will definitely not skimp on the motherboard, so this is a good choice with maximum functionality.
With the memory subsystem, everything is simple — we take a standard 32 GB DDR5 set with a frequency of 6000 MHz and low latency, preferably no higher than CL36. A couple of modules is a good option not for all the money in the world DDR5 2x16GB/6000 G.Skill Flare X5.
The most popular model in Ukraine can be used as a storage device Kingston KC3000 2048GB M.2 2280 PCIe 4.0 with a capacity of 2 TB. The motherboard has only 2 M2 connectors, so there’s no point in saving on storage. Moreover, saving does not make sense when the cost of an SSD is 6-7% of the price of the entire PC.
For compact computers, you need to choose a video card carefully and carefully. NVIDIA RTX ADAs with their high performance at 1 W immediately come to mind. The PowerColor PCI-E Radeon RX 7900 XT 20GB has fallen in price significantly over the past six months and easily meets the needs of gamers with 4K monitors. The selected version will fit in the case, but it is not the largest modification of the 7900 XT, so before buying, check the chassis parameters.
You can also get an RTX 4070 Ti or RTX 4070 Ti Super for the same price. NVIDIA video cards will be a priority for those who work with professional software, such as Blender, have some advantages in games (DLSS + NVIDIA Frame Generation), and also have lower power consumption, which is definitely an advantage for an ITX computer.
Body Fractal Design Meshify 2 Nano TG Dark Tint is an excellent solution for top-end ITX computers. It allows you to place a video card up to 330 mm long, a liquid cooling system 280 mm long, and supports classic ATX power supplies. The sleek design, excellent ergonomics, high-speed USB 3.2 connectors, and high-quality materials are what a fan of compact builds needs. The dimensions of 205×361×396 mm are still not the standard of miniature, but installing all the components will be as easy as possible.
The power supply must be modular so that the chaos of unnecessary cables does not interfere with assembly. Equally important is PCI-E 5.0 support, which means that the PSU must have a 16-pin cable to power NVIDIA graphics cards. Many models fit this description, and for example, we added 850W DeepCool PX850G. Alternative options from other AAA manufacturers offer similar features for this price.
We considered the greater appetites of demanding users, so we added a more expensive memory subsystem to the «Progressive Plus» configuration, consisting of 64 GB DDR5 2x32GB/6000 G.Skill Trident Z5 Neo and the drive 4TB M.2 4TB Kingston KC3000. Even the most demanding users won’t complain about the lack of memory in a PC like this.
An alternative video card for the Plus modification is MSI GeForce RTX4080 SUPER 16GB GAMING X SLIMwhich competes with the hotter AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX. High-energy efficiency allows you to use the pre-top NVIDIA graphics adapter even in small cases. It is important to choose the version that will fit the chosen case, so we check not only the length but also the number of slots occupied (radiator thickness).
For «Progressive» mini PC of the month you will have to give 94 600 UAHand with twice the amount of RAM/RAM and a more powerful video card, the amount increases to UAH 124,800. On the one hand, this is a huge amount of money, but on the other hand, the user gets one of the most powerful gaming computers of our time in a compact form factor.
Each configuration can (and should) be changed to suit your individual requirements because this is the main advantage of hand-assembled PCs. The main thing when choosing ITX components is to pay attention to the physical dimensions of all components so that they fit into the case.
The overall power consumption of the system also plays an important role, as the fight against high temperatures and noise in ITX chassis reaches a new level. This is exactly the case where the TDP of the video card (as well as the processor) plays a bigger role than the theoretical power.