You Don't Need A Huge Desktop For A Home Media Server - Try These 4 Mini PCs Instead

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If you want a media center at home but think a desktop would take up too much space, the good news is that a mini PC can handle the same job. With one of these small powerhouses, you can bring together movies, music, and personal videos to access on different devices without giving up a huge chunk of your living room to a computer case.

Even a mini PC can run programs like Plex and Jellyfin, which help you create a personal media server. You can organize different files into a library that you can browse from your TV, phone, or other compatible gadget, such as a console. But there are other things to consider here, since storing a movie is only part of the job, and converting it during playback can ask quite a bit of the hardware.

For that reason, we selected some mini PCs that can work well for this task, especially because they offer features like video acceleration, good network connections, and room to expand the storage. Whether you want to start with a modest collection or keep everything in one place from the get-go, there's a good compact option for the job.

Keeping your media library available without leaving your main computer running is one of the biggest perks of having a mini PC at home. If you want a gadget for this job without spending too much, the Beelink Mini S13 fits the bill, with an Intel N150 processor, 16 gigabytes (GB) of RAM, and a 500 GB solid-state drive (SSD) for $399.

One of its best features is the Intel N150's support for Quick Sync, so if your Plex server needs to convert something, it can chug through the job pretty fast. If your TV or phone doesn't support the original file you want to watch, this feature helps cut down on waiting, while the machine just directly delivers music and videos that don't need conversion.

One weak point of the Beelink is that it only has 500 GB of storage, which might not be enough, depending on your collection. It has USB ports for external drives, so it's worth factoring that expansion possibility into your plans. The device also features two HDMI outputs with 4K support for watching on your TV.

The Minisforum M1 Pro-125H is a mini PC with a somewhat more premium finish and hardware, and some configurations are available for $895 on Amazon. For that price, you can get a one-terabyte (TB) SSD and 32 GB of RAM, for example, which may be a big investment for many users but gives you plenty of breathing room for building a powerful server.

It has a Core Ultra 5 125H processor that combines 14 cores with Intel Arc graphics, but video acceleration is the bigger draw here. With compatible software, it helps convert files during playback without leaving all that work to the processor's cores. That's useful if you have different devices at home that need different file formats.

If you want to expand beyond the initial one TB of storage in this configuration, you have two M.2 slots and two USB 4 ports for external storage. If you don't want to spend too much on SSDs, a hard drive can still make sense for storing your files, and the compact size makes it easy to tuck the PC into a corner of your home or near the TV.

If you think your collection will grow considerably, or if it's already quite large, the Geekom Mini IT12 with Intel Core i3-12300HE deserves attention for its expansion options. One configuration available on Amazon costs $599 and comes with 16 GB of RAM and a 512 GB SSD, but you can add another M.2 SATA SSD and a 2.5-inch SATA drive. So if you're willing to invest in more space for your files, this machine gives you plenty of room to do that.

You can also connect external storage to this mini PC, since it has USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 ports, two USB4 ports, and even a USB-A 2.0 port, although that one isn't as fast for drives. Thanks to the Intel processor, you can use Quick Sync to speed up file conversion. Just be careful, because at less than five inches wide, it might be tempting to squeeze it into a tight spot, but keeping the mini PC ventilated matters, too.

The GMKtec NucBox G3 Plus is a small mini PC that stands just over 1.6 inches tall, so you can tuck it discreetly beside the TV. One of its best configurations comes with 16 GB of RAM and a 512 GB SSD, a basic amount of space for organizing some movies, TV shows, and music on the same server. Since it has an Intel N150, you can also use Quick Sync for file conversion.

You can expand that storage, too, since the GMKtec supports a 2280 NVMe SSD and a 2242 SATA SSD, along with four USB ports for external drives. With those additions, you can have room to spare for plenty of files. You can even use this mini PC as a streaming device, since it has an HDMI connection and 4K output. The catch is that it will probably work best with just one person (device) watching at a time, since it may not handle heavier workloads.

To select these mini PCs, we considered features that help build and maintain a media library available at home. We set a minimum of 16 GB of RAM and 500 GB of storage for each recommended configuration, enough to accommodate the operating system, programs, and an initial selection of movies and other files you want to keep. We also considered expansion options for each one, including internal storage slots and connections for external drives.

We also prioritized models with video outputs for people who want to use one of these servers connected directly to a TV, rather than just over the network. Support for technologies like video acceleration also carried weight, but we included some options for direct playback too, such as the AMD models, which work well if your files are already compatible with the devices at home.

Finally, we made sure each of these devices is available for purchase on Amazon. To help ensure a quality experience, we chose only mini PCs that have scored at least 4.3 stars out of five stars based on at least 200 ratings from buyers on the retailer's platform.