At first glance, this Newegg-sourced $99 AMD Ryzen 3 mini PC with 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD looks like the bargain of the century. After all, Ryzen CPUs are very well regarded amongst the hardware enthusiast community, getting rave reviews and one would expect this one to follow the trend.
But don’t get fooled. The AMD Ryzen 3 3250U is a very basic dual-core CPU, one of the slowest Ryzen processors in the market, delivering half the performance of Intel N97 and N100 rivals, that a bit more.
And while it has enough ports for the average user, its abysmal compute capabilities means that I will thoroughly discourage anyone from purchasing it unless their needs very specifically demand an ultra cheap platform that could be used for say, digital signage or as a Karaoke machine (it has separate audio inputs).
So this is a textbook case of false economy. Check out these four other mini PCs instead or if you want to explore other options, we have a dedicated Black Friday mini PC deals page.
This is a much more balanced system than the $99 Ryzen 3 mini PC. The Intel N95 CPU that powers it is twice as fast as the 3250U and while it is no roadrunner, it will provide more oomph for light office and casual usage. The extra $24 outlay will also provide you with 50% more RAM and twice the storage. A much better bargain in my view. Apply a $37 coupon to get this price. View Deal
The wo-we Mini PC offers impressive value at $139. It’s powered by AMD’s Ryzen 5 3500U processor with four cores, reaching up to 3.7GHz. It includes 8GB of DDR4 RAM and a 256GB NVMe SSD, upgradeable for more storage. Despite its compact size, it supports triple 4K displays via USB-C and dual HDMI ports, making it ideal for office work, entertainment, or home use. WiFi 5, Bluetooth 5.0, and Gigabit Ethernet provide fast, stable connectivity.View Deal
This mini PC is powered by an old Ryzen CPU but nonetheless it can hold its own against newer processors. With 16GB RAM and 256GB storage, it should be sufficiently powerful for most tasks but just bear in mind that it can only drive two 4K screens.View Deal
This mini PC delivers strong performance for its size, powered by AMD’s Ryzen 5 3550H processor with four cores and eight threads up to 3.7GHz. It includes 16GB of DDR4 RAM and a 512GB NVMe SSD for fast multitasking and storage. Supporting triple 4K displays via HDMI, DisplayPort, and USB-C, it’s built for productivity. Dual LAN, Wi-Fi 5, and Bluetooth 5.0 ensure reliable, high-speed connectivity.View Deal
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