
Read on to see what to look for in these systems, and what kind of components you can find inside.

Apple has one, as well: the Apple Mac mini sits toward the top of budget pricing at $699, but the 2020 model bearing Apple's M1 CPU is very appealing. Compact-system specialists such as Azulle, ECS, Shuttle, and Zotac focus on this area, and some broader PC players such as Asus have offerings in this category, too. Intel is a big player, but not the only one, when it comes to small, inexpensive desktops.
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These machines can be bought as fully configured systems, or, for the more DIY-minded, as barebones kits that enable you to install components of your choice. Intel's Next Unit of Computing (NUC) mini-PC line is among the most configurable, with plenty of variation among its models. If you're looking at a very small system, mini PCs tend to come in a limited set of models to choose among, tightly designed to do what they do well. Shopping for a budget desktop isn't too different from standard desktop-buying considerations, but there are some key things to know. The closer-to-full-size towers, meanwhile, can do just about everything you expect from a modern home PC.
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They come in a few different shapes and sizes, most tending to the small. They can even run web-based games, should you have the need. These PCs are certainly able to surf the web, stream videos to a monitor or big TV, operate a public display, or allow you to work on simple documents and other everyday productivity tasks. Now, a handful of these may not be what you normally picture when imagining a desktop, but you'd be surprised at the capability of some of these small boxes.
