Mini PCs have exploded in popularity in recent years as powerful components become smaller and cheaper, allowing for a smaller form factor.
A recent entrant into the race for the best mini PC is the Firebat Z8, a new model from a relatively unknown Chinese company that promises some very attractive features in a fairly small package.
The news comes via Notebookcheck.net (translation from a French news website), which says the Firebat Z8 will pack the high-end AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS alongside a Radeon 780M GPU, meaning users will get a lot of bang for their buck.
In terms of connectivity, despite its small size, the Firebat Z8 includes a USB-C port, two HDMIs, two 2.5GB Ethernet ports, two USB-A 3.2 ports, and finally two USB 2.0 ports. All of this means that the Z8 can support up to four 4K monitors.
While these specs are welcome, they are very similar to other mini PCs currently on the market. What sets the Firebat Z8 apart from its competitors is its price: the model with 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD costs just $371 (or CNY 2,699).
It goes without saying that a powerful PC with the best processor and graphics that costs less than $400 is quite remarkable. Even the more powerful version with 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD costs around $450 (or CNY 3,299).
Unfortunately, these are just Chinese price conversions and Firebat doesn’t have much to offer elsewhere in terms of pricing and availability, but the company’s previous products have had wider launches – and at great prices.
Mini in name only
We’ve spent a fair bit of time seeking out the best mini PC and – perhaps unsurprisingly – the obvious candidate for most people is the Mac mini, which is vastly improved with Apple’s custom silicon.
In our testing, the Mac mini (M2, 2023) blew away the competition with its combination of power and a small form factor that’s ideal for most small desks. There are questions about how much extra RAM and storage cost, but those aren’t new or unique to the Mac desktop.
Windows lovers, fear not: we loved the Beelink U59, a great value mini PC that runs a bloatware-free version of Windows 11 and delivers plenty of processing power for its size thanks to Intel chips.