My job involves testing a lot of software, many times whole new operating systems. I've also been fortunate enough to review quite a few mini PCs I still have lying around, and because of that, I have a lot of choice when the time comes to test this software.

That's partly why I've come to realize that mini PCs are a perfect testing ground for all your software experiments. They're easy to set up and fit in anywhere, among other notable benefits.

Small footprint

Use them anywhere

One of the things I love about mini PCs is that I can easily use them anywhere in my house. Sure, you could say the same for a laptop (and in many cases, it's even easier), but a mini PC is also very easy to store, and you can easily use it with any existing monitor in the house. You can connect it to the TV if you want it to act as a gaming console, use a portable monitor if it's mostly running background services and only occasionally needs a screen, or your main desktop setup if you're testing more productivity-oriented workloads. A laptop may not always fit easily into all these places.

Plus, a mini PC typically has a lot more ports, so you can connect all the peripherals from your main setup to it, which has come in handy many times for me. It's so much easier than having a laptop that probably requires a docking station to use all my peripherals and makes my desk a mess. And if you plan to use wired internet, then a laptop is basically a non-starter — Ethernet ports are not a common sight unless you go for expensive business or gaming laptops.

On the other side of things, a typical desktop PC is much larger and not something you want to move around frequently. Mini PCs are a perfect middle ground.

They're cheap (usually)

A relatively small investment

Another great thing about mini PCs as testing devices is that they're relatively cheap and easy to replace if needed. Because it's just the core computer, you can get a usable mini PC for close to $200 if you don't need amazing performance. And even something like the Geekom A6 Mini, as an example, costs just $449 with an AMD Ryzen 7, 32GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD at the time of writing. That's a lot of performance for that price.

A laptop is going to add a ton to the cost due to having a screen, keyboard, touchpad, and more, and you need to spend that money all over again if the PC breaks. Plus, if you try to save money, you'll probably have to make do with a terrible screen or poor build quality, which is not as much of an issue with mini PCs.

Because of that low price, you can get it as a totally separate setup from your main PC, and take a few more risks with it. You can place it in your network's DMZ so it can more easily communicate over the internet without as many security measures getting in the way, and you can segregate this device from the rest of the network in a way you couldn't do on your main computer.

Easily repairable

Broke an SSD? Oh well

Sometimes, when something breaks on your PC, it doesn't mean you have to replace the whole computer, but with a laptop (especially a modern one), it can feel that way. Laptops are not designed to be easily repairable, even if you technically do have that option. There can be over a dozen screws you need to remove to get inside the laptop, not to mention you might need prying tools to get it open. And that's not even touching the fact that a lot of laptops come with soldered RAM, and sometimes even storage these days, making repairs much more difficult.

Most mini PCs are designed to be upgradeable, with only a few screws required to open the chassis, quickly exposing all of the components. You can almost always replace both RAM and storage (and even the Wi-Fi card), so if a drive goes bad or you just need an upgrade, it's easy to get it done. You could even have multiple drives with different operating systems and swap them around as needed.

Of course, a larger desktop tends to be even more upgradeable, since you can change pretty much everything about it, but again, that comes at the cost of size and a potentially higher price.

Low power usage

Laptop processors make a difference

Savings with mini PCs aren't just limited to when you first buy them, though. While they're desktop computers, mini PCs very often come with processors designed for laptops, and that may sound like a downside, but these are still pretty fast parts, and importantly, they use a lot less power. A standard desktop processor has a TDP of 65W, which isn't too high, but comparatively, a mini PC will typically ship with processors that average 45W or less. That can result in big savings in the long run.

For many of the workloads you might want to try, you don't need the power of a full desktop. Retro gaming works completely fine with laptop processors, even up to platforms like the PlayStation 2 or Wii. And things like running a home lab or an improvised NAS really don't require a ton of power, either. If this is a device you'll be using a lot, a low-power processor brings far more benefits than downsides.

Mini PCs are a great testing ground

If you're looking for a PC you can use to test a lot of software, whether it's a self-hosted service, a specific program, or an entire operating system, a mini PC is the perfect way to do it. It's a low-cost solution that can easily be used anywhere in your home, repaired, and isolated from the network if needed. It affords you a lot of options without costing a fortune.