Mini PCs are emerging as a wonderful, affordable balm to the skyrocketing costs of laptops, with an extra bonus that they’re far more upgradeable than most of them. The storm of Amazon deals has subsided in the wake of Prime Day (or four consecutive Prime Days), but right now there’s a great deal on a mini PC with 16GB of RAM for just $156.87. And no, you don’t need to subscribe to Prime.

The GMKtek G3 Plus, like most mini PCs, uses laptop parts to bring the price down and deliver a teeny-tiny footprint, just 4.5 x 4.2 inches (114 x 106mm, if you live in a civilized country). Inside is an Intel N150 quad-core processor, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage, which is a great start for a mini PC under $200. If you’re in the mood to upgrade, it can handle a maximum of 32GB of DDR4 laptop memory and 2TB of Gen 3 storage using the standard M.2 2280 form factor. Windows 11 comes installed.

With that N150 processor this won’t be any kind of a speed demon, and you can expect pretty basic performance from any new 3D game. But even without an upgrade, this little guy is going to fly through most Windows tasks and handle plenty of browser tabs, and its built-in ports can handle dual 4K monitors, and it’ll connect to your Wi-Fi 6 network or Bluetooth 5.2 accessories without an issue. The only real disappointment is a lack of USB-C ports, though there are four USB-A ports (two on the front, two on the back) and an Ethernet port for fast hardwired networking.

At a hair over $150, this thing really is a steal for a low-power workstation — the barebones model without RAM, storage, or Windows costs $120, for comparison. And this appears to be a regular sale from Amazon that isn’t limited to Prime shoppers. Grab it before it’s gone if you’re in the market for an affordable, upgradeable desktop.

Get a Mini PC with 16GB of RAM and 512GB SSD for $157

Author: Michael Crider, Staff Writer, PCWorld