This $200 Windows PC fits in the palm of my hand - and powers three 4K displays - technology-news.space

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ZDNET’s key takeaways

The Minix Z97 mini PC is available on Amazon for $217.
This tiny PC is a powerhouse that’s well-suited for daily use.
Running demanding tasks like local AI workloads puts a strain on its resources.

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Imagine having a PC that fits in your hand and performs well enough to get you through the day (with power to spare). Such computers exist, but not all of them are created equal.

I’ve tested plenty of these tiny form-factor PCs, and a lot of them might be cute, but they lack any semblance of power to do much. Others, like the Piccolo N150<!–> – an eight-inch device I recently reviewed – are useful in specific contexts but aren’t for everyone. Because of this, any time I receive one for review, I go into the review process with a grain of salt.

Also: Why I recommend this powerful Windows mini PC over a desktop – especially while it’s on sale

Imagine my surprise when I opened the palm-sized Minix Neo Z97–> and realized my assumptions might very well be wrong.

Minix is a company you might never have heard of, but they create quite a lot of small form-factor hardware, such as PCs, car touchscreens, portable monitors, chargers, and wireless displays. Minix’s products often impress and are offered at affordable prices. For instance, its new Z97 Mini PC sells for only $217<!–> on Amazon.

Is it worth the price? Let’s find out.

My experience

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You’ll even find 2 RJ45 ethernet jacks on the Z97.

Jack Wallen/ZDNET

First off, the Neo Z97 shipped with Windows 11, and I decided against installing Linux over it. Since Windows 11 is a resource hog, I thought it would be best to see how well the hardware handled the OS first. Sure, I could install a Linux distribution on the PC, knowing it would vastly outperform Windows, but this time around I wanted to experience the default.

As is with Windows 11, the initial setup was time consuming and, inferior to any Linux distribution I’ve ever used. But this isn’t a debate about Linux vs. Windows (because you know where I stand on that); this is all about the PC itself.

Once the setup was completed, I ran the tiny PC through what would be my normal daily routine, including installing LibreOffice, launching Ollama/Msty, browsing the web, and watching videos on YouTube.

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As far as everyday tasks go, the New Z97 performed far better than I expected from such a tiny machine. LibreOffice opened quickly, editing images with GIMP was painless, websites loaded as fast as they would on my main desktop PC, and YouTube videos and music on Spotify played without issue.

The most resource-intensive task was Ollama/Msty (because local AI can gobble up system resources), and it pushed the Z97 to its limits. To be fair, Ollama/Msty pushes my System76 Thelio (an absolute beast of a computer), so I was not at all surprised that this mini PC struggled a bit with the local AI. If the machine included a dedicated GPU, that might not be the case, but, as is, it’s not exactly designed for localized AI usage.

Also: The best mini PCs you can buy

One thing that did surprise me was how quiet the Z97 is. I didn’t hear the fan kick in once (even during the initial upgrade of Windows 11). It’s completely silent. I had to hold my ear up to the device to finally hear the fan whirring.