Choose a mini PC: configuration, ports and upgrades

Write down what is installed

Record the full CPU name, installed RAM, module arrangement, nominal SSD capacity and supplied operating system. This catalogue stores package-dependent components separately from shared model facts. An empty model value is not zero RAM or no operating system; it means that the selected package must provide the answer.

For example, the current A6 selector offers 16 GB / 1 TB while broader marketing copy also discusses 32 GB. The selected package follows the explicit option. A 1 TB SSD is recorded as 1000 GB nominal, not a guarantee that the formatted system will show that much free space.

Separate upgrades from supplied capacity

An advertised RAM maximum is not installed memory, and an extra slot is not another supplied SSD. SO-DIMM memory and onboard LPDDR can have very different upgrade paths even on the same seller page. The selected IT13 Max SO-DIMM configuration must not be confused with its onboard-memory alternative. Check the exact board revision, supported module specification and access instructions before buying upgrades.

Count ports without inventing their behavior

List the displays, storage devices and network links you intend to connect. A USB-C connector is not automatically USB4, a charging input or a display output. Even documented USB4 support has port, cable and host conditions. HDMI counts likewise do not establish every simultaneous resolution and refresh-rate combination.

Keep Ethernet link rates separate from file-transfer performance. Two network connectors do not configure link aggregation, routing or failover on their own. Wireless standards describe supported interfaces, not reception or measured throughput in your room. Check the drivers required by the operating system you actually plan to run.

Confirm the licence and power supply

Compatibility with Windows or Linux is not proof that an operating-system licence is included. Keep an unspecified Windows edition unspecified. Select the US adapter or regional cable explicitly, and distinguish the adapter output rating from measured idle consumption. Do not assume a monitor dock can power the PC through any USB-C socket.

Use performance evidence that matches the purchase

CPU names, boost clocks, cooling slogans and maximum display modes are not a controlled benchmark. A useful external test needs the same processor, RAM configuration, power settings, software and workload. This category supplies sourced configuration comparisons, not hands-on gaming, noise, thermal or power measurements. Before paying, recheck the selected components and any pre-order or dispatch condition.