The best small gaming PCs you can buy right now

The best small gaming PC is incredibly tricky to find. Not only is it hard to find powerful components that can be squeezed into a tiny form factor, but it can be hard to find the right price for all of it. There are tons of mini PCs out there, but which ones can let you get a lot of gaming done without completely breaking the bank?

Dense with power

MSI MEG Trident X

Staff pick

The MSI Trident might be expensive, but it packs a punch in performance and cooling with a RTX 3070 and an i7. Its compact design and customizability make it a fantastic choice.

$2,400 at MSI

Sleek and strong

Razer Tomahawk ITX

If you have the cash, this is a solid and sleek entry into the compact PC space. With an optional 3080, this case design is superb and should keep all your components happy in such a tiny size.

$2,400 at Razer

Solid foundation

Intel NUC 9 NUC9i9QNX

If you can afford RAM, a hard drive, graphics card and an OS, the Intel NUC 9 is a beast of a computer that comes at a wildly small size. This compact PC doesn't miss, and you won't regret picking one up.

$1,043 at Amazon

Modest and reliable

HP ProDesk 405 G6 desktop mini PC

For budget minded users, the HP ProDesk 405 G6 is a tiny PC that will keep you satisfied for basic gaming with its 8GB of memory and Ryzen 5 processor. This invisible PC is impressive for both the price and the performance it can put out.

$649 at HP

Hidden gem

NVISEN Y-GX01 mini PC

This PC is a bit of a mouthful and can be tricky to find, but it's kind of unreal for a mini gaming PC on a budget. It packs an i9 and a GTX 1650 in an incredibly small case.

$790 at Banggood

The best small gaming PC

As you can see, the best small gaming PCs get pricey, but if you know what to look for, you can find one that satisfies your needs. The best choice for many people will be the MSI MEG Trident X simply because it has everything you need without having to worry about extra components. That said, if you play extremely basic, non-graphics-intensive games, you could make do with the HP ProDesk 405 G6. There are so many options for mini PCs out there, but so many of them won't keep up with gaming demands. These are the best ones you can buy right now.