11 Mini PCs That Come With Linux Pre-installed

Looking for a Linux based mini PC? Here are 11 choices for you to replace your traditional bulky desktop with a compact yet powerful mini PC.

While looking for a Linux computer, most people consider either a laptop or a desktop. There is a relatively new type of gadget in the same segment, mini PC.

Mini PCs, in my opinion, will take over the traditional desktop computers in near future. Traditional desktop has a bulky CPU which takes a lot of space with its fan running like a blower. The mini PCs, on the other hand, are tiny and compact. With hardly 4″ or 5″ in size, they can be easily placed on a table.

Moreover, these mini PCs are fanless which is an added virtue. Of course, you can buy fanless regular desktops but the space consumption is still an issue. Personally, I find the mini PC cute in looks. If you are not a gamer and thinking of buying a new desktop PC, I’ll highly recommend you to buy a Linux based mini PC.

The mini PCs are tiny but a lot powerful than the tiny single board computers like Raspberry Pi. They are the replacement of the traditional desktops as their specs are at par with most desktops available in the market.

If you go by my recommendation and consider buying it, you might wonder what options do you have. Worry not. I’ll list some of the best Linux mini PCs you can buy today.

Best mini PCs preinstalled with Linux

Please do note that some of these gadgets are manufactured in small quantities and they run out of stock periodically. Therefore some might not be available to order all the time and you may have to wait a little.

The list is not in any particular order of ranking. Some of the links may contain affiliate information. Please read our affiliate policy here.

1. Intel NUC

Most of the other mini PCs listed here are based on Intel’s NUC – so it is worth mentioning it as one of the alternatives as well. It may not have Linux built-in but you can choose to install Linux. So, it makes up for a good Linux-based mini PC as well.

You can either opt in for a full-fledged mini PC or get a NUC board at a cheaper price to DIY (similar to Raspberry Pi).

Specifications Overview:

• Intel 8th Gen processors
• Radeon Vega Graphics
• Intel Optane Memory (16 GB)
• HDMI port
• USB Type-C port
• 2 LAN ports
• 1 TB HDD
• WiFi & Bluetooth

The specifications will differ depending on what NUC product you’re going with. We recommend you to check all the NUC Mini PCs available on their official site.

Price

It starts at 300 USD (approx). And, depending on what you choose (NUC kit board or a mini PC), there are options in the range of $1000 as well. You can find all of its variants on Amazon.

Preview	Product	Price
	Intel NUC 7 Mainstream Kit (NUC7i5BNK) - Core i5, Short, Add't Components Needed	$530.00	Buy on Amazon

2. Meerkat by System76

System76 is a computer manufacturer exclusively dealing with only Ubuntu-based desktop, laptops and servers. System76 announced an Ubuntu based mini PC Meerkat last week. Let’s take a quick look at its specification:

Specification

• Processor: Intel i3/i5/i7
• up to 2 TB of storage (M.2 SATA SSD)
• Up to 32GB RAM
• Graphics Intel HD 5500 and Intel HD 6000 for i3 and i5 respectively
• 4″ x 4″ in size
• WiFi
• 1 Gb NIC
• 2 USB 3.0 ports

Price

Starts at $599.

3. MintBox Mini 2 and Mini 2 Pro

MintBox Mini range is the is the ‘official’ hardware offering of (almost) everybody’s favorite, Linux Mint.

MintBox Mini 2 and Mini 2 Pro come with Intel Celeron J3455 processor, 8 Gigs of RAM and 120 GB SSD. To pump up the muscle, Intel HD Graphics 500 is added with HDMI+miniDP support. The difference between the two models is the size of SSD.

The MintBox is housed in a full metal casing which provides an improved heat dissipation. The unit is also fanless and completely silent. It’s also dust and humidity resistant and designed to operate in industrial atmosphere. It comes with a 5 years unconditional warranty.

Though it comes with the latest Linux Mint. But any other Linux distro can be installed on it. Windows 10 can also be installed on the Mintbox Mini Pro.

If you love Linux Mint then MintBox is the perfect mini PC for you. By buying a MintBox, you directly support Linux Mint as part of the sale goes to Linux Mint.

Specifications Overview

• Processor: Intel Celeron J3455 processor
• RAM: 8GB
• Storage: 64GB SSD for Mini 2 and 120GB SSD for Mini 2 Pro
• Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 500
• Operating System: Linux Mint 

Pricing

$299 for MintBox Mini 2 and $349 for MintBox Mini 2 Pro. It gets out of stock pretty soon. You can try to buy it on Amazon or check out their own website.

Preview	Product	Price
	MintBox Mini 2 (MBM2)		Buy on Amazon

4. Utilite2 

Utilite2 is an Ubuntu-based mini PC by the same manufacturer behind MintBox. It’s an ARM desktop PC running Ubuntu LTS. With a size of 3.4″x2.3″, Utilite2 has modest feature and modest price.

Specifications

• Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 (APQ8064) quad-core CPU 1.7GHz
• 2GB RAM, eMMC with optional 32 GB mSATA storage
• Graphics with Qualcomm Adreno™ GPU
• 1080p video playback and capture
• Dual-antenna WiFi 802.11 and Bluetooth 4.0
• Gigabit Ethernet, 4x USB2, USB OTG
• Cellular modem support

Price

$192 for regular model, $229 with SSD storage. Shipping charges extra.

5. Endless Mini

Endless is another Linux PC manufacturer with their own Linux distro. You might have heard of Endless OS, which is a home use centric distro. Endless offers a range of minicomputers which run on the Endless OS.

Endless Mini is a cost-efficient little machine which can be used for lightweight computing tasks. Now, Endless is an inexpensive mini machine, automatically implies that it is not something that you should go for if you have demanding tasks planned for the PC.

Specifications Overview

• Processor: Amlogic® S805, Quad Core, ARM® Cortex A5
• RAM: 1GB / 2GB
• Graphics: Mali®-450 GPU
• Storage: 24GB /32GB SSD
• Operating System: Endless OS

Pricing

Around $79 / $99. 

6. Endless Mission One

Another Endless Mini computer, but built with a stronger Intel Celeron CPU clocked at 2.17 GHz, and suitable for more demanding tasks. It is the slightly pumped up sibling of the Endless Mini.

The box has a good design and is pleasing to look at.

The box also has a decent storage space and is a good deal for the money.

Specifications Overview

• Processor: Intel Celeron N2807
• RAM:  2GB
• Storage:500 GB Hard Drive Storage
• Operating System: Endless OS

Pricing

Pricing starts at $249.

7. OnLogic CL100

CL100 is fanless, dustproof, industrial mini PC from OnLogic (previously known as Logic Supply). Ubuntu is offered as the main operating system on it.

CL100 can be configured as per your requirement but it also means that price will go up if you go for high-end hardware configuration. It also has two years limited warranty.

Specification Overview

• Processor: Intel Celeron N3160 or Pentium N3710
• RAM:  Minimum 2GB
• Storage: Minimum 32GB SSD
• Operating System: Ubuntu

Pricing

Starts at $357. 

8. TUXEDO Nano V8

Last year, we did talk about TUXEDO Nano V8 when it launched. To give you a brief, TUXEDO computers help you build custom PCs and notebooks.

TUXEDO Nano V8 is a Linux based mini PC (comes with Ubuntu / Ubuntu Budgie).

With an 8th gen Intel processor coupled with 32 GB of RAM, it is as powerful as a mini PC can get. Of course, you can opt for the low-end configuration if you do not want a lot of computing power. It also supports the addition of an M.2 SSD for faster storage along with an HDD.

Need to connect two 4K screens with this mini PC? Sure, no problem.

Specifications Overview:

• Processor: i3-i7 (7th/8th Gen)
• GPU: Integrated Intel HD Graphics
• 4 x USB 3.0 ports
• Up to 32 Gigs of RAM
• M.2 SSD slot
• WiFi & Bluetooth 4.2
• 2 x HDMI2.0a 4K Capable

Price

It starts at 445 Euros for the low-end configuration and goes up as per the hardware configuration.

9. Slimbook ONE v2

ONE is a compact Linux-based mini PC which packs in a lot of power with 8th gen Intel processors.

With M.2 SSD storage support up to 500 GB and an option of cranking up the HDD storage of up to 2 TB, this should be a great mini PC. It can be coupled with up to 16 Gigs of RAM and is 4K-ready with an HDMI port available as well.

You can choose to have a Linux OS pre-installed (Ubuntu, OpenSUSE, Manjaro, etc). However, if you want to use it as a multimedia center, you can instruct to have Ubuntu Multimedia center pre-installed as well.

Specifications Overview

• Intel processors i5 or i7 (8th generation)
• GPU: Intel UHD 620 (4k support)
• Up to 16 GB RAM
• M.2 SSD up to 500 GB
• HDD up to 2 TB
• Bluetooth 4.0
• WiFi
• HDMI Port
• USB 2.0 (x2), USB 3.0 (x2) & USB Type-C (x1)

Price

The lowest configuration starts at 449 Euros.

10. Entroware Aura

If Slimbook’s ONE v2 didn’t impress you enough and you are looking for more computing power, Entroware’s Aura will be a perfect fit.

It also offers Intel 8th gen processors (i3, i5 & i7). In addition to that, you get the option to crank up the RAM up to 32 GB at 2400 MHz. If that wasn’t enough for a Linux mini PC, you can add an SSD of up to 2 TB (M.2 or SATA). Fret not, it also supports an additional HDD storage – if you need.

You only get the option to have Ubuntu 18.04 LTS or Ubuntu MATE pre-installed.

Specifications Overview:

• Intel 8th Gen processors (i3, i5 & i7)
• DDR4 RAM up to 32 GB @ 2700 MHz
• SSD storage up to 2 TB (SATA / M.2)
• Additional HDD storage up to 2 TB
• WiFi & Bluetooth
• GPU: Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655
• USB 3.1 Gen 2 (x4)
• Micro SD Card Slot
• HDMI port

Price

The mini PC starts at 499.99 Pounds.

11. Olympia by Juno Computers

Olympia is yet another impressive Linux-based mini PC which is a bit cheaper than some of the options mentioned above. It can come pre-installed with Elementary OS, Ubuntu 18.04 or Ubuntu 19.04 as well.

It offers Intel 8th gen processors coupled with up to 16 GB of RAM. Also, you get the support for up to 1 TB of SSD storage (M.2 / SATA). In addition, you get an SD card slot.

Specifications Overview:

• Intel 8th Gen processors (i3, i5 & i7)
• RAM up to 16 GB @ 2133 MHz
• Storage: SATA or M.2 SSD up to 1 TB
• SD Card reader
• WiFi & Bluetooth
• USB 3.1 Gen 2 (x4)
• HDMI 2.0 port

Price

The mini PC starts at 403 Pounds.

What’s your pick?

I have deliberately not included Raspberry Pi or other Linux microcomputer such as Intel’s Compute Stick. The reason is that I do not think that micro-computers fall into the same categories as mini PCs.

What do you think? Are you tempted to replace your desktop with a mini PC? Is there another player which I missed in this list of best Linux based mini PCs? Do share your views.