Best Mini PC for a Home Server in the UK
The best mini PC for home server UK use is the Beelink EQ14 for most people. It idles at 6W according to ServerRigs, which works out at about £13.83 a year left running at idle.
Want several Proxmox VMs? Pick the Beelink SER8. Need 10GbE? The Minisforum MS-01 is the one.
We may earn a commission if you buy through links on this page. It never changes our verdicts. How we review.
Best for most low-power home servers:
Best for several Proxmox VMs:
Best for 10GbE:
Compare all eight in the table below.
These picks are based on published specs and independent sources, linked throughout, not on our own testing. More guides live in our Linux and self-hosting hub.
Quick comparison
| Mini PC | CPU | RAM as sold / max | RAM type | LAN | M.2 slots | Idle W (ServerRigs) | Est. idle cost per year | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beelink EQ14 | Intel N150, 4C/4T | 16GB / 16GB | Socketed DDR4 SO-DIMM | 2x 2.5GbE | 2 | 6W | £13.83 | Home Assistant, Pi-hole, a few containers |
| Beelink ME Mini | Intel N95, 4C/4T | 12GB / 12GB | Soldered LPDDR5 | 2x 2.5GbE | 6 | 7W (N150 version) | £16.14 | All-flash NAS |
| GMKtec NucBox G3S | Intel N95, 4C/4T | 8GB / not stated | DDR4 | 1x 1GbE | M.2 2242 SSD | 6W (G3 N100 figure) | £13.83 | One or two light services |
| Beelink SER8 | Ryzen 7 8745HS, 8C/16T | 16GB / not stated | DDR5 | 1x 2.5GbE | 2 | 10W | £23.06 | Proxmox with several VMs |
| Minisforum UM790 Pro (barebone) | Ryzen 9 7940HS, 8C/16T | none / 64GB | DDR5 SO-DIMM | check listing | 2 (PCIe 4.0) | 11W | £25.36 | Most RAM headroom |
| Minisforum MS-01 | Core i9-13900H, 14C/20T | 32GB / 96GB (Serverman) | DDR5 SO-DIMM | 2x 10G SFP+, 2x 2.5GbE | 3 + U.2 | 30W (i9 version) | £69.17 | 10GbE lab, PCIe card |
| Dell OptiPlex 3080 Micro (Renewed) | Core i5-10500T, 6C | 16GB / not stated | DDR4 | check listing | check listing | 8 to 12W (ReadTheManual typical refurb range) | £18.45 to £27.67 | Cheap refurbished Docker host |
| Lenovo ThinkCentre M75q Gen 2 (Renewed) | Ryzen 3 PRO 4350GE | 8GB / 64GB | DDR4 SO-DIMM | check listing | check listing | 12W (Ryzen 5 PRO version) | £27.67 | Refurbished AMD, upgrade RAM |
Running cost = idle W x 24 x 365 / 1000 x 26.32p (Ofgem cap, Oct to Dec 2026). Estimates at idle only.
Beelink EQ14: best low-power pick
An Intel N150 (four cores), 16GB DDR4, two M.2 PCIe 3.0 slots, dual 2.5G LAN and a built-in power supply. The big draw is power: 6W at idle, per ServerRigs.
Who it's for: Home Assistant, Pi-hole and a few containers.
Who it isn't for: anyone planning several VMs.
RAM: socketed DDR4 SO-DIMM, 16GB maximum, according to Serverman. Serverman says dual 2.5GbE comes on some versions only, so check the listing.
Beelink ME Mini: best all-flash NAS
Six M.2 2280 slots in a 99mm cube, with the listing quoting up to 24TB of storage. It pairs an Intel N95 with dual 2.5G LAN.
Who it's for: a quiet all-flash NAS that also runs light containers.
Who it isn't for: anyone who may need more than 12GB of RAM later.
RAM: 12GB LPDDR5, soldered, so it cannot be upgraded. ServerRigs lists 7W idle, but for the N150 version, not this N95 model.
GMKtec NucBox G3S: cheapest entry
An Intel N95, 8GB DDR4, a 256GB M.2 2242 SSD and one Gigabit Ethernet port.
Who it's for: one or two light services, such as Pi-hole.
Who it isn't for: storage-heavy builds or anything that needs 2.5GbE.
RAM: DDR4, with no maximum given on the listing, so don't count on an upgrade. The 6W idle figure from ServerRigs is for the related G3 (N100), not the G3S.
Beelink SER8: best for Proxmox VMs
An eight-core, 16-thread Ryzen 7 8745HS, plus 16GB DDR5 and a 3-year warranty. HomeNode ranks it best overall and reckons it fits about 10 Proxmox VMs. ServerRigs still puts it at 10W idle.
Who it's for: Proxmox with several VMs.
Who it isn't for: anyone who needs two network ports. It has a single 2.5G port.
RAM: DDR5, no maximum stated. HomeNode says 32GB is the floor for several VMs, so budget for more than the 16GB supplied.
Minisforum UM790 Pro: most RAM headroom
A Ryzen 9 7940HS, two M.2 PCIe 4.0 slots and two USB4 ports. This listing is a barebone: no RAM, no SSD and no operating system, so you buy those separately.
Who it's for: a VM-heavy build with up to 64GB of RAM.
Who it isn't for: anyone who wants a machine ready to go out of the box.
RAM: socketed DDR5-5600 SO-DIMM, up to 64GB (2 x 32GB). ServerRigs reports 11W idle.
Minisforum MS-01: best for 10GbE
A 14-core Core i9-13900H, 32GB DDR5, two 10Gbps SFP+ ports, two 2.5G RJ45 ports, three M.2 slots plus a U.2 option, and a PCIe 4.0 x16 slot for expansion.
Who it's for: a 10GbE homelab, or a build that needs a PCIe card.
Who it isn't for: anyone chasing the lowest bill. ServerRigs gives the i9 version 30W idle, the highest here, and Serverman says about 20 to 30W.
RAM: socketed DDR5 SO-DIMM, up to 96GB according to Serverman.
Dell OptiPlex 3080 Micro (Amazon Renewed): cheap Docker host
Amazon Renewed, with a six-core, 10th-gen Core i5-10500T, 16GB RAM, a 256GB NVMe drive and Windows 11 Pro.
Who it's for: a budget refurbished Docker host.
Who it isn't for: heavy VM workloads.
RAM: DDR4, no maximum on the listing. ServerRigs has no idle figure for this model, so the table uses the typical refurbished range of 8 to 12W from ReadTheManual.
Lenovo ThinkCentre M75q Gen 2 (Amazon Renewed): refurbished AMD
Amazon Renewed, with a Ryzen 3 PRO 4350GE, 8GB RAM and a 256GB NVMe drive.
Who it's for: AMD fans happy to add RAM.
Who it isn't for: anything beyond light work on the supplied 8GB.
RAM: DDR4 SO-DIMM, up to 64GB according to ReadTheManual. The 12W ServerRigs figure is for the Ryzen 5 PRO version, not this Ryzen 3 PRO listing.
How much does it cost to run a mini PC server 24/7 in the UK?
Use this formula:
idle watts x 24 x 365 / 1,000 x unit rate = yearly cost
At the October to December 2026 Ofgem price cap, electricity is 26.32p per kWh (Direct Debit average across England, Scotland and Wales). The cap changes every three months, so check the current unit rates first.
Worked example (Beelink EQ14, 6W idle per ServerRigs):
- 6 x 24 x 365 = 52,560Wh, or 52.56kWh
- 52.56 x £0.2632 = £13.83 a year
That is idle only. Under light load, ReadTheManual puts typical mini PCs at 15 to 25W, while tower servers often idle at 100 to 200W. For a box that never switches off, HomeNode argues idle draw matters more than peak.
New or refurbished?
Refurbished business mini PCs are often the best value. ReadTheManual points to Dell OptiPlex Micro, HP ProDesk Mini and Lenovo ThinkCentre Tiny machines, ideally 7th-gen Intel or newer with DDR4. The two Amazon Renewed picks above fit that brief.
A new N150 box like the EQ14 idles lower and comes with a warranty. Refurbished costs less up front.
What to run first
Next steps once it's running:
- Getting started with self-hosting
- Docker Compose basics
- Reverse proxy and HTTPS with Caddy
- Secure a Linux server
- Backups that actually restore
Rather not run hardware at home? See shared hosting vs VPS for the rent-instead option.
FAQ
Is an Intel N100 enough for a home server?
Yes, for light work. An N100 handles Home Assistant, Pi-hole, a few containers and Jellyfin with QuickSync. Serverman says N100 boxes idle at about 5 to 8W. Not for lots of VMs. The N150 in the Beelink EQ14 is the newer equivalent.
How much does it cost to run a mini PC server 24/7 in the UK?
Multiply idle watts by 24 and 365, divide by 1,000 for kWh, then multiply by your unit rate. At the October to December 2026 Ofgem cap of 26.32p per kWh, the 6W EQ14 costs about £13.83 a year at idle. The 30W MS-01 (i9) comes to about £69.17. Both cost more under load.
Should I buy a new or refurbished mini PC for a home server?
Refurbished is often the best value. ReadTheManual suggests Dell OptiPlex Micro, HP ProDesk Mini or Lenovo ThinkCentre Tiny machines with 7th-gen Intel or newer and DDR4. A new EQ14 idles at 6W according to ServerRigs and carries a warranty.
How much RAM do I need for Proxmox on a mini PC?
HomeNode says 16GB is fine for a handful of LXC containers, but 32GB is the floor for several VMs and 64GB is better. That makes socketed RAM worth having: the UM790 Pro takes up to 64GB and the MS-01 up to 96GB, according to Serverman.
Should I use a mini PC or a NAS for a home server?
A mini PC is more flexible when the main job is running services like Home Assistant, Pi-hole or Docker. If storage is the focus, the Beelink ME Mini sits between the two: six M.2 slots, up to 24TB of flash per its listing, and dual 2.5GbE. It can work as an all-flash NAS and still run containers.
Is the RAM socketed or soldered?
The EQ14 uses socketed DDR4 SO-DIMM (16GB maximum, per Serverman), and the UM790 Pro, MS-01 and M75q Gen 2 also take SO-DIMMs. The ME Mini is the exception: its 12GB LPDDR5 is soldered, and as Serverman notes, soldered RAM cannot be upgraded.
The verdict
For a low-power home server running a few services, start with the Beelink EQ14. Go for the Beelink SER8 for several Proxmox VMs, or the Minisforum MS-01 if you need 10GbE.