Written 21 Aug 2026. Specs from the maker pages linked below. Prices from those stores. I haven't used these.

A tiny computer you can leave on

Don't buy one of these first. Use the old laptop, or a retired OptiPlex from Marketplace. These quiet little PCs are the later buy, when you know you will leave a box on and you want it small and silent.

The first step is start with what you already have. Check how many cores it already has, how much memory, whether it can run a VM, what model it is, and how big the disk is. This note is for after that old PC is actually in the way.

People use these to run a home server, file sharing, a smart-home brain, a couple of small virtual machines. 8 GB fills up fast. 16 GB is the floor. The N150 is a mild refresh of the N100; price and the network ports matter more than the chip name. A faster N350 is the step up if you already know you will stack a lot of virtual machines.

What to buy

Box	Why it shows up	Watch-outs
Beelink Mini S12 Pro (N100)	Most documented Proxmox / HA install path. Street often $130–170 for 16 GB / 500 GB class configs.	Many units are 1G, not 2.5G. Confirm the SKU.
Beelink Mini S13 (N150)	Same shape, newer chip. Buy if it is the same money as the S12 Pro.	Same 16 GB floor.
GMKtec G3 Plus (N150)	Often ships with 2.5GbE and room for 32 GB. Good when the NAS is already 2.5G.	Firmware and fan curves vary. Read the exact listing.
CWWK / Topton 4× 2.5GbE fanless	The box you want for OPNsense or a tiny router-on-a-stick plus Proxmox.	BIOS quality is the gamble. Confirm i226 NICs and VT-d.

What matters

16 GB is the floor. Proxmox plus two VMs plus a handful of LXCs will eat 8 GB before the weekend is over. Enable VT-x and VT-d before you install. N100 iGPU passthrough is a headache. Quick Sync inside an LXC is the sane transcode path.

Wall power on these is usually high-single to mid-teens watts. That is the whole pitch versus a used 1U.

Sources

Beelink 2026 Prime Day post (Mini S12 / S12 Pro still named). GMKtec NucBox G3 Plus official (N150; sold out on fetch). CWWK (fanless 4-NIC class). Confirm the SKU and the NIC before you click. Street moves.

Also on this topic

See how many workers the computer already hasBefore you buy a tiny computer, check how many workers the computer already has. See how much memory the computer already hasBefore you buy a tiny computer, check how much memory the computer already has. See if the computer can run a pretend computerBefore you buy a tiny computer for Proxmox, check whether the computer already has the CPU feature for VMs. See what computer you already haveBefore you buy a tiny computer, check what computer you already have. See how big the computer's disk already isBefore you buy a tiny computer or a NAS, check how big the computer's disk already is. See if the computer already has extra memory on diskBefore you buy a tiny computer, check whether the computer already has overflow memory on the disk. Dual gigabit living-room mini, not the 2.5G listing: Beelink EQ13A dual gigabit living-room mini. Don't confuse it with EQ14 2.5G listings. Buy EQ12 if you wanted two faster ports. Fanless four-port closet firewall you can warrant: Protectli VP2430eA fanless four-port closet firewall or router box with US support and coreboot. Not a living-room HDMI toy. Quiet N150 with a 10G cage when MS-01 is gone: Protectli VP2440eA small quiet box with a 10G fiber-style cage you can actually buy, when the Minisforum MS-01 is gone. Skip if you don't have a 10G job yet.