 I don't like miniature PCs. I don't even like laptops. I have frequently told customers that you can always get more value for your money by investing in cheaper desktops, which to my mind, always outperform a laptop within the same price. However, something strange happened last week. ASUS said there's a miniature PC pack for us to look over and I'm gonna be honest. Now, I don't even know what to think. I'm Rafael from Hardware Sugar, a serious gamer, stock trader, writer, and news junkie reviewing the ASUS miniature PC setup. Does it have a place in my life or yours? Stick around and be surprised. I'm gonna say it outright. I didn't like miniature PCs or laptops because I always believe that they are too small to carry the big stuff and whatever they can carry gets slower because of the heat they generate in that death trap of a prison cell all those components are in. But when I assembled the ASUS miniature PC, I just couldn't help but be shocked at how fast the boot up was and how clean the desk looks. The ASUS package comes with a miniature PC and 27 inch 70 Hertz ASUS monitor thus leaving me to fill in the blanks with a wireless RGB keyboard, a wireless headset for sound, and a wireless mouse. The result is a minimalist setup which can be assembled and disassembled in minutes. If you need your desk for anything other than your computer, then you can quite literally hide everything inside your desk except the monitor. This is handy for users who use their kitchen dining table as their office during the day or even those who just don't want to see their computer because it reminds them of work. The computer sports an Intel Core i3-8130U processor, 8GB DDR4 RAM, and comes complete with integrated Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. This means that the processor acts as both the graphics card and the processor. This is done to achieve the compact and might I add really light PC. I compared its weight and measurements to that of its Dell counterpart and the appearance speaks for itself. The Dell weighed 40.6 ounces or almost twice as heavy as that of the ASUS which weighed only 20.1 ounces. The ASUS is lighter than a full jug of water and most if not all laptops that are on the market. My wireless headset and mouse which don't come with the set both require a sensor each which I place at the back thus leaving me two ports in front for whatever hard driver device I may want to plug in front. This further adds to the clean look. This particular review unit has the operating system on the SSD and it is really satisfying to get to the Windows screen in under 10 seconds. I know newer laptops are even older but better specced mid-tower computers which take longer and regardless of what computer you have do yourself a favor and make sure your operating system boots up from an SSD. Everything from opening multiple windows while running NZXT Cam in the background in order to monitor CPU temps was as snappy and as quick as my beast of a PC rig which is currently using a Ryzen 7 3700X and RTX 3070. I even tried to tax the systems RAM by opening multiple Chrome browsers with four YouTube videos playing in the background. No problem. It has built-in Wi-Fi thus I had no problem whatsoever downloading programs and streaming content without having to worry about one more cable to attach. Zoom or other video calls will do nicely here except for the obvious problem for a lack of a camera which needs to be bought separately. Built-in Wi-Fi is a very important plus and I cannot stress how fun it is to browse with a monitor that is most definitely better than most laptop screens. This computer isn't meant for gaming and that's perfectly alright. To be honest after playing so much Warzone Rainbow Six Siege and most recently Flight Simulator a person can genuinely get gaming fatigue. That isn't to say I didn't install my go-to laptop games however Starcraft 2 and Hearthstone. These are the two essential games I live and breathe for and to which will give me my gaming fix wherever I am. On a 3 vs 30 Starcraft 2 fleet battle with graphics turned down the lowest setting things were snappy enough for me to win the game without any of my teammates swearing at me. Hearthstone which while you can play it on your phone is still a lot more fun to play on a desktop monitor so you can better read the cards and appreciate the interplay of the different cards on the table. At no point did I suffer any performance interruptions or slowdowns and the fact that this PC can even play Starcraft 2 while it being a 10 year old game is still a statement to its power. I often found myself randomly touching the PC to check for it if it was about to ignite my wooden desk on fire but I am happy to report that it was cool to the touch and was only slightly warm while playing Starcraft 2. The PC is also pretty silent and only revs up to be noticeable upon PC boot up and then quickly reverts to being quiet. The quiet nature of the PC assures me that every little thing I do is hardly a bother to it and makes me feel confident in its durability. I would be troubled if I was hearing the engine of a jet each time I turned on Microsoft Office. Thankfully this is not the case. So after all that is said and done, who the hell is this for? Let's start off with who it isn't for. Obviously this isn't for serious gaming or work which requires programs with strong performance such as video editing and Photoshop. You are better off with a full-fledged desktop. If you already own a laptop with an SSD then I would recommend upgrading your workstation with a bigger monitor rather than this ASUS package thus turning your laptop into a similar setup. With that out of the way I can focus on who I think this is for. Law firms and other employers who already provide miniature PCs to their associates employees and after seeing the drastic differences in the Dell PC if an employer already has gone this route then they should at least pick this over bulkier versions. As a writer and minimalist I myself am considering buying the setup for our office which is also our gym. It suits my old desk really well and my time with this setup has really made me realize how beneficial it is to have a separate space and computer to do different kinds of work. If you are a writer you will have a blast writing with this setup because of how clutter free it is and how the underpowered nature of it keeps you from being distracted by removing the urge to procrastinate with one more game of call of duty. However if you are in the market for just one computer I would full-heartedly recommend this to students because it provides enough light gaming options. It is somewhat budget-friendly and like what I said above gives a typical student all the functions of Microsoft Office, YouTube and internet browsing which is essentially what most students will end up using for their day-to-day needs. Students can even explain to their parents that they won't be able to do hardcore gaming even if they wanted to which might persuade more pessimistic parents to relent. Finally I recommend the setup for parents or those who aren't techie. The bigger screen size is more helpful for those who are older and a full-size monitor is more comfortable to use long-term than a laptop screen because you don't need to bend your head low each time. After teaching people of all sorts of age groups I found that most people are too scared to even touch a computer if they can see that there are a lot of different wires and cables. The fact that the exterior isn't intimidating makes it inviting for them to use. I don't know how many times I have taught gamers not to plug their monitors into the HDMI port of the motherboard because it really won't give a display unless you are using a CPU that is doubling as a graphics card. My dad who I have been trying to get into using a laptop for years has naturally gravitated towards this miniature PC which is also why we are thinking of getting it. I cannot say that a miniature PC is better than a laptop because a laptop is of course more versatile and is always more complete. A laptop has a built-in screen, keyboard, mouse, speakers, and webcam. But at the same time a lot of people may still prefer having a hybrid of both which what this miniature PC is. It neither has the power and size of a full desktop PC nor does it have the complete portability of a laptop. However, after much deep thought, I realized that the question should not be is the miniature PC better than a laptop but instead the question should be is the miniature PC a good third option for those who don't like the other two options. It is this third option which allows you to customize the accessories you use without sacrificing portability. In short, if we consider the miniature PC as a new species of computer then consumers should be rejoiced in the fact that Asus has made a very good contender for this breed. So the Asus mini PC setup is 36,550 pesos and it comes with the 75 Hertz monitor and the actual mini PC. So my mouse and keyboard and the headset that you see me using in the video they don't come with it but if you're gonna go down this route I highly recommend that you go wireless because it really does add to a very clutter-free setup and that is what a miniature PC is supposed to give you. A best of both worlds as I say. I would easily rank this setup as I would say 8.5 out of 10 simply because of the value of money you get for a good monitor and for a PC which gets all the office work done and some minor light gaming. Of course this is really not recommended for people who need to edit videos and other hardcore professionals but for the value that you get and the convenience of space that you get to save I really think it's great value. So if you like this video please consider liking and subscribing to us and tune in for the rest of our other reviews coming this Christmas. An early merry Christmas to everyone and I hope everyone continues to stay safe. Bye!