Catalog selection
A model makes the catalog when people buy it secondhand in meaningful numbers (most often off-lease business minis, plus the consumer mini PCs that turn up used), and when there is something useful to tell a buyer: a generation boundary, a RAM or storage limit, a power-adapter trap, a BIOS lock.
Fact-checking
Specs were checked in October 2026 against manufacturer sources: Lenovo PSREF, Dell owner’s manuals and spec sheets, HP QuickSpecs, Intel ARK and product briefs, AMD product pages, and Beelink, GMKtec, Minisforum and ASUS product pages, cross-checked with reputable reviews. RAM limits are the manufacturer’s stated maximum; where owners report more working, we say so separately and cite it. Idle power appears on a model only when a named source measured that model. Anything we couldn’t source is left out. Each model page lists its sources.
“Good for” badges
Badges are computed from the catalog specs by fixed rules, the same rules printed on each use page: for example, the Proxmox badge needs a manufacturer RAM limit of at least 32 GB and room for two internal drives, and the Plex/Jellyfin badge needs Intel Quick Sync with HEVC 10-bit. A model whose spec we couldn’t verify doesn’t get the badge.
Power-cost math
Use pages show a year of electricity at idle: watts × 24 × 365 ÷ 1,000 = kWh, times the price per kWh. We use the U.S. average residential price, July 2026 (EIA), 18.31¢ per kWh, and idle figures from cited measurements.
Prices
We don’t publish catalog price ranges. The only prices on this site come from dated eBay snapshots: what sellers were asking on the capture date. Asking prices are not sold prices, so treat a snapshot as a starting point and check eBay’s sold listings before you commit. Models without a snapshot link to a plain eBay search instead.
Photos
The product photo on a model’s page and cards is a representative image, not a photo of a unit for sale. We generate it with an AI image model, working from several real eBay seller photos of that model, and compare it against those photos before publishing. It shows what the model looks like, not the condition, ports or configuration of a particular unit: optional port modules, Wi-Fi antennas and badges vary. Wherever it appears large it carries the caption “Representative photo — AI-generated from real seller photos. Individual listings vary.” Models without one show no photo.
Market snapshots and picks
For models with a buying guide, we capture the matching eBay listings on a given date: how many are listed, the price range, where most asks cluster, and a selection of listings with price, shipping, format, seller feedback and condition. The capture date is shown next to the listings, and some will have sold or ended by the time you read it; “See all current listings on eBay” always opens the live search. Listings are tagged with plain labels (Cheapest, Best value, Best for beginners, Easiest to get working, Project piece, and the warnings Check the seller and Priced high). These are judgement calls from the listing text and photos. We haven’t handled the units, and nobody pays for placement.
Links and money
Our eBay links are plain links with no affiliate tracking; we earn nothing from them. See the disclosure.