What to run on it
A used mini PC is the cheapest always-on computer you can own
Small, quiet, and frugal at idle, an off-lease 1-liter PC or a modern mini PC can run your agents, automations, smart home, cameras and media around the clock. Each page below lists the specs the job needs, the models in our catalog that meet them (by explicit rules, not vibes), what a year of electricity costs, and how to set it up.
Agents that never sleep
A used mini PC as an always-on AI agent server
Run Claude Code, agent SDK jobs, browser automation and MCP servers 24/7 at home, for the cost of a few watts.
36 models fit →
Local AI, honestly
Running local LLMs on a used mini PC
Ollama, llama.cpp and Open WebUI on CPU or iGPU: what fits in 16, 32 and 64 GB, and when you need a GPU instead.
33 models fit →
Smart home, local
The best used mini PC for Home Assistant
Home Assistant OS on bare metal or in a VM, with Zigbee and Z-Wave sticks and Node-RED.
51 models fit →
Your own Zapier
Self-hosted n8n and workflow automation on a mini PC
Self-host n8n, Node-RED and cron jobs as a no-monthly-fee alternative to Zapier.
47 models fit →
Proxmox VE homelab node
Mini PC for a Proxmox homelab
Run everything here as VMs and containers on one box, with vPro remote management and room for RAM.
40 models fit →
Frigate NVR box
Frigate mini PC: what to buy used
Local camera AI with Frigate, OpenVINO on the Intel iGPU, or a Coral, plus Quick Sync decoding.
31 models fit →
Plex and Jellyfin server
Mini PC for Plex and Jellyfin
Plex and Jellyfin with Quick Sync hardware transcoding, by CPU generation.
26 models fit →
Always-on network box
Mini PC for Pi-hole, VPN and home network services
Pi-hole or AdGuard Home, WireGuard or Tailscale, and a reverse proxy on one quiet box.
57 models fit →