Intel NUC 9 Extreme

Extremely small ; Modular design with upgrade potential ; Excellent connectivity, including Thunderbolt 3

Upgrades are more difficult than expected ; Noisy fan

Stellar performance, especially for its size ; Upgrade potential of a full desktop ; Power supply is internal ; Healthy selection of ports ; Three-year warranty comes standard

Pricey, especially in Core i9 guise ; Can only be oriented one way

The bar has been reset for mini PCs: With deep upgrade options and a unique internal architecture based on Intel's Compute Element, the game-changing NUC 9 Extreme brings near-tower power down to the truly small.

Tiny chassis ; Fairly easy to upgrade ; Strong port selection ; Fits discrete GPU ; Three-year warranty

Very expensive ; Last-generation CPU

The Intel NUC 9 Extreme Kit (Ghost Canyon) is a pricey barebones PC that fits a discrete GPU. The Compute Element with mobile Intel CPU makes for an exciting new form factor, though.