Best budget used mini PCs for a first home server
For Home Assistant, Pi-hole, Docker and a small Plex library, an older quad/six-core box is plenty. Newer generations mostly add cores and AV1 decode. Prices change daily, so this list is ordered by age, not by a price we cannot verify.
Criteria: 7th–9th gen Intel (usually the cheapest used), 10-bit HEVC decode, and at least two drives. 14 of our models match. Data last reviewed 2026-09-25.
| Model | Year | CPU generations | Why it matches |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dell OptiPlex 3050 Micro | 2017 | 7th gen (Kaby Lake) / 6th gen (Skylake) | 2017, i3-7100T/i5-7500T/i5-6500T, 2 drives |
| Dell OptiPlex 7050 Micro | 2017 | 6th gen (Skylake) / 7th gen (Kaby Lake) | 2017, i5-6500T/i5-7500T/i7-7700T, 2 drives |
| HP EliteDesk 800 G3 Mini (verify) | 2017 | 6th gen (Skylake) / 7th gen (Kaby Lake) | 2017, i5-6500T/i5-7500T/i7-7700T, 2 drives |
| HP ProDesk 600 G3 Mini (verify) | 2017 | 6th gen (Skylake) / 7th gen (Kaby Lake) | 2017, i5-6500T/i5-7500T, 2 drives |
| Lenovo ThinkCentre M710q Tiny (verify) | 2017 | 7th gen (Kaby Lake) / 6th gen (Skylake) | 2017, i3-7100T/i5-7500T/i5-6500T/i7-7700T, 2 drives |
| Dell OptiPlex 3060 Micro (verify) | 2018 | 8th gen (Coffee Lake) | 2018, i3-8100T/i5-8500T, 2 drives |
| Dell OptiPlex 7060 Micro | 2018 | 8th gen (Coffee Lake) | 2018, i5-8500T/i7-8700T, 2 drives |
| HP EliteDesk 800 G4 Mini | 2018 | 8th gen (Coffee Lake) | 2018, i5-8500T/i7-8700T, 3 drives |
| Lenovo ThinkCentre M720q Tiny | 2018 | 8th gen (Coffee Lake) / 9th gen (Coffee Lake Refresh) | 2018, i3-8100T/i5-8500T/i5-9500T/i7-8700T, 2 drives |
| Lenovo ThinkCentre M920q Tiny | 2018 | 8th gen (Coffee Lake) / 9th gen (Coffee Lake Refresh) | 2018, i5-8500T/i5-9500T/i7-8700T/i7-9700T, 2 drives |
| Lenovo ThinkCentre M920x Tiny | 2018 | 8th gen (Coffee Lake) / 9th gen (Coffee Lake Refresh) | 2018, i5-8500T/i5-9500T/i7-8700T/i7-9700T, 3 drives |
| Dell OptiPlex 3070 Micro | 2019 | 9th gen (Coffee Lake Refresh) | 2019, i3-9100T/i5-9500T, 2 drives |
| Dell OptiPlex 7070 Micro | 2019 | 9th gen (Coffee Lake Refresh) | 2019, i5-9500T/i7-9700T, 2 drives |
| HP EliteDesk 800 G5 Mini (verify) | 2019 | 9th gen (Coffee Lake Refresh) | 2019, i5-9500T/i7-9700T, 3 drives |
Guides
- How to check a used mini PC listing before you buy
- Used business mini PC vs a new Intel N100 mini PC for a home server
Related lists
Something wrong or missing? Send a correction. Lists are built from each model's documented specs; models marked "verify" have fields we could not confirm from an official document.