I just tested the ultimate Windows alternative to the Mac mini M4

Taking the Minisforum EliteMini AI370 out of the box, I thought “oh great, another silver box of a mini PC.” But little did I know that it was going to be a fantastic powerhouse that can step toe-to-toe with the best mini PCs right now — the M4 Mac mini.

The obvious reason is what is being rocked under the hood with that AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370, which brings strong performance and impressive graphical prowess, alongside that giant NPU for on-board AI tasks. But really, the AI isn’t really the superpower here, as that combo of optimized processing cores and integrated graphics does mean it can put up a respectable fight with the M4.

On top of that, versatility is at the core of this system — a ton of ports for all your connectivity, a small, lightweight size and a VESA mounting bracket included to hide it round the back of your TV.

But there are a couple issues here. The all-plastic body can feel a little cheap to the touch, all the active cooling to keep everything at 100% does mean the fans can kick up a little loud, and that $1,399 price does put it into some dangerous territory.

By dangerous, I mean the exact same price as the M4 Pro Mac mini. You’re basically getting just a touch more power than standard M4 but at the same price as its superior model that does beat the AI370 in every performance-based metric.

So let me break it down like this. If you are a fully-invested Windows user and you want a great Mac mini lookalike with the horsepower to boot, this is the one to buy. But just be 100% sure about that choice, as I don’t want you to get buyer’s remorse for not going Apple’s way.

Minisforum AI370: Cheat Sheet

• What is it? This is a Copilot+ Mini PC — a small desktop packing the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370.
• Who is it for? This is for the crowd who don’t want a giant tower on their desk but don’t wanna give up that zippy performance with something too dinky. Perfect either in a small home office or as a living room PC.
• What does it cost? You can snag one for $1,399 (currently on offer at the more reasonably-priced $1,099).
• What do we like? In a desktop PC, AMD’s new AI chip performs some mini wonders when it comes to productivity and casual gaming performance, the wealth of ports means you’re not left wanting when it comes to connectivity, and the design is built with versatility in mind to hide away in any setup.
• What don’t we like? Fans can kick up a bit of a storm, the plastic casing feels a little cheap to the touch, and at $1,399, this is more than double the price of its main competition in the M4 Mac mini.

Minisforum EliteMini AI370: Specs

Minisforum EliteMini AI370: The ups

The Minisforum EliteMini AI370 certainly has a lot going for it as the Windows equivalent to the M4 Mac mini.

Mini but mighty

When I got my first time with AMD’s new chip in the Asus Zenbook S 16, I was impressed by its performance (particularly that it's a graphical powerhouse). But its x86 processing did take away some of its brownie points in power efficiency.

However, packed into a small desktop machine like the AI370, that’s no longer a problem, and I can truly appreciate what it's capable of. In fact, in some ways, this is a little faster than the current king in the M4 Mac mini.

No matter what I threw at it, this system capably held its own through with blistering speed when multitasking, throwing a complex RAW photo edit at it, even playing games. Integrated graphics were just for the casual gamer in the past. But provided you hone the settings, you can get respectable 1080p performance out of several AAA titles (for example, Forza Horizon 5 can run at a smooth 60 FPS).

Make no mistake about it. For my day-to-day (which can get pretty intensive) this is the fastest mini PC I’ve personally tested.

A fountain of ports

(Image credit: Future)

(Image credit: Future)

No stinginess can be found with the selection of ports on the Minisforum AI370 — effectively placed for decent cable management on a desk. Multi-monitor support is a cinch with HDMI 2.1 and DP 2.0 round back, and if you want to go for the triple array, the USB4 up front can give you that with the greatest of ease.

It makes this desktop impressively versatile for whatever use case you have. Whether it’s using the HDMI to wire this up to one of the best TVs for a living room PC, or popping this into your home office setup for peak productivity.

One tweak I’d probably ask for is that while having two dual ethernet ports is great for office settings that require higher levels of network security. But it wouldn’t go amiss for the majority if one of these was replaced with an SD card slot.

Versatility as standard

And that adaptability doesn’t just start and stop at the ports. Its simple, utilitarian design does more than you think — packing a lot of use cases within its squared off shape.

On a desk, it’s minimal enough to just sink away unnoticed. But you also get a full VESA mounting bracket with screws in the box. This means that if you wanted to hide it even better, you can absolutely do so by screwing it onto the back of your monitor. It’s almost like a DIY all-in-one PC!

Minisforum EliteMini AI370: The downs

One of these problems is seemingly unavoidable, whereas the other two just seem to be odd choices that Minisforum has made.

A bit noisy

On one hand, this is good news. With the active SSD cooling and giant fan pushing cold air through the machine, you can be rest assured that the sustained performance is guaranteed. But to do so, under heavy loads, you’ll notice a loud, high pitched fan whine as it spins away. In particularly quiet moments of whatever you may be binge watching, this could get a little annoying.

Of course, if you’ve got the knowhow, you can take a look at altering the fan curve without impacting the performance of the machine. But out-the-box, expect to turn your speakers up to block out the fans.

Plastic fantastic

That utilitarian aesthetic may look nice and minimal to the eye, but the lightweight build has a lot to do with the fact that there isn’t a single bit of metal to the frame. There’s no two ways around it — the plastic shell encasing all these internals feels cheap to the touch with that telltale scratchiness and hollowness to its texture.

It should come as no surprise that I would have much preferred an aluminum case here to give it a more upmarket feel. Especially when you take into account the price of this system.

The price is (not so) right

So if this was priced a little closer to the $599 cost of the M4 Mac mini, I would be a little more favorable here. Given it has double the RAM and almost 4x the amount of SSD storage (alongside a ton more ports), I would’ve understood anything up to $999 as an acceptable price.

But $1,399? That’s dicey territory, because it’s the same price as the M4 Pro Mac mini — a far superior chip in key performance metrics. By that point, the decision of whether to buy this machine comes down to preference of OS.

It seems weird that I’m talking about computers and saying that Apple of all companies offers better value for money.

Minisforum EliteMini AI370: Verdict

Deciding whether or not to buy the Mainsforum EliteMini AI370 is a tricky one to make in the shadow of Apple’s Mac mini. But if you do go down the Windows route, this is one of the best you can get.

With AMD’s horsepower running through its veins, this is a speedy machine with plenty of connectivity to work its way into any setup you see fit. It’s great for hiding into a desk setup with its VESA-adaptability, and its minimalist design makes it fit well under any TV as a living room PC too.

You’ve just got to choose between this and the macOS mini PC. Let me try and figure this out:

• If you have a lot of Windows apps and games: Get this one. It’s the better choice in the long run.
• If you have room for flexibility: Consider the Mac mini. The $599 model is only a little slower in certain areas.