QUESTION
Is the HP EliteDesk Mini good for a cheap home office setup?
Yes — an HP EliteDesk Mini can be a very good cheap home office PC if you’re buying used/refurbished and only need typical office tasks: web browsing, email, Microsoft Office/Google Workspace, video calls, remote work apps, and light multitasking. A fair used/refurb price is roughly $90–$180 for older 6th–8th gen Intel models, and about $180–$300 for newer 10th gen+ units, depending on RAM, SSD, Windows license, and condition.
Best target: get one with at least an Intel Core i5, 16GB RAM, and a 256GB or 512GB SSD. Avoid very cheap listings with 4GB RAM, tiny/no SSD, missing power adapter, or no usable Windows license unless you’re comfortable upgrading.
It’s not a good pick for gaming, heavy video editing, local AI workloads, or lots of internal expansion. Also check Windows 11 compatibility: many 8th gen Intel and newer units are safer buys for ongoing Windows support.