Windows 10 PC: keep it, buy a mini PC or switch to a Mac mini

The short answer: The October deadline moved. Windows 10 home PCs enrolled in Microsoft’s security updates are now covered through Oct. 12, 2027; a PC that isn’t enrolled gets none. First check whether your PC can take Windows 11, which is free for PCs that qualify. If it can’t, enrolling in the updates costs $0 to $30, and ChromeOS Flex or Linux on the same hardware costs nothing. If you replace it, office mini PCs start at $299 at maker stores, a used M1 Mac mini had a $449 median ask on Sept. 2 and the M6 starts at $899. Weighing the M6 against a mini PC? With 16GB and about 512GB, Geekom’s A6 is $599 and the M6 is $1,099; start with the chooser.

This page covers everyday desktop work: a browser, office documents, photo editing, light coding, media and a family computer. It doesn’t cover gaming or graphics-card builds. For running local AI models on machines costing about $2,500 and up, see our local AI memory comparison.

Keep or replace a Windows 10 PC

Windows 10 support ended Oct. 14, 2025. Since then, a Windows 10 PC gets security updates only if it is enrolled in Microsoft’s extended security updates for personal PCs. Enrollment stays open through Oct. 12, 2027, when coverage ends, and PCs already enrolled continue automatically.

Route	Cost	Suits	Check first
Move to Windows 11	$0	A PC that meets Microsoft’s minimum requirements	Run PC Health Check; Microsoft says upgrades from Windows 10 are free
Stay on Windows 10 with security updates	$0 with PC settings synced to a Microsoft account or 1,000 Microsoft Rewards points; otherwise $30	Time to decide, through Oct. 12, 2027	Windows 10 version 22H2; one enrollment covers up to 10 devices
Keep the hardware, change the system	$0	A browser, documents and media	Your exact model on Google’s ChromeOS Flex certified models list, which gives its support end year. For a laptop, Omarchy Hardware reports how exact models run Omarchy Linux
Replace for office work	$299-$385	A browser, documents and media	Geekom Air12 Lite or Beelink EQ14; both list two displays and 16GB maximum memory
Replace with room to grow	$559-$999	Photo editing, light coding, more memory or storage later	Slots and prices
Switch to a Mac	$449 used M1 median ask; $749 used base M4 median ask; $899 new M6	macOS and Apple’s services	Whether your apps run on macOS; used Mac details

Moving files off the PC is a separate job; for a Mac, see moving in from a PC.

Start with what is already paid for

• A computer you already own. If it runs your browser, documents and photo library acceptably today, the cheapest desktop is the one you keep.
• A used Mac mini. Our Sept. 2 panels put a used M1 mini at a $449 median ask across 115 mixed-configuration listings, most with 8GB of memory. A base M4 with 16GB/256GB had a $749 median across 134 asks, $150 under the M6 with the same memory and storage. See the best used Mac desktop by budget and where a used M4 ask falls. Asking prices are not completed sales.
• An old Intel Mac mini. For a file or media server behind your router, one you already own may do the job for nothing.

Which one fits your job

If this is true	Start with	Why
You need Windows-only software	A Windows mini PC	The Mac mini runs macOS
You rely on macOS apps or Apple services every day	The M6, or a used M4 for less	A Windows PC can’t run macOS apps
You want to add memory or storage later	A mini PC with SO-DIMM memory slots and a spare M.2 slot	Apple sells M6 memory and storage upgrades at purchase, so buy what you’ll need up front
Your budget is under $400	Geekom Air12 Lite at $299 or Beelink EQ14 at $385	For browser, office and media work; the cheapest new M6 is $899, or $799 with Apple education pricing; a used M1 sits at a $449 median
You run three or more displays	The M6 (up to three), Geekom A6 or Minisforum UM890 Pro (up to four, per their makers)	The Beelink EQ14 and Geekom Air12 Lite list two
Quiet and small matter most	A review that measured the exact model	Maker pages don’t give comparable noise figures; Apple lists the M6 at 5 by 5 by 2 inches and 1.5 pounds

What each side charges for the same memory

Compare every model: price, upgrades, operating system and displays

Computer	Price	Memory / storage	Add later	Operating system	Displays	Maker page
M6 Mac mini, 12-core CPU	$899 Apple list; ships Sept. 22	16GB / 256GB	Choose memory and storage at purchase	macOS	Up to 3	Apple specs
M6 Mac mini, 12-core CPU	$1,099 Apple list (Sept. 2)	16GB / 512GB	Choose memory and storage at purchase	macOS	Up to 3	Apple store
Geekom Air12 Lite, Intel N95	$299	8GB DDR4 / 256GB	SO-DIMM memory, 16GB max; SSD up to 1TB	Windows 11 Pro	2	Geekom
Beelink EQ14, Intel N150	$385	16GB DDR4 / 500GB	One SO-DIMM slot, 16GB max; second M.2 slot	Windows 11 Home	2	Beelink
Minisforum Elite Mini M2 Air-304, Intel Core 3 304	$559; $263 barebone	16GB DDR5 / 500GB	SO-DIMM memory, 64GB max; one M.2 slot	Windows 11	Up to 3	Minisforum
Geekom A6, AMD Ryzen 7 6800H	$599; $649 with 1TB	16GB DDR5 / 512GB	Two SO-DIMM slots, 64GB max; M.2 NVMe plus M.2 SATA slot	Windows 11 Pro	Up to 4	Geekom
Minisforum UM890 Pro, AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS	$919; $463 barebone	32GB DDR5 / 512GB	Two SO-DIMM slots, 96GB max; two M.2 slots	Not listed	Up to 4	Minisforum
Minisforum Elite Mini M2, Intel Core Ultra 7 356H	$999; $543 barebone	32GB DDR5 / 1TB	Two SO-DIMM slots, 128GB max; two M.2 slots	Windows 11	Up to 3	Minisforum

Mini PC prices are the makers’ store prices displayed Sept. 15, before tax, shipping and codes. Minisforum, Beelink and Geekom’s Air12 Lite showed them as sales against higher regular prices. Display counts are Apple’s and the makers’ stated maximums. The $899 price is from Apple’s Aug. 25 announcement.

Apple lists the M6 with a 12-core CPU and 12-core GPU, three rear Thunderbolt 4 ports, HDMI, two front USB-C ports and 2.5Gb Ethernet. Our desk setup guide has its display combinations.

Core counts don’t compare across chip designs, so this page doesn’t rank the processors. Apple says the M6 has 40% faster CPU performance and up to twice the graphics performance of the M4. Those are Apple’s claims against its own previous chip, not independent tests against these PCs. The makers list four cores for the N95 and N150, five for the Core 3 304, eight for the Ryzen 7 6800H and Ryzen 9 8945HS and 16 for the Core Ultra 7 356H. For heavy photo editing or code builds, find a benchmark from an application you use on the exact chip before paying for more cores.

The N95 and N150 are four-core chips that Beelink and Geekom sell as office machines. They suit a browser, documents and media. For photo editing or light coding, start with the Ryzen 7 6800H, Ryzen 9 8945HS or Core Ultra 7 356H tier and check a benchmark for your application.

Total cost, not sticker

Storage. On the M6, Apple charges $200 to go from 256GB to 512GB, $500 for 1TB and $1,000 for 2TB, according to Daring Fireball’s configuration rundown. That puts a 16GB/1TB M6 at $1,399; Geekom’s A6 with 16GB and 1TB is $649. If you’d keep the $899 M6 and add an external drive, see what Apple’s storage tiers cost against an external SSD. The Beelink EQ14, Minisforum UM890 Pro and Elite Mini M2 have a second M.2 slot, and the A6 adds an M.2 SATA slot, so a drive can be added later instead of bought up front.

Memory. Every M6 memory upgrade costs $25 per gigabyte: $200 for 24GB and $400 for 32GB. At those rates a 32GB/512GB M6 comes to $1,499, against $919 for the UM890 Pro with 32GB and 512GB. A 32GB/1TB M6 comes to $1,799, against $999 for the Elite Mini M2.

Barebone prices aren’t working computers. A barebone ships without memory or an SSD. Minisforum lists the Elite Mini M2 Air-304 at $263 bare and $559 with 16GB and 500GB, a $296 difference. That pays for memory, an SSD and Windows, and memory prices have climbed this year; see when the RAM shortage might end.

Windows. Geekom lists Windows 11 Pro on the A6 and Air12 Lite, and Beelink lists Windows 11 Home on the EQ14. A barebone has nothing installed: Linux costs nothing, while Windows needs a license. Minisforum’s UM890 Pro page doesn’t list an included operating system, so confirm it before comparing that price with a Windows machine.

Warranty. Apple’s Mac warranty covers one year from the original retail purchase. Geekom lists a three-year limited warranty and Beelink a three-year warranty. Minisforum lists a two-year seller warranty and a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Before you buy

• Match the listing to the configuration. One model name can cover different memory, storage, network ports and Windows editions. Beelink’s store lists the EQ14 at 16GB/500GB; the Amazon listing below is a 16GB/1TB version with two 2.5Gb Ethernet ports.
• Check the seller. On a marketplace, confirm that the maker or an authorized seller is selling the unit, and check whether the maker’s warranty applies to that seller.
• Treat codes and crossed-out prices as claims. Geekom advertises the A6 at $489 with a promo code; that price has not been verified at checkout. A crossed-out regular price doesn’t establish a bargain.
• Count memory slots. The EQ14 has one SO-DIMM slot with a 16GB maximum, so it can’t grow past 16GB.
• Look up update support. The maker pages linked here state warranty terms, not a period of BIOS or driver updates. Check the exact model’s support downloads before buying.
• Don’t pay for Apple’s claims alone. If performance is the reason for buying the M6, wait for independent tests after Sept. 22, or compare it with a used M4 or M2 Pro.

See the Beelink EQ14, 16GB/1TB, on Amazon. This opens that exact listing; check its seller and current price. Find Geekom A6 listings, find Geekom Air12 Lite listings, find Minisforum UM890 Pro listings or find Minisforum Elite Mini M2 listings on Amazon. These searches may show several configurations. Prices on this page are from the maker stores named above, not Amazon.

If macOS is the point, Apple’s store has the M6 from $899, and a used M4 may cost less. If it isn’t, the least expensive machine that runs your actual software, with the storage you need, is the bargain.