MSI PRO DP21 13M-498US 2023, Core i3-13100, 8GB, 500GB SSD, Black

A tiny office workhorse with a real desktop CPU and a port for everything. Just budget for more RAM and keep it away from games.

The Core i3-13100 is the star here. It's a proper desktop CPU, not a nerfed laptop chip, so everyday tasks like spreadsheets, web apps, and even light photo editing feel snappy. The 500GB NVMe SSD helps too, though it's on the smaller side. The surprise? How quiet the whole thing runs under normal load. But push it hard and owners report it gets toasty, some folks add extra cooling. The 8GB of DDR4 is the weak link, it's fine for basic multitasking but starts wheezing if you open a few dozen browser tabs.

The Mac mini M4 absolutely destroys this thing in performance and efficiency, but it costs more and locks you into macOS. The HP OmniDesk M02-0234 and Dell Tower Desktop ECT1250 are more traditional towers with similar office-focused specs, but they take up way more desk space. If you need a tiny Windows box with a real CPU and don't want to pay Mac prices, the DP21 is a reasonable pick. Just don't expect it to compete with the Minisforum DeskMini UM880 Plus on raw power.

Pricing is all over the place. In the US you'll see it anywhere from USD 399 to USD 599, and the best deal we've seen is on Newegg. In Canada the spread is even wilder, CAD 616 to CAD 1,485, so shop around before you buy. At the low end this is a solid deal for a quiet office machine. At the high end, you're getting fleeced.

The MSI PRO DP21 is a tiny desktop that punches above its weight class for office work, thanks to a full-power Intel Core i3-13100 instead of the low-voltage chips you usually find in boxes this size. It's quiet, compact, and has enough ports to make a POS setup or home office feel right at home. But the 8GB of RAM is a real bottleneck, and the integrated graphics mean this thing has no business anywhere near gaming.

If you're looking for a gaming PC or anything that needs real graphics horsepower, this isn't it. Go get a Minisforum DeskMini UM880 Plus or a proper desktop with a dedicated GPU instead. Also skip it if you're not comfortable opening a case, because you'll want to upgrade that RAM sooner rather than later.

For a quiet, compact office PC or POS terminal, the MSI PRO DP21 is a solid buy at the right price. The full-power CPU and port selection are genuinely useful. But factor in the cost of a RAM upgrade, because 8GB is not a great experience in 2024. If you can snag it near USD 399, go for it. If it's closer to USD 599, look elsewhere.