Apple Mac Mini

When Apple first launched the Mac Mini back in 2005 very small desktop computers were rare. These days alternatives are available for as little as £150, making this latest version look rather expensive.

The difference, however, lies in the processor inside. Most cheap mini desktop computers use low-cost, low-power processors such as Intel's Atom. This latest Mac Mini uses a far more powerful Core 2 Duo chip of the type you'd find in larger computers.

The version we tested runs at 2.53GHz, with 4GB of memory and a 320GB hard disk. There is a fast network socket on the back, or it can connect to the fastest type of wireless network, 802.11n.

Despite the Mac Mini's small size it's fast enough for tasks such as editing video files, taking around 90 minutes to convert a DVD into a file suitable for playback on an iPod.

Try this on an Atom-based computer and you will be in for a very long wait. It's also beautifully quiet: although not entirely silent, it's hard to hear when the DVD burner is not in use.

With five USB2 ports and one Firewire 800 socket adding peripherals is easy, and the latest version of the Mac OSX operating system includes plenty of handy software.

There are some annoyances though. Adding your own keyboard and mouse is easy, but with only mini-DVI and Mini Displayport connectors on the back plugging in a VGA or HDMI monitor will require an extra adapter.

And although the Mac Mini itself is tiny, its power supply is rather large and will need tucking neatly out of sight. The built-in speaker is poor, and although it will suffice for the occasional system sound it might as well have been omitted.

And finally, of course, there is the price: you can buy a far more powerful desktop computer for £649, and the cheaper £499 Mini is limited by a measly 160GB hard disk.

Apple doesn't offer Blu-ray drives in any of its computers at the moment, and upgrading the parts inside the Mini's tiny case is tricky.

This is an impressively quiet and smart computer, but it's not particularly good value.