PC Pro Issue 374, November 2025

Can a computer the size of a paperback really replace the tower under your desk? PC Pro’s November 2025 issue makes a persuasive case that it often can. The centrepiece is a twelve-machine mini PC Labs test, running from a £279 bargain pick to machines built around the latest AI-era silicon, with every contender judged on the same benchmarks rather than on how impressive its spec sheet looks. 💻

Twelve Tiny Powerhouses, One Honest Verdict

The Labs section is the heart of the issue. Readers get comparative coverage of models including the HP Z2 Mini G1a workstation, Asus’s NUC 14 Pro AI and ExpertCenter PN54, MSI’s Cubi NUC AI machines, and Lenovo’s ThinkCentre M75q and Neo 50s. Because the review team runs the same tests across the whole field, the results help you weigh price against genuine performance, upgrade potential and the practical realities of living with a very small PC.

Wipe It Before You Let It Go 🔒

An ageing laptop or phone is never really empty. The feature beginning on p26 explains how to securely destroy personal data on PCs, Macs, phones and tablets before you sell, donate or recycle them, following the journey from a simple factory reset through to properly thorough drive erasure. If you have a drawer full of old hardware, this is the section to read first.

Straight from the IFA 2025 Showfloor ✨

Berlin’s IFA remains one of the world’s biggest technology events, and PC Pro’s team walked the halls to pick 29 standout products. The show report looks at where the industry is genuinely heading, including the growing push toward local AI processing, and separates the useful ideas from the noise.

Projects, Privacy and the Plumbing of the Internet

Nik Rawlinson sets a strict budget and builds a working home security system for under £20, a project that suits anyone who wants protection without a subscription. Elsewhere, a plain-English explainer unpacks the mysteries of IP: addressing, routing, ports and packet sizes, the invisible machinery that every network depends on but few of us stop to examine.

Reviews, Regulars and a Trip Back in Time

• Review of the Month: Lenovo’s ThinkBook Rollable Gen 6, a 14in laptop that extends into a far larger display on demand — including an honest look at the drawbacks.
• Further hardware verdicts spanning convertible laptops, all-in-one PCs, a portable inkjet printer, monitors, keyboards, tablets, smartphones, NAS drives and a router.
• A business backup buyer’s guide arguing that skipping proper procedures is a serious risk.
• Retro Futures interviews Voja Antonić, creator of the Galaksija, the home-made computer that inspired a generation of enthusiasts in the former Yugoslavia.
• Familiar columnists and viewpoints covering AI, security, hardware lifecycles and the wider tech industry.

Who It’s Written For

PC Pro has always assumed its readers are intelligent and short on patience for hype. That makes this issue useful whether you are shopping for a compact desktop, responsible for IT in a small business, quietly planning a home build, or simply enjoy well-argued hardware journalism. The mix of practical tutorials, group tests and industry analysis rewards anyone who wants to make better-informed decisions about the technology they buy and maintain.

Add PC Pro Issue 374 to your digital library and work through the mini PC test with a notepad open — the temptation to upgrade is likely to follow.