This is the cheapest Core i7 PC but it comes with one big compromise

This is not your average computer; Partaker’s fanless mini PC is far smaller than most rivals on the market with a volume of just 1.5L.

It's on sale for $413.99 at Gearbest with this exclusive coupon code: F472573500A27001. Depending on exchange rates, you should pay around £339 or AU$689.

A quick check with Dell shows its cheapest Core i7 device cost almost twice as much, albeit with a slightly faster i7 CPU, twice the storage and 12GB RAM.

• Check out our list of the best business computers of 2020
• Here's our choice of the best business laptop on the market
• We've put together a list of the best rugged laptops available

At 22.5 x 18.5 x 4.8cm, the Partaker is about the size of a thick hardcover book and yet has some great expansion capabilities. 

The model on offer comes with an Intel Core i7-8565U (four cores, 8-threads), 8GB DDR4 and a 128GB SSD, and other options are available up to 32GB memory and 1TB SSD. Sadly, you cannot buy the Partaker PC without the RAM or SSD.

Its thick aluminum body acts as the perfect heatsink to cool the internal components. There’s plenty of connectors as well, with one LAN port, one Displayport, one HDMI port, eight USB ports (half of them USB 3.0), two audio connectors and two external antennas.

You can use two memory slots and it supports one mSATA SSD, one 2.5-inch HDD and one M.2 NVMe SSD.

In terms of caveats, there's no operating system (which could prove an issue for novice users), memory card reader, SPDIF connector, 802.11ac and the PC doesn’t support Windows 7. There’s also no VESA mount, which you can add for an extra $5.

We’ve ordered one for review, so stay tuned for more!

Note, Gearbest offers an expedited shipping option from China for free with an estimated delivery time between three and seven business days to the US.

• Here's our list of the best business tablets on the market