https://fanlesstech.com reviews lots of completely silent computers generally using standard components. I would go with something with standardized components if you can as the case, the power, the heatsink etc may all be reusable.

https://simplynuc.com will equip you with a NUC mounted in a fanless case. This means a proprietary motherboard/soldered chip and a case no other computer can be mounted in, which left me with a rather expensive and useless case when an older NUC died. A NUC is a very small line of computers made by Intel, they're basically laptop hardware repurposed as desktops.

https://quietpc.com has lots of fanless and near-silent machines too up to full workstation-size desktops but the smallest ones all tend to be the Intel NUCs.

I currently have a 6-core/12-thread NUC with a 1tb NVMe which is even smaller than a Mac Mini. But I hesitate to recommend this as it has a 10th generation processor saddled with the years-old Intel HD620 graphics like the Mac Mini, my 2013 MBP with Intel Iris outperforms it. It requires an eGPU for anything even slightly graphically intensive.

https://liliputing.com/2020/04/intel-frost-canyon-nuc-10-rev...

Very useful. Thank you.

Define "small desktop". SFF-sized? Smaller? Price, size, and capability are tradeoffs.

For whatever it's worth, I'll vouch for the HP Elitedesk Mini series and the Dell Optiplex Micro series. If the current generation units are too expensive, previous generation units can be found cheaply on eBay and maxed out with add-on parts.

Yes, I'm thinking SFF. The HP Elitedesk Minis are beyond my price range (new) but I will check the Optiplex Micro series and prices on eBay, Craigslist, etc. Thank you.

What about this one:

ThinkCentre M715q Tiny

Actually, that's pretty much perfect! Thanks for the reply.