Mini PCs have become popular in recent years due to their compact size, but they wouldn't be my top pick if I'm going to them playing games. Sure, they're great as console replacements, but that tiny size is not without its drawbacks.

The answer, at least for the Framework Desktop announced today: a gaming PC that takes advantage of many PC standards and offers a unique combination of small size and high performance but which is otherwise substantially less modular and upgradeable than a mini PC you can already buy or build for yourself.

The company's debut desktop is a compact microtower that combines Framework's signature swappable I/O modules with quirky design touches. Plus, it promises real productivity and gaming punch from a special AMD CPU.