The Minix 0db machines are great. The N150 model is $250 but it’s fanless which is a handy feature if you’re prone to dust, unable (or unwilling!) to clean filters, hate fans, or love chunky blocks of metal:

https://www.minix.com.hk/products/minix-z150-0db-fanless-min...

I bought my first one because it’s silent. I bought my second one because I like chunky blocks of metal.

The Topton/CWWK boxes are consistently decent. Best choice if you want fanless.

For mini pcs, Beelink probably has the best support. I've owned a few and had one replaced under warranty.

I bought the Geekom Air12 Lite, and the build quality has impressed me.