
Midea
4-in-1 PortaSplit 3.5 kW Portable Air Conditioner and Dehumidifier
Quiet, efficient split; but mold issues and bulky.

Running these analyses costs money. Buy through my links to help keep lights on! I may get a small commission.
Man I regret getting a new Whynter ARC-122DS back in 2024 so much knowing this would fetch under $300
I have a small bedroom (92 sqft) that gets too hot from my PC (basically a 70-350w space heater), the house was built in 1953 and already has central air conditioning that works well enough for all the other rooms. I am also renting. Would it make more sense to get a window unit or portable? I've already used a portable unit before that I like (Whynter ARC-122DS), but I could also try a window unit that might be more efficient. Are there extra considerations for installing one in a rental space? Would it be worth it for efficiency (and cost) gains? I'm mostly looking between the same Whynter unit, and the Midea U 8k, though I haven't looked at window units as much yet. I believe even a 5k unit would be overkill, but from what I can tell those are excessively cheap, and not just the good kind of cheap.
The Whynter ARC-122DS units.
I have whynter portable two duct large size, it's noisy but cools well. I would never buy a single duct portable, they pull their coil cooling air from the room, so every other room gets hot air pulled in. No bueno.
If you have the money, buy a dual hose Whynter portable AC. Otherwise - the design and construction of single hose units is such that you won’t be able to get it to not pull vacuum, even by adding a second hose to provide it with outside air. There will be leakage inside the unit itself that will prevent you from getting a perfect loop from outside to outside. But that’s still going to be much more effective than running it with the stock single hose, so it’s worth doing, and will be your best short term solution if money is tight.
I have a whynter dual hose and it has worked for multiple years. Sort of expensive, but efficient and not very loud.

Midea
4-in-1 PortaSplit 3.5 kW Portable Air Conditioner and Dehumidifier
Quiet, efficient split; but mold issues and bulky.

Midea
Duo Series
Efficient dual-hose inverter; but high-pitched noise, sealing issues.

Whynter
ARC-1230WN
Smart dual-hose inverter; struggles in extreme heat.

Whynter
ARC-14S
Durable dual-hose; but drainage, power, struggles in heat.

LG Electronics
10,000 BTU (SACC) / 14,000 BTU (ASHRAE) DUAL Inverter Smart Wi-Fi Portable Air Conditioner (LP1419IVSM)
Very quiet dual inverter; not for whole-house.

Ranked #1
Midea - 4-in-1 PortaSplit 3.5 kW Portable Air Conditioner and Dehumidifier

Ranked #1
Midea - 4-in-1 PortaSplit 3.5 kW Portable Air Conditioner and Dehumidifier

Ranked #1
EcoFlow - WAVE 2 Portable Air Conditioner