MS-01 Mini Workstation Core i9-13900H Barebone Version Mini PC, HDMI + 2xUSB4 8K Display, 2x10G SFP+ Port, 2x2.5G LAN Port, Support M.2 2280/22110/U.2 SSD/RTX 3050 Graphics Cards

Wow, this mini PC is unlike anything else I've ever seen! As a result, there are some conditions that apply here unlike any other mini PC on the market. Let's start with the fact it has four SODIMM memory sockets. This is almost entirely unheard of. Since the largest SODIMM memory module you can buy at the time of writing this is 64GB (no such technology yet exists to go beyond 64GB per module on an SODIMM) and, you can have four of them in total (if you want to), this means this mini PC can hold 256GB of RAM!!! However, you need to know two memory sockets on the the top of the motherboard and two memory sockets are behind the motherboard. If you are only using one or two memory sockets (leaving the others empty for future upgrades) then you MUST use the memory sockets on the top of the motherboard (nearest to the CPU). Once those are filled, then you can start using the other two memory sockets on the rear of the motherboard. Otherwise the system will not boot up. What is interesting is this mini PC supports ECC memory (such as used in servers) but it is not required and XMP is not possible regardless. The default set memory frequency is 4400/4800MHz, so don't waste your money on faster speed RAM. Please be aware that I am referring to the 'barebones' version of this computer, which is sold without RAM or storage or operating system. You can also buy it with everything pre-installed. Whichever you prefer. Now, this is review on the high-end version of this mini PC. They make three different versions. The high-end version includes VPro (for professional business-use remote IT administration) and includes an add-in card that adds two 25Gbe SFP+ network connections along with two additional NVMe slots. Yes, this mini PC can support four NVMe drives at the same time including with RAID 0, 1, 5, 10.... if you choose to use it that way! However, while all four NVMe slots can theoretically support Gen4x4 speeds, the add-in card is set to PCIe Gen3 for stability reasons. Whether this is because of a driver or BIOS, I have no idea. You can go into the BIOS and change the PCIe on this slot to Gen4, however, your system may become unstable. Essentially, you have one M.2 at Gen5x4 (speeds up to 14,700MB/s!!!) and one M.2 at Gen4x4 (speeds of up to 7,400MB/s) and, with the Ultra 9 285HX version of this PC, you get the additional 2 NVMe slots that are set by default to Gen3x4. In addition to that, this mini PC also has a 10Gbe and 2.5Gbe ethernet connection built-in to the motherboard (included on ALL models.) Also, the high-end version of this PC includes two NVMe heat sinks and thermal pads held on the silicon bands for use on the motherboard (the add-in 25Gbe card has built-in heatsinks for the NVMe drives it can hold.) This card can also be removed if you have no use for it, or save money and buy a different version of this model that is equipped without it to save some money. The MS-02 also supports a full size PCIe5 x16 slot that will hold a double-slot-wide, low profile discreet GPU. No external power bricks are used. The built-n PSU is 350 watts and has a 6+2 GPU power connector available. Plugging in a GPU means the built-in GPU gets automatically disabled, so no video output will work from the built-in HDMI or type C USB4 ports (those ports can only output video from the built-in GPU). So you have to pick one or the other. Also, the CPU wattage will run slightly lower in this scenario as well. Without a discreet GPU, the TDP of the CPU is set to 100W PL1 / 140W PL2. With a discreet GPU installed, the TDP of the CPU is set to 90W PL1 / 110W PL2. I love all the customization of this PC and the power is unbelievable. Just remember you cannot have it all at the same time. The lesson here is you can optimize what you need while sacrificing what you don't need. If you cannot turn every knob to 11. Each setting for performance affects the performance of a different thing. This is a limitation of the lanes of data traffic on this kind of a CPU. You really need a server-level CPU to crank everything up to max at the same time and those cost 5x-20x more, consume far more power, can be very loud and often weigh well over 60lbs! This PC, by comparison is under 8lbs! Speaking of noise, this PC is incredibly quiet! It has rubber feet on the bottom of the unit as well as the side of the unit so the user can decide if you want to have the PC horizontal or vertical on your desk! Did I mention it comes with WiFi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4? This is absolutely a beast! Essentially, it is the epitome of the maximum capability of low-power, mobile parts in every category that is possible at this time! Did I mention the two USB4 v2 (80Gbps) type-c on the front of the PC, along with a type-c USB4 (40Gbps) on the back (also support video output)? Plus it has a type-A USB 3.2 Gen 2 at the front, along with three more in the back! I challenge you build something yourself that matches these specifications without spending a lot more money! I also like the piece of mind I get with Minisforum support and warranty. When spending this kind of money, I need reassurance that if anything goes wrong, the manufacturer will be there to help me. I wish I could say this for every mini PC manufacturer, but unfortunately, not all mini PC manufacturers support their own products and customers. Essentially, this PC can be anything. It can be a server, a gaming PC, a home lab, a workstation for developers, creators, video editors, photo editors and engineers, tech enthusiasts and power users! I haven't even talked about the insane CPU that is Intel's flagship mobile processor. The 285HX version of this computer has 8 performance cores and 16 efficiency cores for a total of 24 threads with a max speed of 5.5GHz! This leaves me speechless!

Great PC, working well for 2 weeks now as my opnsense router, no worries at all

MS-R1 Its an odd little dev box. You need to run Minisforum's custom deb image, meaning this is not a live cd ISO that you will install. I took a usb-c to nvme adapter and cloned the 30GB image to it, then expanded the drive to 2TB. This will boot you into deb desktop straight away with no login. The default user/pass is mini/mini. This user has sudo. From there... you should create a user matching these groups: # Create the user sudo adduser MYNEWUSER # Add user to sudo and various groups sudo usermod -aG sudo,cdrom,floppy,audio,dip,video,plugdev,netdev,bluetooth MYNEWUSER Login as this new user and test sudo: sudo su -l Change the hostname, which you will need to edit your hosts file, install some packages: # Set the hostname so local dns resolutions works sudo vim /etc/hosts # set: 127.0.1.1 pf-miniarm-01 sudo hostnamectl hostname pf-miniarm-01 && \ sudo timedatectl set-local-rtc 1 --adjust-system-clock && \ sudo timedatectl && \ sudo apt update -y && \ sudo apt install wget curl htop openssh-server git vim dos2unix lxc lxc-templates bridge-utils -y Install netplan if your cool: sudo apt install netplan.io -y sudo systemctl unmask systemd-networkd.service sudo systemctl enable systemd-networkd.service sudo systemctl start systemd-networkd.service sudo systemctl mask networking.service # Disable lightdm's autologin, this isnt the default but JIC sudo vim /etc/lightdm/lightdm.conf # Comment out: # autologin-user=root # autologin-user-timeout=0 # Disable Gnome's autologin, this is default on the deb install sudo vim /etc/gdm3/daemon.conf #AutomaticLoginEnable = True #AutomaticLogin = mini # Remove mini factory username/pass sudo deluser --remove-home mini Disable the built in spyware: sudo vim /etc/init.d/disable-wlan0.sh # in that shell script #!/bin/sh /sbin/ip link set wlan0 down # Make that sh executable sudo chmod +x /etc/init.d/disable-wlan0.sh # Add to startup sudo update-rc.d disable-wlan0.sh defaults Not sure why but I had to reset perms to the ping utility, I assume this is an artifact of something custom minisforum has done: # Login as root and reset perms sudo su -l sudo chmod u+s /bin/ping sudo chmod u+s /usr/bin/ping After this you should have a working "regular" ish setup without the default account. Make sure your drives are expanded after imaging the build to an nvme with "df -h" or similar. Overall the system acts like well any other linux box. The build quality is very nice, on par with usff units from HP/Dell/lenovo but with more space inside the case. I did have an issue where you cannot add a heatsink, even the one that comes with the unit to the nvme drive in the primary slot. The muffin fan that sits above it cannot seat all the way. Its really not a problem, I dont anticipate the cpu being able to push a drive so hard its going to peg off the thermal limiter in the asic anyways. I have only used this device in cli, I have no desktop experience with it. I would not suggest a desktop experience unless you are dev'ing ARM debian desktop apps. So far its runs containers, code, ansible etc... just fine. This was also the cheapest way in late Jan 2026 to get a mini pc with 64GB of ram.

I bought this because I wanted a compact workstation. What arrived is a 7.6-pound block of dense, matte-black existential crisis. Calling this a "mini PC" is like calling a hypernova a "sparkler." Minisforum essentially took an enterprise server rack, hit it with a shrink ray, and put an internal 350W power supply inside just to flex on external bricks. Here is what happens when you daily drive a 24-core data center disguised as a desk ornament: 1. The RAM is Overkill (And I Love It) It has 192GB of DDR5 ECC RAM. Let that sink in. Error-Correcting Code memory. My PC is actively fixing its own mathematical mistakes before they happen. I opened 400 tabs in Chrome, ran three virtual machines, and started rendering a 4K video, and the RAM usage bar looked at me and said, "Is that all you've got, old man?" I am fully convinced this machine is sentient and corrects my personal life choices in the background. 2. The Back Panel is From the Year 2045 The networking layout on the back of this thing is hilarious. A 2.5GbE port (cute). A 10GbE port (respectable). DUAL 25GbE SFP+ PORTS. Who is this for?! I don't even have an internet provider that knows what a 25Gb network looks like. I hooked it up to my home lab switch, and I swear the data transfer was finished before I even released the mouse button. If you have a massive NAS or do localized AI model inference, you’re in heaven. If you're just downloading a game on Steam, the network infrastructure of your entire neighborhood will sweat. 3. Thermal Management A.K.A. "The Turbine" With a Core Ultra 9 285HX pushing 140W on turbo, Minisforum packed six heat pipes and dual fans inside. In normal operation, it’s a civilized 36 dB. But when you push all 24 cores to the absolute ceiling during a heavy compilation, those fans kick into server-grade exhaust mode. It doesn't whine, but it definitely lets you know it's doing heavy computational science. On the plus side, it keeps my coffee warm. My conclusion: It has room inside for a half-height, dual-slot discrete GPU and four M.2 NVMe drives. It occupies a completely unhinged territory between a consumer desktop and a corporate main-frame. It's built like a tank, it handles data workflows like a literal beast, and it makes every other computer in my house look like a pocket calculator. If you want a machine that can run a medium-sized tech startup from a corner of your desk, buy it. Just make sure your desk is sturdy. Pros: 24 cores of Arrow Lake fury, ECC data protection, enterprise networking, zero external power brick layout. Cons: The dual 25GbE ports make me feel inadequate about my current internet plan; fans will remind you what 140W of heat sounds like.

I am writing regarding an unresolved refund for two items from a previous order of four, both of which had faulty video output. I initially reached out to Minisforum for troubleshooting, but after confirming the issue would require a return, I initiated the return process in August. Trusting that the refund procedure would be processed smoothly, I also went ahead and ordered two additional items. Despite completing the return and making numerous calls and follow-ups, I have still not received the refund.

For how small it is, it is a great value for the performance you get in such a small package. Works great as a 3-node cluster for Proxmox for home lab use. Thunderbolt does work (but finicky Linux network drivers makes that a mixed bag; use case is this is a portable lab and the Thunderbolt networking CEPH cluster didn't like being brought up and down). Temps are somewhat reasonable as long as the SSDs you use are lower in heat and power draw. The airflow isn't great and the case is best in a place where there is some active airflow blowing around the unit. I guess the main gripe is Intel AMT doesn't work reliably. I got it to show up once in Mesh Commander and that was it.

This is perfect for my homelab. It fits nicely in my 10-inch rack and gives me a ton of performance in a very small form factor. It does run a little warmer than I expected, but nothing concerning. Performance has been excellent so far. The CPU is incredibly fast, and for the amount of power you get, I think it’s a great value for the money. And don’t even get me started on the SFP+ ports. Having that kind of high-speed connectivity built into a mini PC is amazing, especially for a homelab setup. Overall, I’m extremely happy with the MS-A2. Great performance, great connectivity, and a perfect fit for my rack.

Excellent product and even better support. The MS-02 Ultra Workstation has been fantastic — well-built and exactly what I was looking for in a compact workstation. When I needed a replacement fan during my build, Minisforum's support team was responsive, kind, and genuinely went above and beyond to make it right. Quick replies, no runaround, and a great experience start to finish. Highly recommend both the hardware and the team behind it.

Funcionó bien. Es una PC pequeña que ya viene completa para agregar las partes modulares del procesador, ram y nvme.

No la he podido probar, entre AMZN y UPS no me han entregado el SSD que haría funcionar el equipo, ya van para tres semanas de retraso!!!