AMD’s Ryzen 7 7745HX “Dragon Range” processor is a mobile chip that offers performance that rivals many desktop processors, with a 55 watt default TDP, 8 Zen 4 CPU cores, and 40MB of total cache.
So while the chip was designed for gaming laptops and mobile workstations, MINISFORUM figured it’d be a pretty good solution for high-performance mini PCs. But rather than put inside a chassis, the Chinese mini PC maker has released the MINISFORUM BD770i mini-ITX motherboard with Ryzen 7 7745HX processor, letting you build your own computer around the chip. The B770i board is available now for $399.
Since the Ryzen 7 7745HX processor is not a socket chip, it’s attached to the motherboard the same way it would be soldered to a laptop mainboard. That means it’s not user-replaceable.
But the board still offers plenty of other features that allow you to build a custom PC, including two M.2 2280 slots with support for PCIe 5.0 x4 SSDs, a PCI 5.0 x16 slot for a GPU or other accessories, two SODIMM slots for up to 64GB of total DDR5-5200 dual-channel memory, an M.2 2230 slot for a wireless card, and header for up to three fans (for the CPU, SSD, and chassis).
External ports include:
- 1 x 2.5 GbE Ethernet
- 1 x HDMI 2.0
- 1 x DisplayPort 1.4
- 1 x USB4 Type-C (with DisplayPort 1.4 Alt Mode)
- 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A
- 2 x USB 2.0 Type-A
- 1 x 3.5mm mic input
- 1 x 3.5mm line audio input
- 1 x 3.5mm audio out
MINISFORUM says the system can support up to three 4K displays, but notes that there are some limitations to this mainboard. Not only is it impossible to replace or upgrade the processor, but there’s no official support for overclocking, and fan speed adjustments can only be made from the UEFI/BIOS settings menu, not using Windows software.
We may also see a higher-performance board with a Ryzen 9 7945HX or Ryzen 9 7945HX3D chip in the future – the company showed off a board with the former processor at Computex in June, and revealed a compact desktop computer with the latter chip in August. Neither of those is available for purchase yet though.
Perfect for my CoolerMaster ITX case. Build a great low power, high core Proxmox box with the BD790i. Split the x16 slot and you can install 10GbE or even 25GbE. Instead of a 170W AM5 room heater, I can get a 55-70W and cut the energy use in half. Win-Win all the way.
Why not just sell a barebones system? Is there a market for something like this. I have a minisforum system and it’s pretty well put together. I don’t see the market for an “everything minus the case” system. If other things were upgradable, maybe, but as it stands it’s a complete barebones system without the case.
I think a lot of people get into mini-ITX because they’re in love with a particular case’s aesthetic, e.g. the Thermaltake Tower 100, Cooler Master NR200 or Fractal Terra.
OTOH, people who just want a SFF PC with limited upgradability will likely opt for an even smaller NUC/mini-PC?
Either way, it makes sense for Minisforum to sell this without a case.
For the price, there are better options IMO. If it were like $100-120 less it would be a better option. Asv it is, I can get an itx MB, a CPU, 64gb RAM and still have some money left over.
“Asv it is, I can get an itx MB, a CPU, 64gb RAM and still have some money left over.”
Can you proof it ? How can you do it with same specs PCIe5 and DDR5 ? I tried to build a similar build and only with motherboard and cpu I go over the minisforum price.
How you you save money
The cheapest AM5 mini-ITX motherboard on newegg right now is the Gigabyte A620I AX, at $140 USD. Pairing it with a Ryzen 7 7700 ($330 USD, similar specs, comes with cooler) puts you $70 over this Minisforum board. And the Gigabyte board is limited to PCIe gen 4.
There are drawbacks to the Minisforum board besides the non-upgradable CPU — slower memory support, SO-DIMM memory is probably more expensive, but it seems reasonably priced to me?
So it seems the fan seen in the pictures is the fan for the SSD, but the CPU fan isn’t depicted in these photos?
I’m wondering if maybe those 4 silver posts on the main heatsink might be the screwholes for a 120mm fan?
I like this concept, but lacking the ability to upgrade the cooling solution makes me nervous. Support for an LGA 1700 cooler would have been a better choice.
Yes, website states “A 12cm fan must be purchased separately”. Some Noctua should be enough for 55W.
If I ever got one of these motherboards, the first thing I’d do would be to block off the head sink on the side facing the RAM with some card stock or something, so as to force the air out of the back and not recirculate hot air so much.
I think most motherboard layouts are pretty unoptimised. They’re following the standard with little variation here and there.
Looking at laptops, there’s a lot more variations. It’s because you cannot afford to have sub-optimal arrangements.
I think for anything smaller than a Mid-Tower, who have the luxury of big AIO or Air-Cooling…. well, the cooling should be a priority.
You should be maximising the surface area. So having the device stand upright, like the Sail of a Yatch, makes the most sense. Depending on the setup, the dGPU will generate more heat, so it should be positioned as high as possible and given an entire side, with an angled intake and exhaust. The other side should be cooling the PSU, SSD, RAM, and CPU. And experimenting with the whole system until a balanced and optimal point can be achieved (eg Potentially putting PSU on the GPU side). Again things could change as you further miniaturize the CPU and perhaps move to an iGPU or a more cohesive SoC / APU, or have the introduction of Fast Charging/High Voltage and Battery System.