Chinese PC maker MINISFORUM typically specializes in small form-factor desktop computers, some of which cram a lot of horsepower into a compact design.
Now the company is introducing something a little bigger, but far more versatile. The upcoming MINISFORUM mini-ITX Mini PC has a 6 liter chassis, support for 13th-gen Intel Raptor Lake-HX55 or AMD Ryzen 7045HX processors, and a PCIe 5.0 x16 slot for a discrete GPU. But since there’s not enough room inside the case for a discrete graphics card, MINISFORUM has made the unusual design choice to let you install a graphics card on top of the little computer.
First unveiled in July, MINISFORUM provided more details about the upcoming system during an event in China in August, where we learned that it will be available with a choice of Intel or AMD-compatible motherboards.
The Intel version will support up to a 55-watt Intel Core i9-13980HX with 24 cores, 32 threads, CPU speeds up to 5.6 GHz, and 1.65 GHz Intel UHD integrated graphics with 32 execution units.
MINISFORUM’s AMD model is powered by a 55-watt AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX3D chip featuring 16 cores, 32 threads, CPU speeds up to 5.4 GHz, and AMD Radeon 610M integrated graphics with 2 GPU cores at 2.2 GHz.
In other words, these are CPUs designed for high-performance gaming PCs… but they’re meant to be paired with discrete graphics. So there’s an extension cable that runs from the PCIe slot on the motherboard to a connector on top of the chassis, allowing you to bring your own desktop-class graphics card.
The computer is built around a 170 x 170mm (6.7″ x 6.7″) mini ITX motherboard with two SODIMM slots for memory, and dual M.2 2280 slots for solid state storage. And the computer’s chassis, honestly, looks a lot more like a traditional desktop PC than most of MINISFORUM’s mini PCs, but it’s still fairly small by desktop computer standards.
MINISFORUM first showed off the motherboards at Computex in June, saying that one would be powered by an AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX “Dragon Range” 16-core, 32-thread 55-watt processor, while the other would sport a 55-watt Intel Core i9-13900HX 24-core, 32-thread chip.
Now the company says it will offer customers an option of purchasing one of these motherboards or buying a complete PC with the company’s new chassis with support for an SFX power supply.
While the company hasn’t revealed pricing or availability information yet, we can see from pictures of the system that it has a decent set of ports including USB Type-C and Type-A ports on the front and back, 3.5mm mic, line in, and audio out jacks, HDMI, DisplayPort, and Ethernet ports.
This article was first published July 25, 2023 and most recently updated August 23, 2023.Â
It would be neat were they to provide a video or picture showing how the dGPU would actually connect to this. Also, whether only low profile dGPUs that get their power from the expansion slot or whether full dGPUs that connect to the typical 8 pin connector and separate PSU would be supported
Be wary of garbage build quality, design and support, def Gon be overpriced af also.
I bought the Minisforum TH50 and my only issue was their custom BIOS that prevented me from using removable BAR for my Intel Arc A380 that I connected to it via eGPU. As these will be designed to use eGPUs that likely will not be an issue
Smart too. These boards would be UNBEATABLE in an emulation arcade cabinet. Think about it… You could play anything on it!
very nice design
So you’ve got to put the graphics card into the slot on the top of the case.
Well, that’s probably a better approach than their b550, but it would be nice if there was an ATX 2.0 PCIe power connector you that could snake through a hole in the top or side so you wouldn’t be limited to cards that only relied on the slot for power. Not ATX 3.0, I doubt the PSU is powerful enough to handle that.
Between this and the b550 pro, which appears to be not available for purchase yet, I can’t help but wonder if they’re throwing form factors at the wall and seeing what sticks.
Doesn’t look like there’s any space for discrete graphics.
There is. They’re using a short PCIe riser cable to extend the slot from the motherboard onto the top of the case. Have a look at this image. You can see two slots cut into the wood, one is for the actual PCIe connector, the other, running the narrow dimension, is for the expansion slot bracket.
I am also thinking about some graphic cards in there, but wondering where the graphics i/o located in that case…
other source(notebookcheck) says that the case use sfx power and ordinary 6 liter size case cannot hold 3 things(itx mb, sfx power, 27cm graphic card) together….
maybe mobile chip graphics(minisforum did it with 6600m before) or small ones(like zotac 4060 solo) can be put in.