Minisforum MS-01 vs MS-A2 PC – Which Is Better?

Last updated on 16 Jun 2025 📧 Subscribe
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1 Minisforum MS-01 vs MS-A2 – Which Should You Buy?
1.1 Minisforum MS-A2 vs MS-01 – Hardware Specifications Compared
1.2 Minisforum MS-01 vs MS-A2 – CPUs Compared
1.3 Minisforum MS-A2 vs MS-01 – Graphics and Processing Power Compared
1.4 Minisforum MS-01 vs MS-A2 – Conclusion and Verdict
2 Need Advice on Data Storage from an Expert?

Minisforum MS-01 vs MS-A2 – Which Should You Buy?

Minisforum has steadily earned recognition in the compact workstation space, and the MS-01 stands as one of its most prominent entries. Released with a focus on balancing high-performance hardware in a small chassis, the MS-01 quickly found popularity among professionals needing powerful networking and scalable internals without the bulk of a full-sized desktop. It supports CPUs up to the Intel Core i9-13900H, includes dual 10GbE SFP+ ports, and provides expansion via a PCIe 4.0 x16 slot (operating at x8 speed), giving users access to discrete graphics or high-performance cards if needed. With three internal M.2 slots and support for up to 64GB of DDR5 memory, the MS-01 became a go-to mini workstation for users who value connectivity and component flexibility at a relatively modest price point.

In early 2025, Minisforum introduced the MS-A2 — a system clearly designed as a next-generation counterpart to the MS-01, but one that leans into AMD’s latest advancements. Featuring the Ryzen 9 9955HX processor based on the Zen 5 architecture, the MS-A2 offers more cores, more threads, faster base and boost clocks, and higher supported memory capacity, reaching up to 96GB DDR5 at 5600MHz. It also brings upgrades in memory bandwidth, M.2 storage speed (with all three slots supporting PCIe 4.0 x4), and internal thermal design. From a feature standpoint, the MS-A2 is positioned to meet or exceed the MS-01 in most categories — but it does so with a noticeable bump in price. Still, for users prioritizing top-end performance and storage throughput, the MS-A2 might justify the premium. The sections below break down how these systems stack up in real-world terms — not just on paper, but in actual deployment.

Minisforum MS-A2 vs MS-01 – Hardware Specifications Compared

At a glance, both the MS-01 and MS-A2 share a near-identical chassis, measuring 196×189×48mm and following Minisforum’s signature small form factor aesthetic. Internally, however, there are several notable differences that affect both systems’ expandability and long-term utility. Both devices feature three M.2 slots for high-speed NVMe SSDs, but only the MS-A2 supports full PCIe 4.0 x4 lanes on all three slots. By contrast, the MS-01 includes a single PCIe 4.0 x4 slot, one PCIe 3.0 x4 slot, and one limited PCIe 3.0 x2 slot. This directly impacts storage performance, especially for users aiming to run multiple high-throughput drives in parallel. In real terms, the MS-A2 allows up to three SSDs each capable of saturating 7,000MB/s read speeds, whereas the MS-01 will bottleneck in its second and third storage bays.

Specification MS-01 (Intel Core i9-13900H) MS-A2 (AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX)
CPU Intel Core i9-13900H (14C/20T, up to 5.4GHz) AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX (16C/32T, Zen 5, up to 5.4GHz)
GPU Intel Iris Xe (96 EUs @ 1.5GHz) AMD Radeon 610M (2 CUs @ 2.2GHz)
RAM Support DDR5-5200MHz, up to 64GB (2x SO-DIMM) DDR5-5600MHz, up to 96GB (2x SO-DIMM)
M.2 Storage 1x PCIe 4.0 x4 (2280), 1x PCIe 3.0 x4 (22110), 1x PCIe 3.0 x2 1x PCIe 4.0 x4 (U.2/2280), 2x PCIe 4.0 x4 (2280/22110)
Max Storage Capacity Up to 15TB (U.2), 4TB (each 2280/22110 slot) Up to 15TB (U.2), 4TB (each 2280/22110 slot)
PCIe Expansion 1x PCIe 4.0 x16 slot (x8 speed, half-height) 1x PCIe 4.0 x16 slot (x8 speed, split support)
Ethernet Ports 2x 10Gbps SFP+, 2x 2.5GbE RJ45 2x 10Gbps SFP+, 2x 2.5GbE RJ45
Wi-Fi & Bluetooth Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2 Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3
Display Output 1x HDMI 2.0, 2x USB4 (Alt DisplayPort 1.4a) 1x HDMI 2.1, 2x USB-C (Alt DisplayPort 2.0, up to 8K@60Hz)
USB Ports (Front) 2x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A, 1x USB 3.2 Gen1, 2x USB 2.0 2x USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A, 1x USB 2.0 Type-A, 1x Audio Jack
USB Ports (Rear) 2x USB4 (40Gbps), 1x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A, 1x USB 3.2 Gen1 2x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C, 1x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A, 1x USB 3.2 Gen1
Audio I/O HDMI audio + 3.5mm combo jack HDMI audio + 3.5mm 4-in-1 combo jack (input/output)
Cooling 1x CPU fan (12V), 1x SSD fans (5V) 1x CPU fan (12V), 1x SSD fans (5V)
Power Supply 19V DC input (external adapter) 19V / 12.63A (external adapter)
OS Support Windows 11 Pro Windows 11 / Linux
Chassis Dimensions 196 × 189 × 48 mm 196 × 189 × 48 mm
Additional Accessories U.2 adapter, SSD heatsink, mounting hardware Not specified

Both systems include a PCIe 4.0 expansion slot, which is a rare and welcome inclusion in mini PCs. On the MS-01, this slot is x16 physically but electrically operates at x8 speed and is suitable for half-height, single-slot PCIe cards. The MS-A2 retains this format but introduces PCIe bifurcation support, enabling more advanced setups with compatible cards — a notable advantage for developers or users building niche use cases like NVMe RAID or multi-GPU compute tasks in an edge environment. Additionally, memory support is slightly more capable on the AMD model, with the MS-A2 supporting up to 96GB of DDR5-5600 via two SO-DIMM slots, compared to the MS-01’s 64GB ceiling at DDR5-5200. This can make a tangible difference in virtualization or memory-intensive creative workflows.

In terms of connectivity, both units are very well equipped: dual 10GbE SFP+ ports, dual 2.5GbE RJ45, HDMI output, USB 3.2 Gen1/Gen2 Type-A ports, and USB4 (or USB-C with DisplayPort alt mode). The MS-A2 takes a slight lead in display output capabilities, supporting HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort 2.0 over USB-C, compared to HDMI 2.0 and DisplayPort 1.4a on the MS-01. This means the AMD system supports 8K60 and 4K144 video streams natively. Wireless capability is also a step ahead on the MS-A2 with Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3, compared to the MS-01’s Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2. Altogether, while the MS-01 still holds up well a year after release, the MS-A2 offers clearly improved throughput, higher bandwidth components, and better display and wireless standards.

Minisforum MS-01 vs MS-A2 – CPUs Compared

The defining difference between the Minisforum MS-01 and MS-A2 lies in their processor choices: the Intel Core i9-13900H and the AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX, respectively. While both CPUs are built for high-end mobile performance and boast identical peak boost clocks of up to 5.4GHz, the underlying architecture and core configurations are markedly different. The i9-13900H uses a hybrid architecture with 6 performance cores and 8 efficiency cores, totaling 14 cores and 20 threads. In contrast, the Ryzen 9 9955HX employs 16 full-fledged performance cores and 32 threads based on AMD’s latest Zen 5 architecture. For users engaged in parallel processing tasks—such as 3D rendering, large-scale compilation, or virtualization—the extra cores and threads in the AMD chip deliver a tangible performance uplift.

Specification

 

 AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX

Intel Core i9-13900H

Better Performer

 
Architecture Zen 5 (TSMC 4nm) Raptor Lake (Intel 7) AMD (newer architecture, denser node)
Cores / Threads 16C / 32T 14C (6P+8E) / 20T AMD (more cores and threads)
Base Clock 2.5 GHz ~3.1 GHz (P-cores, estimated) Intel (higher base for performance cores)
Boost Clock 5.4 GHz 5.4 GHz Tie
L2 Cache 16 MB Part of total cache (not separated) AMD (clearly larger L2 cache)
L3 Cache 64 MB 24 MB AMD (much larger L3 cache)
TDP (Base / Max) 55W / 75W 45W / 115W Depends (Intel boosts higher, AMD more efficient)
Integrated GPU Radeon 610M (2 CUs @ 2.2GHz) Iris Xe (96 EUs @ 1.5GHz) Intel (much better GPU performance)
Memory Support DDR5-5600, up to 96 GB DDR5-5200, LPDDR5x-6400, DDR4/LPDDR4x Intel (more flexible memory support)
PCIe Support PCIe 5.0 (28 lanes) PCIe 5.0 (CPU) + PCIe 3.0 (Chipset) AMD (uniform PCIe 5.0 support)
Overclocking Yes (Unlocked, PBO, Curve Optimizer) No AMD
Memory Overclocking AMD EXPO Intel XMP Tie
Instruction Set x86-64, AVX512, SSE4A 64-bit, AVX2, SSE4.2 AMD (supports AVX512)
Multithreading Yes (SMT) Yes (Hyper-Threading) Tie
AI Acceleration None DL Boost, GNA 3.0 Intel (dedicated AI features)
Virtualization AMD-V VT-x, VT-d, VT-rp Intel (more granular features)
Security Features SHA, AES, SEV TME, Boot Guard, Control-Flow Enforcement Intel (broader security set)
Display Output DP 2.0, HDMI 2.1 DP 1.4a, HDMI 2.1 AMD (newer DisplayPort version)
Graphics API Support DirectX 12, HDMI 2.1, DP 2.0 DirectX 12.1, HDMI 2.1, DP 1.4a Tie
USB Support USB 3.2 Gen 2 (4), USB 2.0 (1) Thunderbolt 4 (USB4), USB 3.2 Intel (Thunderbolt included)
RAID/NVMe Support Boot, RAID0/1/10 Likely supported via chipset AMD (more explicitly documented)
Thermal Headroom (TjMax) 100°C 100°C Tie
Software Ecosystem Windows/Linux, no vPro Windows/Linux, vPro supported Intel (enterprise-ready)
Smart Platform Features SmartShift MAX, SmartAccess Memory Thread Director, Adaptix, Speed Shift Intel (broader platform-wide optimization)
Max Memory Speed (Type) DDR5-5600 LPDDR5x-6400 Intel (higher speed supported)
ECC Support Not specified No Tie (consumer chips)
Max Displays Supported 4 4 Tie
Target Segment Gaming, Content Creation AI Tasks, Office/Enterprise Depends on use case

Zen 5 is a notable advancement over its predecessors, built on TSMC’s 4nm process and optimized for both performance and power efficiency. This gives the Ryzen 9 9955HX a structural advantage in multithreaded scenarios, with improved instruction throughput, cache handling, and memory bandwidth. The Intel Core i9-13900H, based on Raptor Lake and fabricated using Intel’s “7” process (a refinement of their 10nm SuperFin node), holds its own with mature thread management and strong single-thread performance. Its support for Intel’s Thread Director technology ensures efficient scheduling across its mixed-core layout, which can be beneficial in workloads like content creation and lightly-threaded business apps. However, the Ryzen chip’s unified core design tends to yield more predictable and consistent scaling when all threads are pushed simultaneously, reducing thermal spikes and improving overall sustained performance.

Thermal and power characteristics further highlight the gap between the two systems. Intel’s i9-13900H has a base power of 45W but can boost up to 115W under load, while AMD’s Ryzen 9 9955HX has a configurable TDP ranging from 55W to 75W. Although the Intel chip has a higher upper limit, in practice it tends to spike power draw during short workloads and then throttle back. In comparison, the Ryzen CPU maintains a steadier thermal and power profile over longer tasks. This behavior was reflected in sustained tests over one-hour and 24-hour windows under mixed network and compute usage: the MS-A2’s CPU performed more consistently, with lower long-term thermal build-up, aided by its upgraded internal fan design. Combined with support for up to 96GB of DDR5 memory versus 64GB on the MS-01, the MS-A2’s CPU configuration offers better overall headroom for demanding, sustained workstation use.

Minisforum MS-A2 vs MS-01 – Graphics and Processing Power Compared

Although the Minisforum MS-01 and MS-A2 are positioned as compact workstations rather than gaming rigs, integrated graphics performance still plays a role in determining their suitability for visual workloads, media playback, and GPU-accelerated tasks. The MS-01 leverages Intel’s Iris Xe graphics, which includes 96 execution units running at up to 1.5GHz. The MS-A2, on the other hand, features AMD’s Radeon 610M — a lightweight RDNA2-based iGPU with 2 compute units operating at 2.2GHz. While the AMD GPU has a higher clock speed on paper, the significantly larger number of execution units in the Iris Xe gives the Intel system a considerable edge in real-world performance. In benchmarks such as the Steel Nomad Light test, the MS-01 consistently delivered higher frame rates and better render completion times, particularly during prolonged sequences that tax the GPU.

This performance advantage was also evident in media encoding and general GPU-accelerated workloads. Intel’s integrated graphics tend to benefit from better driver maturity, wider codec support (particularly for Quick Sync Video), and improved handling in professional apps with Intel-optimized pipelines. Users working in environments involving light 3D rendering, accelerated video encoding, or virtual display compositing are more likely to see stable and consistent results from the MS-01’s iGPU. However, it’s important to note that neither device is intended to replace a discrete GPU for high-end graphical workflows. Their iGPUs are best suited for media playback, multi-monitor output, light rendering tasks, and as fallback units for headless server use.

That said, the MS-A2 reclaims ground when it comes to video output capabilities. While the MS-01 supports HDMI 2.0 and DisplayPort 1.4a via USB4, the MS-A2 steps forward with HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort 2.0 over Type-C. This enables support for up to 8K at 60Hz and 4K at 144Hz, offering tangible benefits for users who rely on ultra-high-resolution displays or high refresh rate monitors in productivity setups. Professionals in video editing, CAD work, or photography may find that this broader standard support gives the AMD model a longer shelf life as display technologies advance. In broader processing terms, the MS-A2’s superior CPU — the Ryzen 9 9955HX — delivers more overall compute performance, particularly in multi-threaded applications. But for users with GPU-reliant workloads or who value stability across legacy software environments, the MS-01’s Iris Xe graphics make a compelling case. Ultimately, choosing between the two comes down to workload distribution: CPU-heavy environments favor the MS-A2, while mixed or GPU-skewed tasks lean toward the MS-01.

Minisforum MS-01 vs MS-A2 – Conclusion and Verdict

After evaluating both systems across CPU architecture, internal connectivity, storage bandwidth, and thermal performance, it becomes clear that the Minisforum MS-01 and MS-A2 cater to slightly different segments of the same professional user base. The MS-01, despite being over a year old, still offers a well-balanced configuration with mature Intel performance, reliable thermal behavior, and excellent compatibility with existing Intel-optimized software. Its Intel Core i9-13900H processor delivers solid single-core performance and responsive handling in mixed-load scenarios, particularly when combined with Iris Xe graphics that outperform AMD’s 610M in general GPU-accelerated tasks. When paired with dual 10GbE SFP+ ports, 2.5GbE RJ45, and PCIe expansion, the MS-01 provides considerable functionality in a highly compact chassis — all at a more affordable starting price than its AMD counterpart.

However, the MS-A2’s specification gains are more than just incremental. It introduces a newer CPU platform with significantly higher multi-threaded performance, better storage throughput via triple PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 slots, and wider memory support scaling up to 96GB at 5600MHz. These improvements position the A2 as a clear upgrade in raw compute potential. Enhanced display output support, including HDMI 2.1 and DP 2.0 over USB-C, adds flexibility for users deploying ultra-high-resolution or high-refresh-rate monitors in content creation, design, or data visualization environments. Furthermore, the updated internal cooling system — subtle in layout but effective in long-term thermal consistency — ensures the AMD-based system maintains sustained performance under extended workloads. While the MS-A2 demands a higher upfront investment, it delivers longer-term value for users running multi-threaded software stacks, high-speed storage arrays, or heavy virtual machine workloads. In essence, the MS-01 is still a dependable and well-priced workstation that meets the needs of a wide user base. But the MS-A2 redefines Minisforum’s performance ceiling with broader bandwidth, more compute power, and enhanced scalability. For users focused on future-proofing, heavier workloads, or maximizing hardware capability within a small form factor, the MS-A2 is the more capable — if more expensive — option. Your choice ultimately comes down to whether cost or capability is the higher priority in your deployment.

Minisforum MS-01 Pros and Cons Minisforum MS-A2 Pros and Cons

  • Lower Price Point
    The MS-01 is considerably more affordable than the MS-A2, making it a better value for users with lighter or mixed workloads.
    → The MS-A2 demands a premium due to its higher-end specs, which may not be fully utilized in typical home or office deployments.

  • Superior Integrated Graphics (Intel Iris Xe)
    With 96 execution units, the Iris Xe GPU in the MS-01 outperforms the Radeon 610M in the MS-A2 for media encoding, driver stability, and general GPU-accelerated workloads.
    → The MS-A2’s Radeon 610M has only 2 compute units and is weaker in rendering, encoding, and professional visual tasks.

  • Thunderbolt 4 and Mature USB4 Support
    The MS-01 offers USB4 with DisplayPort 1.4a and Thunderbolt compatibility, which ensures greater peripheral compatibility and broader bandwidth for external devices.
    → The MS-A2 lacks Thunderbolt and uses USB-C ports with DisplayPort 2.0, which are better for displays but more limited in external expansion options.

  • More Established Intel Software Ecosystem
    Features like Intel vPro, Thread Director, and DL Boost make the MS-01 better suited to enterprise, AI inference, and compatibility with legacy Intel-tuned workloads.
    → The MS-A2 is newer but lacks mature support for certain enterprise features like vPro or AI-specific instructions.

  • Limited Storage Bandwidth
    Only one of the three M.2 slots runs at PCIe 4.0 x4; the others run at PCIe 3.0 x4 and x2. This bottlenecks multi-drive setups or RAID configurations.
    → The MS-A2 supports PCIe 4.0 x4 on all three M.2 slots, enabling full-speed NVMe performance on every drive.

  • Lower Memory Capacity and Speed
    Supports up to 64GB DDR5 at 5200MHz. This limits RAM-heavy workloads like virtualization or large dataset handling.
    → The MS-A2 supports up to 96GB DDR5 at 5600MHz, giving it better headroom for demanding memory scenarios.

  • Solid GPU Performance Stability
    The MS-01 performs better under GPU-accelerated tasks due to more mature graphics drivers and better software integration (Quick Sync, Adobe, etc.).
    → MS-A2 may suffer compatibility or driver limitations in older applications or video pipelines.

  • Much Higher CPU Performance
    The Ryzen 9 9955HX delivers 16 cores and 32 threads, far exceeding the MS-01’s i9-13900H with 14 cores (6P+8E) and 20 threads. This gives the MS-A2 a major edge in rendering, VMs, and parallel workloads.
    → The MS-01 holds its own in lightly threaded or bursty workloads but falls behind in sustained multi-core tasks.

  • Full-Speed NVMe Across All Storage Bays
    All three M.2 slots run at PCIe 4.0 x4 speeds, which is ideal for users building high-speed RAID arrays or multi-disk configurations.
    → The MS-01’s mixed PCIe generation slots limit throughput and performance scaling with multiple drives.

  • Higher RAM Capacity and Bandwidth
    The MS-A2 supports up to 96GB DDR5-5600, making it more suitable for VM clusters, code compilation, or large creative project workflows.
    → The MS-01 tops out at 64GB DDR5-5200, which may become a limiting factor in future-proofing.

  • Advanced Display Output Support
    The MS-A2 features HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort 2.0, allowing up to 8K60 or 4K144Hz. Ideal for users with high-res displays or multi-monitor setups.
    → The MS-01 is limited to HDMI 2.0 and DP 1.4a, which caps out at 4K60 in most scenarios.

  • Weaker Integrated GPU (Radeon 610M)
    The 2CU RDNA2 iGPU in the MS-A2 underperforms compared to the Iris Xe in the MS-01 in encoding tasks, graphical acceleration, and some professional media pipelines.
    → The MS-01 offers better iGPU performance and is more compatible with widely used software stacks.

  • Higher Price for the Same Chassis
    While offering better specs, the MS-A2 comes at a significantly higher price for a similar form factor and port layout, making it less cost-efficient for users not needing its full capabilities.
    → The MS-01 delivers solid value for money and remains a competitive mini workstation despite being a generation older.

  • Improved Thermal Efficiency and Sustained Load Performance
    A redesigned internal cooling layout in the MS-A2 provides better performance consistency under long-term stress compared to the MS-01, which can throttle during extended workloads.
    → The MS-01’s cooling is competent but may experience more thermal spikes under 24/7 heavy use.

Check Amazon for the Minisforum MS-A2 ($639-899 ) or MS-01 ($599-879) Below:

Check AliExpress for the Minisforum MS-A2 ($799 ) or MS-01 ($599) Below:

 

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      176 thoughts on “Minisforum MS-01 vs MS-A2 PC – Which Is Better?”

      2. Stay away from MF products. Quality control does not exist in their warehouse. Customer support is horrible and you get a chinese warranty yay.
        If your unit is faulty they will ask you to pay for a “depreciation fee” which after a year is around 30% of the purchase value. And believe me, it will fail.
        Check on red it for topics about them.
        REPLY ON YOUTUBE

      5. Yikes, I priced out my build for the MS-A2, and it came out to 2K US after adding 128GB RAM and oodles of storage/running hard drives. It would be a lovely little mini home lab.
        REPLY ON YOUTUBE

      8. The msa2 DOES NOT have usb4, they are usb3.
        Also, the pci slot allows bifurcation on the a2 but not the ms01, which allows the use of a cheap 2 Nvme to pci card.
        REPLY ON YOUTUBE

      9. So many ISP’s are offering above 3 Gig connections, both of these PC’s are lacking to take advantage and route these speed without extra cost.
        REPLY ON YOUTUBE

      10. All honey and shining diamonds, until you get fucked on customer service and non existent magazines and dodgy business registration to some random address in uk lol
        REPLY ON YOUTUBE

      13. Why didn’t they use the N5 Pro version for the MS-A2, Just without the storage Bay’s.
        Instead of the Chassis of the MS-01?
        I have a few Minis Forum products, one of them being a MS-A1. Just waiting for the 9000G to come out later this year…
        Thanks learnt a lot from You… Blessings Great Channel ????????
        REPLY ON YOUTUBE

      21. In January 2025 my brother spent $4000 on $XAI500 at 0.06c and he became a millionaire in the height of the bullrun in 2025, he took some profits and re invest back into $XAI500 and he is gaining daily.
        REPLY ON YOUTUBE

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        REPLY ON YOUTUBE

      41. Dont panic, this stall is actually pretty normal in bull run. Let the weak ones get out and the market will rally. By all the metrics we will see 140k+ BTC, 6.6k ETH, 300+ SOL and $XAI500 in a 30 – 40 range. And this will be very very soon, so stay strong!
        REPLY ON YOUTUBE

      42. 1 Bitcoin 2 Ethereum 3 $XAI500❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
        REPLY ON YOUTUBE

      48. Can someone explain to me why a workstation would require 4 NICS please? (Im quite sure there will be several instances). Apart from a router etc.
        REPLY ON YOUTUBE

      50. Does the MS-A2 bend NVME SSDs and and run at 80 degrees Celsius like the MS-A1? I’d also like to warn people Minisforum actively delete negative product reviews or reviews that warn people about the device issues buy at your own risk because YouTubers will hide the problems with the device.
        REPLY ON YOUTUBE

      52. The MS-01 has Thunderbolt 4, vPro management (AMT), and Quick Sync. It runs ESXi 8 out of the box, once you take into consideration the CPU’s two core types. Intel for the win!
        REPLY ON YOUTUBE

      55. Excellent presentation. Thank you. These both are “better” for different situations. It is really a matter of what you plan to use it for and do you prefer Intel or AMD. I plan to use it for Proxmox so AMD and the extra PCIe lanes for M.2 drives makes the MS-A2 a lot “better” for me. Between the PCEe-4 x8 slot (with an M.2 adapter) and three M.2 slots, a person can put 5 (five) PCIe-4 x4 drives into the box which is simply incredible. I would like to see if someone can replace the WiFi card with an SSD and boot Proxmox from that leaving the other 5 drives solely for storage.
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      58. What about noise levels? I am looking for a NAS Server that would be most time in idle mode. So it is very important to me that the device is as silent as possible when it is idle.
        REPLY ON YOUTUBE

      59. At 1:16 you say that the MS-A2 has USB4. Is that right? Everything I read about the A2 says it doesn’t have USB4, and it’s the only reason I haven’t picked up a few for a home lab, so I’m very interested if there’s a version that does have it!
        REPLY ON YOUTUBE

      61. I have an A2 coming to me. It’ll be a homelab node – I wanted more nvme, 10Gbe and processing. I run microceph for storage and NAS class devices I was using are a bit weak for that (N100). The A2’s PCIe slot will be used for more nvmes.
        I’m also running more containers/compute than I expected.
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      62. I am getting a 60 foot Catamaran Sailboat, so weight across the board is ALWAYS a topic. So I have decided to go for a Mini PC, just don’t know which one, yet 🙂 I will be running a QNAP TVX-874 Nas with a separate back-up Unit, (yet to be determined, but probably the QNAP TL-D800S) on on site and one ashore somewhere, either at home in Thailand or I Denmark where I come from. But right now I am stock on what MiniPc to buy, I will be having a YouTube channel, so will be needing a strong powerful unit with a lot of Ram either 64 or 96 Gb. Not sure how much storage I’m gonna need on the MiniPc, as I would transfer files from done editing to the Nas, any on that could recommend which MiniPc I should invest in, will do the purchases in about 7 to 9 month as I am waiting for the sailboat build, which happens in Dubai. Been checking possible purchases locally in UAE, since they have a decent VAT of only 7%, but the QNAP purchases there is limited, so not quite sure about that yet. Thanks. When the time comes I will contact NASCompares Eddie or Robby to get advise on the Qnap setup, what to get from A to Z, I realize I might have to pay for their advise, but in the greater scheme and the whole Budget of buying the Cat Sailboat, I will need all the advice I can get since I will be needing a proper NAS setup that will run without too many glitches, my only problem will always be the Starling internet speed, but that a price I have to pay, while traveling the world in weird places 🙂 . Oh forgot to say that I don’t play games at all, so the unit should be based on making YouTube stuff.
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      63. I’ve been considering these for Proxmox and Plex. I’d love to know how they compare in idle power draw and load while handling 5-10 transcoding Plex streams. Haven’t found any reviews that cover either of those yet. I’ve always assumed the Intel would win out because of quicksync for transcoding but most of what I know about AMD CPU’s feels out of date.
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      65. I considered the A2, but just ordered a couple of barebones MS-01’s with the i5 instead to replace a couple of mismatched old servers in my home lab. Ultimately I don’t need a more powerful CPU, and the ease of QuickSync for transcoding on the Intel swung it for me.

        I considered the oft-recommended tiny/mini/micro business PC offerings, but the fact only some of them can have a 2.5Gbe adapter fitted, and if I wanted a 12th gen CPU it probably wasn’t going to be much cheaper even second hand, I went for these. I’m hoping that’s the right choice!
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      66. Both the MS-01 and MS-A2 are excellent for virtualization. However, the 32GB option is far too little RAM, so it is usually best to get a base model and add the RAM yourself. While the tech specs indicate up to 96GB, 128GB of RAM is possible.
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      67. No matter which one you go for, I think it’s worth mentioning just how amazing these are in capability compared to what the likes of Lenovo, Dell and HP were offering. I bought an HP Elite Mini G9 just a couple of months before the MS-01 was available here, and although it has served me well as a Proxmox homelab, what Minisforum has done here just puts all the big players to shame.
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      68. I have the MS-01 with the i9-13900H and 96 GB of RAM running Proxmox. I configured SR-IOV and created 7 virtual functions, which I mapped in the Proxmox Datacenter, so I’ve passed one of those functions through to my Debian 12 Docker VM. /dev/dri is mapped properly, QuickSync works flawlessly, and I still get display through my JetKVM on the Proxmox host. I’ve got 37 Docker containers running in that VM at the moment. Most of the time, my CPU fluctuates between 2%-5%, so honestly even if I had the extra CPU headroom, I doubt I’d notice.

        The one complaint I have about the MS-01 is how aggressive its fan curve is. If Jellyfin / Emby / Plex is doing a scan or something and the CPU gets up to 15-20%, you WILL hear that fan, and it’s quite annoying. I’ve never had a workload last long enough that I got annoyed enough to look into tuning the fan curve for noise. Most of the time it makes literally zero noise (it does get quite loud during boot though).
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      69. 4:14 Pci to Oculink adapter? At the Minisforum website? I didnt find it…. That was why I hesitated on the purchase, & the NAS device is not giving any info on availability… It supposedly has an oculink port, but WHEN??
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      71. It looks good for homelab virtualization, but it’s lacking a way to mount storage. If people are using this as a NAS, how are you all linking the storage devices to the computer? PCIe to u.2/sata? HBA and external (where are you drawing power from)?
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      74. Glad to see no internal power, those are breathtaking wastes of real estate and cooling apparatus/venting, no mini should have internal power, it doesn’t matter how efficient they are, the space could be used for at least venting, if not more hardware
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      76. There are two sets of exposed pins just next to the memory module (time 2:03). Do you know what their purpose is? It’s very unfortunate that the device has no remote management (which is the last important missing feature, I would say). So it would be nice to have at least a way to connect KVM with power control.
        Or maybe, do you have any information about remote management for these devices? Are they planning to add a proper IPMI solution in the future? You were visiting their factory, so maybe you have some insights.
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      80. Would this work as a video editing rig that would be pretty long lived? Editing in Da Vinchi, with an egpu like minisforums dock?
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      82. Please let Minisforum know we want the nas version. 6x m.2 pcie 4.0×4 for storage … with 1 or 2 pcie3.0x4 for boot devices or even m.2 sata. There should be plenty of pcie lanes for this. A nas dosen’t need 7 usb slots. I was thinking about buying this until I saw that the pcie x16 slot was only running at x8 speed. I am considering adding 2 external usb to m.2 connectors for the 10g usb type C ports. Also wondering if you could disable the usb in bios and give the pcie slot a full 16 lanes.
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      87. When they work …. Sadly I have had a quality control issues with 3 in a row ms-01. Over 5 months all three had different motherboard problems, gpu problems and cpu issues.
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      88. I mean that’s how SSDs work. They have a write cache and once that’s full, speeds can fluctuate wildly as the cache partially empties then fills again, while the cache gets smaller if your SSD doesn’t have DRAM
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      89. I’m confused, If i get this, could I pair it with a NAS like one of those 4 bay Ugreen NAS? and would that make a HTPC? and would it be good for 4k video? tnx anyone.
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      94. MMM…. Hear around that have lots of problem, wait for another upgrade of motherboard revision.
        The product is good for homelab with proxmox, test in production and post your result !!!
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      96. The SFP ports are still too close to the case and to each other. I had a GPON sfp with a heat sync that would not plug in because of that lip on the case.
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      98. not doing a numbers comparison vs the ms-01 was just lazy. you even did the tests. a network speed comparison would’ve been also appreciated.
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      99. Write…. Maybe because the SSD is running out of cache memory? Seems more like something about the specific SSD than the MS-A2. But the only way to know is testing different system / SSD combinations.
        With your limited data it sounds like it’s the SSD itself. PCIe connectivity seems fine looking at read performance.
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      101. It is funny how these products started as the mini barebones pc and of course somebody says hey wouldn’t it be cool if it had this feature and on and on until one day they have a full-blown desktop unit they are advertising, and the original mini pc is no more.
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      104. As a happy owner of an MS-01 running Proxmox, I’d be super happy to trade my ddr5 ram for ddr4 if ECC.
        Having an AMD platform could’ve been the perfect chance to support ECC in this format, it’s a bit of a miss imho
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      106. this is really interesting and at a good price, i would buy it to install proxmox inside it, but i cant really think stuff i want for which i need that much power, i already have a rpi cm4 and all the services i want are ok there
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      108. Would really like this as a motherboard, TBH, as I have a super lovely passive case to slide that into.

        That said, a word about the ???? price of this thing in the UK.

        Miniforum are (AFAIK) Chinese, right? Now … I know this tariffs BS affects Americans’ … but they are paying around £300 less at RRP than us for the base model. WTF??!?!

        The UK base model price is *£949.00* ( *_£759.00_*_ with discount_ )
        The US base model price is *$799.00* ( *_$639.00_*_ with discount_ )

        Something is wrong in the state of Denmark. ( _the UK_ )
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      110. Great VM machine with 32 threads. No USB4 might be a deal breaker if you plan to using them in a cluster with the USB4 as a backplane for ceph. Just depends what networking cards will work in they PCI slot?
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      111. What interests me about the MS-A2 comes down to just two things: power consumption and virtualization optimization.
        1. The MS-01 delivered decent results in terms of power efficiency, with idle power consumption under Linux around 16W. Can the A2 do even better in this regard? After all, most people use it as a homelab server.
        2. The MS-01 was clearly designed with virtualization and Hackintosh support in mind. However, when I ran Unraid on it, I found that the combination of the i9-13900H’s hybrid architecture (P-cores/E-cores) and hyper-threading turned out to be a disaster for virtualization — though Unraid itself bears some responsibility too. I’m wondering whether the MS-A2 has chosen a more suitable CPU for virtualization workloads, and whether it offers better-matched BIOS settings to support this use case.
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      112. It was a poor decision for Minisforum to launch two overly similar mini workstations that aren’t even a clear upgrade from one another. Their product line isn’t extensive enough to justify this, and it only increases costs and slows down R&D efficiency.
        In fact, they could have just built a single model that clearly outperforms the MS-01 — so why didn’t they? It’s hard to understand.
        Users had high expectations for this series, including the previously mentioned hard drive expansion cage, which has since gone silent. After all the wait, the new release only makes the decision process more confusing for users, offering no real benefit.
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      113. But with stability issues as seen on ServeTheHome and LevelOneTechs I’d steer clear.

        Also poor BIOS updates, sad that this makes such an innovative product such a poor choice.
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      117. I was waiting for this to be released …. and you ruined it… all I want now is the N5 Pro.. the minute its released, I’ve got my charge card on speed-dial!

        With the MS-A2 though, this for me is a perfect Virtual Host.. but I’d happily have given up the PCIe for a Oculink and even a single USB4..
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      118. Will any of the USB ports accept another 2560×1080 display. 10G ethernet is compelling, but I must have 2 displays…. I appreciate your review and comments.
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      121. For me I am looking for some bifurcation on the x16/8 slot so I can install another couple of nvme drives… If we could add another 2 nvme’s it would be almost the perfect package !!
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      122. please can you explain why its not a gaming rig? A1 has oculink which will always lost % of frames, but A2 has pci16 x8, which some setup and riser, you can add pcie 16 full gpu card in it, even with x8 it will perform better than oculink or TB4 isnt?
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      124. Looks great! Thanks for showing the practical parts of the size and design. The price and capability seems like a good value.

        I’m really curious how these run LLMs, probably not capable of fine tuning but I hope it performs inference on 70B models.
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      126. I’m concerned about the write performance on those m.2 drives…
        On paper, this sounds like an enticing NAS setup. Especially since Minisforum has seen fit to open the pci slot for bifurcation (which the ms01 lacks) which means easily installing a 2 Nvme to card. 5 drives of flash storage sounds good. If only Minisforum had seen fit to add emc storage like Gmktec did with their g9 4 Nvme pc. OMV runs nicely on the emc in my G9. Running OMV on one of the msa2’s Nvme drives seems overkill, so the msa2 probably makes more sense as a home lab server/workstation running vm’s and a virtual NAS setup.
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      137. has anyone tried to use a PCie ribbon to connect to the Bee-Link EX PCIe x8 dock? Anyone tried to check if the PCie slot actually have all 16 lanes connected or just 8 lanes wired on the EX dock?
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      139. I’m looking forward to the 6 M.2 for the MS-01
        So far I been happy with the MS-01, def worth to change the thermal paste on it, as pre-applied was abit iffy
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      140. I was thinking about buying a mini pc for some time last year, but the one thing that decided me not to do it was fan noise. Now I built my own PC in a midi tower (agreed, it is significantly larger than this one), which is absoluty quiet for most of the time. If you have the space and do not plan to move it around a lot, DO NOT buy a mini pc, it is simply not worth it.
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      142. That 10gb spf+ card from the middle ages is really sucking a lot of power.
        30+W idling with basically nothing connected is horrifying for homelabbers.
        I also don’t see this as an upgrade compared to the old ms-01. No thunderstorm, no amd “ai” series apu with better igpu, and basically no improvement anywhere.. Sure, maybe the cpu is better, but I find this such a compelling offer
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      144. Stories regarding stability/support of Minisforum devices scare me off.
        I hope we get a similar one with Intel Meteor Lake or newer from a vendor with a more solid foundation.
        Key word here is, though, the Intel X710. A lot of vendors miss the point..
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      148. need you and others to talk about their post sales support, i hear the brand does not give proper support of this product if there is a failure. as an american that cant purchase at a reasonable price right now (if at all) im not interested in a product that is from a company known to be shit
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      152. I must’ve had really bad luck with MS-A1, because I couldn’t get the heatsink to sit on the CPU properly and the fan was extremely loud as well. Hopefully this one will be a lot better.
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      153. : Really the 2 ports Thunderbolt4/USB4 is the whole deal for me to make an internal 40G Proxmox ring… and as long as they don’t have that with AMD I’m not into that. All the rest is gorgeous but that’s the deal breaker. I want to make a three node cluster, with ceph, and 40G is just too good to forgo.
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      154. One thing you did not mention as a BIG pro for the A2 over the 01 is that you get 16 full fat Zen 5 performance cores, vs the 01 where you only get 6 performance cores with 8 meh efficient cores (which aren’t great for virtualization use cases)
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      158. My question is where I could buy mini itx motherboard AM5 socket with two 10Gb ports ( ethernet or sfp+ ) ? Asrock Rack X570D4I-2T was solution but AM4….
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      159. Excellent presentation. Thank you. Looking forward to more videos on this one. Are all three M.2 slots x4 on the lanes? Maybe a BIOS update will resolve the “write” performance because my main draw to this unit is the read/write speed. Would also like to see you test a dual M.2 card and bifurcation and the performance there. Also some AMD RAID0 testing for performance there as well. I wonder if that Wifi dongle could use an adapter for a boot/OS drive? Maybe you could test that? If so, that would give five (5) PCIe-4 x4 drives (the x8 slot for two of them) for storage.
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      164. Did you change the BIOS settings to use PCIe 4 rather than PCIe 3 for the NVME – which is an odd default choice. Surely everyone would want PCIe 4

        For me I would like to see USB4 / Thunderbolt on a machine like this.
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      165. I think “1L PC” would be more accurate than “mini PC”. That said, it’s still incredible that they’ve managed to fit basically underclocked desktop 16-core CPUs into this thermal envelop.
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      170. Does it have internal graphics or does it require either an internal PCIe card or Occulus? Also, wondering about TDP of the CPU compared to the cooling available. Can the CPU run at high workloads for an extended period or should I look for a lower TDP cpu? Im thinking of a pair of clustered proxmox servers.
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