MINISFORUMMS-01-S1260 Mini PC Barebone with Intel Core i5-12600H,vPro Enterprise Support,2x10Gbps SFP+LAN/2x2.5G RJ45/2xUSB4/HDIM/16xPCIe 4.0/M.2 NVMe SSD/U.2 NVMe SSD,Mini Computer(No OS/RAM/SSD)

After reading so much hype about the MS-A2, I couldn't wait to get my hands on one! I already have an MS-01 and MS-A1, so I was super excited to see how much the tech has evolved in the last year. The MS-A2 is essentially in the same case as the MS-A1, but packed with a lot more power!I was a bit saddened to see there is no USB4 support or Gen5 NVME and has just one HDMI video output . It does have two type-C USB 3.2 Gen2 10Gbps ports that support display port out, so you can add two additional monitors (for a total of three monitors at the same time.)It has two 2.5GbE ethernet ports. One is Intel-based, the other is Realtek based. In addition, it also has two SFP+ ports based on the Intel X710 network chip. The WiFi 6E and Bluetooth are from a Mediatek RZ616 m2 network adapter inside.It is now possible to get 64GB DDR5 SODIMM memory modules, so two of those DO work in this system for a total of 128GB of RAM!!!Of course, I had to get the Ryzen 9 version 9955HX, which has 16 cores and 32 threads. That CPU can turbo up to 5.4GHz!For storage, there are three M.2 slots that can fit either M.2 2280 (80mm) or M.2 22110 (110mm) NVMe SSDs. Yes, you can use RAID 0 or RAID 1 on them! It also includes an adapter if you want to use U.2 enterprise-class server storage drives.This Mini PC is no toy! The power brick is 240 watts! It's amazing how much power, performance and reliability you get for such a low price in such a small and quiet package! Yes, you can absolutely hear the CPU fan ramp up when it's under a heavy workload, but it is much quieter than the CPU coolers of yester-year!Opening up the system to work on it is just a push button away. No tools required! You push a button in the back and the entire case pulls off like a sleeve!There is an option to slot in a OcuLink PCEi card if you want to have an external GPU, though I'd just get a regular tower PC if that was my intention, personally.This is THE best value homelab computer available today! I am absolutely smitten with this workhorse!!!

((((update -swapped out my indium foil on the amd 9600x cpu in minisforum ms-a1 chassis with thicker foil8-10c lower at idle,7-10c lower at load66c igpu without extra fans63.8c igpu with extra fans80-83c cpu temp (core)not bad for such a iffy cooler / heat block design for full socketgoing to try it in my ms-a1 that has a 7950x3D next- end update))))))rare setup. very attractive.Pros:* cpu socket* removeable wifi/bluetooth chip* runs old win10 and many *nix os* amazing connectivity port options* bios reset button is hidden for basic security* bios battery wires have a connector to disconnect current to hard reset bios* extreme mobility* barebones option* priceCons:* bios lacks maturity* bios lacks features* bios will not properly reboot after conflicting option changes, meaning you need to take the front flash cover off to access the bios reset button* bios battery appears to be hard to replace as it has some plastic shrink wrap around it. wires might be soldered. idk.* minisforum website drivers appear to only work for win11. there are win10 amd drivers for cpu igpu that work on old win10* heat sink sucks. 9600x idles around 78 celsius with indium foil, even at 30 watt limited ppd, 7950x3D idles around 90 celsius with a low quality thermal pad from amazon. i aim to customize mine for the new ice giant 360 cooler coming june 2025. however, amd software reports the gpu side of the 9600x to idle at 58 celsius. i ran furmark 2 and Prime95 stress tests for 20 minutes each. igpu max temp 78-80 celcius, cpu max temp 91-92 avg 90 celsius. i think since the igpu reads lower temps on the same die as cpu heat sensor that cpu temp might be a core temp. however amd did say the 9950x3D would have a revised layout so some heat generating parts wont overheat the chip by placing them closest to the surface of the chip... so who knows this heat issue could partly be the combined fault of amd, the bios, and the cooler. custom solution required or dont buy.* many linux distros dont have compatible firmware for network card or graphics, etc. some do though. including older versions of distros oddly.* as ive read online updating the bios is a chore and not for averagw users who have never touched a command lineoverall, for what it is, i highly value this unique product. it is for niche users, but i own 2.. one from amazon and one ordered from minisforum website.5 Stars given, but i would deduct 1 for bios and drivers, especially linux drivers and old win10 driver availability. the heat issue deserves 1 star deduction but since i will customize i will allow a pass.

On paper this mini desktop seems to check all the boxes for a perfect lab/firewall machine 2.5G lan, 10GB SFP ports, that’s where it ends. I’ve now tried two replacements of these desktops and both failed to power on after a while and no this isn’t bad memory or bad nvme storage. This is a known issue the desktop sufferers from. If you do a search, you will find others experiencing the same issue it seems to be an issue with the motherboard draining the CMOS battery. Once that happens it will no longer power up. Some others have replaced the battery only for it to fail again. I’ve even seen when I set the time in the BIOS and restart and re-enter the BIOS the time is wrong and behind a few hours, this happens even after being on the most recent BIOS.Minisfourm customer service is also terrible others have complained on their discord channel about waiting months for warranty replacement claim and made some people pay for warranty support. I tried reaching out to them and no response after three weeks. I would stay pass on this desktop and look for another brand entirely.