The MINISFORUM Venus Series UM790 Pro Mini PC is suitable for a wide range of users. Whether you’re a gamer, content creator, productivity enthusiast, or home theater aficionado, this mini PC provides the power and versatility you need. From professionals who require a powerful workstation to families looking for a compact home entertainment solution, the UM790 Pro Mini PC caters to various needs and preferences.

As we mentioned earlier, Minisforum's comprehensive approach to the overall machine design encompasses meticulous attention to the air duct configuration, facilitating optimal heat dissipation within the chassis. Leveraging the cutting-edge Cold Wave2.0 innovative heat dissipation architecture, the company has ensured a proficient cooling mechanism. Evaluating its efficacy, the thermal management of the entire system proves highly effective. In our assessment, we conducted a thorough examination using the 65W performance mode throughout the testing procedure. During routine usage, as observed on the Master Lu interface, the CPU temperature consistently hovers around 50 degrees Celsius, underscoring the success of Minisforum's heat dissipation strategy. Regarding the network connections, there's a 2.5G Ethernet port and Killer™ AX1675 Wi-Fi 6E network card; in the test, this all seemed more than fast and reliable enough for most workshop and studio tasks and gaming. Except for the barebones version, all versions come with Windows 11 pre-installed. The barebones version does not include RAM and SSD; therefore, it does not have pre-installed Windows 11. UM590: Up to three monitors can be connected at the same time with a maximum resolution of 4K@60Hz. The Minisforum UM790 Pro offers users the flexibility of selecting between two distinct modes. The first, known as balance mode, ensures a consistent power output capped at 60W, providing a stable and reliable performance. However, for those seeking an extra boost in capabilities, the performance mode unleashes the full potential by allowing the power to surge up to 65W. To thoroughly explore the device's capabilities, our upcoming tests will involve fine-tuning it into performance mode, thereby evaluating its optimal prowess. Notably, Minisforum has ensured an intuitive user experience through its user-friendly BIOS interface, which boasts a visually appealing graphical layout, adding to the overall appeal of the UM790 Pro.

The bottom of the system has four rubber feet that hide the four screws to the bottom cover. Unfortunately, one needs to peel off these feet to get to the screws and get inside the chassis. Each time wears the adhesive. We wish Minisforum switched this to a solution like Beelink with easier access to the screws. Minisforum UM790 Pro Bottom The UM790 Pro offers two SODIMM slots, allowing for a maximum of 64GB of DDR5-5600 dual-channel memory. This ensures smooth multitasking and responsive performance. Additionally, there are two M.2 2280 slots available for PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSDs, which can be configured in RAID0 or RAID1 setups. This enables users to take advantage of high-speed storage and potentially increase data redundancy. Can I upgrade the RAM and storage of the UM790 Pro Mini PC? Yes, the UM790 Pro Mini PC has two SODIMM slots that support up to 32GB DDR5 RAM in each slot. Additionally, it provides two PCIe4.0 SSD slots, allowing for storage expansion up to a total of 4TB. In conclusion, the Minisforum UM790 Pro stands out as a remarkable Mini PC that excels in multiple aspects, making it my preferred choice based on its appearance, craftsmanship, heat dissipation capabilities, and hardware configuration. The adept handling of the powerful AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS processor, maintaining stable performance even at a high power of 65W, is a testament to Minisforum's prowess in efficient heat dissipation. The innovative Cold Wave 2.0 heat dissipation structure, combined with a well-designed air duct system, underscores the product's reliability and dependability.

I'm only running gigabit Ethernet but this new setup would push 10 gigabit to its limits. I have a custom built 40 TB NAS also gigabit but probably not worth upgrading since it uses mechanical drives. The gaming performance is surprising but also a little disappointing because of how fast the CPU is. The upside is that with an external discrete card, it'll basically be as powerful as any desktop PC for gaming. So far it's running all my 1080p games at ulrtra, which is above expectations.

Emissions - quiet and surprisingly frugal

The front of the system has two USB4 Type-C ports. Aside from USB and DisplayPort alt-mode duties, these also can connect Thunderbolt 3 devices. In the video, we show the Razer Core X enclosure working off of one of these ports as well as a Thunderbolt 3 10GbE adapter. We also show the unit being powered by the eGPU enclosure. Minisforum UM790 Pro Front The Minisforum UM790 Pro is a powerful and compact mini PC that offers an impressive set of features. With its AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS processor and integrated Radeon 780M Graphics based on the RDNA 3 architecture, it delivers excellent performance for a wide range of tasks, including multitasking, image editing, and gaming. BT has been what I would describe as hit and miss, but this could be the Xbox Headset I am using or Windows in general just being crap as there appear to be reports of this on the web. I sometimes get glitches or choppy audio using the BT headset, it's very inconsistent and again this is me sitting about 1m from the UM790 which is on my desk. Controller pairing with my PS4 controller has been fine, and I haven't seen any issues with that for the moment. I also have a corded Audio Technica headset which has been flawless, so it's not a systemic audio issue just something with my Xbox headset. Is the UM790 Pro Mini PC compatible with Wi-Fi 6E networks? Yes, the UM790 Pro Mini PC comes with the Intel Killer AX1675 wireless network card, which supports Wi-Fi 6E technology. This allows for faster and more reliable wireless connectivity.

Well into day 2 of tinkering with this thing and taking my time, Windows 11 came up ridiculously fast. And then I had to install the rest of the drivers to get everything to work. In fact Win11 wouldn't even see the 2 monitors without the built their driver. It all runs solid, and I waited until it was fully updated to install all the AMD stuff. I usually dread the AMD software but for once it's completely stable and lets me set all those neat options that this system can do! Beautiful design on the outside, well machined metal is a nice change from the cheaper feeling plastics on some other units. Hopefully sharing my experiences will help someone not be as frustrated building the barebones version of this amazing machine to squeeze out that last 10%. Measuring 130mm x 126mm x 52.3mm, the UM790 Pro's compact size makes it suitable for limited desk spaces, and it's compatible with VESA mounting, which is a nice touch, especially in studios where you want the surface to be clear of cables and machines.

Minisforum UM790 Pro STH Mini PC Overview

The pre-built versions of this rig I believe come already configured with RAID in beast mode so the barebones isn't going to be worth the hassle for most people, but I don't really regret the effort running this thing day to day. And if you don't care about hardware RAID then it'll run Ubuntu stable at mind blowing speeds but technically not as fast as hardware RAID. Each piece of hardware has passed a strict quality inspection and met the factory's standards before it is delivered to Minisforum. In addition, there is no difference in the warranty policies of these hardware suppliers. After booting up, let’s run a score first. Through the latest version of Master Lu’s running score, we can effortlessly achieve an impressive running score of 1.45 million points. A comprehensive breakdown of this score is illustrated in the accompanying figure. Notably, the central processing unit (CPU) contributes significantly with a score of 930,000, while the graphics card showcases robust performance, amassing over 129,000 points. The memory component garners a score of 198,000, closely followed by the hard disk at 196,000. This configuration should be the configuration of the current flagship PC. Thermally this machine is excellent for it's form factor. It's chalk and cheese compared to the UM690 which is decent, but isn't perfect with some sub optimal RAM cooling. Minisforum have totally fixed this on the UM790 Pro and even better is the fact that at idle just browsing in Windows the machine is barely audible with it sitting on my desk around 1m away. I'd be happy to post some screenshots if people want to see them, but just to give you and idea with the system fully loaded for a couple of hours (tested with both OCCT and Furmark) I haven't seen the CPU go over 80C yet, and RAM temperatures have never exceeded 50C (ambient ~20C). The USB4 ports on the UM790 Pro support power delivery, and they can be used as a power supply port.