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Suryasis 53.2K Views
Oct 26, 2023 5:56 AM

Minisforum EM680 Mini PC: Ryzen 7 6800U, 16GB LPDDR5 RAM, 512GB PCIe SSD

$349

$419

16% off
& More + Free Shippingat Minisforum
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Deal Details
Minisforum has Minisforum EM680 Mini PC on sale from $349 when you apply $70 off discount code EM680-$70 at checkout. Shipping is free.

Thanks to community member Suryasis for finding this deal.

Note: Mouse pads are available for purchase for $0.10 during the Halloween event. Mouse pads will be shipped with the machine. Mouse pads purchased separately will not be shipped.

Alternate Configurations:Specs:
  • Ryzen 7 6800U 8C/16T 2.7 GHz (4.7 GHz Boost, 20MB Cache), Liquid Metal Thermal Compund
  • Radeon 680M Graphics
  • 16GB LPDDR5 6400 MHz Onboard Dual Channel Ram
    • 32GB Option Available
  • 512GB M.2 2230 PCIe Gen 4.0x4 NVMe SSD with Active Cooling
    • 1TB Option Available
  • Onboard Wi-Fi 6E 2x2 + Bluetooth 5.3
  • Windows 11 Pro
  • Ports:
    • 3x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type A 10 Gbps
    • 2x USB4 Type-C with Power Delivery & DisplayPort 1.4 (8K@60Hz)
    • 1x HDMI 2.1 (4K@144Hz)
    • 1x microSD card Slot
    • 1x Audio Combo Jack
    • 1x DMIC
    • 1x Clear CMOS
  • 65W GaN Type-C PD Charger
  • 1/4L Form facto

Editor's Notes

Written by citan359 | Staff
  • About this deal:
    • This Halloween sale event offers $50 - $70 savings compared to this earlier Frontpage Deal which received +90 votes from the community.
    • Valid through Nov. 2nd, while supplies last.
  • About this product:
    • The hardware brands may vary from batch to batch. Please rest assured that they all meet Minisforum's standards and are all covered by the warranty.
    • Up to three monitors can be connected at the same time with a maximum resolution of 8K@60Hz.
    • The USB4 ports on the EM680 can be used as a power supply port.
    • 2-Year warranty (details)
  • Additional Note:
    • Please refer to the Forum Thread for additional discussion regarding this deal.

Original Post

Written by Suryasis
Community Notes
About the Poster
Deal Details
Community Notes
About the Poster
Minisforum has Minisforum EM680 Mini PC on sale from $349 when you apply $70 off discount code EM680-$70 at checkout. Shipping is free.

Thanks to community member Suryasis for finding this deal.

Note: Mouse pads are available for purchase for $0.10 during the Halloween event. Mouse pads will be shipped with the machine. Mouse pads purchased separately will not be shipped.

Alternate Configurations:Specs:
  • Ryzen 7 6800U 8C/16T 2.7 GHz (4.7 GHz Boost, 20MB Cache), Liquid Metal Thermal Compund
  • Radeon 680M Graphics
  • 16GB LPDDR5 6400 MHz Onboard Dual Channel Ram
    • 32GB Option Available
  • 512GB M.2 2230 PCIe Gen 4.0x4 NVMe SSD with Active Cooling
    • 1TB Option Available
  • Onboard Wi-Fi 6E 2x2 + Bluetooth 5.3
  • Windows 11 Pro
  • Ports:
    • 3x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type A 10 Gbps
    • 2x USB4 Type-C with Power Delivery & DisplayPort 1.4 (8K@60Hz)
    • 1x HDMI 2.1 (4K@144Hz)
    • 1x microSD card Slot
    • 1x Audio Combo Jack
    • 1x DMIC
    • 1x Clear CMOS
  • 65W GaN Type-C PD Charger
  • 1/4L Form facto

Editor's Notes

Written by citan359 | Staff
  • About this deal:
    • This Halloween sale event offers $50 - $70 savings compared to this earlier Frontpage Deal which received +90 votes from the community.
    • Valid through Nov. 2nd, while supplies last.
  • About this product:
    • The hardware brands may vary from batch to batch. Please rest assured that they all meet Minisforum's standards and are all covered by the warranty.
    • Up to three monitors can be connected at the same time with a maximum resolution of 8K@60Hz.
    • The USB4 ports on the EM680 can be used as a power supply port.
    • 2-Year warranty (details)
  • Additional Note:
    • Please refer to the Forum Thread for additional discussion regarding this deal.

Original Post

Written by Suryasis

Community Voting

Deal Score
+55
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Why are you downvoting this deal?

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Top Comments

Suryasis
20.7KComments
18.6KReputation
Yes. Steamdesk has 8 Compute Engines running at max speed of 1600 MHZ whereas this one has 12 CU running at 2200 MHZ. On top of that, this has Zen 3+ based 8 core cpu with both better single and multithreaded performance than the 4 Core Zen 2 based cpu. In lower resolution, 1080p or below, standard target resolution for these integrated graphics, CPU Matters a lot. So, the combination of having far more powerful cpu and more powerful gpu, with higher TDP, makes this a better performer.
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StarfirePrime
1KComments
1.3KReputation
There are several YT channels that evaluate these mini PC for emulation. Here's a link to the RetroGameCorps spreadsheet...
https://docs.google.com/spreadshe...edit#gid=0
Go to Comment
Suryasis
20.7KComments
18.6KReputation
It is not Minisforum issue if a Thunderbolt dock does not work. USB4 does not gurrantee that it will work with any Thunderbolt certified Devices. Instead, the Device manufacturers has to make sure that their Devices can use USB4 mode.
I'm not sure which model of that Caldigit dock you have but most modern TB3/4 docks work with USB4. Some older docks or even cheap new docks using older Thunderbolt 3 Bridge chip, may not work with all USB4 Devices. My Startech TB3 dock, purchased back in 2018, does not work either but my Plugable TBT4-UDZ works fine with HX99G and Lenovo Legion 5 Pro 2023 with RTX 3070 Ti (Lenovo updated one Type-C Port to USB4 with Firmware Update).
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81 Comments

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Oct 26, 2023 10:42 AM
1.5K Comments
Joined Jul 2011
LordDrolOct 26, 2023 10:42 AM
1.5K Comments

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Why don't more of these designs come with an external SMA antenna for Wi-Fi?

Other than that, looks good, and a painless +$30 to get to 32 GB of RAM.
2
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Oct 26, 2023 11:01 AM
1.9K Comments
Joined Apr 2007
tomdcOct 26, 2023 11:01 AM
1.9K Comments
also on Amazon? Is this better than an Intel i5?
3
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Oct 26, 2023 12:11 PM
20.7K Comments
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SuryasisOct 26, 2023 12:11 PM
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Quote from tomdc View quoted comment :
also on Amazon? Is this better than an Intel i5?
You need to be more specific about which Core i5?
1
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Oct 26, 2023 12:18 PM
1.6K Comments
Joined Jan 2011
tiGGGOct 26, 2023 12:18 PM
1.6K Comments
Anyone have any experience with running something like this longevity, like using it everyday for work 6-8hrs a day? How has it been over the course of 1, 2 or 3 years (if it survives that long)?
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Oct 26, 2023 12:49 PM
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SuryasisOct 26, 2023 12:49 PM
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Quote from tiGGG View quoted comment :
Anyone have any experience with running something like this longevity, like using it everyday for work 6-8hrs a day? How has it been over the course of 1, 2 or 3 years (if it survives that long)?
I am running a Minisforum Mini PC for over a year now. Mine one is a bit biggert and comes with a Ryzen 9 6900HX + Radeon RX 6600M Graphics and it runs over 10 hours everyday. It is called HX99G.
Oct 26, 2023 1:12 PM
1K Comments
Joined Aug 2011
StarfirePrimeOct 26, 2023 1:12 PM
1K Comments
Minisforum may be a bit hit or miss. I have a UM773 Lite (7735HS) and overall, I'm pleased with it. It came out just before the next gen 7000 chips with upgraded GPU and it was discounted.

My biggest gripe is that it was advertised with USB4 compatibility, but there are very few things that I own that are compatible. My Caldigit hub is not recognized and I couldn't get display out. Fortunately, that's not my use case, but I doubt Minisforum will ever fix the USB4 issues.
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Oct 26, 2023 1:31 PM
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SuryasisOct 26, 2023 1:31 PM
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Quote from StarfirePrime View quoted comment :
Minisforum may be a bit hit or miss. I have a UM773 Lite (7735HS) and overall, I'm pleased with it. It came out just before the next gen 7000 chips with upgraded GPU and it was discounted.

My biggest gripe is that it was advertised with USB4 compatibility, but there are very few things that I own that are compatible. My Caldigit hub is not recognized and I couldn't get display out. Fortunately, that's not my use case, but I doubt Minisforum will ever fix the USB4 issues.
It is not Minisforum issue if a Thunderbolt dock does not work. USB4 does not gurrantee that it will work with any Thunderbolt certified Devices. Instead, the Device manufacturers has to make sure that their Devices can use USB4 mode.
I'm not sure which model of that Caldigit dock you have but most modern TB3/4 docks work with USB4. Some older docks or even cheap new docks using older Thunderbolt 3 Bridge chip, may not work with all USB4 Devices. My Startech TB3 dock, purchased back in 2018, does not work either but my Plugable TBT4-UDZ works fine with HX99G and Lenovo Legion 5 Pro 2023 with RTX 3070 Ti (Lenovo updated one Type-C Port to USB4 with Firmware Update).
3
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Oct 26, 2023 1:37 PM
90 Comments
Joined May 2013
daweyoOct 26, 2023 1:37 PM
90 Comments
The picture of the unit on the nightstand is ungenuine. This thing has a minimum of two cords coming out of it. Add a USB hub and direct ethernet then there is 4 cords. The small form factor is great, but you lose most asthetics with all the cords coming out of it.
8
Oct 26, 2023 1:55 PM
1K Comments
Joined Aug 2011
StarfirePrimeOct 26, 2023 1:55 PM
1K Comments
Quote from Suryasis View quoted comment :
I'm not sure which model of that Caldigit dock you have but most modern TB3/4 docks work with USB4.
You're correct in that both parties need to be properly engineered. In my case, I purchased the Caldigit Element Hub for it's expansive USB and it is explicitly marketed as USB4 compatible. The hub also works fine on other devices. Fortunately, the Element Hub works on the UM773 USB-C port, so although it's not full featured, it still handles my workflow. When I plug the Element Hub into the USB4 port, there's no indication of an attempt at initialization (the hub LED that typically turns on remains dark).

I was hoping this would simply be a BIOS issue, but that has been a bit of a disaster for the UM773 as well. Minisforum had "blended" there support for the UM773 and the previous UM690, posting 690 BIOSes under the 773 area. There had only been one update (from 1.06 to 1.08) which did not fix the issue. Now you can only get the 1.06 version on their website (which makes me wonder if the 1.08 that I'm running is okay). I'm leaving well enough alone for now.

(Don't get me wrong - I like Minisforum overall. But considering how quickly they churn out new models, I think they need to focus a bit more effort on supporting the existing ones)
Last edited by StarfirePrime October 26, 2023 at 06:59 AM.
Oct 26, 2023 2:00 PM
31 Comments
Joined Sep 2015
LocknoonOct 26, 2023 2:00 PM
31 Comments
Can we run pfsense on it?
Oct 26, 2023 2:04 PM
513 Comments
Joined May 2007
GoWhiteSoxOct 26, 2023 2:04 PM
513 Comments
I was looking at the Beelink Ser6 Max for about $430. I'm guessing this is a little less powerful? Mainly want to use for higher end emulation
Oct 26, 2023 2:13 PM
1.6K Comments
Joined Mar 2019
barrera_jOct 26, 2023 2:13 PM
1.6K Comments
Quote from GoWhiteSox View quoted comment :
I was looking at the Beelink Ser6 Max for about $430. I'm guessing this is a little less powerful? Mainly want to use for higher end emulation
they are almost identical in performance
1
Oct 26, 2023 2:14 PM
1K Comments
Joined Aug 2011
StarfirePrimeOct 26, 2023 2:14 PM
1K Comments

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Quote from GoWhiteSox View quoted comment :
I was looking at the Beelink Ser6 Max for about $430. I'm guessing this is a little less powerful? Mainly want to use for higher end emulation
There are several YT channels that evaluate these mini PC for emulation. Here's a link to the RetroGameCorps spreadsheet...
https://docs.google.com/spreadshe...edit#gid=0
3
Oct 26, 2023 2:16 PM
1.6K Comments
Joined Sep 2013
neowebOct 26, 2023 2:16 PM
1.6K Comments
This or the UM790 pro? Have they worked out all the kinks on that model yet?

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Oct 26, 2023 2:19 PM
463 Comments
Joined May 2011
SennamonTeaOct 26, 2023 2:19 PM
463 Comments
how are these for occasional 4k video editing in premiere pro?

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