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forum threadSuryasis posted Aug 22, 2025 03:33 PM
forum threadSuryasis posted Aug 22, 2025 03:33 PM

Minisforum MS-A1 Barebones Mini PC (No CPU/OS) w/ AM5 Ryzen 7000/8000/9000 Support, USB4, OCuLink, 4x PCIe, Dual 2.5G Lan @ $205 + F/S

$205

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Link: https://store.minisforum.com/prod...1918824693

Coupon: $50 Off via 2025-50 (Automatically applies to the Cart)

Spec:
  • AM5 CPU socket supporting Ryzen 7000, 8000 and 9000 series Desktop Processors
  • 2x DDR5 SODIMM Slot, up to 96GB 5200 MT/s
  • 2x PCIe Gen 4x4 M.2 2280 Slot
  • 1x PCIe Gen 3x4 M.2 2280 Slot
  • 1x PCIe Gen 4x1 M.2 2280 Slot
  • 1x M.2 2230 for NIC (Populated)
  • Wi-Fi 6E 2x2 + Bluetooth 5.2
  • Front Ports:
    • 2x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1
    • 1x USB-A 2.0
    • 1x 3.5mm Audio Combo Jack
  • Rear Ports:
    • 1x DC-In (19V 12.63A, 240W)
    • 1x HDMI 2.1
    • 1x DisplayPort 2.0
    • 1x OCuLink Dedicated Port
    • 1x USB 4.0 Type-C 40 Gbps (Data + DisplayPort)
    • 1x USB-A 3.2 gen 2 10 Gbps
    • 1x USB-A 2.0
    • 2x Realtek 2.5G RJ-45 supporting link aggregation
Features:
  • Supports Raphael (Ryzen 7000 desktop), Phoenix (Ryzen 8000 series Desktop) and Granite Ridge (Ryzen 9000 series Desktop) Processor.
  • The 3 M.2 PCIe Gen 4 SSD bandwidth depends upon the CPU choice as the Phoenix APUs don't offer as many PCIe Gen 4 lanes as the Ryzen 7000 series Desktop Processors. If 8000 series is used, the 2nd PCIe Gen 4x4 Slot will run at Gen 4x2 speed.
Community Notes
About the Poster
Deal Details
Community Notes
About the Poster
Link: https://store.minisforum.com/prod...1918824693

Coupon: $50 Off via 2025-50 (Automatically applies to the Cart)

Spec:
  • AM5 CPU socket supporting Ryzen 7000, 8000 and 9000 series Desktop Processors
  • 2x DDR5 SODIMM Slot, up to 96GB 5200 MT/s
  • 2x PCIe Gen 4x4 M.2 2280 Slot
  • 1x PCIe Gen 3x4 M.2 2280 Slot
  • 1x PCIe Gen 4x1 M.2 2280 Slot
  • 1x M.2 2230 for NIC (Populated)
  • Wi-Fi 6E 2x2 + Bluetooth 5.2
  • Front Ports:
    • 2x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1
    • 1x USB-A 2.0
    • 1x 3.5mm Audio Combo Jack
  • Rear Ports:
    • 1x DC-In (19V 12.63A, 240W)
    • 1x HDMI 2.1
    • 1x DisplayPort 2.0
    • 1x OCuLink Dedicated Port
    • 1x USB 4.0 Type-C 40 Gbps (Data + DisplayPort)
    • 1x USB-A 3.2 gen 2 10 Gbps
    • 1x USB-A 2.0
    • 2x Realtek 2.5G RJ-45 supporting link aggregation
Features:
  • Supports Raphael (Ryzen 7000 desktop), Phoenix (Ryzen 8000 series Desktop) and Granite Ridge (Ryzen 9000 series Desktop) Processor.
  • The 3 M.2 PCIe Gen 4 SSD bandwidth depends upon the CPU choice as the Phoenix APUs don't offer as many PCIe Gen 4 lanes as the Ryzen 7000 series Desktop Processors. If 8000 series is used, the 2nd PCIe Gen 4x4 Slot will run at Gen 4x2 speed.

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17 Comments

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Aug 22, 2025 06:33 PM
2,023 Posts
Joined Aug 2008
cuoreesitanteAug 22, 2025 06:33 PM
2,023 Posts
I wonder if amd will come out with a 9xxx series G chip. The 8700g while good is getting a bit long in the tooth in terms of GPU power. I'd be interested in slapping an updated chip has a 890m or 8050/8060S GPU inside of this chassis.
Aug 22, 2025 07:01 PM
1,280 Posts
Joined Aug 2019
SlickCrayon1512Aug 22, 2025 07:01 PM
1,280 Posts

Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank SlickCrayon1512

Just FYI, $175 frequently
1
1
Aug 22, 2025 08:28 PM
603 Posts
Joined Mar 2009
StrategyFreakAug 22, 2025 08:28 PM
603 Posts
Not at good deal, and also you need to carefully select a processor to be used as the cooling on this systems is really poor. Minisforum was smart to use a mobile chip in the next gen.
1
Aug 22, 2025 11:29 PM
54 Posts
Joined Aug 2023
OodlesofNoodles157Aug 22, 2025 11:29 PM
54 Posts
Quote from SlickCrayon1512 :
Just FYI, $175 frequently
Also, buyer beware for buying directly from Minisforum. Buying from Amazon or Newegg gives you the opportunity to get an additional warranty... which given the complaints about Minisforum you might find to be a very useful alternative to their service/warranty support.
1
Aug 23, 2025 12:01 AM
54 Posts
Joined Aug 2023
OodlesofNoodles157Aug 23, 2025 12:01 AM
54 Posts
Quote from cuoreesitante :
I wonder if amd will come out with a 9xxx series G chip. The 8700g while good is getting a bit long in the tooth in terms of GPU power. I'd be interested in slapping an updated chip has a 890m or 8050/8060S GPU inside of this chassis.
Rumor has it they are doing a refresh of the 8000-series APUs
Aug 23, 2025 12:04 AM
54 Posts
Joined Aug 2023
OodlesofNoodles157Aug 23, 2025 12:04 AM
54 Posts
Quote from StrategyFreak :
Not at good deal, and also you need to carefully select a processor to be used as the cooling on this systems is really poor. Minisforum was smart to use a mobile chip in the next gen.
So I can't drop the 9950X I just got into this bad boy?
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Aug 23, 2025 04:10 AM
20,349 Posts
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SuryasisAug 23, 2025 04:10 AM
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Quote from OodlesofNoodles157 :
Quote from SlickCrayon1512 :
Just FYI, $175 frequently
Also, buyer beware for buying directly from Minisforum. Buying from Amazon or Newegg gives you the opportunity to get an additional warranty... which given the complaints about Minisforum you might find to be a very useful alternative to their service/warranty support.
How you'll get additional warranty by buying from Amazon or Newegg? I think you meant to say easy return but that's only for 30 days.

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Original Poster
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Aug 23, 2025 04:12 AM
20,349 Posts
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SuryasisAug 23, 2025 04:12 AM
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Quote from OodlesofNoodles157 :
Quote from StrategyFreak :
Not at good deal, and also you need to carefully select a processor to be used as the cooling on this systems is really poor. Minisforum was smart to use a mobile chip in the next gen.
So I can't drop the 9950X I just got into this bad boy?
You can but due to the smaller size with limited cooling, the TDP will be limited to 100W. If you go to the product page, you'll see Minisforum selling models with 9950X.
Aug 23, 2025 11:20 AM
603 Posts
Joined Mar 2009
StrategyFreakAug 23, 2025 11:20 AM
603 Posts
Quote from OodlesofNoodles157 :
So I can't drop the 9950X I just got into this bad boy?
Not if you don't want it throttled basically any time it's under load. You can use the best thermal paste possible but it won't make up for the significant deficiency in cooling.

It's why the MS-02 which is basically the successor to this, uses the 9955HX which the mobile version with a much lower TDP but about 85-90% of the performance of the desktop 9950X.
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Aug 23, 2025 01:44 PM
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SuryasisAug 23, 2025 01:44 PM
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Quote from StrategyFreak :
Quote from OodlesofNoodles157 :
So I can't drop the 9950X I just got into this bad boy?
Not if you don't want it throttled basically any time it's under load. You can use the best thermal paste possible but it won't make up for the significant deficiency in cooling.

It's why the MS-02 which is basically the successor to this, uses the 9955HX which the mobile version with a much lower TDP but about 85-90% of the performance of the desktop 9950X.
What I found is the best middle ground between performance and Thermal, is using the Non-X CPUs with default TDP of 65W. I have one, purchased refurbished from one of my deals only and using Ryzen 9 7900, picked up 2nd hand at $200 last year. You have to understand one thing, this thing is not build for fetching every bit of performance from the CPU but for a balanced and budget HomeLab/ Mini Server setup.
I have AOOSTER AG02 USB4/OCuLink eGPU Dock hich I use with my various Mini PCs and I have gamed on this with a RTX 4070 Ti at 1440p without any issues. However, main use case for this one is for me, is running multiple Databases, different Data Models and analytics software.
Aug 24, 2025 04:50 PM
45 Posts
Joined Jul 2012
jin12888Aug 24, 2025 04:50 PM
45 Posts
Quote from SlickCrayon1512 :
Just FYI, $175 frequently
When and where?
Aug 25, 2025 05:25 AM
2,467 Posts
Joined Aug 2018
VioletTent657Aug 25, 2025 05:25 AM
2,467 Posts
Quote from jin12888 :
Quote from SlickCrayon1512 :
Just FYI, $175 frequently
When and where?
It's not really. It's regularly $240 on Amazon and I haven't seen anything better than this price for it.
Aug 25, 2025 08:51 PM
261 Posts
Joined Apr 2023
SharpLake2934Aug 25, 2025 08:51 PM
261 Posts
The 9700X3D is rated for a 120w TDP but only uses about 97w. So it works fantastic is the MS-A1. I am using an RX 6500 non-xt. And it works alright for lite gaming.

Edit: My original post was confusing. Embarrassment
Last edited by SharpLake2934 August 26, 2025 at 03:40 PM.
Aug 26, 2025 01:21 PM
2,467 Posts
Joined Aug 2018
VioletTent657Aug 26, 2025 01:21 PM
2,467 Posts
Quote from SharpLake2934 :
The 9700X3D is rated for a 120w TDP but only uses about 97w. So it works fantastic is the MS-A1. But finding a good single slot low profile gpu can be a bit challenging. I am using an RX 6500 non-xt. And it works alright for lite gaming.
This doesn't accept any internally mounted gpus, does it? I thought this model requires mounting the gpu externally via an oculink dock.

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Aug 26, 2025 09:25 PM
261 Posts
Joined Apr 2023
SharpLake2934Aug 26, 2025 09:25 PM
261 Posts
Quote from VioletTent657 :
This doesn't accept any internally mounted gpus, does it? I thought this model requires mounting the gpu externally via an oculink dock.
It doesn't have an internal pcie slot. However you can use an m.2 adapter to add a pcie slot. But you need external power for a gpu. Sorry my original post was confusing. Embarrassment
Last edited by SharpLake2934 August 26, 2025 at 03:40 PM.

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