Key Points
- Minisforum has launched its first ARM-based mini PC, the MS-R1.
- A 12-core Cixin P1 SoC powers it and supports up to 64GB of RAM.
- A key feature is a PCIe x16 slot, allowing for the addition of a discrete GPU or other expansion cards.
- The device is designed for business and AI workloads, delivering up to 45 TOPS of compute power.
Minisforum has just released the MS-R1, its first-ever ARM-based mini PC. This compact computer is powered by a 12-core Cixin P1 SoC, which includes eight Cortex-A720 cores and four Cortex-A520 cores, and can reach speeds of up to 2.6GHz.
The device comes with an integrated Immortalis-G720 MC10 GPU and can be configured with up to 64GB of LPDDR5 RAM. The base model comes with a 1TB NVMe SSD for storage, which can be expanded to 8TB using either PCIe 4.0 M.2 or U.2 drives.
One of the standout features of the MS-R1 is its full PCIe x16 slot. While it has a physical x16 interface, the bandwidth is limited to x8. This slot allows users to add a separate, more powerful GPU, a high-speed network card, or even more storage modules, making it a surprisingly versatile little machine.
The MS-R1 is well-equipped with connectivity options, including Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, dual 10GbE ports, and an HDMI port. It also has a USB-C port with DisplayPort support, along with multiple other USB-A and standard USB-C ports.
With its compact 1.7-liter size and a maximum power consumption of just 28W, the MS-R1 is a great fit for mobile workstations or in offices where space is tight.
This business-focused PC supports UEFI boot, allowing users to easily install mainstream Linux distributions and set up virtualization directly from a USB drive. This makes it easy to run Linux and other operating systems without a complex setup, though there is no mention of Windows on ARM support.
For AI tasks, the MS-R1 uses the CIX CP8180 processor, which delivers up to 45 TOPS (trillion operations per second) of computing power. This makes it well-suited for AI inference and edge computing workloads.
The Minisforum MS-R1 is available to buy now from the company’s online store. The base model with 32GB of RAM and no storage starts at $503, while the top-of-the-line version with 64GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD is priced at $695.90.
