Minisforum Unveils 790S7: Compact PC with RTX 4060 and 16-Core Ryzen 9 7940HX

[GGforever]

Minisforum stands as a reputed brand in the ever-advancing segment of mini PCs. The brand's recently unveiled 790S7 joins its commendable lineup of high-performance SFF PCs with specifications that are impressive to say the least. At 7 liters, the 790S7 is not exactly 'tiny', but is substantially more compact than traditional tower PCs.

The system is powered by a 16-core Ryzen 9 7940HX 'Dragon Range' CPU at its heart, paired with up to 64 B of DDR5-5200 RAM and 4 terabytes of flash storage along with the titular RTX 4060 discrete GPU. Unlike most of the other compact PCs from the brand, the RTX 4060 GPU in the 790S7 is of the full-fledged desktop variant and not the slower 'Laptop' kind.




The Zen 4-based CPU in the 790S7 is decently powerful, with its 16-core/32-thread setup being more than potent enough to push through almost any workload. The two-year-old RTX 4060 is no slouch either, but its age might be more apparent once NVIDIA's Blackwell lineup hits the market early next year. Connectivity options are respectable as well, with an audio jack, a USB-A 3.2 Gen1x1, and a USB 2.0 Type-C port on the front and a plethora of more ports on the back, including 2.5 G ethernet, DP 1.4, HDMI 2.1 and USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 ports.

As for pricing, the barebones version of the 790S7 with the Ryzen 9 7940HX CPU starts at $459. The variant with 32 GB of RAM, 1 TB SSD, and RTX 4060 costs quite a bit more, coming in at $939. Interestingly, yet another barebones version with an Intel CPU, specifically the i9-12900HK is also available, priced at $399. All the variants come equipped with a 400 W power supply as well.



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[crazyeyesreaper]

at 400 watts on the PSU i would likely opt for the Intel system its more efficient surprisingly meaning less strain on the PSU. the AMD chip can and will use more overall power. But in terms of actual gaming the Intel system should performance about the same, but run cooler / quieter / and more efficiently.

 

[JohH]

at 400 watts on the PSU i would likely opt for the Intel system its more efficient surprisingly meaning less strain on the PSU. the AMD chip can and will use more overall power. But in terms of actual gaming the Intel system should performance about the same, but run cooler / quieter / and more efficiently.

Bull-fucking shit. At idle the 12900HK is more efficient but at every point after that it isn't.

7940HX clocks higher and has higher IPC so it'll be better in gaming. In multi-thread it has more performance overall despite a default power limit of 100W as configured compared to 115W for the 12900HK as configured by Minisforum.

Plus it is all homogeneous cores so you have less Windows update scheduling shenanigans randomly ruining performance.

 

[crazyeyesreaper]

overall system power draw on the AMD chip is higher more often than not from what I have seen. Furthermore its a 4060, the extra CPU performance wont matter as the system will be GPU limited long before CPU.

That said, yeah the AMD system is the far better overall CPU option hands down, but for pure gaming. The Intel system is likely a better option because the 400 watt PSU is not confidence inspiring.

The 7940HX can if not limited hit 200-220 watts vs the 12900HK at around 170-180 watts. that's half the 400 PSU's capacity. A desktop 4060 can pull 115 watts. So the AMD system in theory can peak at around 340 watts not counting transient spikes and with multiple storage drives etc. While the difference between the two is small in terms of price. that extra headroom is good to have for longevity.

If opting for a barebones and trying to add a different GPU without overloading the CPU that changes things a bit.

Looking at the various options it really depends on how one plans to use the system.

 

[yfn_ratchet]

overall system power draw on the AMD chip is higher more often than not from what I have seen. Furthermore its a 4060, the extra CPU performance wont matter as the system will be GPU limited long before CPU.

That said, yeah the AMD system is the far better overall CPU option hands down, but for pure gaming. The Intel system is likely a better option because the 400 watt PSU is not confidence inspiring.

The 7940HX can if not limited hit 200-220 watts vs the 12900HK at around 170-180 watts. that's half the 400 PSU's capacity. A desktop 4060 can pull 115 watts. So the AMD system in theory can peak at around 340 watts not counting transient spikes and with multiple storage drives etc. While the difference between the two is small in terms of price. that extra headroom is good to have for longevity.

If opting for a barebones and trying to add a different GPU without overloading the CPU that changes things a bit.

Looking at the various options it really depends on how one plans to use the system.

Most of this is a total nothing burger. These are still laptop chips, and more importantly stuffed into a mini-PC chassis. It's highly doubtful either chip could avoid a TJmax ceiling at those power targets, and in this field AMD sustains lower power under high/full load while remaining consistently performant across the board on Zen 4 and even Zen 3/3.5 systems.

The 12900HK I would expect has more multithreaded muscle due to having more physical cores, which is a consideration for some, but the vast majority of the market for mini-PC users are gamers and casual users, and neither would noticeably appreciate the low-load efficiency of an Intel chip nor its decent multithreading performance which belongs more in homelab duties (especially with the transcoding beast that is Quick Sync Video).

Not to mention that the 400W PSU that's all so wimpy is a standard form factor, TFX, and can be replaced by high-power options from the likes of Silverstone [TX700] if that's your perogative.

 

[JohH]

Most of this is a total nothing burger. These are still laptop chips, and more importantly stuffed into a mini-PC chassis. It's highly doubtful either chip could avoid a TJmax ceiling at those power targets, and in this field AMD sustains lower power under high/full load while remaining consistently performant across the board on Zen 4 and even Zen 3/3.5 systems.

The 12900HK I would expect has more multithreaded muscle due to having more physical cores, which is a consideration for some, but the vast majority of the market for mini-PC users are gamers and casual users, and neither would noticeably appreciate the low-load efficiency of an Intel chip nor its decent multithreading performance which belongs more in homelab duties (especially with the transcoding beast that is Quick Sync Video).

Not to mention that the 400W PSU that's all so wimpy is a standard form factor, TFX, and can be replaced by high-power options from the likes of Silverstone [TX700] if that's your perogative.

1. It does actually have fine temperature at 100W. It runs Prime 95 for 1 hour and at no point did it trip PROCHOT or throttle. Fan does get loud.
2. 7940HX has 16 cores and 32 threads. 12900HK only has 14 cores and 20 threads. 12900HK has much less MT muscle.
3. 400W PSU is sufficient for 100W CPU + 115W GPU. But more probably wouldn't hurt.

 

[bonehead123]

On the outside, these look eerily similar (aesthetically) to the decades old Dell & HP SFF office boxes of yesteryear.... soooooo friggin fuggily & boring AF, in contrast to MF's actual mini-me boxes, which are rather nice looking overall......

And I would have my doubts about running a 16 core CPU (regardless of brand) + a 4060 with a scrawny little 400w PSU to do anything significant, other than casual office work/surfin/email ect....nope, not doin that !

But as usual, this conversation has tilted towards the gamr crowd, which I seriously doubt is their main/target market..... IF you really MUST have a gamin monster, then go buy or build an ATX rig & stuff it full of top-tier parts & be happy. Not EVERYONE who buys a computer does so to play friggin gamz

And.......be prepared to spend AT LEAST as much or more than the $939 quoted for these boxes, and give up way more desk/floor space than these machines will require

 

[yfn_ratchet]

1. It does actually have fine temperature at 100W. It runs Prime 95 for 1 hour and at no point did it trip PROCHOT or throttle. Fan does get loud.
2. 7940HX has 16 cores and 32 threads. 12900HK only has 14 cores and 20 threads. 12900HK has much less MT muscle.
3. 400W PSU is sufficient for 100W CPU + 115W GPU. But more probably wouldn't hurt.

1. I was noting crazyeyesreaper's numbers for fully unlocked PLs, so far above 100W. Rather impressive that the cooling kept up with that much power, though.
2. Naming conventions strike again, I forgot that the HX is a different model entirely from the HS. My bad. Still, I would contest that Intel's a better option for homelab if not workstation.
3. Yeah, should be fine anyways, but it's worth bringing up that it's not like 400W is an absolute ceiling at these PSU sizes.

 

[Chaitanya]

Are they using standard FlexATX PSU? those are relatively "easy" to source compared to anything propiertary that most SFF PC OEMs tend to use. Another thing to note is front USB is USB 2.0 which is stupidly odd decision. with half height PCI slots available it should be easy to add fast networking capabilities as long as board used has a PCIe slot.
Edit: here is the image of board from product page.

Also Title suggests the GPU is included while it clearly is not and only comes with iGPU.

Expand Low-profile Graphics Card​

Powered by the AMD Radeon™ 610M, it offers reliable performance and smooth operation, efficiently handling all your computing and multimedia tasks. Plus, it supports internal installation of a low-profile dedicated graphics card, such as the Gigabyte RTX 4060 OC-8GL, further enhancing graphics processing capability.

Note: Dedicated graphics card not included.

 

[yfn_ratchet]

Are they using standard FlexATX PSU? those are relatively "easy" to source compared to anything propiertary that most SFF PC OEMs tend to use. Another thing to note is front USB is USB 2.0 which is stupidly odd decision. with half height PCI slots available it should be easy to add fast networking capabilities as long as board used has a PCIe slot.
Edit: here is the image of board from product page.
View attachment 369075

Also Title suggests the GPU is included while it clearly is not and only comes with iGPU.

It would have been good to mention in the title that it was a desktop 4060 to perk some ears, because I also initially thought it was a 4060 Mobile strapped to the board. You get a Gigabyte 4060 Low Profile if you buy the full package by the looks of it, with the barebones version leaving it out.

In any case, this looks like their BD products being repurposed into ready-made SFF PCs to get them moving. People probably don't buy the BDs all that often since it has Aliexpress franken-board compromises without the Aliexpress franken-board price, even if it's very nicely made. In that case, this should all be standard ATX so you can use any TFX PSU with these. FlexATX is a lot more narrow than the product pics of the PSU, so I'd say that's not what they're using.

 

[Chaitanya]

It would have been good to mention in the title that it was a desktop 4060 to perk some ears, because I also initially thought it was a 4060 Mobile strapped to the board. You get a Gigabyte 4060 Low Profile if you buy the full package by the looks of it, with the barebones version leaving it out.

In any case, this looks like their BD products being repurposed into ready-made SFF PCs to get them moving. People probably don't buy the BDs all that often since it has Aliexpress franken-board compromises without the Aliexpress franken-board price, even if it's very nicely made. In that case, this should all be standard ATX so you can use any TFX PSU with these. FlexATX is a lot more narrow than the product pics of the PSU, so I'd say that's not what they're using.

That was my 1st thought Minisforum had soldered 4060 Mobile to miniITX board like they have 6600XT Mobile in another SFF PC. Looking at lack of 10Gbps USB or faster USB ports certainly seems like a business SFF repackaged as a consumer grade SFF. Having a standard SFF PSU would be a massive plus from future upgradebility. Other than soldered CPU all the remaining components are user upgradeble(even the fan on top of CPU cooler). Will be looking for reviews of this PC.

 

[Wirko]

Once again I have to re-educate myself on the AMD's naming scheme. Chiplets in 7-9-4-zero!

 

[Hardware1906]

at 400 watts on the PSU i would likely opt for the Intel system its more efficient surprisingly meaning less strain on the PSU. the AMD chip can and will use more overall power. But in terms of actual gaming the Intel system should performance about the same, but run cooler / quieter / and more efficiently.

overall system power draw on the AMD chip is higher more often than not from what I have seen. Furthermore its a 4060, the extra CPU performance wont matter as the system will be GPU limited long before CPU.

That said, yeah the AMD system is the far better overall CPU option hands down, but for pure gaming. The Intel system is likely a better option because the 400 watt PSU is not confidence inspiring.

The 7940HX can if not limited hit 200-220 watts vs the 12900HK at around 170-180 watts. that's half the 400 PSU's capacity. A desktop 4060 can pull 115 watts. So the AMD system in theory can peak at around 340 watts not counting transient spikes and with multiple storage drives etc. While the difference between the two is small in terms of price. that extra headroom is good to have for longevity.

If opting for a barebones and trying to add a different GPU without overloading the CPU that changes things a bit.

Looking at the various options it really depends on how one plans to use the system.

you can check ETA Prime review, the cpu rarely go higher than 90W in gaming and max at 100W while benchmarking with cpuz, also the 7940hx + rtx 4060 combo maxed out at 250W
btw, can you give me the source about "the 7940hx can hit 200W" please?

not too much review about it since its launch

 

[Daven]

And I would have my doubts about running a 16 core CPU (regardless of brand) + a 4060 with a scrawny little 400w PSU to do anything significant, other than casual office work/surfin/email ect....nope, not doin that !

Umm…wut!?!? I had to read this inane comment three times. Are you saying a 16 core CPU and a mid range desktop discrete graphics card can ‘only’ surf the web because of the 400W PSU?

Every laptop ever made just called and wants a word with you.

 

[kapone32]

I am willing to bet that these are Power limited in the BIOS. It's not like AM5 chips are effected negatively with less voltage.

 

[AusWolf]

Such an awesome little mini PC, and you guys are fighting about it only 14 posts in. What is wrong with you all?

 

[SOAREVERSOR]

Are they using standard FlexATX PSU? those are relatively "easy" to source compared to anything propiertary that most SFF PC OEMs tend to use. Another thing to note is front USB is USB 2.0 which is stupidly odd decision. with half height PCI slots available it should be easy to add fast networking capabilities as long as board used has a PCIe slot.
Edit: here is the image of board from product page.
View attachment 369075

Also Title suggests the GPU is included while it clearly is not and only comes with iGPU.

I built a system off one of these boards and they kick ass. I don't like the case this ships with there are better out there like Streamcom. Both the AMD and intel boards are good quality. Arguing over which is better comes down to usage case.

 

[demian_vi]

I'm getting this one for Christmas, its been out for sale since the 12th of October btw

 

[bonehead123]

Umm…wut!?!? I had to read this inane comment three times. Are you saying a 16 core CPU and a mid range desktop discrete graphics card can ‘only’ surf the web because of the 400W PSU?

Every laptop ever made just called and wants a word with you.

Aw shucks, I forgot the "/s" tag...oops, my bad

But I was being sarcastic of course, if for nothing else than just to preempt the inevitable onslaught of the gamr bois, who would start whining & moaning about how they couldn't possibly get 200fps+ out of these rigs because it would over-stress the psu.......

 

[GGforever]

It would have been good to mention in the title that it was a desktop 4060 to perk some ears, because I also initially thought it was a 4060 Mobile strapped to the board. You get a Gigabyte 4060 Low Profile if you buy the full package by the looks of it, with the barebones version leaving it out.

In any case, this looks like their BD products being repurposed into ready-made SFF PCs to get them moving. People probably don't buy the BDs all that often since it has Aliexpress franken-board compromises without the Aliexpress franken-board price, even if it's very nicely made. In that case, this should all be standard ATX so you can use any TFX PSU with these. FlexATX is a lot more narrow than the product pics of the PSU, so I'd say that's not what they're using.

I did mention it in the article. Besides, had it been the mobile variant, the title would have read 'RTX 4060 Laptop'

 

[freeagent]

This little thing is impressive. Looks a little bit longer than a PCIE slot.. pretty cool.

 

[Daven]

Aw shucks, I forgot the "/s" tag...oops, my bad

But I was being sarcastic of course, if for nothing else than just to preempt the inevitable onslaught of the gamr bois, who would start whining & moaning about how they couldn't possibly get 200fps+ out of these rigs because it would over-stress the psu.......

Whoops sorry. I didn’t get the sarcasm.