Minisforum has launched its first mini workstation, aptly called the MS-01, powered by laptop processors going up to the Intel Core i9-13900H. The Mini Workstation's primary purpose is for those who need the fastest possible network speeds, good expansion options, and plenty of internal storage in a compact form factor. Currently, the Minisforum has the MS-01 on pre-order but according to the official press release the device will be available for retail on Jan. 23, priced from US$549.
Minisforum states that its first mini workstation is tailored for 'tech-savvy gamers' who can choose from three CPU variants and up to 96EU Intel Iris Xe graphics. The MS-01 can be configured with the Intel Core i9-13900H or the 12900H, both with vPro Enterprise support, or the Core i5-12450H.
Thanks to the 2.5G LAN ports and two 10G SFP+ ports, you have ample options for wired network connectivity. These SFP+ ports also support link aggregation. There are multiple USB port configurations. Users can channel video output through the USB4 ports, and the USB4 ports in the rear I/O section allow simultaneous support for 20 Gbps Thunderbolt Ethernet. There is also an HDMI-out for video output.
An active cooling system is fitted for the mobile H-series CPU, rated for cooling up to 80W, which should be fine for handling the laptop CPUs central to the Minisforum Mini workstation MS-01. The cooler also provides direct contact for the two SO-DIMM DDR5 RAM modules.
Internally, there is a PCIe 4.0 x16 slot but due to the limitation on the form factor, you can only use a half-height single-slot PCIe card like the NVIDIA RTX A2000 GPU, though one would be curious if it can fit a fanless version made by an enthusiast. In addition to the three M.2 storage slots, you can also use a U.2 drive which provides PCIe 4.0 x4 bandwidth.
Due to the configuration of the MS-01, this looks to be very versatile for a home server. This is Minisforum's first venture into a mini workstation so it will be interesting to know what would people use this for and what their experience is with respective CPU variants. As mentioned in the intro, product pre-orders can be made via Minisforum's website.
