MINISFORUM AI X1-255 Mini PC Barebone with AMD Ryzen 7 255 (8C/16T, up to 4,9 GHz), HDMI/DP/USB4 (4K@120 Hz), Dual Speaker/DMIC,USB-A X 3, 2.5G LAN, Wi-Fi 7/BT5.4

I think I am done with full size computers. It's hard to believe just how fast these mini PCs have become and when they are built with quality RAM and storage and have great cooling while costing less than a typical full size computer, I can't find any reason to back. This little guy has 8 cores and 16 threads and nearly hits 5Ghz while remaining nearly silent and having no heat issues even on the most intense tasks. The RAM and SSD are made by Crucial and are not the generic 'cheap stuff' other manufacturers often use to increase their own profit. The case is entirely plastic. This is a good thing because metal cases block WiFi and Bluetooth signals to a point. With plastic, WiFi and Bluetooth range are fantastic on this little guy! I also appreciate that Minisforum sells a version of this exact mini PC without any RAM, SSD or operating system. These days, those components can double the price of a computer. So if you already have your own, its less waste and a big cost savings if you are a DIY type. I love this has USB4 and it has an OcuLink port. By default, with the model I ordered, it has a 1TB NVMe drive that runs at top Gen4 speeds (see photo) with no heat issues. Next to it is an empty M.2 slot for expanding the storage. Alternately, you can use the OcuLink adapter included in the box to install in the empty M.2 slot if you prefer to use it for an eGPU. Your choice and it's not sold separately. It's included at no extra cost and can be removed if you change your mind later and want to use the second M.2 for storage later on. While this mini OC can play plenty of games as-is with it's built-in AMD Radeon 780M graphics, the sky is the limit when gaming with an external GPU using OcuLink. This little guy does my photo editing and my video editing with ease and I can't get over how cool and quiet it stays! The RAM can be upgraded. It is NOT soldered in like other models. Same is true with the WiFi/Bluetooth adapter (a MediaTek) and the aforementioned NVMe SSD. Mine came with Windows 11 Pro 24H2. I updated it to 25H2 and update the AMD Adrenlin and chipset drivers and, again, I find it hard to believe you get so much in every category of computing and pay so little for it! The CPU in here has no NPU (no AI processor) so I also save money there for something I have no use for. I expect Minisforum to be a household name in a few years. They have been around since 2018 and I have been very impressed with their products, prices, warranty and support so much, I have been buying from them ever since with each year bringing new designs and more performance and functionality with each new generation. Minisforum just makes these mini PCs with so much unique ingenuity that many of their models have no equal competitors (yet!) So, for whatever it's worth, until you get one in your own hands and see for yourself, I don't know the words to express my happiness with this purchase!

This is an overall good product. Pros: 1) Metal cases which is good for heat dissipation. 2) The fan noise is well controlled; completely acceptable. 3) Many competiors feature "Ryzen 7 H 255" CPU, while this one is "Ryzen 7 255". This "Ryzen 7 255" seems to be slightly better in terms of power comsumption and performance. 4) Price point is sweet; I was looking for a new model which has decent performance and is within reasonable price range. I think this one really does the job well. 5) 2x USB 4 ports 6) Radeon 780M can handle most of the works 7) Wifi 7, BT 5.4, 2.5 Gbps ethernet port Not so greats: 1) Ryzen 7 255 NPU is disabled. This is a kind misleading to call it AI PC. 2) Occulink would occupy one PCI-E bus 3) Would want somewhat more powerful iGPU; 780M is over 2 years old. It is still okay but would be nice to have something newer.

This barebones mini-PC delivered exactly what I needed for a quiet, compact, high-performance build. I added DDR5 memory and two NVMe drives (1TB + 4TB), and the dual internal M.2 slots made setup clean and easy. I'm currently running 4 monitors (via HDMI, USB-C, and DisplayPort), and everything works flawlessly. The two USB4 ports are especially handy — one for display output and the other connected to an external SSD. Speeds are excellent, and all USB ports support high-speed transfers. Fan noise is impressively low — much quieter than my old tower PC — and system responsiveness is snappy even under load. Setup tip: After Windows install, be sure to update all drivers using the manufacturer’s support page and AMD's driver tools. This ensures proper GPU, USB, and SSD performance. Very happy with this system — small footprint, big performance, great flexibility.

I got it and it was okay at first for older games but when I tried to play multiplayer games it was horrible then I tried to increase the performance in the settings and went down for and update then tried starting it back up and now it doesn't work it turns on and off way too quick and there is no way to troubleshoot it so I request a refund and they agreed through chat and said I'd have my refund in 2-3 hours then days later after not getting it I got in a chat with them and that said I couldn't get a refund because it went over 30 days but a few days before they said I'd have my refund in 2-3 hours and so I couldn't stand being lied to and called them and talked to 2 people who could barely speak any English and they refused to give me a refund and I about lost it so $766 out the window for me. If anyone decides to get this junk get the 2 year warranty yes it's $60 but I promise you that you will be sending it back so just maybe not get it to begin with really.

When my Minisforum UM790 Pro (purchased March 2024 via Amazon) failed after 1.5 years with the no-display-after-sleep issue (powers on, fans spin, no video), support was outstanding. They reviewed my troubleshooting (multiple monitors/cables, RAM reseat, CMOS reset, BIOS reflash), approved RMA quickly, let me keep my SSD, and processed a refund to my original order. Even better, they offered an upgrade path to the AI X1 Pro (Ryzen AI 9 HX 370, 32GB RAM + 1TB SSD, $999.99). I paid the difference, and the AI X1 Pro is impressive: snappy performance, quiet cooling, tons of ports (dual USB4, 2.5GbE), and the Radeon 890M iGPU handles everyday tasks smoothly. Minisforum turned a frustrating failure into a positive experience through clear communication and goodwill. Highly recommend their customer service and warranty handling!

Great small form factor, lots of ports. I have a few weird things happen occasionally with Microsoft Teams requiring it to be re-installed, only happens on this PC, not on my Microsoft Surface Laptop. It's fast, small, lightweight so not difficult to transport if needed. I'm sure I'm not using it to its full extent. I execute Power BI data models and appreciate the extra RAM and processing capabilities.

Amazingly easy to set up right out the box. Blazing fast and super graphics quality with my 4k monitor. Can’t even hear any fan noise at all. So far, I love it.

First impression - Bought it as a mini VM server, and it works perfectly. Much better than expected. CPU - for a Mini the CPU is incredibly fast. GPU - I did not get this for gaming, and from the linux side of things - the GPU worked perfectly for tasks such as encoding/decoding. Out of the box it saw the /dev/dri/renderD128 and was able to pass it to containers without issues. You of course need to get some packages in place to use it for certain things, but there were no issues with encoding. Does everything up to AV1 with no issue. Connectivity - It would have been nice to have a second NIC, but the good thing is I guess, the 2 USBc ports are Thunderbot capable, and I was able to even use them with an eGPU and do full passthrough to a VM with reasonably minimal headaches. I have not even touched the oculink yet, the enclosures are mostly pretty terrible, but I have no doubts it work as expected. NIC - with a proper setup using this as a server on a Stick works fine. But as I said, having a second NIC would be nice, but hey, have thunderbolt if I really need something. Noise - I run it on silent mode, and sitting right next to it (About 2 feet), it is normally unnoticeable. Every so often I think I can hear the fan spinning up a bit. We will see how it works over time, but so far it exceeds my expectations.