MINIS FORUM Venus UM790 Pro Mini PC AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS
MINIS FORUM Venus UM790 Pro Mini PC AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS Barebone with AMD Radeon 780M, 4x USB3.2, 2x USB4, 2xHDMI 2.1, 2x PCIe4.0, Wi-Fi 6E/BT5.3, RJ45 2.5 G, Windows 11 Pro
MINISFORUM Venus Series UM790Pro
Processor
AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS Processor, 8 Cores/16 Threads (16M Cache, up to 5.2 GHz)
Seems reliable. 64GB is the minimum now for me for software development, would have like to be able to increase it, so a bit disappointing it doesn’t support 96GB. Also I had to spend 5 to purchase a windows 11 PRO license, minor annoyance.
Nowadays I only use silent computers, in that category it’s crazy fast and well designed.
Not to play games on. I am using it to help container development. Fantastic. More power than I need. The bonus is that the graphics are well beyond my command line requirements, if you need that.
Got it so I could still game while visiting family, since-then I’ve ended up using it more than my Gaming PC. It is a very reliable 1080p / 960 Resolution Scaled machine
Get a 2TB+ SATA SSD for it though, you’ll need it!
I use the UM690 primarily for work as a software developer not for games. It’s performance for general productivity has been fantastic..
However, it does have a thunderbolt 4 port for use with an external GPU.. I decided to buy a razor core x external gpu enclosure and equip it with my nvidia 1070ti from my desktop. After plugging it all in it was initially working – for three or 4 days. Then a few days ago, it just stopped detecting the graphics card over the thunderbolt port.. I have found similar problem reports on the minisforum forums. So if use of an external GPU is important to you, I would probably recommend not purchasing a UM690 unfortunately. It should work on paper, but your mileage may vary.
This small pc is very fast and easy to upgrade, you can add more RAM or one more ssd, I very happy with it, and if you believe or not I can play forza horizon 5 without any lag.
I’m updating my review to a 5-star rating because I initially encountered technical issues with the Mini PC, which were beyond the 30-day Amazon return period. However, my experience with MinisForum’s customer service, specifically through their Facebook page, has been exceptionally positive.
MinisForum promptly sent me a replacement PC that now functions as expected, and I’m genuinely pleased with the level of customer support I received. If anyone encounters similar problems with this product after the Amazon return window has closed, I recommend reaching out to MinisForum via their Facebook page. They are incredibly helpful and responsive.
I hooked this mini PC up to my TV primarily for gaming including emulation and as a general media PC. Amazing how far technology has come that a decent performing PC can be bought in such a small form factor. I tried some 1080p gaming with some modern titles and it handled them well. Not a system for 4k or ultra settings but a PC capable of good results from integrated graphics. Overall pleased can recommend.
I didn’t expect to be writing such a positive review about this machine.
It arrived and I was so excited to try it. The MINISFORUM EM680 has a Ryzen 7 8c/16t CPU with 32GB of RAM and 1TB SSD. For the price that I got it for around 479 was a steal. Other computers of this spec were more expensive.
However, this computer does come with some drawbacks. For example, the RAM appears to be soldered, therefore, no upgrades from the 32GB. For most that will never be a problem but for my use case maybe.
The CPU, it runs around 50 degrees celsius idle, which is absolutely astonishing considering the size of this machine.
GAMING… This computer albeit not sold as a gaming machine, is certainly able to game. And I am not just talking about small indie games. I was able to play GTA V at 1080p 30FPS. Now that is impressive. BUT… Cyberpunk 2077 brought this computer to its knees only getting 10FPS!
This computer has one other downside and that is the significant lack of an ethernet port but makes up for that with WiFi 6E. Again for most people, it won’t be a problem but for me it was.
I am not returning this item as I think it is awesome and cannot wait to see the next version!
I’m a software developer who plays the odd game. Out of the box, this machine is competing with my old ryzen desktop setup with my Radeon graphics card. How on earth that’s possible in a machine 10% of the size that cost only 500 is beyond me.
I haven’t even tried adding an external graphics card with occulink yet. Honestly, I’m not even sure I’ll need to with the games I play. This machine is just a beast.
It amazes me how far pcs have come over the years. But this one is pushing the boundaries of what I even thought was possible.
I’d say we’ll done minisforum, but most of the credit here goes to amd. Minis forum packaged it all and did a good job. The the performance is coming from that amd cpu and graphics card.
I can’t fault it. If its still on sale and you need a new pc, nothing, and I mean nothing on the market right now compares.
It is small but as its on/off button is on the front it needs to be visible or accesible. It is very quiet and fast. Very pleased. Can’t give a score on gaming as I don’t game but as it does not have a seperate graphics card it might not be suitable. It was easy to insert extra SSD. Lots of ports.
This computer is small, low power consumption but with one of the most powerful processors on the market and has good graphics.
It does have one problem, the audio output is very noisy. This is present whether the HDMI or headphone socket is used or using an external D/A converter and appears to be related to radiated noise from the processor.
This is present on the UM690 and UM590 which I have set up for other users.
Fan noise however is non-existant especially when used flat on the desk rather than in the stand supplied.
Contrary to some comments, I find Windows 11 to be at least as stable as Windows 10 and the updates that have come through in recent months now make it the O/S of choice.
Had an AMD 3700x Vega 56 tower that broke, initially replaced it with a AMD Huawei 16 laptop last year as I didn’t have time to build a new rig. However, that was lacking in the graphics department as the Vega 8 on the 5800H wasn’t great for world of warships without toning down all the eye candy, did fine with everything else I did so this is basically the Huawei laptop with an extra 16GB of RAM, 512GB of SSD and a discrete graphics card for 25% less! Saw a few reviews on youtube of the HX90G and more recently the HX99G, but I had a coupon with a sizable discount for the 80G so took a chance and picked one up. The HX99G looked better on paper but the price was a deterrent and I don’t think the extra features matters much for what I intend to use it for! Despite its diminutive size it’s basically got the same performance as my old tower but takes up almost no space on my workbench and is really quiet. I’ll see how it holds up over time but very happy so far!
25th June 2023
Running it for a couple of months now and its held up well, no crashes, BSOD or other weirdness, updated the AMD drivers without incident and gone through a couple of Windows 11 updates too! I leave it on 24×7 and if I am not running World of Warships the fans are not audible and it sips power!
I’ve had a Zotac M1571 mini PC for around 7 years so I have some experience of living with a mini PC. For background, the Zotac has been super reliable, completely quiet to the point where I have often wondered it it’a actually on. I paid around the same amount of money for a barebones Zotac and 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD and just installed Linux on it rather than pay for an operating system.
By Comparison, for the same amount of money, the MF comes with 32GB DDR5 RAM and a 512GB SSD, both branded Kingston. It also includes Windows 11 Pro which was straightforward to set up out of the box, and a powerful AMD processor.
The MF fan spins up when the machine is first switched on, which I think it just a re-assuring check that the fan is working, before settling down to silent operation.
The only issue that I have had is that it failed to switch on after a couple of weeks and I diagnosed the issue to a faulty power supply, so thankfully nothing wrong with the unit itself. I contacted MF and they responded quickly notifying me that the company who supplies their power supplies had none in stock but they directed me to another compatible power supply on Amazon, which I then ordered and they reimbursed me within 48 hours. They have been very easy to deal with and professional.
Incidentally, I too was worried about the cooling prowess of this small machine, so I copied a UM690 video reviewer who ran Prime95 testing on this unit and I did the same thing, running Prime95 for 30mins and my temps were actually lower at around 72C – this is truly impressive. (The video reviewer was very impressed that his temps had ran at around 78C). Normal operation is silent and the temps are usually around 42C. This is genuinely impressive for such a small machine with a fairly powerful CPU. Incidentally, I purchased the pre-built specification, rather than the barebones. I think some users have been reporting mixed results with barebones.
I had no difficulty in attaching to the USB ports at the back and they all work as expected.
In summary, the Zotac has been great and if this MF continues as strongly as it has started, I expect it to be a solid purchase, with great customer support and so I have no difficulty in recommending it.
Many Thanks.
Overall, this is a fantastic little machine, with good expansion – you can increase the RAM, and add two more 2.5″ disks, which you certainly can’t do with a Mac mini.
Performance is good and it has loads of ports too. The only reason I’m not giving this 5 stars is because of the fan noise. It’s not terrible, but it doesn’t take much for the fan to kick in and it is louder than you would expect it to be. Ironically if you install Linux (Ubuntu or Fedora for example, I tried both) then the fan noise is much less.
I will actually be buying more of these to sit in a home lab, but they won’t be anywhere near my desk because of the noise.
I’d been looking out for a girlfriend friendly pc that can be hidden in the living room for a while as my current, more powerful rig is just an eyesore. I’d been looking at minisforum for a while and the cheapest I came across with 32gb of ram was on amazon.
What a brilliant purchase this has turned out to be. Windows 11 aside, I’ve had no issues at all and it runs quiet even when hammering the dedicated gpu. Best of all, this does output at 4k/120 unlike the description and the minisforum website that, says max 4k/60.
Ive not played the most demanding games yet, I’m working through some classics on my steam library. Max payne 3 flies on this machine, getting well over 100fps at 4k which looks great on my LG C2. Tried out some emulation 2 and everything I’ve tried with yuzu works great too, some at 2x resolution. I have this setup to boot straight to steams new big picture mode and within seconds of powering on, I’m straight into big picture giving a console like experience.
Biggest letdown is the WiFi card on board, I feel like speeds aren’t as good as what they could be but not helped by the location of where the pc is kept. I may upgrade to the Intel ax210 at some point since its just a standard M2 slot. Already ordered a 2tb ssd which I’m looking forward to upgrading and will give me plenty storage for my library.
Depending on your needs, I would definitely recommend this pc if it’s for a living space or you are short on room. Yes it’s not a 4k AAA powerhouse but will comfortably run modern games at 1080/1440p without Ray tracing. This should keep me going for years to come or until minusforum realise something a lot better than catches my eye!
This computer is small in size and can even be attached to the back of your monitor if required – it comes with all the fittings to do this. It runs the latest Win 11 operating system, its fast and gives great performance whatever you use it for, even gaming.
I have no problem recommending this PC to others.
A great purchase for me.
The PC itself certainly does the job and does it quite well. For it’s size it is quick. Best of all, it will happily idle at 18 watts so I feel happy knowing I’m saving polar bears while I work.
The inclusion of windows 11 is a bit of a let down (because I can’t stand windows 11) it might have been better to include windows 10 as you have the option to upgrade for free if you really really want it.
I have had a few software crashes in things like development software and virtual box that don’t bode particularly well, but with PC’s you can never quite be sure where things are messing up. For all I know this is just a windows 11 thing. Unless I see a smoking gun I’m not going to point fingers at the hardware.
I did try to get support from minis forum regarding memory upgrades. I was VERY disappointed. They respond quickly enough, just don’t expect knowledgeable responses. That said I get very irate with Dell support so this might not mean anything
I have had this machine now for nearly 3 months and so far its worked flawlessly. Its fast, really quiet and takes up so little space. I had read reviews online where it mentioned it could be noisy at high load levels, yet in my experience this is far quieter then most desktop PC’s I have used. The only issue I had was with Windows 11 when I first switched it on. While it worked there was some odd behaviour so I reformatted the drive and reinstalled a fresh copy of the OS from scratch along with the drivers from the minisforum website and its been perfect since. I had also added an SSD as a secondary storage device which was simple enough using a video on Youtube as a guide which minisforum produced. This is a great PC, really happy with it.
Very impressed with performance and ease of use.
set up was easy, only issue I had was the display went blank around a minute or two after switching it on. I tried several different set-ups but the issue persisted, until it just stopped happening and works perfectly now. I have no idea what caused it or why it stopped.
I will attempt to install further hard drive in a couple of weeks. stay tuned for how that goes.
I thought it was time I replaced two custom built tower PCs. They were so highly specified originally that they still worked fine after 12 years but I thought I should not push my luck. I wnet down the Mini PC route 4 years ago when I bought a little intel i3 KODLIX mini PC for web streaming to a wide screen tv. I don’t play computer games but I do a lot of cpu-intensive HD and UHD video re-encoding. This highly-specified Ryzen 9 mini PC looked suitable so I cautiously bought one “on-spec” two months ago. Delivery by Amazon was next day, though I am not a Prime member. I found it straightforward to add extra 2.5″ internal SSDs, aided by the helpful video provided by the seller. This quasi paperback-sized Mini PC feels heavy and looks solidly built. The plastic case is clearly strong and unobtrusive; it is quite irrelevant to me how much carbon fibre it actually contains.
The vertically mounted computer is almost silent, except when the fan racks up for cpu-intensive processing, when it throws out a surprising amount of hot air. This indicates that the relatively “state of the art” liquid metal cooling does facilitate excellent heat transfer. Video processing is as fast as one would expect of an 8 core Ryzen 9 chip. The integral graphic processor in the chip works fine with my single 4K monitor and external usb3 blue ray disc drive / recorder. This is a fast machine. What is not fast is the tedious business of reloading software onto windows, a problem of Microsoft not the machine.
Value for money, particularly if you get a good voucher deal, is excellent. I have no experience using the machine for gaming nor have I needed to contact the seller, so I have not rated those items.
Perhaps the best recommendation is that I was sufficiently impressed with the machine that a few weeks later I bought one for my wife. I would have preferred to buy her a more “goof-proof” MiniMac with M1 chip, not that much more expensive. However she is addicted to a particular legacy piece of Microsoft software which, to my surprise, still runs fine on Windows 11.
I rarely write Amazon reviews and it is early days yet, but two happy users of the Minisforum Ryzen 5900HX MiniPC here!
Needed to replace a now ancient Tower PC, ok no Optical Drives (who needs them), no SD Card reader (who needs them).
Certainly powerful and fast – if there is a fault it could do with a larger C Drive SSD (I cloned it and replaced it with a 1TB). Space for two internal SSD/2.5 hard drives. Quiet, small footprint, enough USB A and C ports.
So far, so good – time will tell but v happy with my purchase, although pricey its the best I could find for my use and it is Windows 11 Pro.
Seems reliable. 64GB is the minimum now for me for software development, would have like to be able to increase it, so a bit disappointing it doesn’t support 96GB. Also I had to spend 5 to purchase a windows 11 PRO license, minor annoyance.
Nowadays I only use silent computers, in that category it’s crazy fast and well designed.
Not to play games on. I am using it to help container development. Fantastic. More power than I need. The bonus is that the graphics are well beyond my command line requirements, if you need that.
Got it so I could still game while visiting family, since-then I’ve ended up using it more than my Gaming PC. It is a very reliable 1080p / 960 Resolution Scaled machine
Get a 2TB+ SATA SSD for it though, you’ll need it!
However, it does have a thunderbolt 4 port for use with an external GPU.. I decided to buy a razor core x external gpu enclosure and equip it with my nvidia 1070ti from my desktop. After plugging it all in it was initially working – for three or 4 days. Then a few days ago, it just stopped detecting the graphics card over the thunderbolt port.. I have found similar problem reports on the minisforum forums. So if use of an external GPU is important to you, I would probably recommend not purchasing a UM690 unfortunately. It should work on paper, but your mileage may vary.
This small pc is very fast and easy to upgrade, you can add more RAM or one more ssd, I very happy with it, and if you believe or not I can play forza horizon 5 without any lag.
MinisForum promptly sent me a replacement PC that now functions as expected, and I’m genuinely pleased with the level of customer support I received. If anyone encounters similar problems with this product after the Amazon return window has closed, I recommend reaching out to MinisForum via their Facebook page. They are incredibly helpful and responsive.
It arrived and I was so excited to try it. The MINISFORUM EM680 has a Ryzen 7 8c/16t CPU with 32GB of RAM and 1TB SSD. For the price that I got it for around 479 was a steal. Other computers of this spec were more expensive.
However, this computer does come with some drawbacks. For example, the RAM appears to be soldered, therefore, no upgrades from the 32GB. For most that will never be a problem but for my use case maybe.
The CPU, it runs around 50 degrees celsius idle, which is absolutely astonishing considering the size of this machine.
GAMING… This computer albeit not sold as a gaming machine, is certainly able to game. And I am not just talking about small indie games. I was able to play GTA V at 1080p 30FPS. Now that is impressive. BUT… Cyberpunk 2077 brought this computer to its knees only getting 10FPS!
This computer has one other downside and that is the significant lack of an ethernet port but makes up for that with WiFi 6E. Again for most people, it won’t be a problem but for me it was.
I am not returning this item as I think it is awesome and cannot wait to see the next version!
I haven’t even tried adding an external graphics card with occulink yet. Honestly, I’m not even sure I’ll need to with the games I play. This machine is just a beast.
It amazes me how far pcs have come over the years. But this one is pushing the boundaries of what I even thought was possible.
I’d say we’ll done minisforum, but most of the credit here goes to amd. Minis forum packaged it all and did a good job. The the performance is coming from that amd cpu and graphics card.
I can’t fault it. If its still on sale and you need a new pc, nothing, and I mean nothing on the market right now compares.
It is small but as its on/off button is on the front it needs to be visible or accesible. It is very quiet and fast. Very pleased. Can’t give a score on gaming as I don’t game but as it does not have a seperate graphics card it might not be suitable. It was easy to insert extra SSD. Lots of ports.
It does have one problem, the audio output is very noisy. This is present whether the HDMI or headphone socket is used or using an external D/A converter and appears to be related to radiated noise from the processor.
This is present on the UM690 and UM590 which I have set up for other users.
Fan noise however is non-existant especially when used flat on the desk rather than in the stand supplied.
Contrary to some comments, I find Windows 11 to be at least as stable as Windows 10 and the updates that have come through in recent months now make it the O/S of choice.
25th June 2023
Running it for a couple of months now and its held up well, no crashes, BSOD or other weirdness, updated the AMD drivers without incident and gone through a couple of Windows 11 updates too! I leave it on 24×7 and if I am not running World of Warships the fans are not audible and it sips power!
By Comparison, for the same amount of money, the MF comes with 32GB DDR5 RAM and a 512GB SSD, both branded Kingston. It also includes Windows 11 Pro which was straightforward to set up out of the box, and a powerful AMD processor.
The MF fan spins up when the machine is first switched on, which I think it just a re-assuring check that the fan is working, before settling down to silent operation.
The only issue that I have had is that it failed to switch on after a couple of weeks and I diagnosed the issue to a faulty power supply, so thankfully nothing wrong with the unit itself. I contacted MF and they responded quickly notifying me that the company who supplies their power supplies had none in stock but they directed me to another compatible power supply on Amazon, which I then ordered and they reimbursed me within 48 hours. They have been very easy to deal with and professional.
Incidentally, I too was worried about the cooling prowess of this small machine, so I copied a UM690 video reviewer who ran Prime95 testing on this unit and I did the same thing, running Prime95 for 30mins and my temps were actually lower at around 72C – this is truly impressive. (The video reviewer was very impressed that his temps had ran at around 78C). Normal operation is silent and the temps are usually around 42C. This is genuinely impressive for such a small machine with a fairly powerful CPU. Incidentally, I purchased the pre-built specification, rather than the barebones. I think some users have been reporting mixed results with barebones.
I had no difficulty in attaching to the USB ports at the back and they all work as expected.
In summary, the Zotac has been great and if this MF continues as strongly as it has started, I expect it to be a solid purchase, with great customer support and so I have no difficulty in recommending it.
Many Thanks.
Performance is good and it has loads of ports too. The only reason I’m not giving this 5 stars is because of the fan noise. It’s not terrible, but it doesn’t take much for the fan to kick in and it is louder than you would expect it to be. Ironically if you install Linux (Ubuntu or Fedora for example, I tried both) then the fan noise is much less.
I will actually be buying more of these to sit in a home lab, but they won’t be anywhere near my desk because of the noise.
What a brilliant purchase this has turned out to be. Windows 11 aside, I’ve had no issues at all and it runs quiet even when hammering the dedicated gpu. Best of all, this does output at 4k/120 unlike the description and the minisforum website that, says max 4k/60.
Ive not played the most demanding games yet, I’m working through some classics on my steam library. Max payne 3 flies on this machine, getting well over 100fps at 4k which looks great on my LG C2. Tried out some emulation 2 and everything I’ve tried with yuzu works great too, some at 2x resolution. I have this setup to boot straight to steams new big picture mode and within seconds of powering on, I’m straight into big picture giving a console like experience.
Biggest letdown is the WiFi card on board, I feel like speeds aren’t as good as what they could be but not helped by the location of where the pc is kept. I may upgrade to the Intel ax210 at some point since its just a standard M2 slot. Already ordered a 2tb ssd which I’m looking forward to upgrading and will give me plenty storage for my library.
Depending on your needs, I would definitely recommend this pc if it’s for a living space or you are short on room. Yes it’s not a 4k AAA powerhouse but will comfortably run modern games at 1080/1440p without Ray tracing. This should keep me going for years to come or until minusforum realise something a lot better than catches my eye!
I have no problem recommending this PC to others.
A great purchase for me.
The inclusion of windows 11 is a bit of a let down (because I can’t stand windows 11) it might have been better to include windows 10 as you have the option to upgrade for free if you really really want it.
I have had a few software crashes in things like development software and virtual box that don’t bode particularly well, but with PC’s you can never quite be sure where things are messing up. For all I know this is just a windows 11 thing. Unless I see a smoking gun I’m not going to point fingers at the hardware.
I did try to get support from minis forum regarding memory upgrades. I was VERY disappointed. They respond quickly enough, just don’t expect knowledgeable responses. That said I get very irate with Dell support so this might not mean anything
Very impressed with performance and ease of use.
set up was easy, only issue I had was the display went blank around a minute or two after switching it on. I tried several different set-ups but the issue persisted, until it just stopped happening and works perfectly now. I have no idea what caused it or why it stopped.
I will attempt to install further hard drive in a couple of weeks. stay tuned for how that goes.
The vertically mounted computer is almost silent, except when the fan racks up for cpu-intensive processing, when it throws out a surprising amount of hot air. This indicates that the relatively “state of the art” liquid metal cooling does facilitate excellent heat transfer. Video processing is as fast as one would expect of an 8 core Ryzen 9 chip. The integral graphic processor in the chip works fine with my single 4K monitor and external usb3 blue ray disc drive / recorder. This is a fast machine. What is not fast is the tedious business of reloading software onto windows, a problem of Microsoft not the machine.
Value for money, particularly if you get a good voucher deal, is excellent. I have no experience using the machine for gaming nor have I needed to contact the seller, so I have not rated those items.
Perhaps the best recommendation is that I was sufficiently impressed with the machine that a few weeks later I bought one for my wife. I would have preferred to buy her a more “goof-proof” MiniMac with M1 chip, not that much more expensive. However she is addicted to a particular legacy piece of Microsoft software which, to my surprise, still runs fine on Windows 11.
I rarely write Amazon reviews and it is early days yet, but two happy users of the Minisforum Ryzen 5900HX MiniPC here!
Certainly powerful and fast – if there is a fault it could do with a larger C Drive SSD (I cloned it and replaced it with a 1TB). Space for two internal SSD/2.5 hard drives. Quiet, small footprint, enough USB A and C ports.
So far, so good – time will tell but v happy with my purchase, although pricey its the best I could find for my use and it is Windows 11 Pro.