Minisforum MS-03 overview: A strong however flawed AI workstation

In Geekbench AI with an AVX2 CPU backend, the MS-03 scores 4,372 factors in FP32 calculations. For FP16, the rating is 1,741 factors. The quantized take a look at yields 7,735 factors. These figures relate to the CPU and don’t present any indication of the NPU’s efficiency. Sensible advantages rely closely on the software program. Many broadly used functions nonetheless depend on the CPU or GPU and don’t but make full use of the NPU.

In response to CrystalDiskMark , the 1TB SSD reads sequentially at 5,791MB/s and writes at 5,428MB/s. Within the sequential Q1T1 take a look at, it achieves 3,883MB/s for studying and 4,558MB/s for writing. These switch charges are enough for giant mission recordsdata and digital machines. Packages additionally launch with none noticeable SSD-related delays. The SSD doesn’t absolutely make the most of PCIe 4.0, nevertheless it doesn’t decelerate the pc in on a regular basis use. Demanding customers can improve to sooner or bigger drives. The third M.2 slot, with just one PCIe 4.0 lane, is healthier suited to capability than to most switch charges.

Christoph Hoffmann

In a worth comparability of the mini PCs examined to date, the MS-03 ranks very extremely. The configuration examined, that includes a Core Extremely 9, 32GB RAM and a 1TB SSD, value $1,520 on the time of testing. The barebones model with out RAM or SSD prices €1,079 (record worth €1,349). It’s a worthwhile possibility for patrons who intend to make use of their very own two reminiscence modules anyway. This makes it dearer than the extremely rated Minisforum AI X1 Professional at $869 or the Geekom IT15 at $999. The GMKtec EVO T2S and the EVO-X2 value much more, at $1,959 and $1,700, respectively. Nevertheless, the gadgets observe totally different design philosophies, so the value says little about their efficiency.

The MS-03 justifies its increased worth primarily by means of its community connections and growth choices. For purely office-based duties, cheaper mini-PCs provide enough efficiency, however normally lack 10Gbit Ethernet and the PCIe slot.