HOT: Barebones Ryzen 9 6900HX Mini - $484

Centauri

2[H]4U
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Mar 1, 2003
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https://store.minisforum.com/collections/amd-®-ryzen-®/products/minisforum-um590

$15 further off with coupon 'EMUCOUPON' - and no tax in my case.

Screaming deal if you have an SSD around. And DDR5 SO-DIMMs have dropped in price a lot. You can equip this with 32GBs and be right about $600-even.

Screenshot 2023-01-09 113659.png
 
Oh I wonder if this new APU is worth a damn for a mini HTPC? I was considering putting a PC back in the living room but don't want to commit my giant black box to the cause

edit - watch some reviews of other 6900hx/680m APUs and while impressive, they are not gaming powerhouses. 1080 low/720 high.... basically 1050ti / 1060 territory. I love the tiny footprints though, and for a person who is only a casual gamer something like this would be fine.
 
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Looks like could be a very cromulent little workstation. Dual HDMI + Alt-Mode Type-C, 2.5Gbit LAN, and the USB-C 4 port supports Thunderbolt(!). Can't tell if it supports tall 2.5" drives though.
 
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Can't tell if it supports tall 2.5" drives though.
Their support staff has answered 'only supports up to 2TB' on every question that's been asked of them in regards to storage. Infer what you can from this.
 
I like how the coupon code kind of hints at what these could be used for. :) An emulator box indeed. Its a really neat looking device it sure would make for a fun project box.
 
I have the same CPU in my Razer Blade 14 - it's nice, but it's not much faster than the 5900HX - which is solid in its own right. $500 is solid but with those similar CPUs in a lot of last years (and the year before's) laptops - you may be able to get a whole computer with screen, keyboard, and mouse for not much more. :)
 
It does have USB4, aka Thunderbolt. So you can run an eGPU off of this thing and have it have reasonable graphics performance at roughly a 10-20% hit depending on the application. Most here would likely not want to spend another $200-$300 for an enclosure plus the cost of a GPU for such a project though.
 
I have the same CPU in my Razer Blade 14 - it's nice, but it's not much faster than the 5900HX - which is solid in its own right. $500 is solid but with those similar CPUs in a lot of last years (and the year before's) laptops - you may be able to get a whole computer with screen, keyboard, and mouse for not much more. :)
But the use case for this is different than a laptop. And the IGP in this is twice as powerful as the 5900's. There's also more thermal headroom here, including the TDP being configurable in the BIOS to 55w - beyond the default of the CPU.
 
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I have the same CPU in my Razer Blade 14 - it's nice, but it's not much faster than the 5900HX - which is solid in its own right. $500 is solid but with those similar CPUs in a lot of last years (and the year before's) laptops - you may be able to get a whole computer with screen, keyboard, and mouse for not much more. :)

Not true. I looked on ebay just now and didn't see much of anything with a 5900HX for under $1000. I'd be interested if I could get a 5900HX system in the $600-700 range, but it's just not there yet.
 
Not true. I looked on ebay just now and didn't see much of anything with a 5900HX for under $1000. I'd be interested if I could get a 5900HX system in the $600-700 range, but it's just not there yet.
I guess if you consider $500 more for a discrete GPU, screen, mouse, and keyboard a lot more.

I get it. Different use case - but you can gut lappys. Turn it into a cabinet
 
I guess if you consider $500 more for a discrete GPU, screen, mouse, and keyboard a lot more.

I get it. Different use case - but you can gut lappys. Turn it into a cabinet

Lol...you said "not much more." When you double the price, I think it's more than "not much more" personally. I like the Razer Blade 14 and the Zephyrus G14, but I just can't pull the trigger when I don't game that much on the road and I already have a steam deck.

I think you'd be hard pressed to find a comparable package for the price though. One thing that might be more interesting is the B550 Elite mini they have that takes a 5700g and has a dock for external graphics.
 
I ordered one. Thanks for the heads up.
Hell yeah. I'm going to need to 'create a use' for mine as I honestly didn't have much reason for one - plenty of other systems. :p But mostly old and power inefficient. I think I'm going to VESA mount this to the back of a spare 32" display I have and use it as a dedicated Linux box. I also keep my system on 24/7 as a Plex server and network tuner server - not exactly power efficient. Might try to migrate some of that over to 'Lil Man'.

I also sat on YouTube last night and watched a few early reviews of this model - they're universally excellent. Excited to tinker with it.
Not true. I looked on ebay just now and didn't see much of anything with a 5900HX for under $1000. I'd be interested if I could get a 5900HX system in the $600-700 range, but it's just not there yet.
Yeah, there isn't anything remotely close to this for the money - used.
 
What can I say, a deal is a deal...and I'm into [H]ardware.. :D I'm thinking this might be a solid replacement for my DVR box or as a homelab.
 
Still a refurb.

I don't know why this thread is going off the rails with recommendations to stuff much-more-expensive used/refurbished laptops into makeshift cases. We supposed to 3D print them or something? Or glue popsicle sticks together?
 
Still a refurb.

I don't know why this thread is going off the rails with recommendations to stuff much-more-expensive used/refurbished laptops into makeshift cases. We supposed to 3D print them or something? Or glue popsicle sticks together?
Yes. I have a kit for just $499.99 but with the coupon EMUCOUPON it goes down to $484.
 
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As I think about it, I could replace 2 of my full sized systems with these. I need to stop thinking.
 
In spite of the fact that MinisForum said this wouldn't ship until February, and the fact that they never sent me a tracking number... and my order status still shows Processing... Look what DHL dropped off today directly from China.

Still putting it through its paces. First thing I did was swap out the WiFi for an Intel WiFi 6E, then dropped in 2x 16GB DDR-4800/CL34 sticks and an SSD I had laying around.

BIOS is extremely minimal, but it picked up RAM speed and timings correctly without me having to do a single think. Currently running it through Windows 10 before I throw Manjaro on it in all likelihood.

Spunky little dude...


Screenshot 2023-01-23 093759.png
Screenshot 2023-01-23 093728.png
 
In spite of the fact that MinisForum said this wouldn't ship until February, and the fact that they never sent me a tracking number... and my order status still shows Processing... Look what DHL dropped off today directly from China.

Still putting it through its paces. First thing I did was swap out the WiFi for an Intel WiFi 6E, then dropped in 2x 16GB DDR-4800/CL34 sticks and an SSD I had laying around.

BIOS is extremely minimal, but it picked up RAM speed and timings correctly without me having to do a single think. Currently running it through Windows 10 before I throw Manjaro on it in all likelihood.

Spunky little dude...


View attachment 543850View attachment 543851
I received a text message from DHL today but had no idea what it was for. I guess it's this shipment.
 
Super cute. Just wish they made one with GPU options other than APU. I know the 6900hx igpu is better than intel's, but I want something that can at least rock out 1080p/60.
 
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