Minisforum MS-A2 vs Minisforum UM790 Pro
Minisforum MS-A2 is the more capable pick; Minisforum UM790 Pro is the cheaper one - which wins comes down to the job below.
The verdict
- CPU
- Minisforum MS-A2 has 1.8x the CPU throughput (54,042 vs 29,825 PassMark).
- Idle power
- Minisforum UM790 Pro idles lower (11W vs 25W) - cheaper to run 24/7.
- Networking
- Minisforum MS-A2 has more NICs (4 vs 1) - better for a firewall or VLAN trunk.
- RAM ceiling
- Minisforum MS-A2 takes more RAM (96GB vs 64GB).
- Local AI
- Minisforum MS-A2 has a PCIe slot for a low-profile GPU - the other needs a DIY build for local LLMs.
Which wins for each job
| Job | Minisforum MS-A2 | Minisforum UM790 Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Plex / Jellyfin | ~5 streams | ~5 streams |
| Frigate NVR | add a detector | add a detector |
| Proxmox / VMs | 54,042 PassMark win | 29,825 PassMark |
| Firewall / router | 4 NICs win | 1 NICs |
| Local AI / LLM | PCIe GPU slot win | no slot |
Approximate - capacity estimates from curated specs, the same logic as the recommender. Verify against your exact setup. Prices move; check the retailer.
Full specs
| Spec | Minisforum MS-A2 | Minisforum UM790 Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Price (list) | $639 | $439 |
| CPU | AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX | AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS |
| Cores / threads | 16 | 8 |
| PassMark | 54,042 | 29,825 |
| iGPU | Radeon 610M (RDNA2) | Radeon 780M (RDNA3) |
| NICs | 4 | 1 |
| NIC model | Intel X710 (10G SFP+) | Realtek RTL8125 |
| RAM max (GB) | 96 | 64 |
| M.2 free | 1 | 1 |
| PCIe slot | x16 | none |
| Idle (W) | 25 | 11 |
| TDP (W) | 55 | 54 |