HP Elite Mini 800 G9 vs Minisforum N5
Minisforum N5 is both faster and cheaper here - the default pick unless you need something specific from the other.
The verdict
- CPU
- Minisforum N5 has 1.8x the CPU throughput (28,854 vs 16,372 PassMark).
- Idle power
- HP Elite Mini 800 G9 idles lower (5W vs 28W) - cheaper to run 24/7.
- Networking
- Minisforum N5 has more NICs (2 vs 1) - better for a firewall or VLAN trunk.
- RAM ceiling
- Minisforum N5 takes more RAM (96GB vs 64GB).
- Local AI
- Minisforum N5 has a PCIe slot for a low-profile GPU - the other needs a DIY build for local LLMs.
Which wins for each job
| Job | HP Elite Mini 800 G9 | Minisforum N5 |
|---|---|---|
| Plex / Jellyfin | ~5 streams | ~5 streams |
| Frigate NVR | ~4 cameras win | add a detector |
| Proxmox / VMs | 16,372 PassMark | 28,854 PassMark win |
| Firewall / router | 1 NICs | 2 NICs win |
| Local AI / LLM | no slot | PCIe GPU slot win |
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 | HP Elite Mini 800 G9 | Minisforum N5 |
|---|---|---|
| Price (list) | $550 | $510 |
| CPU | Intel Core i5-12500T | AMD Ryzen 7 255 |
| Cores / threads | 6 | 8 |
| PassMark | 16,372 | 28,854 |
| iGPU | UHD 770 | Radeon Graphics (RDNA2) |
| NICs | 1 | 2 |
| NIC model | Intel I219-LM | Marvell AQC113 10GbE plus Realtek 5GbE |
| RAM max (GB) | 64 | 96 |
| M.2 free | 1 | 3 |
| PCIe slot | none | x16 |
| Idle (W) | 5 | 28 |
| TDP (W) | 35 | 65 |