Minisforum MS-A2 vs Minisforum MS-S1 Max
Minisforum MS-S1 Max is the more capable pick; Minisforum MS-A2 is the cheaper one - which wins comes down to the job below.
The verdict
- CPU
- Minisforum MS-S1 Max has 1x the CPU throughput (54,895 vs 54,042 PassMark).
- Idle power
- Minisforum MS-S1 Max idles lower (11W vs 25W) - cheaper to run 24/7.
- Networking
- Minisforum MS-A2 has more NICs (4 vs 2) - better for a firewall or VLAN trunk.
- RAM ceiling
- Minisforum MS-S1 Max takes more RAM (128GB vs 96GB).
Which wins for each job
| Job | Minisforum MS-A2 | Minisforum MS-S1 Max |
|---|---|---|
| Plex / Jellyfin | ~5 streams | ~5 streams |
| Frigate NVR | add a detector | add a detector |
| Proxmox / VMs | 54,042 PassMark | 54,895 PassMark win |
| Firewall / router | 4 NICs win | 2 NICs |
| Local AI / LLM | PCIe GPU slot | PCIe GPU 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 MS-S1 Max |
|---|---|---|
| Price (list) | $639 | $1,999 |
| CPU | AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX | AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 |
| Cores / threads | 16 | 16 |
| PassMark | 54,042 | 54,895 |
| iGPU | Radeon 610M (RDNA2) | Radeon 8060S (RDNA3.5) |
| NICs | 4 | 2 |
| NIC model | Intel X710 (10G SFP+) | Dual 10GbE |
| RAM max (GB) | 96 | 128 |
| M.2 free | 1 | 1 |
| PCIe slot | x16 | x16 |
| Idle (W) | 25 | 11 |
| TDP (W) | 55 | 130 |