Minisforum MS-A2 vs Minisforum N5 Pro
Minisforum MS-A2 is both faster and cheaper here - the default pick unless you need something specific from the other.
The verdict
- CPU
- Minisforum MS-A2 has 1.6x the CPU throughput (54,042 vs 33,292 PassMark).
- Idle power
- Minisforum MS-A2 idles lower (25W vs 33W) - cheaper to run 24/7.
- Networking
- Minisforum MS-A2 has more NICs (4 vs 2) - better for a firewall or VLAN trunk.
Which wins for each job
| Job | Minisforum MS-A2 | Minisforum N5 Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Plex / Jellyfin | ~5 streams | ~5 streams |
| Frigate NVR | add a detector | add a detector |
| Proxmox / VMs | 54,042 PassMark win | 33,292 PassMark |
| 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 N5 Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Price (list) | $639 | $899 |
| CPU | AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX | AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 370 |
| Cores / threads | 16 | 12 |
| PassMark | 54,042 | 33,292 |
| iGPU | Radeon 610M (RDNA2) | Radeon 890M (RDNA3.5) |
| NICs | 4 | 2 |
| NIC model | Intel X710 (10G SFP+) | Marvell AQC113 10GbE plus Realtek 5GbE |
| RAM max (GB) | 96 | 96 |
| M.2 free | 1 | 3 |
| PCIe slot | x16 | x16 |
| Idle (W) | 25 | 33 |
| TDP (W) | 55 | 54 |