MINISFORUM releases 129i7 and 790S7 mini-PCs with powerful processors and desktop GPU support
MINISFORUM has presented a new set of mini-PCs, shortly after releasing the EliteMini AI370 with AMD's Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 APU. This time, it has introduced the 129i7 and 790S7, which appear to differ mainly in terms of processor architecture. Specifically, MINISFORUM equips the 129i7 with a Core i9-12900HK from Intel's Alder Lake-H family.
By contrast, the 790S7 utilises the newer AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX, which features more CPU cores, a more efficient 5 nm manufacturing process and a higher TDP than its Intel counterpart for an overall CPU performance boost. With that being said, the Core i9-12900HK should offer superior graphics performance than the Ryzen 9 7940HX, contrary to popular conventions regarding AMD and Intel iGPUs.
Moreover, both mini-PCs are compatible with discrete GPUs thanks to PCIe expansion slots. However, while the 129i7 offers PCIe 4.0 x8 speeds, the 790S7 delivers higher bandwidth at PCIe 5.0 x16. Thus, the 790S7 may provide superior discrete GPU performance than the 129i7, although GPU choice will be constrained by their 7-litre case sizes and 400 W PSUs.
Likewise, whereas the 129i7 is compatible with DDR4-3200 RAM, the 790S7 has DDR5-5200 RAM at its disposal. Unsurprisingly, the 129i7 is a tad cheaper than the 790S7 at $399/€419 and $459/€499 as barebones units, respectively. Alternatively, the 790S7 is also available with 32 GB of RAM and a 1 TB SSD for $939 or €1,039 in the Eurozone. For reference, both mini-PCs feature various ports, which can be seen in the image below.
