Minisforum EliteMini HX90 in Review: Compact high-performance mini-PC with AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX
Minisforum is a Chinese system builder that specializes in ultra-compact mini PCs. We recently had the chance to take a look at the Minisforum EliteMini HM90 and were positively impressed. Now the manufacturer has sent us the EliteMini HX90, the current flagship of its portfolio. The EliteMini HX90 is aimed at a different target group and should also appeal to gamers. We will find out if this is true when we take a closer look at the gaming performance. Nevertheless, other users should not feel completely left out because the installed AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX offers excellent performance that is also very well received in everyday use.
With the high working speed, it is really fun to work with the EliteMini HX90. In terms of equipment, the mini-PC can be purchased both as a barebone and also pre-configured with RAM and SSD. The barebone system (without SSD and RAM) is currently priced at US$649 while the configuration with 32 GB RAM and a 512 GB SSD will cost $909 US dollars. Shipping is directly from China and free of charge. According to the store, taxes are also included. There are no alternative CPU options for the EliteMini HX90.
Our review sample is equipped with 16 GB of RAM and a 512 GB SSD. The device also comes with Windows 10 Professional, unless it is the barebone version. Everything is installed in a 195 x 190 x 60 mm compact case, which makes the Minisforum EliteMini HX90 slightly bigger than the MinisForum EliteMini HM90. Intel's NUC 10 is much more compact in terms of dimensions.
The Minisforum EliteMini HX90 is shipped in a sturdy box with all accessories to get the system up and running quickly. The relatively large power supply is similar to that of the EliteMini HM90, but it does not have a USB-C connector. Furthermore, a mounting plate for attaching the device to a display (Vesa mount) is included. There is also a suitable stand for placing the device upright. Internally, the device can be equipped with two additional 2.5-inch storage devices.
Case & Equipment
The casing is exclusively made of plastic and partly has a carbon look. The surfaces provide good haptic feedback and convey a high-quality impression, which also comes across visually. Nevertheless, you have no option but to like the design and the color accents because there are no alternatives. There are generous ventilation slots on the sides from which the air can be led out of the case. Air is sucked in on the upper side if no stand is used for which the manufacturer has created a honeycomb pattern. We welcome the omission of any piano lacquer surfaces as they can appear very used within a short time.
The inside can be accessed easily by removing the four bottom screws. The base plate can then be removed with a bit of skill. If you want to replace or expand the working memory, for example, you have to remove the entire board including the cooling unit. This is fixed with another screw.
Further disassembly is not advisable, as the manufacturer also points out in a warning note. The CPU cooler should not be removed because it could possibly damage the SoC. Furthermore, the manufacturer uses liquid metal for quick heat dissipation.
In terms of external connections, the EliteMini HX90 offers many options for connecting additional devices. A total of five USB-A ports are more than sufficient and all offer USB-3 speed. Furthermore, there is also a Type-C port on the front. External displays can be connected via DisplayPort or HDMI. Up to four monitors can be used at the same time. Unfortunately, there is no Thunderbolt interface.
Performance - Very good all-rounder
As mentioned in the beginning, the Minisforum EliteMini HX90 is exclusively available with the AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX, which has now found its way into compact desktop systems from laptops. The advantages of the low power consumption and the resulting easy cooling are obvious. Thus, extremely compact PCs with decent levels of performance can be set up.
The AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX is a SoC with an integrated AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 graphics unit. In our case, Minisforum equipped our test sample with 16 GB DDR4 RAM. Two SO-DIMM modules are used, which allow dual-channel operation. A 512 GB model is used for the SSD, which is sufficient for the time being. Thanks to the pre-installed operating system, the Minisforum EliteMini HX90 can be used right away after a few minutes of setup and personalization.
Processor
The installed AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX belongs to the Cezanne series and is based on the Zen 3 architecture. The SoC offers 8 physical processing cores with a total of 16 threads (thanks to SMT), which particularly benefits multi-thread applications. The EliteMini HX90 can clearly outperform the recently tested Minisforum EliteMini HM90 based on the AMD Ryzen 9 4900H. The difference between Zen 2 and Zen 3 becomes quite apparent here.
In the CPU benchmarks, the Ryzen 9 5900HX can largely prevail against the competition. For comparison, we have also included current desktop processors from AMD and Intel here in order to better classify the performance of the Mini Forum EliteMini HX90. It becomes clear that about the same performance as an Intel Core i5-11600K can be expected. However, the significantly lower power consumption of the Ryzen 9 5900HX should be mentioned at this point. We performed all tests with a maximum of 54 W. There are six different modes (10, 15, 25, 35, 45, and 54 W) in the BIOS with which the SoC can be operated.
Compared to the AMD Ryzen 7 5700G, the Ryzen 9 5900HX shows only a slight performance difference. Both processors are almost identical. Nevertheless, the AM4-based processor can use up to 87 W for a short time, which makes the performance advantage clear.
For further comparisons and benchmarks, we refer you to our CPU comparison chart.
* ... smaller is better
Cinebench R15 Multi loop
In the first load test, which we simulate with the Cinebench R15 Multi loop, the Minisforum EliteMini HX90 has no trouble keeping its AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX cool for an impressive level of performance. We note an average of 2,121 points. That is not a significant performance loss compared to the best value (2,197 points). Overall, however, almost all contenders deliver good results in this test.
System performance
In synthetic benchmarks, the Minisforum EliteMini HX90 offers a very high working speed for pure office work and productivity. As was the case with the Minisforum EliteMini HM90, the ElteMini HX90 lacks a dedicated graphics card, which is why the gap between the Intel Ghost Canyon NUC and the Zotac Magnus One becomes significantly larger. The measured latencies under load and during playback of 4K video are good and there are no dropouts. The iGPU is utilized to about 30% during playback. Nevertheless, the latencies increase slightly after Prime95 is started.
| DPC Latencies / LatencyMon - interrupt to process latency (max), Web, Youtube, Prime95 | |
| AC6-M Mini-PC, Intel Celeron J4125 | |
| MSI Cubi 5 10M, Intel Core i3-10110U | |
| Minisforum HM90, AMD Ryzen 9 4900H | |
| Minisforum EliteMini HX90, AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX | |
| AMD Ryzen 7 5700G, AMD Ryzen 7 5700G | |
* ... smaller is better
Mass storage
Minisforum sent us the top model of the EliteMini HX90 with a 512 GB SSD. The SSD comes from Kingston and uses the NVMe protocol for fast data transfers. The SSD was able to deliver good rates in the test, although we expected a slightly better sequential write rate. However, that is complaining on a high level, because the 900 MB/s transfer is more than sufficient for everyday use. The 4K read rate, which is a good 54 MB/s matters more. The system benefits from this when loading many small files especially during system startup, which only takes a few moments.
If the provided SSD is not enough, you can replace it with a larger model or optionally install up to two 2.5-inch storage devices. The appropriate mounting brackets as well as the connection cables are included. However, the maximum height of 7 mm should be noted.
Graphics card
The integrated graphics unit of the AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX is the AMD Radeon RX Vega 8. We could already get a good impression of the performance in the EliteMini HM90. However, AMD has improved the iGPU's performance in the 5000 series and has increased the chip clock to 2,100 MHz. This results in a slight performance advantage over the previous generation RX Vega 8.
Compared to Intel's Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EU, the performance gap now shrinks a bit and AMD is no longer quite as far behind. Still, the performance of AMD's Radeon RX Vega 8 is noticeably slow if you want to play current games. Playing old and current games is possible in low resolutions. However, the frame rates often drop significantly at native 1080p resolution, so gaming is no fun. If the system is only to be used for certain games, we recommend taking a look at our table of tested games because it becomes clear here that the system can definitely be used for CS:GO or Rocket League. More game tests with this system will follow in the near future, so the table will be expanded constantly.
Minisforum promotes the EliteMini HX90 as a gaming mini PC. As can be seen in the table below, various games are also shown with playable frame rates. This, however, depends on the resolutions and presets used and thus, Minisforum's claims cannot be completely taken at face value.
Those who want to buy the Minisforum EliteMini HX90 should know what performance the AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 offers and what can be expected. We cannot give an unqualified gaming recommendation due to the low iGPU performance. Perhaps, this will be different if we get to a see a configuration with the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX. However, this is only a speculation at the moment.
More benchmarks of the AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 can be found here.
| 3DMark 05 Standard | 41727 points | |
| 3DMark 06 Standard Score | 25886 points | |
| 3DMark Vantage P Result | 21716 points | |
| 3DMark 11 Performance | 6462 points | |
| 3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score | 140539 points | |
| 3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score | 25447 points | |
| 3DMark Fire Strike Score | 3479 points | |
| 3DMark Fire Strike Extreme Score | 1573 points | |
| 3DMark Time Spy Score | 1422 points | |
Help | ||
| low | med. | high | ultra | QHD | 4K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Counter-Strike: GO (2012) | 212 | 135 | 78.8 | 47.5 | 21.3 | |
| GTA V (2015) | 116 | 104 | 27.9 | 12 | 8.55 | 8.77 |
| The Witcher 3 (2015) | 72.2 | 44.5 | 21.9 | 14.4 | ||
| Dota 2 Reborn (2015) | 127 | 96.3 | 53.7 | 49.9 | 14.3 | |
| Rise of the Tomb Raider (2016) | 46.3 | 33.5 | 19.7 | 16.3 | ||
| Rocket League (2017) | 56.2 | 46.3 | 31.3 | 22.3 | 12.6 | |
| Final Fantasy XV Benchmark (2018) | 37 | 19.2 | 13.6 | 9.67 | 5.22 | |
| X-Plane 11.11 (2018) | 53.1 | 41.1 | 37 | 20.8 | ||
| Far Cry 5 (2018) | 48 | 21 | 20 | 19 | 12 | 6 |
| Strange Brigade (2018) | 87.7 | 33.5 | 28.4 | 23.9 | 15.8 | 8.2 |
| Shadow of the Tomb Raider (2018) | 52 | 20.3 | 18.7 | 16.3 | 10.4 | 5 |
| Far Cry New Dawn (2019) | 44 | 22 | 21 | 19 | 13 | 6 |
| Metro Exodus (2019) | 39.2 | 16.4 | 12.8 | 10.8 | 8.24 | 4.87 |
| Borderlands 3 (2019) | 60.1 | 23.1 | 14.4 | 11.3 | 7.28 | 3.52 |
| F1 2020 (2020) | 94.7 | 33.4 | 24.3 | 16.7 | 8.53 | |
| F1 2021 (2021) | 98.3 | 42.5 | 31.9 | 22 | 16.3 | 8.35 |
| Alan Wake Remastered (2021) | 39.1 | 30.1 | ||||
| Far Cry 6 (2021) | 45.1 | 21.1 | 17.2 | |||
| Riders Republic (2021) | 41 | 21 | 15 | 14 | 9 | 4 |
| Forza Horizon 5 (2021) | 43 | 33 | 28 | 15 | 11 | 7 |
| Farming Simulator 22 (2021) | 131 | 51.1 | 33.2 | 29.5 | 21.3 | 11.8 |
| God of War (2022) | 13.7 | 11.2 | 7.92 | |||
| Rainbow Six Extraction (2022) | 29 | 28 | 27 | 19 | 11 | 5 |
| Dying Light 2 (2022) | 18.5 | 15.4 | 11.4 | 6.73 | ||
| GRID Legends (2022) | 63.3 | 43.2 | 35.1 | 24.7 | 17.6 | 9.7 |
| Elden Ring (2022) | 30.7 | 30.6 | 30.5 | 27 | 19.2 | 10.9 |
| Cyberpunk 2077 1.6 (2022) | 21.2 | 16 | 11.2 | 8.9 | 4.8 | |
| Elex 2 (2022) | 17.8 | 15.4 | 13.6 | 11.6 | 7.55 |
Emissions & Energy
Temperature
Minisforum uses a radial fan for the EliteMini HX90. This sucks in fresh air from the top and blows it out of the case laterally through the vents. This concept seems to be working very well because there were no problems that indicated overheating of the SoC during the Cinebench R15 Multi loop test. Furthermore, liquid metal is used ex-factory to achieve the best possible heat dissipation. Consequently, disassembling the CPU cooler is also strongly discouraged. It is also glued, so damage to the SoC while removing the cooler cannot be ruled out.
Under full load, we measured the AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX reaching a maximum of 70 °C although the iGPU was cooler at 65 °C. However, we would like to emphasize the increased TDP of 54 W, which we used for all tests. Thus, there is no reason to panic about the temperatures. It is not surprising that the 3D performance does not drop even after the stress test. The result of the 3DMark11 benchmark is almost identical compared to the cold start and only fluctuates by a few points in the range of the measurement tolerances.
Noise emissions
A quiet PC is always good and if performance doesn't drop at the same time, it's even better. The Minisforum EliteMini HX90 checks both points. We measured just 31.6 dB(A) in idle, and it is only slightly more under full load at 33.4 dB(A).
Additionally, the fan noise is pleasant too with no annoying, high-frequency fan whirring. The fan speed quickly adapts to the conditions, so the already low noise level drops again after a short load. However, fan speeds can still be adjusted to the user's needs in the BIOS. We were satisfied with the default settings so we did not make any changes here.
Noise Level
| Idle |
| / 31.6 / dB(A) |
| Load |
| / 33.4 dB(A) |
 | ||
30 dB silent 40 dB(A) audible 50 dB(A) loud |
||
min:  , med:  , max:  Earthworks M23R, Arta (15 cm distance) environment noise: 30.8 dB(A) | ||
Energy consumption
The Minisforum EliteMini HX90 is comparatively more energy-hungry among the other mini PCs that we have listed here. However, this should not be judged too negatively because the performance is on a high level. There is some criticism in terms of 3D performance due to the iGPU, but it pays off positively in terms of energy consumption. The energy consumption for 3D applications is much higher in two of its rivals with a dedicated graphics unit.
The power consumption is still relatively frugal with an average of 87 W measured in the stress test. Furthermore, Minisforum has the idle energy flow well under control with our test device showing only 6.3 W without load. The relatively large 120 W power supply easily copes with the power requirements. Thus, there is still some buffer should the Minisforum EliteMini HX90 be equipped with two separate 2.5-inch drives.
| Power Consumption | |
| 1280x720 FurMark 1.19 GPU Stress Test (external Monitor) | |
| Zotac Magnus One (ECM73070C) (Idle: 37.6 W) | |
| Intel Ghost Canyon NUC (RTX 2070) (Idle: 33.1 W) | |
| AMD Ryzen 7 5700G | |
| Minisforum EliteMini HX90 (Idle: 6.3 W) | |
| Minisforum HM90 (Idle: 9.8 W) | |
| Intel NUC10i7FNH (Idle: 8.4 W) | |
| Intel NUC10i5FNK (Idle: 15.7 W) | |
| MSI Cubi 5 10M (Idle: 8 W) | |
| Prime95 V2810 Stress (external Monitor) | |
| AMD Ryzen 7 5700G | |
| Zotac Magnus One (ECM73070C) (Idle: 37.6 W) | |
| Intel Ghost Canyon NUC (RTX 2070) (Idle: 33.1 W) | |
| Minisforum EliteMini HX90 (Idle: 6.3 W) | |
| Minisforum HM90 (Idle: 9.8 W) | |
| Intel NUC10i7FNH (Idle: 8.4 W) | |
| Intel NUC10i5FNK (Idle: 15.7 W) | |
| MSI Cubi 5 10M (Idle: 8 W) | |
| AC6-M Mini-PC | |
* ... smaller is better
Pros
Cons
Verdict - Great performance with wasted potential
The Minisforum EliteMini HX90 is a small PC for demanding tasks. The installed AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX is a cutting-edge, fast processor that is best suited for multi-thread applications. Nevertheless, the SoC suffers due to the outdated iGPU. The Vega architecture is noticeably outdated and unfortunately cannot keep up with the 5000 generation chips paired with a dedicated graphics card. The higher chip clock ensures better 3D performance compared to the AMD Ryzen 9 4900H but only by a few percentage points that do not separate the two rivals much.
That being said, the Minisforum EliteMini HX90 is perfectly suited as a work device. Here, the 8-core CPU can unlock its full potential without losing performance because the cooling of the small PC is sophisticated and suitable for everyday use. The many external ports are well placed and more than sufficient for the normal user. Up to four displays can be used on the device at the same time. That is almost a unique selling point for compact PCs, since there is often only one HDMI and one DisplayPort and with a bit of luck, a USB-C port with DisplayPort support. The only major limitation continues to be the lack of Thunderbolt 4, which would have made it possible to connect a high-performance external graphics card to turn the compact PC into a real gaming PC.
The Minisforum EliteMini HX90 is a very powerful mini PC for everyday use. However, only selected games can be enjoyed without any problems with the AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX.
So, who will find this mini PC interesting? As a pure unrestricted gaming PC, the Minisforum EliteMini HX90 lacks the necessary 3D horsepower. Only some games can be rendered smoothly even at medium presets. If you limit yourself to these selected games, you won't make a mistake with the Minisforum EliteMini HX90. Furthermore, the compact PC is also suitable as a streaming client although that would surely be an overkill. Users have an option to lower the SoC's performance via BIOS settings which could indeed prove helpful for this particular way of using the mini-PC.
You have no choice but to like the color scheme from a purely visual point of view because there aren't any other color combinations offered. The market is simply too small for that. The Minisforum EliteMini HX90 doesn't look that bad in reality, though. Overall, we cannot discover any negative points of criticism in the looks and workmanship. The omission of piano lacquer, which some competitors use, prevents visibility of any micro scratches.
Alternatives in this compact class, considering the performance on offer, are very scarce. Zotac has an equal opponent with its ZBOX Magnus with a dedicated graphics card. However, the price of this barebone model is at least €1,450. Another Chinese manufacturer, Morefine, also has a mini PC on the same basis as the Minisforum EliteMini HX90 called the S500+. The Morefine S500+ can be currently bought for US$779. A detailed review of this model will follow shortly.
The Minisforum EliteMini HX90 is available in its own online shop starting from US$649 as a barebones version. Our test sample retails for US$909 at the time of testing.
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