Minisforum MS-02 Ultra with an RTX 5060 low-profile GPU runs Cyberpunk 2077 at 160 FPS with DLSS 4 but shows a slight CPU performance drop
The MS-02 Ultra was officially revealed by Minisforum at Japan Autumn IT Week 2025 and launched as a $949 barebones unit shortly after, in November 2025. Compared with the MS-01, the MS-02 Ultra brings major upgrades such as new high-end CPUs, support for up to 256 GB of DDR5 RAM, significantly larger storage through 4 × M.2 SSD slots, and, importantly, three PCIe slots including a PCIe 5.0 ×16 slot that can accommodate desktop GPUs.
The MS-02 Ultra also moves to a larger 4.8-litre chassis, which Minisforum claims allows for better cooling, a more powerful 350W PSU, and additional connectivity such as USB4 v2 and 25 GbE networking, positioned as clear improvements over the older MS-01.
To test the new design and connectivity features, YouTuber ETA Prime set up their Minisforum MS-02 Ultra with an Intel Core Ultra 7 285HX, 64 GB of DDR5 RAM, and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5060 low-profile card equipped with 8 GB of GDDR7 VRAM.
The YouTuber begins the video with a teardown of the MS-02 Ultra, which they say is surprisingly easy, removing just two screws allows the internal frame to slide off. Inside, the CPU cooler and the 350 W PSU take up most of the space, leaving only enough room for a low-profile GPU, and as seen in the image above, the RTX 5060 LP is a very tight fit.
To further optimise space, two SODIMM RAM slots are placed on the opposite side of the motherboard, along with two M.2 slots.
After installing the RTX 5060 LP, the PL1 for the Core Ultra 7 285HX drops to 90 W and the PL2 falls to 110 W. Without the Nvidia GPU, the PL1 can reach 100 W and the PL2 is claimed to go up to 140 W.
Testing begins with Geekbench 6 single and multi-core runs, where the Minisforum MS-02 Ultra scores 2,957 in single core and 17,992 in multi core. Do note that this reflects CPU performance with a dedicated GPU installed, which is likely why the scores are lower. For reference, Notebookcheck’s data shows the Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX with a median single-core score of 3,026, which is roughly 2% higher, and a median multi-core score of 20,758, which is about 13% higher.
Moving on to Cinebench R24, the MS-02 Ultra scores 128 in single core and 1,938 in multi core. For comparison, Notebookcheck’s data shows the CPU scoring 129 in single core and 1,974 in multi core. Meanwhile, in 3DMark Time Spy testing, the MS-02 Ultra posts a total score of 13,672, which is lower than the median score of 14,072 recorded in our database.
The YouTuber then moves on to real-world gaming tests. In Red Dead Redemption 2, using a mix of ultra, high and medium settings without DLSS, the system averages a little over 70 FPS at 1440p. CPU and GPU temperatures remain lower than expected, largely due to the ventilation setup and triple-fan cooling on the graphics card. Shadow of the Tomb Raider is tested next at 1440p on very high settings, resulting in an average of 121 FPS with no upscaling enabled.
Cyberpunk 2077 is also tested at 1440p on Ultra settings. Using DLSS Quality, the system averages around 75 FPS, and enabling DLSS 4 frame generation at X4 lifts this to over 160 FPS. The YouTuber notes that most buyers may not install an RTX 5060, but the test shows the system’s potential even with a compact GPU. You can check out the full video linked below for a closer look at the machine.
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