Minisforum MS-R1 debuts as new mini PC with ARM CPU and dGPU support

Minisforum has formally introduced the MS-R1 in Japan. At the core, it comes with a China-made ARM CPU, the Cixin P1. Developed by CIX Technology, this 6 nm processor features a 12-core configuration with eight Cortex A720 performance and four Cortex A520 efficiency cores.

Among the two tiers, the performance cores are clocked between 2.3 GHz and 2.6 GHz, while all the Cortex A520 cores sport a 1.8 GHz clock speed. In the graphics department, the Cixin P1 comes with the Immortalis G720 MC10 GPU. This ARM processor also features an NPU that can offer up to 30 TOPS of AI performance.

Regarding the chassis, it appears to be the same as the Minisforum MS-A1. The MS-R1 even has a PCIe x16 slot, which is, of course, limited to x8 speed. So, similar to the MS-A1, users will have the option to install a discrete GPU. However, it's worth noting that the compact nature of the chassis prevents it from fitting a beefy multi-slot dGPU.

As PC Watch reports, besides the PCIe x16 slot, the Minisforum MS-R1 has  a wide range of internal interfaces, including:

• 40-pin GPIO
• UART pin
• eDP connector
• TPM connector
• BIOS update pin

There is a rich selection of connectivity ports on the outside as well. To be specific, the ARM-based mini PC has the following port selection:

• 2x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C
• 2x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A
• 2x USB 2.0 Type-A
• 2x 10G Ethernet
• 1x HDMI 2.0
• 1x 3.5 mm audio

The USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C ports have support for 100 W USB-PD and DisplayPort Alt mode (3.3-feet Silkland USB4 cable curr. $14.38 on Amazon). Other notable aspects include up to 60 GB of LPDDR5 RAM, WiFi 6E, and Bluetooth 5.2. Minisforum will be offering the mini PC with up to 1 TB of storage, and the brand has yet to share the pricing and availability details of the MS-R1.