Minisforum MS-S1 Max mini PC review: Performance modes compared - performance, balanced & quiet
With the MS-S1 Max, Minisforum follows up and delivers a real powerhouse based on the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395. Combined with the currently most powerful iGPU (AMD Radeon 8060S) and 128 GB RAM, the rough technical specifications of the Minisforum MS-S1 Max are already impressive. In the past few weeks, we have already reviewed various devices on a similar basis, which are shown in the current review against the new flagship from Minisforum. Our review is based on the data in Performance mode, but how do Balanced and Quiet modes change the performance of the CPU and iGPU? We investigated this question using numerous tests - and present the results.
AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 in the MS-S1 Max - Performance vs. balanced vs. quiet
With a peak power of up to 160 watts, Minisforum gives the MS-S1 Max generous reserves to exploit the chip's full potential. In performance mode, the MS-S1 Max makes full use of the available reserves and thus moves in areas that are remarkable for a compact computer. This makes it suitable for video production, data analysis, or simulations in which parallel processes utilize the full capacity. The built-in cooling unit offers sufficient reserves to keep the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 in check even in performance mode. In Balanced mode, the mini PC is already pleasantly restrained, but in Quiet mode, it reduces the background noise even more, making it a quiet mini PC that still offers plenty of performance.
| Performance Rating - Percent | |
| Minisforum MS-S1 Max (Performance-Mode) | |
| Minisforum MS-S1 Max (Balanced-Mode) | |
| Minisforum MS-S1 Max (Quiet-Mode) | |
AMD Radeon 8060S in the MS-S1 Max - Performance vs. Blanaced vs. Quiet
Since the CPU and iGPU share the available power consumption, the different operating modes also affect the 3D performance of the AMD Radeon 8060S. There is an average decrease of around 10 percent between Performance and Quiet mode, which is nevertheless within a practical and acceptable range.
| 3DMark Performance Rating - Percent | |
| Minisforum MS-S1 Max (Performance-Mode) | |
| Minisforum MS-S1 Max (Balanced-Mode) | |
| Minisforum MS-S1 Max (Quiet-Mode) | |
| 3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance GPU | |
| Minisforum MS-S1 Max (Performance-Mode) | |
| Minisforum MS-S1 Max (Balanced-Mode) | |
| Minisforum MS-S1 Max (Quiet-Mode) | |
| 3DMark | |
| 2560x1440 Time Spy Graphics | |
| Minisforum MS-S1 Max (Performance-Mode) | |
| Minisforum MS-S1 Max (Balanced-Mode) | |
| Minisforum MS-S1 Max (Quiet-Mode) | |
| 1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics | |
| Minisforum MS-S1 Max (Performance-Mode) | |
| Minisforum MS-S1 Max (Balanced-Mode) | |
| Minisforum MS-S1 Max (Quiet-Mode) | |
| Steel Nomad Score | |
| Minisforum MS-S1 Max (Performance-Mode) (Vulkan) | |
| Minisforum MS-S1 Max (Performance-Mode) (DX12) | |
| Minisforum MS-S1 Max (Balanced-Mode) (Vulkan) | |
| Minisforum MS-S1 Max (Balanced-Mode) (DX12) | |
| Minisforum MS-S1 Max (Quiet-Mode) (Vulkan) | |
| Minisforum MS-S1 Max (Quiet-Mode) (DX12) | |
| 2560x1440 Port Royal Graphics | |
| Minisforum MS-S1 Max (Performance-Mode) | |
| Minisforum MS-S1 Max (Balanced-Mode) | |
| Minisforum MS-S1 Max (Quiet-Mode) | |
| Night Raid Score | |
| Minisforum MS-S1 Max (Performance-Mode) | |
| Minisforum MS-S1 Max (Balanced-Mode) | |
| Minisforum MS-S1 Max (Quiet-Mode) | |
| Solar Bay Score | |
| Minisforum MS-S1 Max (Performance-Mode) | |
| Minisforum MS-S1 Max (Balanced-Mode) | |
| Minisforum MS-S1 Max (Quiet-Mode) | |
| Performance Rating - Percent | |
| Minisforum MS-S1 Max (Performance-Mode) | |
| Minisforum MS-S1 Max (Balanced-Mode) | |
| Minisforum MS-S1 Max (Quiet-Mode) | |
| Unigine Heaven 4.0 | |
| Extreme Preset OpenGL | |
| Minisforum MS-S1 Max (Performance-Mode) | |
| Minisforum MS-S1 Max (Balanced-Mode) | |
| Minisforum MS-S1 Max (Quiet-Mode) | |
| Extreme Preset DX11 | |
| Minisforum MS-S1 Max (Balanced-Mode) | |
| Minisforum MS-S1 Max (Performance-Mode) | |
| Minisforum MS-S1 Max (Quiet-Mode) | |
| Unigine Valley 1.0 | |
| 1920x1080 Extreme HD DirectX AA:x8 | |
| Minisforum MS-S1 Max (Performance-Mode) | |
| Minisforum MS-S1 Max (Balanced-Mode) | |
| Minisforum MS-S1 Max (Quiet-Mode) | |
| 1920x1080 Extreme HD Preset OpenGL AA:x8 | |
| Minisforum MS-S1 Max (Performance-Mode) | |
| Minisforum MS-S1 Max (Balanced-Mode) | |
| Minisforum MS-S1 Max (Quiet-Mode) | |
| Unigine Superposition | |
| 1280x720 720p Low | |
| Minisforum MS-S1 Max (Performance-Mode) | |
| Minisforum MS-S1 Max (Balanced-Mode) | |
| Minisforum MS-S1 Max (Quiet-Mode) | |
| 1920x1080 1080p High | |
| Minisforum MS-S1 Max (Performance-Mode) | |
| Minisforum MS-S1 Max (Balanced-Mode) | |
| Minisforum MS-S1 Max (Quiet-Mode) | |
| 1920x1080 1080p Extreme | |
| Minisforum MS-S1 Max (Performance-Mode) | |
| Minisforum MS-S1 Max (Balanced-Mode) | |
| Minisforum MS-S1 Max (Quiet-Mode) | |
| ComputeMark v2.1 | |
| 1024x600 Normal, Score | |
| Minisforum MS-S1 Max (Performance-Mode) | |
| Minisforum MS-S1 Max (Balanced-Mode) | |
| Minisforum MS-S1 Max (Quiet-Mode) | |
| 1024x600 Normal, Fluid 3DTex | |
| Minisforum MS-S1 Max (Performance-Mode) | |
| Minisforum MS-S1 Max (Quiet-Mode) | |
| Minisforum MS-S1 Max (Balanced-Mode) | |
| 1024x600 Normal, Fluid 2DTexArr | |
| Minisforum MS-S1 Max (Balanced-Mode) | |
| Minisforum MS-S1 Max (Performance-Mode) | |
| Minisforum MS-S1 Max (Quiet-Mode) | |
| 1024x600 Normal, Mandel Vector | |
| Minisforum MS-S1 Max (Performance-Mode) | |
| Minisforum MS-S1 Max (Balanced-Mode) | |
| Minisforum MS-S1 Max (Quiet-Mode) | |
| 1024x600 Normal, Mandel Scalar | |
| Minisforum MS-S1 Max (Performance-Mode) | |
| Minisforum MS-S1 Max (Balanced-Mode) | |
| Minisforum MS-S1 Max (Quiet-Mode) | |
| 1024x600 Normal, QJuliaRayTrace | |
| Minisforum MS-S1 Max (Performance-Mode) | |
| Minisforum MS-S1 Max (Balanced-Mode) | |
| Minisforum MS-S1 Max (Quiet-Mode) | |
| Affinity Photo 2 - Combined (Single / Multi GPU) | |
| Minisforum MS-S1 Max (Balanced-Mode) | |
| Minisforum MS-S1 Max (Quiet-Mode) | |
| Minisforum MS-S1 Max (Performance-Mode) | |
FPS chart - 30 min Cyberpunk 2077 1920 x 1080 Ultra Preset (FSR off)
Compared to other mini PCs in its performance class, the Minisforum MS-S1 Max scores with its high versatility and modern connectivity. In addition, the extensive UEFI settings allow flexible adjustment of performance and fan speed so that the system can be brought to a pleasantly balanced level.
All further details on the Minisforum MS-S1 Max can be found here in our review.
