Minisforum Mercury Series EM780 review: Extremely compact mini-PC with AMD Ryzen 7 7840U, 32 GB of RAM and 1 TB SSD

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Minisforum has given the Mercury Series EM780 a newer SoC as an upgrade over the EM680. The AMD Ryzen 7 7840U similarly boasts eight native cores but is equipped with a much newer iGPU. The manufacturer hasn’t skimped on memory either, packing 32 GB of LPDDR5 RAM into the device, though it is non-upgradable. Other than storage capacity, the base specs are always the same. The configuration with a 512 GB SSD is currently available for €699 (US$619) on Minisforum’s online shop. For €30 more (€729, or US$639), you can also get the Mercury Series EM780 with 1 TB of storage, which is the model we are focusing on here.
In this review, we’ll be taking a look at the performance gain over the Minisforum EM680. The new Mercury Series model will also go head-to-head with other powerful mini-PCs that we’ve previously reviewed in depth. An overview of the comparison devices can be found in the table below.
Comparison with possible competitors
Rating | Date | Model | Memory | Weight | Height |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
85.1 % v7 (old) | 03 / 2024 | Minisforum Mercury Series EM780 R7 7840U, Radeon 780M | 32768 MB | 238 g | 43 mm |
82.6 % v7 (old) | 03 / 2024 | Geekom A7 R9 7940HS, Radeon 780M | 32768 MB | 417 g | 38 mm |
81.8 % v7 (old) | 06 / 2023 | Minisforum Mercury Series EM680 R7 6800U, Radeon 680M | 16384 MB | 239 g | 43 mm |
81.2 % v7 (old) | 10 / 2023 | Geekom A5 R7 5800H, Vega 8 | 32768 MB | 555 g | 49.2 mm |
79.5 % v7 (old) | 11 / 2023 | Geekom Mini IT12 i5-12450H, UHD Graphics 64EUs | 16384 MB | 572 g | 45.6 mm |
79.5 % v7 (old) | 02 / 2024 | Maxtang MTN-FP750 R7 7735HS, Radeon 680M | 16384 MB | 601 g | 52 mm |
78.4 % v7 (old) | 01 / 2024 | NiPoGi AD08 i7-12650H, UHD Graphics 64EUs | 32768 MB | 878 g | 188.5 mm |
Case - Lots of plastic, but extremely compact
The Minisforum Mercury Series EM780 uses the same chassis as the EM680, meaning the new model too is extremely compact. With a footprint measuring just 80 x 80 mm (3.15 x 3.15 in), the Minisforum EM780 also only takes up very little space. Moreover, the device is fairly slim at just 43 mm (1.69 in) thick. In terms of material, Minisforum has chosen to give the device a mostly plastic construction. The plastic is remarkably sturdy thanks to the compact design. Only the air vents are fitted with metal mesh, which is meant to let the components inside get sufficient fresh air.
Specifications
Despite being one of the smallest mini-PCs right now, the Minisforum Mercury Series EM780 has an impressive selection of I/Os. Whilst you certainly have to put up with some limitations, everything important is essentially present. There are a total of five USB ports, two of which offer USB4 speed. Other than the two Type-C ports, which are capable of video output, you can also connect another display via HDMI. This means up to three monitors are usable with the device simultaneously. But there is something else to take note: peripherals must support Power Delivery because the EM780 is powered over the USB-C port.
SD card reader
SD Card Reader | |
average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs) | |
Geekom A5 (AV Pro SD microSD 128 GB V60) | |
Geekom A7 (AV Pro SD microSD 128 GB V60) | |
Geekom Mini IT12 (AV Pro SD microSD 128 GB V60) | |
Average of class Mini PC (15.1 - 214, n=26, last 2 years) | |
Minisforum Mercury Series EM680 (AV Pro SD microSD 128 GB V60) | |
Minisforum Mercury Series EM780 (AV Pro SD microSD 128 GB V60) | |
maximum AS SSD Seq Read Test (1GB) | |
Geekom A7 (AV Pro SD microSD 128 GB V60) | |
Geekom A5 (AV Pro SD microSD 128 GB V60) | |
Geekom Mini IT12 (AV Pro SD microSD 128 GB V60) | |
Average of class Mini PC (18.2 - 221, n=26, last 2 years) | |
Minisforum Mercury Series EM680 (AV Pro SD microSD 128 GB V60) | |
Minisforum Mercury Series EM780 (AV Pro SD microSD 128 GB V60) |
Connectivity
Inside the Mercury Series EM780, an Intel Killer Wi-Fi 6E AX1675w ensures stable and speedy wireless connection. In our realistic test, the Wi-Fi module delivered consistently good performance. That said, it wasn't quite able to reach the level of performance shown by the MediaTek RZ616 in the EM680 when connected to a 6 GHz network. The results were obtained with the help of our Asus ROG Rapture GT-AXE11000 reference router.
Accessories
The mini-PC is shipped in a relatively small box. Other than the device itself, you’ll find a small 65-watt power adapter and a USB-C cable in the box. The company has also included an RJ45 LAN adapter as well as an obligatory HDMI cable and some documentation.
Maintenance
The amount of user maintenance that can be done on the Minisforum Mercury Series EM780 is limited to a minimum. Only the bottom cover can be removed with relative ease if you ever need to replace the SSD underneath. There is no room for a second storage drive in the mini-PC anyway. It is not recommended to take the device further apart, let alone dismantle the CPU cooler. Inside the box is also a note that says liquid metal is used for heat transfer.
Performance - AMD Ryzen 7 7840U with 8 cores and 16 threads
All variants of the Mercury Series EM780 come with the AMD Ryzen 7 7840U. As the successor to the Ryzen 7 6800U, the newer SoC can run at slightly higher clock speeds and features the latest Radeon 780M iGPU. The mini-PC should be able to handle more demanding tasks well judging by these specs. The SoC is flanked by 32 GB of LPDDR5 RAM (6,400 MT/s) and a 1 TB SSD.
Test conditions
We selected the “High Performance” power mode during all performance-related tests involving this device. The only exceptions here are the power usage and noise level measurements, which were carried out in accordance with our test criteria.
Processor
With the AMD Ryzen 7 7840U, the Minisforum Mercury Series EM780 has received an efficient SoC with adequate performance. However, one thing that stood out is the comparatively low single-core performance. But the Zen 4 SoC can deliver solid results in multi-thread performance tests. Almost all the devices in our comparison are neck and neck when it comes to their averaged performance score. Only the Geekom A7 with an AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS managed to take a slightly larger lead over the rest of the pack.
Even though the Mercury Series EM780 is exceptionally tiny and thus has a much smaller cooling unit than most other mini-PCs, the level of CPU performance is still outstanding. This is clearly reflected in the AIDA64 benchmarks, where our review unit firmly took second place.
Click here to find more processor benchmark results.
Performance Rating - Percent | |
Geekom A7 | |
NiPoGi AD08 | |
Geekom A5 | |
Maxtang MTN-FP750 | |
Minisforum Mercury Series EM780 | |
Geekom Mini IT12 | |
Minisforum Mercury Series EM680 |
Cinebench R10 | |
Rendering Single CPUs 64Bit | |
Geekom A7 | |
NiPoGi AD08 | |
Geekom Mini IT12 | |
Minisforum Mercury Series EM680 | |
Maxtang MTN-FP750 | |
Geekom A5 | |
Minisforum Mercury Series EM780 | |
Rendering Multiple CPUs 64Bit | |
Geekom A7 | |
Minisforum Mercury Series EM780 | |
Geekom A5 | |
Maxtang MTN-FP750 | |
Geekom Mini IT12 | |
NiPoGi AD08 | |
Minisforum Mercury Series EM680 |
Blender - v2.79 BMW27 CPU | |
Geekom Mini IT12 | |
NiPoGi AD08 | |
Geekom A5 | |
Minisforum Mercury Series EM680 | |
Maxtang MTN-FP750 | |
Minisforum Mercury Series EM780 | |
Geekom A7 |
WinRAR - Result | |
Geekom A7 | |
NiPoGi AD08 | |
Geekom A5 | |
Maxtang MTN-FP750 | |
Geekom Mini IT12 | |
Minisforum Mercury Series EM780 | |
Minisforum Mercury Series EM680 |
Geekbench 4.4 | |
64 Bit Single-Core Score | |
Geekom A7 | |
NiPoGi AD08 | |
Geekom Mini IT12 | |
Maxtang MTN-FP750 | |
Geekom A5 | |
Minisforum Mercury Series EM680 | |
Minisforum Mercury Series EM780 | |
64 Bit Multi-Core Score | |
Geekom A7 | |
Minisforum Mercury Series EM780 | |
Geekom A5 | |
NiPoGi AD08 | |
Minisforum Mercury Series EM680 | |
Geekom Mini IT12 | |
Maxtang MTN-FP750 |
3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance Physics | |
Geekom A7 | |
Geekom A5 | |
NiPoGi AD08 | |
Minisforum Mercury Series EM780 | |
Geekom Mini IT12 | |
Minisforum Mercury Series EM680 | |
Maxtang MTN-FP750 |
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2 - 4k Preset | |
Geekom A7 | |
Minisforum Mercury Series EM780 | |
Minisforum Mercury Series EM680 | |
Geekom A5 | |
Maxtang MTN-FP750 | |
NiPoGi AD08 | |
Geekom Mini IT12 |
R Benchmark 2.5 - Overall mean | |
Minisforum Mercury Series EM780 | |
Minisforum Mercury Series EM680 | |
Geekom A5 | |
Maxtang MTN-FP750 | |
Geekom Mini IT12 | |
NiPoGi AD08 | |
Geekom A7 |
LibreOffice - 20 Documents To PDF | |
Minisforum Mercury Series EM780 | |
Minisforum Mercury Series EM680 | |
Maxtang MTN-FP750 | |
Geekom A7 | |
Geekom A5 | |
Geekom Mini IT12 | |
NiPoGi AD08 |
WebXPRT 3 - Overall | |
Geekom A7 | |
NiPoGi AD08 | |
Geekom Mini IT12 | |
Maxtang MTN-FP750 | |
Geekom A5 | |
Minisforum Mercury Series EM780 | |
Minisforum Mercury Series EM680 |
Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total | |
Minisforum Mercury Series EM680 | |
Geekom A5 | |
Minisforum Mercury Series EM780 | |
Maxtang MTN-FP750 | |
Geekom Mini IT12 | |
NiPoGi AD08 | |
Geekom A7 |
3DMark | |
3840x2160 Fire Strike Ultra Physics | |
Geekom A7 | |
Geekom A5 | |
NiPoGi AD08 | |
Maxtang MTN-FP750 | |
Geekom Mini IT12 | |
Minisforum Mercury Series EM780 | |
Minisforum Mercury Series EM680 | |
1920x1080 Fire Strike Physics | |
Geekom A7 | |
Geekom A5 | |
NiPoGi AD08 | |
Maxtang MTN-FP750 | |
Geekom Mini IT12 | |
Minisforum Mercury Series EM780 | |
Minisforum Mercury Series EM680 | |
2560x1440 Time Spy CPU | |
Geekom A7 | |
Geekom A5 | |
NiPoGi AD08 | |
Minisforum Mercury Series EM780 | |
Maxtang MTN-FP750 | |
Geekom Mini IT12 | |
Minisforum Mercury Series EM680 |
Super Pi mod 1.5 XS 1M - 1M | |
Geekom A5 | |
Minisforum Mercury Series EM780 | |
Maxtang MTN-FP750 | |
Geekom Mini IT12 | |
NiPoGi AD08 | |
Minisforum Mercury Series EM680 | |
Geekom A7 |
Super Pi mod 1.5 XS 2M - 2M | |
Minisforum Mercury Series EM780 | |
Maxtang MTN-FP750 | |
Geekom A5 | |
Minisforum Mercury Series EM680 | |
Geekom Mini IT12 | |
Geekom A7 | |
NiPoGi AD08 |
Super Pi Mod 1.5 XS 32M - 32M | |
Minisforum Mercury Series EM780 | |
Maxtang MTN-FP750 | |
Minisforum Mercury Series EM680 | |
Geekom A7 | |
Geekom A5 | |
Geekom Mini IT12 | |
NiPoGi AD08 |
* ... smaller is better
Performance Rating - Percent | |
Geekom A7 | |
NiPoGi AD08 | |
Geekom Mini IT12 | |
Minisforum Mercury Series EM780 | |
Geekom A5 | |
Minisforum Mercury Series EM680 | |
Maxtang MTN-FP750 |
Geekbench 4.4 | |
64 Bit Single-Core Score | |
Geekom A7 | |
NiPoGi AD08 | |
Geekom Mini IT12 | |
Maxtang MTN-FP750 | |
Geekom A5 | |
Minisforum Mercury Series EM680 | |
Minisforum Mercury Series EM780 | |
64 Bit Multi-Core Score | |
Geekom A7 | |
Minisforum Mercury Series EM780 | |
Geekom A5 | |
NiPoGi AD08 | |
Minisforum Mercury Series EM680 | |
Geekom Mini IT12 | |
Maxtang MTN-FP750 |
AIDA64: FP32 Ray-Trace | FPU Julia | CPU SHA3 | CPU Queen | FPU SinJulia | FPU Mandel | CPU AES | CPU ZLib | FP64 Ray-Trace | CPU PhotoWorxx
Performance Rating | |
Geekom A7 | |
Minisforum Mercury Series EM780 | |
Minisforum Mercury Series EM680 | |
Geekom A5 | |
Maxtang MTN-FP750 | |
Average of class Mini PC | |
NiPoGi AD08 | |
Geekom Mini IT12 |
AIDA64 / FP32 Ray-Trace | |
Geekom A7 | |
Minisforum Mercury Series EM780 | |
Average of class Mini PC (646 - 51004, n=116, last 2 years) | |
Maxtang MTN-FP750 | |
Geekom A5 | |
Minisforum Mercury Series EM680 | |
NiPoGi AD08 | |
Geekom Mini IT12 |
AIDA64 / FPU Julia | |
Geekom A7 | |
Minisforum Mercury Series EM780 | |
Maxtang MTN-FP750 | |
Minisforum Mercury Series EM680 | |
Geekom A5 | |
Average of class Mini PC (3857 - 214250, n=116, last 2 years) | |
NiPoGi AD08 | |
Geekom Mini IT12 |
AIDA64 / CPU SHA3 | |
Geekom A7 | |
Minisforum Mercury Series EM780 | |
Average of class Mini PC (260 - 9399, n=116, last 2 years) | |
Maxtang MTN-FP750 | |
Minisforum Mercury Series EM680 | |
Geekom A5 | |
NiPoGi AD08 | |
Geekom Mini IT12 |
AIDA64 / CPU Queen | |
Geekom A7 | |
Geekom A5 | |
Minisforum Mercury Series EM680 | |
Maxtang MTN-FP750 | |
Minisforum Mercury Series EM780 | |
Average of class Mini PC (8172 - 184747, n=116, last 2 years) | |
NiPoGi AD08 | |
Geekom Mini IT12 |
AIDA64 / FPU SinJulia | |
Geekom A7 | |
Minisforum Mercury Series EM780 | |
Maxtang MTN-FP750 | |
Minisforum Mercury Series EM680 | |
Geekom A5 | |
Average of class Mini PC (408 - 29064, n=116, last 2 years) | |
NiPoGi AD08 | |
Geekom Mini IT12 |
AIDA64 / FPU Mandel | |
Geekom A7 | |
Minisforum Mercury Series EM780 | |
Maxtang MTN-FP750 | |
Minisforum Mercury Series EM680 | |
Geekom A5 | |
Average of class Mini PC (1987 - 113499, n=116, last 2 years) | |
NiPoGi AD08 | |
Geekom Mini IT12 |
AIDA64 / CPU AES | |
Geekom A7 | |
Minisforum Mercury Series EM780 | |
Minisforum Mercury Series EM680 | |
Geekom A5 | |
Average of class Mini PC (3691 - 325960, n=116, last 2 years) | |
Geekom Mini IT12 | |
Maxtang MTN-FP750 | |
NiPoGi AD08 |
AIDA64 / CPU ZLib | |
Geekom A7 | |
Minisforum Mercury Series EM780 | |
Average of class Mini PC (74.9 - 2039, n=116, last 2 years) | |
Geekom A5 | |
NiPoGi AD08 | |
Maxtang MTN-FP750 | |
Minisforum Mercury Series EM680 | |
Geekom Mini IT12 |
AIDA64 / FP64 Ray-Trace | |
Geekom A7 | |
Minisforum Mercury Series EM780 | |
Average of class Mini PC (350 - 26952, n=116, last 2 years) | |
Maxtang MTN-FP750 | |
Minisforum Mercury Series EM680 | |
Geekom A5 | |
NiPoGi AD08 | |
Geekom Mini IT12 |
AIDA64 / CPU PhotoWorxx | |
Geekom A7 | |
Minisforum Mercury Series EM780 | |
Average of class Mini PC (4408 - 50500, n=116, last 2 years) | |
Minisforum Mercury Series EM680 | |
Geekom Mini IT12 | |
Geekom A5 | |
NiPoGi AD08 | |
Maxtang MTN-FP750 |
Minisforum Mercury Series EM780 in Cinebench R15 Multi loop
Running Cinebench R15 in a loop is quite demanding on the Ryzen 7 7840U. As a result, it allows us to take a peek at how well the cooling unit works. The results obtained after 50 runs show that performance remained very stable over time. With an average score of 1,896, the Minisforum Mercury Series EM780 was similarly able to secure the runner-up position in this test. Analysis of the CPU data revealed that the SoC managed to maintain a power usage of 28 watts consistently. We recorded a peak CPU temperature of nearly 70°C (158°F), which suggests Minisforum has given the EM780 an highly effective cooler.
System performance
The Minisforum Mercury Series EM780 left a positive impression in everyday use. Results from PCMark 10 also echo this sentiment. However, our review sample couldn’t keep up with the competitors in Crossmark. We repeated the test several times to ensure there wasn't any issue with the test, but this didn’t drastically change the results. Even so, the AMD Ryzen 7 7840U still delivered fantastic results in conjunction with the onboard memory.
AIDA64 / Memory Copy | |
Geekom A7 | |
Minisforum Mercury Series EM780 | |
Average AMD Ryzen 7 7840U (43255 - 70532, n=11) | |
Minisforum Mercury Series EM680 | |
Average of class Mini PC (6481 - 89287, n=116, last 2 years) | |
Geekom Mini IT12 | |
NiPoGi AD08 | |
Geekom A5 | |
Maxtang MTN-FP750 |
AIDA64 / Memory Read | |
Geekom A7 | |
Minisforum Mercury Series EM780 | |
Average AMD Ryzen 7 7840U (37399 - 61602, n=10) | |
Average of class Mini PC (6914 - 99171, n=116, last 2 years) | |
Geekom Mini IT12 | |
NiPoGi AD08 | |
Geekom A5 | |
Minisforum Mercury Series EM680 | |
Maxtang MTN-FP750 |
AIDA64 / Memory Write | |
Minisforum Mercury Series EM780 | |
Geekom A7 | |
Average AMD Ryzen 7 7840U (49426 - 92289, n=12) | |
Average of class Mini PC (6862 - 98583, n=116, last 2 years) | |
Minisforum Mercury Series EM680 | |
Geekom Mini IT12 | |
Geekom A5 | |
NiPoGi AD08 | |
Maxtang MTN-FP750 |
AIDA64 / Memory Latency | |
Minisforum Mercury Series EM780 | |
Average AMD Ryzen 7 7840U (90 - 137.2, n=11) | |
Minisforum Mercury Series EM680 | |
NiPoGi AD08 | |
Average of class Mini PC (44.9 - 184.8, n=116, last 2 years) | |
Geekom A7 | |
Geekom A5 | |
Maxtang MTN-FP750 | |
Geekom Mini IT12 |
* ... smaller is better
DPC latency
When used for basic web browsing, the Minisforum Mercury Series EM780 had no issue at all with increased latency. The review unit also effortlessly handled playback of our 4K test video, though we did notice a few dropped frames. Latency only shot up when Prime95 started running. We think the EM780 would nevertheless still make for an excellent streaming client.
DPC Latencies / LatencyMon - interrupt to process latency (max), Web, Youtube, Prime95 | |
Minisforum Mercury Series EM680, AMD Ryzen 7 6800U | |
Geekom A7, AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS | |
Geekom Mini IT12, Intel Core i5-12450H | |
Geekom A5, AMD Ryzen 7 5800H | |
Minisforum Mercury Series EM780, AMD Ryzen 7 7840U | |
Maxtang MTN-FP750, AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS | |
NiPoGi AD08, Intel Core i7-12650H |
* ... smaller is better
Mass storage
Due to its design, the Mercury Series EM780 comes with an extremely small SSD. The storage drive, measuring just 30 mm (1.18 in) in length, is made by Kingston and delivers serviceable transfer rates. At least the storage isn’t permanently installed and can be replaced. On the bottom of the device, Minisforum has placed an additional fan and heatsink to prevent the SSD overheating. This system seems to pay off because the read speed remained stable throughout the stress test. Just like its predecessor, the EM780 can only accommodate one storage drive.
You can refer to our comparison table for more info and benchmark scores.
Drive Performance Rating - Percent | |
Minisforum Mercury Series EM680 | |
Geekom A7 | |
Average of class Mini PC | |
Geekom A5 | |
Minisforum Mercury Series EM780 | |
NiPoGi AD08 | |
Geekom Mini IT12 | |
Maxtang MTN-FP750 |
DiskSpd | |
seq read | |
Geekom A7 | |
Minisforum Mercury Series EM680 | |
Minisforum Mercury Series EM780 | |
Geekom A5 | |
Average of class Mini PC (277 - 4357, n=116, last 2 years) | |
Geekom Mini IT12 | |
NiPoGi AD08 | |
Maxtang MTN-FP750 |