Minisforum launches AR900i mini-ITX motherboard with Intel i9-13900HX mobile processor for $559

Mini PC makers have been porting laptop processors to small form-factor 4X4 brick-like systems for years now, but these are mostly offered as barebone solutions or fully-configured systems. Minisforum is taking modularity and customization for DIY mini-ITX PC builders a step forward by providing just the motherboard and the processor. This concept was showcased at Computex this summer, and Minisforum already launched mobos based on AMD’s Ryzen 7000HX mobile processors in September. Now, the company is releasing AR900i mobos with Intel’s Raptor Lake-HX processors.

For the time being, Minisforum is offering the AR900i models only with the high-end i9-13900HX processor, but other more affordable processor models like the i7-13650HX (AR650i) will be added to the online store soon.

Highlights for the AR900i motherboard include:

• Support for 96 GB DDR5-5200 RAM
• Two M.2 PCIe 5.0 NVMe SSD slots
• PCIe 5.0 X16 slot for full-size GPU
• M.2 2230 key slot for wireless communication cards (plus 2x antenna adapters)
• Port selection: 1x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 (DP mode), 2x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1, 1x USB 2.0, HDMI 2.0 + DP 1.4 video outputs for the iGPU, audio jacks and 2.5 GbE jack
• Custom cooling system that covers the CPU and M.2 slots rated for 100 W (can be expanded with a 120 mm fan sold separately)
• 8-pin + 24-pin connectors for PSU
• Various fan headers for case fans, additional USB-A and audio header for front case panel
• mini-ITX size: 170 mm x 170 mm x 1.6 mm

The AR900i motherboard is available right away for US customers at $559 directly from Minisforum’s online shop , while UK and EU orders are expected to ship towards the end of the month.