Minisforum launches new M1 Plus mini-PC with 2.5 Gbps Ethernet and USB4 for ~$250

Minisforum has quietly introduced a new mini-PC following last week's global release of the AtomMan G1 Pro. Also arriving in the wake of the MS-02 Ultra (curr. $1,499 on Amazon), the M1 Plus is only available in China for now. Nonetheless, we would expect Minisforum to offer the M1 Plus internationally at some stage.

In the meantime, Minisforum's Chinese release provides a look at its new mini-PC ahead of time. For some reason, the company has revisited Intel's Alder Lake architecture with the Core i5-12600H and Core i7-12800H. Both Alder Lake-P series processors, the pair share 8 efficient cores and a 45 W TDP. However, the Core i7-12800H contains 6 performance cores, 2 more than the Core i5-12600H, as well as more cache, four more threads and a superior iGPU packing 96 Execution Units (EUs) rather than the 80 EUs inside its Core i5 counterpart.

Ultimately, though, the Core i7-12800H will struggle in modern triple-A games like Cyberpunk 2077 even at 720p with FSR off. Less demanding titles like Prince of Persia The Lost Crown should be playable in 1080p though, as would many indie games and retro games via emulation. Minisforum's pricing reflects the low-powered nature of both processors, too. As it stands, M1 Plus starts at CNY 1,789 (~$250) with the Core i5-12600H as a barebones unit without RAM or storage. By contrast, the Core i7-12800H variant retails for CNY 2,199 (~$310).