MINISFORUM UM790 Pro Review: The Most Powerful Mini PC with AMD Ryzen 9?

The MINISFORUM UM790 Pro is undoubtedly one of the most well-rounded mini PCs on the market for its price.

With an AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS, 32GB of DDR5 RAM, a PCIe 4.0 SSD, and support for four simultaneous displays, all in a chassis the size of a book, this machine rivals mid-range desktops with a radically more compact form factor. However, its price of €755  makes it a serious investment.

Quick conclusion: If you're looking for real power in a mini form factor, Windows 11 pre-installed and zero assembly required, the UM790 Pro is one of the best options available.

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📦 Unboxing and Box Contents

Venus Series UM790 Pro mini PC 

The UM790 Pro arrives in a well-protected box with molded foam. It's one of those unboxings that exudes quality from the very first moment. The contents include:

• 🖥️ Mini PC MINISFORUM UM790 Pro (con Ryzen 9, 32 GB RAM y 512 GB SSD preinstalados)

• 🔌 120W power supply with cable

• 📡 Two external screw-on Wi-Fi antennas

• 🔩 VESA mount for mounting behind monitor

• 📄 User manual

• 🖱️ Cable HDMI

The inclusion of VESA mount support is a very practical feature that not all competitors offer. The device comes with Windows 11 Pro pre-installed and activated.

🔧 Technical Specifications

🎨 Design and Construction Quality

Minisforum UM790 Pro mini PC 

The UM790 Pro boasts a discreet and professional design. Its premium anthracite gray aluminum and plastic casing  conveys a sense of solidity without being ostentatious, working equally well on an office desk or in a living room. Ventilation grilles cover the sides and top, maximizing airflow.

Weighing approximately 670 grams, it's compact yet substantial. The non-slip rubber feet are firm and well-positioned. The bottom opens with two screws for easy access to the interior, featuring a user-friendly design that encourages adding or replacing components.

🖥️ Screen and Multimedia

The UM790 Pro's multimedia capabilities are exceptional for a device of this size. Its four simultaneous video outputs are the key differentiating factor:

• 📺 2× HDMI 2.1: up to 4K@60Hz

• 🔌 2× USB4: up to 8K@60Hz (also power portable displays up to 15W with a single cable)

4K video playback is completely smooth thanks to the Radeon 780M. The chip includes AV1 support , which improves streaming efficiency. HDR content playback on compatible monitors is equally excellent. The mini PC doesn't include built-in speakers, but it does have a 3.5mm audio jack for headphones or external speakers.

⚙️ Performance and Software

The Ryzen 9 7940HS is a monster in its class. Manufactured on a 4nm process, its Zen 4 architecture delivers multi-core performance that surpasses Intel's i7-12700H and is comparable to the desktop Ryzen 7 7700X. In real-world tests, it effortlessly handles 4K video editing, code compilation, graphic design, and dozens of open tabs without flinching.

The system comes with Windows 11 Pro pre-installed with Minisforum drivers and minimal bloatware, making it much cleaner than other competitors in its category. The new BIOS interface is intuitive and allows you to adjust the TDP (thermal power) between 15W and 54W to suit your needs, a feature that advanced users will appreciate.

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🔋 Energy Consumption and Cables

One of the UM790 Pro's greatest strengths is its energy efficiency. At idle, its actual power consumption is between 5 and 7W, less than an LED light bulb. Under maximum load, it reaches 80-85W of total system power consumption, significantly lower than any equivalent desktop PC with an ATX motherboard.

The included power supply is 120W, more than enough for everyday use. It uses a standard DC barrel connector, which is easily replaceable. No additional DisplayPort cable is included, but the two HDMI cables in the package cover most use cases.

🌡️ Temperature and Noise (Actual Thermal)

This is where the UM790 Pro shines with its Cold Wave 2.0 system: a large heatsink with liquid metal applied to the CPU, combined with a vapor chamber fan. The results are very good:

• 🟢 At rest: ~35°C average, fan almost inaudible (1-1.5 dB above ambient noise)

• 🟡 Average load (gaming/editing): ~70-77°C average — below the chip's 100°C limit

• 🔴 Maximum sustained load: up to 83°C peak, with no thermal throttling in stress tests

• 🔊 Maximum noise: 2-2.5 dB above background noise at maximum load — surprisingly quiet

🔌 Connectivity and Extras

• 🌐 Wired network: 2.5 Gbps RJ45 port (perfect for NAS and high-speed networks)

• 📶 Wi-Fi: Wi-Fi 6E up to 2.4 Gbps theoretical — the most modern standard currently available

• 🔵 Bluetooth 5.3 for wireless peripherals and headphones

• 🔌 USB: 4× USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 + 2× USB4 (DP Alt Mode + carga)

• 🎧 Audio: 3.5 mm combo jack (headphones/microphone)

• 🖥️ Video: 2× HDMI + 2× USB4 (up to 4 simultaneous monitors)

• ❌ Without: NFC, fingerprint reader, IP certification, webcam, Thunderbolt 4 certification

🔧 Expansion and Upgrades

The UM790 Pro stands out for its exceptional modularity for a ready-to-use mini PC:

• RAM: 2 DDR5 SODIMM slots — expand from 32 to 64 GB by simply adding another 32 GB module. Compatible with 5600 MHz kits.

• Primary SSD: M.2 2280 PCIe 4.0 slot with 512 GB installed. Replaceable with drives up to 4 TB (Samsung 990 Pro, WD Black, etc.)

• Second SSD: Free M.2 2280 slot, ideal for adding a second drive of up to 4 TB, providing a total of 4.5 TB of fast NVMe storage. It also supports RAID 0 and RAID 1 configurations.

• Without SATA: It is not possible to add 2.5" hard drives internally

• CPU: Soldered, not replaceable. This is the only real limitation of the system.

🆚 Comparison with Direct Competitors

The UM790 Pro is technically on par with the similarly priced Beelink GTR7 Pro, but Minisforum's Cold Wave 2.0 cooling design is generally better rated.

💬 Reviews on Well-Known Pages

The UM790 Pro's reviews in specialized media are outstanding and very consistent:

• PC Gamer: They rated the UM790 Pro as "compact, surprisingly powerful, and never sweats." They highlighted the gaming performance with the Radeon 780M as a pleasant surprise.

• TechRadar gave it a very positive score. They highlighted its "compact performance and power beyond gaming," praising its expandability and benchmark results. Its scores were: Cinebench R23 Multi: 15,874 pts, PCMark 10: 7,110 pts, 3DMark Wild Life: 15,402 pts.

• Notebookcheck.net: They rated it as "better than its competitors" thanks to the Ryzen 9 7940HS + Radeon 780M combo. SSD speeds of up to 4,909 MB/s read, above the average for the Mini PC class.

• ServeTheHome: We were particularly impressed by the cooling system: "2 dB above background noise at maximum load was quite an impressive result." Idle power consumption of 5-7W.

• OLReview: Confirmed exceptional thermal stability: "83°C maximum in stress test, without throttling, well below the TJMax of 100°C".

• Reddit (r/MINISFORUM / r/MiniPCs): The community generally values ​​it very positively, although there are threads about erratic fan behavior on some units — a problem partially solved with BIOS updates.

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📊 Technical Tests

🧠 CPU Performance

🔍 CPU Conclusion: The Ryzen 9 7940HS is an unapologetic chip. In multi-core tests, it performs virtually the same as a desktop Ryzen 7 7700X, but consumes half the power. For video editing, compilation, design, or intensive multitasking, the UM790 Pro has no real competition at its price point in the mini form factor. In maximum performance mode (56W), the chip never exceeds 82°C—a remarkable result for a chassis of this size.

🎮 GPU Performance (Integrated Radeon 780M)

🔍 GPU Conclusion: The Radeon 780M with 12 Compute Units RDNA3 at 2.8 GHz is, without question, the best integrated GPU you can find in a mini PC without a discrete GPU. Its ~2,700-3,000 points in Time Spy puts it on par with a desktop GTX 1650 — a card that sold for around €200 just a few years ago. For a chip integrated into the same processor, this is extraordinary. When PC Gamer connected an external RTX 4070 Ti via Thunderbolt, the Time Spy score jumped from 3,376 to 18,226 points — confirming that the bottleneck is the GPU, not the CPU.

🎯 Benchmarks Gaming Reales (1080p)

🔍 Gaming Conclusion: The results confirm that the Radeon 780M is capable of real-world 1080p gaming, not just a theoretical "can run it." Esports titles (CS2, Fortnite) handle it with ease. Open-world AAA games like Cyberpunk or God of War are playable at medium-low settings, especially with FSR2/FSR3 enabled, which the 780M handles natively and efficiently. To further squeeze out performance gains, some users report 15-20% improvements simply by upgrading the RAM to higher speeds (5600 → 6000+ MHz), as the Radeon 780M greatly benefits from increased memory bandwidth.

💾 Storage Speed

🔍 SSD Conclusion: The included PCIe 4.0 SSD offers read speeds well above the average for its class. For context: a conventional SATA drive reads at ~550 MB/s — this SSD is 7 times faster at reading. Operating system boot times are under 10 seconds, and loading games or demanding applications is nearly instantaneous.

⚡ Actual Consumption and Efficiency

🔍 Efficiency Conclusion: The UM790 Pro consumes about the same amount of power at idle as a low-power LED—an impressive result for a device with this level of power. Under real gaming load, it doesn't exceed 65W, compared to the 200-350W of an equivalent desktop PC. This translates into significant savings on your electricity bill in the long run, and the possibility of using a 120W power supply without compromise.

🌡️ Under Load Temperature

🔍 Thermal Conclusion: With a TJMax (maximum safe chip temperature) of 100°C, operating between 70-83°C is an excellent margin that guarantees longevity. Minisforum's Cold Wave 2.0 system more than lives up to its promise: there is no thermal throttling (forced speed reduction due to heat) in any of the documented test scenarios. The only caveat: some users report that the fan cycles abruptly under light loads, although this can be resolved with BIOS adjustments.

🏆 Overall performance rating:

The MINISFORUM UM790 Pro delivers top-notch results across the board. Its greatest strength lies in the consistency between CPU, GPU, storage, and power efficiency. There isn't a single component that feels like the weak link in the system—something that isn't always the case with compact PCs where manufacturers often cut corners on storage or connectivity to keep the price down.

🎮 Gaming and Emulation

The AMD Radeon 780M (12 Compute Units RDNA3, 2.8 GHz) is the most powerful integrated GPU available in mini PCs without a discrete GPU. It's not just a companion iGPU—it's capable of real gaming.

🟢 Gaming 1080p (medium/low settings):

• Counter-Strike 2: ~150+ fps (medium settings)

• Cyberpunk 2077: ~30-40 fps (1080p low) — playable with FSR enabled

• GTA V: ~60+ fps (1080p medio-alto)

• Fortnite: ~60 fps estables (1080p medio)

• Elden Ring: ~45-60 fps (1080p bajo)

🕹️ Emulation:

• Nintendo Switch (Yuzu/Ryujinx): Most titles at 1080p60 — Mario Kart, Zelda BOTW

• PS3 (RPCS3): Very good results thanks to the 8 cores

• GameCube/Wii (Dolphin): Perfecto a 4K con upscaling

• PS2 (PCSX2): 100% smooth in virtually all games

For retro gaming and emulation, the UM790 Pro is a near-perfect platform.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Does it come with Windows 11?
Yes. Windows 11 Pro comes pre-installed, activated, and configurable during the initial setup.

Can I connect 4 monitors at once?
Yes: 2 x HDMI + 2 x USB4 (you need a USB4 to DisplayPort/HDMI adapter for the USB4 ports). All 4 will work simultaneously.

What RAM do I need to upgrade to 64 GB?
A 32 GB DDR5 SODIMM module at 5600 MHz. Recommended brands: Kingston Fury Impact, Crucial, G.Skill Ripjaws.

Is the second M.2 slot PCIe 4.0?
Yes, both slots are M.2 2280 PCIe 4.0.

Is there a barebone version (without RAM or SSD)?
Yes, available on AliExpress for ~€487, ideal if you already have components.

Does it support Linux?
Yes, Ubuntu and other distributions work well. Wi-Fi 6E requires updated drivers on some distributions.

Does it fit a VESA mount?
Yes, the VESA mount is included in the box for mounting it behind the monitor.

🏁 Final Conclusion

The MINISFORUM UM790 Pro is currently one of the most complete mini PCs on the market in its price range. It is ideal for:

• 👨‍💻 Remote workers and professionals who want maximum performance in minimum space

• 🎨 Content creators (4K video editing, graphic design, streaming)

• 🎮 Casual gamers who don't need AAA titles at maximum quality

• 🕹️ Emulation enthusiasts who want a ready-to-use all-in-one system

• 🖥️ Multi-screen users (2-4 monitor setup for productivity)

Possible alternatives:

• If you want more CPU cores: Beelink GTR7 Pro (Ryzen 9 7940HX, 16 cores, similar price)

• If you want serious gaming: Minisforum BD775i SE + discrete GPU (~€299 + GPU)

• If price is your main concern: Beelink EQ12 Pro or MINISFORUM UM580 for basic use

At €755 with 32GB/512GB and Windows 11 Pro, the UM790 Pro is a worthwhile investment if you prioritize a ready-to-use, quiet, powerful, and stylish machine. If you don't mind DIY assembly, the BD775i SE can give you more power for less money—but with additional work on your part.

🛒 Where to buy the MINISFORUM UM790 Pro?

Choose the option that best suits your budget:

💡 Buying tip: The barebone option on AliExpress (~€487) + 32GB DDR5 RAM (~€50) + 1TB NVMe SSD (~€70) comes out to ~€607 — a saving of almost €150 compared to Amazon if you already have experience installing components.