Some bad news for the mini workstation is that it is more audible when idling and under load, in my experience. Initially, I measured both systems from about arm’s length distance. My Define S desktop uses large Noctua fans and sits under the desk, and in the comparison results, you see that even using the tiny RTX 5060 didn’t increase the noticeable system noise – it is hard to be 100% confident about the 1dBA difference observed.
Having the MS-02 Ultra at arm's length from my seated position, but on the desk top, the noise level was quite high at 48 dBA under load, as per the above chart. However, sitting it under the desk, where the big DIY desktop PC was previously located, reduced the max noise level to 41 dBA. But it's a far smaller system, and when positioned in the space vacated by the Define S, the Minisforum front panel moves beyond arm's reach under the desk. It is necessary to bend quite low from the chair to reach the power button and front I/O, which isn't convenient. That's why I decided to keep it on the desk.
I also note that the Minisforum BIOS has various fan modes (quiet, balanced, and performance) and manual tweaking of the trio of system fans. I ran it at ‘Balanced,’ so there’s probably some tuning that could be done for better noise performance.
I’ll continue to work on configuring the fans, with an eye on processor and memory temperatures, as the louder fans are the one aspect of the MS-02 Ultra that pokes me in the ribs. It may also be repositioned further back on the desk or under it to scale back its audible presence. The fan noise isn’t high-pitched, and I sometimes forget it, but less is more.
(Image credit: Tom's Hardware) (Image credit: Tom's Hardware) We must also talk about the price of the Minisforum MS-02 Ultra mini workstation. As of the this writing, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX model with 2x 25 GbE PCIe SFP+ NIC, 32GB DDR5, plus a 1TB M.2 PCIe4x4 SSD, and Windows 11 Pro is priced at $1,583.90 from Amazon.com . You can also go barebone (no RAM, SSD, or OS) for $1,229.90 using a $300 discount coupon on the page , which could be a great option if you have a spare DDR5 SO-DIMM, M.2 SSD, and can source your own OS. As with all PCs at this time, prices are very volatile.
The Gigabyte GeForce RTX 5060 OC LP 8G I bought to go in this system's PCIe 5.0 x16 slot is currently $359 at Newegg . This was a necessary extra to indulge in the type and quality of gaming fun that I am used to.
Thus, for the Minisforum MS-02 Ultra 32GB/1TB with RTX 5060 LP graphics card installed, as tested, today's total price would be $1,942.90. Things have gotten a little pricier since I began my tests in early January, but that's the way the PC market is going.
We could talk about the comparison between the MS-02 Ultra build/cost and a desktop, with the latter offering much better value and expandability or upgradeability. However, getting something this performant yet compact, with this level of I/O spec and expandability, is going to be impossible with off-the-shelf parts. In this way, and especially for those with a use for the 2x 25 GbE PCIe SFP+ NIC, this mini workstation is a uniquely attractive package.
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Mark Tyson is a news editor at Tom's Hardware. He enjoys covering the full breadth of PC tech; from business and semiconductor design to products approaching the edge of reason. ","collapsible":{"enabled":true,"maxHeight":250,"readMoreText":"Read more","readLessText":"Read less"}}), "https://slice.vanilla.futurecdn.net/13-4-13/js/authorBio.js"); } else { console.error('%c FTE ','background: #9306F9; color: #ffffff','no lazy slice hydration function available'); } Mark Tyson Social Links Navigation News Editor Mark Tyson is a news editor at Tom's Hardware. He enjoys covering the full breadth of PC tech; from business and semiconductor design to products approaching the edge of reason.
das_stig Another stupid Apples v Oranges review, Define-S is obviously geared towards day to day work and gaming, while Miniforum is a workstation, for crunching data. They both has strength and weaknesses in either category, jeez TH, get a clue, your doing reviews using staff who not experts in the area and getting 3rd rate content. Reply
thestryker Companies have been getting a lot more creative with mobile on desktop platforms. The minisforum workstations have been most interesting to me just due to the expandability aspect. Biggest problem I see with these platforms is that there are typically no memory tweaking options. Reply
m3city That is not a credit card, is it? That is a card that confirms that one has a health insurance, and is honored in all EU countries – free health care. Costs of aid is then agreed between countries if one has such card, given for free naturally. And the comparison really shows how small this case is Reply
PEnns That's one HUMONGOUS lemon!! (The one in the picture, not the mini PC, of course) Reply
COLGeek PEnns said: That's one HUMONGOUS lemon!! (The one in the picture, not the mini PC, of course) Because that is a small melon, not a lemon… 😉 Having owned and used a couple similar tiny PCs, they are great for typical day to day use. They are typically not great for high-end gaming, or anything that benefits greatly from a dedicated GPU. This example has one and could certainly handle many gaming tasks that others are less well suited for. They (the tiny format) could certainly replace larger desktop systems for MANY users (like in my former office space that still had many traditional desktop rigs). Reply
Gururu I've found mini pcs to be quite delightful in performance and footprint. Graphics hold them back same as laptops. The 8090s and B390 are exceptional in letting such small devices provide a great gaming experience. Reply
Li Ken-un m3city said: That is not a credit card, is it? That is a card that confirms that one has a health insurance, and is honored in all EU countries – free health care. Costs of aid is then agreed between countries if one has such card, given for free naturally. Thank you, Mr. Exposition. Reply
m3city Li Ken-un said: Thank you, Mr. Exposition. Did not know that name. Soryy, could not contain cpt obvious inside me 😉 Reply
PradeepW I bought this little beast of a machine few weeks ago – primarily wanted a compact workstation for productivity and local AI. I am not exactly sure but the Integrated graphics can share a sizable chunk of the RAM and LM studio treats this as VRAM for local AI – but it’s painfully slow. Since the first stock of RTX Pro 4000 SFF landed in UK four weeks ago – I grabbed one ( I preferred this for its VRAM and more CUDA instead of the 5060) as this was the most powerful GPU that this form factor will allow. It works brilliantly as a mini local AI workstation now. Although it’s physically small- the unit weighs around 5kg – mainly because of the very solid machine case. Also the default configuration comes with only a Gen4 NVME. I added a SN8100 Gen5 NVMe to the main slot as this supports Gen5 speeds and combined with a heat plate from Amazon – getting blazing fast Gen5 Speeds. Very happy with the purchase although the overall cost rose significantly with the GPU. ( Glad that I bought the GPU as now again no stock in UK and pre-order price is higher). Pretty shame the RAM prices – had to settle with 32 GB of RAM although this supports 256Gb with DDR5 ECC Sodimms Reply
PEnns COLGeek said: Because that is a small melon, not a lemon… 😉 And right you are, sir! For my aging eyes it was too lemony-colored to look like a melon (they're orange-y colored where I live in the sub-tropics). Having said that, now that it's a verified melon, that mini PC doesn't look so mini in comparison….😉 Reply
Key considerations
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Reference reading
- https://www.tomshardware.com/desktops/mini-pcs/SPONSORED_LINK_URL
- https://www.tomshardware.com/desktops/mini-pcs/minisforum-ms-02-ultra-mini-workstation-hands-on#main
- https://www.tomshardware.com
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