MinisForum UM690 Review (Ryzen 9 6900HX)

The new MinisForum UM690 features a Ryzen 9 6000 series CPU , giving it exceptional PC gaming and emulation performance in a tiny form factor and without the need for a graphics card. In this video we'll take a look at its performance as an everyday computer and also how it works as a gaming PC.

This was a review unit sent to me by the manufacturer. All opinions are my own, they did not see this review ahead of time, and no money was exchanged in any way.

Timestamps:
00:00 introduction
01:46 specs and pricing
03:22 unboxing and impressions
04:41 teardown
06:30 size comparisons
07:51 benchmarking
12:09 PC game testing
15:18 3DS, GameCube, Wii U, Switch
17:43 PS2 and PS3
19:05 Xbox and Xbox 360
20:51 Batocera test
22:00 summary (likes and dislikes)
24:18 comparison with Beelink GTR6
29:59 conclusion

Theme song written by Jim Gray of Our Ghosts:

This video is for entertainment and educational purposes only.

#MinisForum #miniPC #Ryzen9

[Chesere]

Im glad sticks of butter are finally being recognized as units of measurement.

[robtoe]

Just a note around the cost mentioned @3:16 - I just got my barebones UM690, added RAM & SSD then installed Win10 on it. Looks like MinisForum is using the OEM Activation feature, with a product key baked into the BIOS. It automatically activated it as Win10 Pro. (Assuming Win11 would also work.) So the windows license is included with barebones units as well - nice!

[jimmymac]

These ryzen mini pc's are getting to a point where I dont need much else.

[panamachief]

watching this on a UM690 i bought after seeing your vids, doing a ton of research, and following your spreadsheet for my emulation needs. i am incredibly grateful!!!

[DarthFurball]

One thing to note about the cooling - it is meant to be mounted vertically on the stand so that the cooler intakes from the bottom and exhausts out the top and back.

[CasketxKrusher]

Hi Russ, big fan of the channel. Ever since you started reviewing mini PCs, I wanted to get one myself to turn into a dedicated retro emulation console for my TV with Batocera, to relive my childhood gaming days. But I found several of them to be lacking when it came to 6th and 7th gen consoles. When I saw MinisForum release the UM690, I knew I had to get it, and now I have the barebones model. Now I'm waiting on the RAM and SSD, I really can't wait to make my DIY retro console dream come true. Thank you so much for your thorough review of this PC, I know I'll be in good hands once I get the rest of my components. I'll also be using your Batocera mini PC tutorial to get set up.

EDIT: I got it all set up now on my TV!

[hindesite]

This is one of the best reviews of this MiniPC that I've seen to date - and I've seen a lot of them. Thanks.

[bullymaguire]

It would be pretty nice if you could do an updated batocera tutorial like you did with the updated emu deck guide that really helped me a lot. Keep up the good work

[moshingsafely]

Just here to boost this in the algorithm. Keep the great vids coming!

[maximustitan]

First time to see the Face of this channel. Thumbs up for all the reviews. Thanks.

[hemifivepoint]

I bought one of these in the beginning of January. I love it. You stared they would ship with better storage, mine has that exact same M.2 drive. Might upgrade in the future but its great!

[zachcuster]

been seriously considering getting one of these as a full time emulator system i have a 12tb external drive using hyperspin front end with hundreds of systems up to ps4 and thousands of games and i feel like this would be a perfect little setup to hook into a tv and just game like its a console plus i could take it to family or friends houses for easy gaming sessions

[vulgarscreams]

I have an HP from about 2013. I've been looking for something in a small form factor. I just ordered this with 64gb of ram and the 1tb ssd. Very excited to get my hands on it. Thank you, for this review.

[voteto]

The best review of minisforum in my opinion❤

[DHardWorker]

Very good review bro..im planning to buy one of these mini pc👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼 nice have spredsheet👍🏼🇵🇭

[bankruptfilly]

Gave you a like and subscribe solely on the fact that you made an awesome comparison spreadsheet. Thank you so much!!

[DarkSubZer]

Very nice, detailed and comprehensive video. But for an in depth review, you've forgotten to mention, that the GTR6 has 4 HDMI 2.1 ports for 4*8k60Hz or 4*4k120Hz compared to the UM690 with just 2 HDMI 2.0 and 1 USB4 port, where you can use just 1*8k60hz or 1*4k120hz and 2*4k60Hz. And at least for the EU the UM690 with 32GB+512GB costs 799 € where the GTR6 costs just 769 € with the same specs.

[mpwaterhouse]

Was thoroughly impressed by my UM960 I got back in January. I used to lug around my beefy Alienware gaming laptop and chunky 180W Power brick, now I can tote the UM690 with mini keyboard, portable 1080p screen and mouse around and that lot weighs less, performs better and with the cradle it sems to stay cool and quiet even under gaming loads! It can even operate off in-seat power on a plane which my Alienware could not. Unfortunately, after 4 months my UM690 died in the middle of a game and is now completely dead with a flashing LED on the power brick indicating the system is likely shorting out. Now I'm waiting to find out how effective the Minisforum tech support is. Looking at other reviews, it seems my situation is far from unique with a significant failure rate citing the same issue :(

[jordanmorton]

Thanks for all the hard work of testing these mini PCs. 💪

[RogerHitchins]

A very thorough and informative review. Thank you!