Minisforum MS-A1 Mini PC Review Is it a AMD Ryzen MS-01 Home Server?

We look at the new Minisforum MS-A1 Ryzen 7 8700G mini PC workstation. Is this a Minisforum MS-01 with an AMD Ryzen processor? Well, sort of, but not really. We will look at the details of this new Ryzen-based MS-01 and see if it is indeed an AMD MS-01 or something else.

Read the written review of the Minisforum MS-A1 here:

The sponsor of today's video:

Read a written comparison I wrote of the MS-A1 vs the MS-01:

Introduction to the Minisforum 0:00
Video sponsor - NAKIVO Backup & Replication - 0:45
Looking at the Minisforum MS-A1 hardware specs - 1:29
Brief overview of hybrid CPUs and why uniform is better - 2:09
Comparing the AMD Ryzen 7 8700G vs Intel Core i9-13900H - 3:08
It contains (4) M.2 NVMe slots - 3:55
The design of the MS-A1 vs the MS-01 - 4:12
MS-A1 networking vs the MS-01 - 4:55
NVMe Memory Tiering, I used the MS-A1 - 5:35
Half a terabyte of memory in the MS-A1 - 6:06
It has an OCulink port for external GPUs - 6:23
Power consumption of the MS-A1 - 6:56
Physical walkthrough of the Minisforum MS-A1 - 7:27
A look at the ports on the back of the unit - 7:56
After removing the outer case from the unit - 8:39
Looking at the NVMe and U.2 tray adapter location - 9:13
There is a dip switch for choosing power between U.2 and M.2 - 9:28
Looking at the heat sink where you have system memory and additional M.2 - 9:46
The verdict on the Minisforum MS-A1 - 11:00
The best use for the Minisforum MS-A1 - 11:53
Wrapping up final thoughts on the MS-A1 - 12:27

[reason]

Wish it had same networking as the MS-01. Thanks for the review!

[EViL]

I'd rather they ditched one of the NVMe and included at least a single 10GbE interface.. I know some people will love this box, but the MS-01 hit all the right spots... I hope other vendors take note of the success these boxes are getting.

[brianmorgan]

You only have to remove two of the bottom screws to remove the chassis, not six as stated in the video.

[watcherquek]

Yeah I want the Ryzen but the network is a deal breaker for me

[tractorboy]

There are too many backward steps compared to the MS-01 just to get the AMD processor as far as I'm concerned, which is a shame. If Minisforum could sort out the wrinkles they'd have a winner on their hands even if they had to charge extra. Thanks for the review!

[nathanhamman]

Would love to see one with a pcie x16 and AMD CPU like the MS-01.

[ociotec]

I had the same issue with the 2 NVMe but after re-reading the manual, you should also unscrew hexagonal under the regular 2 screws to hold the radiator

[liorak]

Great video, the ms-a1 isn’t for me network is an issue, and internal pcie is a deal breaker, also the performance isn’t so far in benchmarks

[danielgriffith]

No, the MS-01 is the server model. MS-A1 is the first non-soldered chip mini Ive seen on the market. You can buy it barebones AND CPU-less.

[kennethmadsen]

The missing SFP+ interfaces are such a shame. A dealbreaker, unfortunately. I hope they release an updated version with SFP+ or SFP28 ports, even better. Ditch the M.2/U.2 if necessary.
Otherwise this is a killer setup. Pair it with a Ryzen 7900 and you got 12 cores, 24 threads, within the 65W TDP limit.

[tonyseeley]

I got the MS-01 as it had the better networking and supported Intel QuickSync which I don't think the MS-A1 supports. Either way they both make really impressive SMALL home servers.

[tzviasegal]

No PCIE slot and no Intel NICs... yea deal breaker. A few months ago I went looking for either a mini PC or ITX motherboard to replace my aging Supermicro 1541SOC itx board, and the budget boards either had the P and E cores or just E cores; a deal breaker as well. It didn't help that most had just 1 memory slot too. Found one with the 8845HS, 2 DDR5 slots, 4 x 2.5gig Intel NICs sadly outside my price range. Bought it anyway. These relatively low power AMD CPUs are really nice, mine blows my old Supermicro away. While I miss IPMI that was not a deal breaker. Now it just has to hold up for over 7 years like the Supermicro did...

[brianmorgan]

Additionally, I received the MA-A1 and installed a Ryzen 9700x, 96 GB of DDR5-5600 memory, and three Samsung 4TB SSD Pro m.2 drives. It didn't POST. There was no power to the USB ports. After many emails back and forth, Minisforum said they had not readied a BIOS update for the 9700x. Thinking that that was the reason it would not boot, I replaced the 9700x with a 8700G. The machine still did not boot. I have informed Minisforum support, hopefully I will be getting a replacement device so I can explore the capablilities of this great sounding box.

[Workbench]

I bought the OCULink-Adapter and installed an Intel-NIC. ESXI installation no problem. I think with supported 10GBit NICs its a little equal to MS-01

[GrahamStewart]

They’re marketing this as an eGPU for gamers. Any thoughts?

[besoaze]

Lembrando que este modelo é compatível com o ryzen 9 7900 não x de 12/24 que roda nos mesmos 65w e tbm pode habilitar o ecomode em 45w almentando o número de núcleos em troca da gpu integrada.

[ronwatkins]

Is there a CPU compatibility list somewhere?

[AzNcRzY]

@4:37 You mention that the MS-A1 needs 6 screws to be removed for the bare system to be removed from the chassis.
This is incorrect.
You only need to remove the 2 closest to the backside and use the removal tool so the system can be separated from the chassis. It's stated in the brief manual which is included in the package.

I do agree that the release button from the MS-01 is the best.
It's mind blowing why Minisforum went back to screws.


@7:32 you mention that the MS-01 and MS-A1 look identical on the front.
Which is incorrect.
The MS-01 has 1x USB-A 3.0 connector and 2x USB-A 2.0 connectors where the MS-A1 has 1x USB-A 2.0 and 2x USB-A 3.0 connectors. Easily recognizable by the colours of the ports.

@7:54 no need for the front bezel to be taken off to remove the bare system.

Note:
Yes I have both the MS-01 and the MS-A1 units.
eGPU DEG1 dock is on its way to me.

[peteradshead]

I looked at the ms-a1 and didn't like the NO, 10gb SFP+ port, NO video slot so you can fit a HBA card .
I think they messed up compared to ms-01 .

[I_AriesMan]

Missing on two 10Gig SFP+ is a let down. It's expensive to import to India. Does Oculink Pcie adapters support 10G network cards? Sir!, Can you test with a Ryzen 9 7900 Non-x processor with external graphics? More horsepower for Proxmox usage, for instances without the need for graphics output. 😀 I'm sorry, if it sounded ignorant. OEM products are a mystery, experienced it with Desktop PC😊.