Jim Salter
Minisforum’s UM250 is a really small type issue PC with the ability and the ports to tackle a whole lot of duties. And as a consequence of its alternative of an older CPU, it is fairly low cost, too.
A few months in the past, we reviewed Minisforum’s Comet Lake i5-powered U850. The UM250 we’re taking a look at immediately is lower largely from the identical material—it is bought 16GiB RAM, flagship Intel Wi-Fi 6, a 256GB SSD, two wired Ethernet ports, and a gorgeous VESA-mountable case that is simple to work on (and in).
The most important real-world distinction between the 2 fashions is worth: $430 for the fully loaded, AMD-powered UM250 versus $700 for the Intel-powered U850.
Overview
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Like lots of Minisforum’s different fashions, the UM250 options a straightforward toolless-open chassis. (The “press right here to open” is a detachable decal.)
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The entrance aspect of UM250 consists of (left to proper) a display-capable USB-C port, a USB 3.1 Gen1 port, a USB 3.1 Gen2 port, a 3.5mm audio jack, the ability button, and a BIOS reset pinhole.
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On the again aspect of UM250, we see (L-R) two USB 3.1-gen2 ports, DisplayPort and HDMI ports, two RT8111 Gigabit Ethernet ports, and a DC barrel jack. (There’s additionally a Kensington lock slot on the decrease left.)
Jim Salter
Minisforum UM250
Like most of Minisforum’s fashions, the UM250 is an unassuming little silver-and-black brick full of ports—together with 4 USB type-A ports and sufficient video out to drive three shows through USB-C, DisplayPort, and full-size HDMI.
The UM250 we examined is “absolutely loaded” with 16GiB of socketed dual-channel RAM, a 256GB Kingston M.2 SSD, and a duplicate of Home windows 10 Skilled. Should you’re trying to provide your individual RAM, SSD, and OS there’s additionally a bare-bones model on Minisforum’s store at $320.
The explanation the UM250 is so comparatively cheap (not far more than half the price of the Intel-powered U850) is the Ryzen 5 Professional 2500U powering it. The UM250’s 2500U is nearly two years older than the Comet Lake i5 within the U850, but it surely goes neck-and-neck with the newer, dearer Intel half in most benchmarks. Heck, the Ryzen even wins in some areas.
Minisforum additionally shaved off some price by solely offering a single SATA port versus the U850’s two, and through the use of a slower M.2 SATA mannequin of the Kingston SSD. The UM250 additionally gives twin RTL8111 Gigabit Ethernet versus the U850’s RTL8111 Gigabit + Intel 2.5Gbps Ethernet. We suspect a lot of the of us out there for this form of mini-PC will not thoughts these sacrifices, particularly when contemplating they arrive at almost $300 off the retail price.
Shifting previous uncooked specs, the UM250 is nice to share an workplace with. Even in Time Spy and Cinebench R20 multi-threaded testing, its cooling fan stays moderately quiet. Should you’re near it in a useless silent surroundings, you’ll hear it—however even then, it is a regular clear whoosh with none bearing whine. This mini-PC is gradual to vary RPMs fairly than quickly spinning up and down repeatedly.
Contained in the UM250
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Contained in the UM250, we see the Kingston M.2 SSD on the left, an unpopulated SATA information+energy cable within the middle, and two socketed 8GiB DIMMs on the best.
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Evaluating the UM250 (left) to the U850 (proper)—the UM250 solely has a single SATA connector, with no inside bay mounting.
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We keep in mind readers commenting they’d want decrease profile to twin bays—however as you’ll be able to see right here, the UM250’s profile is just a few mm shorter than the U850’s.
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If that you must get to the cooling system, you will must flip over the UM250, take away the 4 rubber pads, and unscrew the 4 bolts hidden beneath them.
Jim Salter
| Specs at a look: UM250 | |
|---|---|
| CPU | Ryzen 5 Professional 2500U |
| OS | Home windows 10 Professional (pre-installed) / Linux supported |
| RAM | 16GiB DDR4 (2x 8GiB SODIMM) |
| GPU | Vega 6 (built-in) |
| Wi-Fi | M.2 Intel AX200 Wi-Fi 6, dual-band + BlueTooth 5.1 |
| SSD | Kingston M.2 256GB SATA SSD |
| Connectivity |
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| Value as examined | $430 at Amazon / $470 at Minisforum |
Very like the U850, the UM250 is extraordinarily simple to get into and work on/in. The highest plate might be eliminated by gently pushing two corners and letting it come out (just like some kitchen cupboard doorways). As soon as contained in the UM250, you are offered with a socketed NVMe SSD on the left, an unpopulated SATA energy+information connector within the middle, and two socketed DDR DIMMs on the best.
In contrast to the dearer U850, the UM250 solely gives a single SATA connector—and no sunken drive bays within the chassis itself. As a substitute, you’ll be able to bolt a 2.5″ SATA HDD or SSD to the underside of the highest plate. That is purposeful however a bit irritating, because it means your SATA cable is connected to the plate you could take away to get into the field.
However once more, contemplating the huge worth disparity between the U850 and UM250, we’re not complaining. We’re simply pleased there is a SATA connector and mounting bracket in any respect, on condition that the first drive is NVMe.
