Minisforum MS-03 Mini PC Packs Panther Lake, 128GB RAM And A GPU Slot
There's a lot to like about this little machine, even if we don't quite have the full specs yet. We know it's based around a Core Ultra 9 386H processor, with 4 P-cores, eight E-cores, and four LP-E cores, with a peak boost clock of 4.9 GHz and a rated TDP of 25W but a maximum turbo power of 80W. That chip doesn't have the fast graphics of the Core Ultra X9 parts we've seen in some laptops we've reviewed, but it does have a surprising amount of PCI Express expansion for what is ostensibly a mobile chip.
That allows the Minisforum MS-03 to offer a PCI Express 5.0 x16 slot (x8 electrical) as well as three M.2 sockets, one of which can be converted to a U.2 drive bay using an included adapter. Minisforum says that the big PCIe slot can be used to host a dGPU, super-fast networking, capture cards, or really whatever else you want it to be—although the system seems to come with dual 10-Gigabit SFP+ connectors anyway. The DDR5 SODIMM slots support speeds up to 7200 MT/s thanks to CSODIMM support with capacities apparently up to 128GB, and finally, the machine also includes Wi-Fi 7.
This is, of course, not the first workstation system that Minisforum has offered. While the company is generally more well-known for its surprisingly capable mini-PCs, the firm has already launchd two previous models of Intel-powered mini-workstations, as well as a couple of AMD-based systems including the recent S1 Max with the Ryzen AI Max+ processor inside. We should also not forget the DIY parts the company sells, like the BD79x series that sport mobile-oriented "Dragon Range" silicon soldered to ITX desktop motherboards.
The big question mark on this system is the price. Since Minisforum just announced the machine, it's not clear exactly when it will be available or how much it will cost. If you're dying to get your hands on one or more, though, there's a $50 discount on a pre-order if you go give Minisforum your e-mail address.
