Minisforum Unveils World's First Arm-Based Mini Workstation With UEFI Boot
The compact PC world may just have been given a good shake up with Minisforum's new MS-R1, a mini workstation with server-grade Arm performance in an expandable desktop form factor. But hold up, the machine is also being hailed as the first of its kind in the world to support UEFI boot. With UEFI, the MS-R1 makes it as simple to install and run mainstream OSes like Linux and virtualized environments as it is on any standard PC. Will developers and enthusiasts rejoice? Let's dig in some more.
Powering the MS-R1 is the CIX CP8180 SoC, a China-developed 6nm processor featuring a 12-core/12-thread design (eight high-performance cores and four efficiency cores) boasting a maximum clock speed of up to 2.6GHz while maintaining an efficient 28W TDP. We think that this kind of efficiency and power could be a major draw for edge computing, low-power clusters, and home lab environments. For AI-related processing, the CP8180 can dole out 45 TOPS of total AI compute, including 28.8 TOPS of dedicated NPU acceleration.
🚀 MINISFORUM MS-R1 — Desktop ARM Starts Now.
— MINISFORUM Official (@Hi_MINISFORUM) November 10, 2025
The world’s first ARM Mini Workstation with UEFI boot. Powered by CP8180 (12C/12T · 45 TOPS AI), supporting up to 64GB LPDDR5 ECC and dual 10GbE — all in a compact 1.7L chassis.
🔗 Learn more:
US Store: https://t.co/46njvM50gR
EU… pic.twitter.com/c7zESyf274
Another thing that sets the MS-R1 apart is its I/O and expansion options, which are usually reserved for much larger, less power-efficient workstations. The 1.7-liter chassis is deceptively packed with a full-sized, low-profile PCIe 4.0 x16 slot (wired for x8 lanes). This means that users can drop in a discrete GPU, a high-speed network interface card (NIC), or additional storage via U.2 modules, transforming the small box into a legit flexible platform for heterogeneous computing. Connectivity is equally robust, featuring dual 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10GbE) ports.
For memory and storage, the MS-R1 supports up to 64GB of ultra-fast DDR5-5500 MHz RAM, with optional ECC (Error-Correcting Code) support—essential for professional workstation and server tasks. Storage is handled by dual M.2 slots supporting PCIe 4.0 x4, allowing for up to 8TB of high-speed NVMe storage. Other features include Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, HDMI 2.0, and multiple high-speed USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C ports.
If that ain't enough, Minisforum's pricing of the MS-R1 makes it a compelling proposition, with the launch pricing starting around $504 for the 32GB of RAM configuration (but no storage) and going up to approximately $696 for the model with 64GB of RAM and a 1TB NVMe SSD.
