MINISFORUM UM890 Pro Review: A versatile, high-performance, and nearly silent mini PC

Mini PC makers have been packing a lot of powerful hardware into small computers in recent years, allowing you to get performance close to what you’d see from a full-size computer from a system that takes up much less space on your desk. But PC makers still have to contend with the age-old issue of heat: specifically, the thermal dissipation of heat generated by internal components including the CPU, memory, and storage. And it can be difficult to get rid of that heat when you’re dealing with a tiny computer that doesn’t have much room for fans and other cooling hardware.

Anyone can build a large PC with loud fans that sound like jet engines. What makes a good mini PC design is not only that it packs decent hardware into a small space, but also that it can run quietly without compromising performance. It also needs an appropriate set of ports and networking options as well as good options for memory and storage. The MINISFORUM UM890 Pro that I’ve tested which truly checks all of those boxes.

The UM890 Pro features a powerful AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS “Hawk Point” processor that can run at up to 70.8 watts. But the computer’s fans keep the temperatures at optimal levels without creating much noise.

It also has a separate fan and a heat sink positioned to keep the PCIe Gen 4.0 NVMe drives in the computer’s two M.2 slots cool, as well as a heat sink for the system’s DDR5 memory.

When it comes to I/O features, not only is there a DisplayPort and a HDMI port, but there are also two “full function” USB4 ports with support for data, video, and USB Power Delivery. There is also an OCuLink port which is available by using the included adapter in one of the storage slots.

The MINISFORUM UM890 Pro also has a nice set of networking features including two 2.5 Gb Ethernet ports as well as support for WiFi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 wireless connection.

The best part is that the UM890 is reasonably affordable, as prices start at $479 for a barebones model or $650 for a model with 32GB of RAM and 1TB of storage.

MINISFORUM sent me an UM890 Pro to test. This mini PC was provided to Liliputing for free, with no requirement that the computer be returned upon completion of the review. This review is not sponsored by MINISFORUM, and the company did not modify or approve the content of this article in any way.

Design

So how did MINISFORUM fit all of those features into one mini PC? What compromises did the company have to make? It’s quite simple really, the company just just made it physically slightly larger than some other mini PCs.

While Intel wasn’t the first company to release a mini PC, the company’s NUC line of products presented a sort of roadmap to other companies for much of the past decade. And since the original NUC launched in 2013, that roadmap has largely included systems with Ultra Compact Form Factor (UCFF) motherboards that measure 100 x 100 mm (or roughly 4 x 4 inches) that were placed inside a chassis measuring about 117 x 112 x 39 mm (4.6 x 4.4 x 1.5 inches). That footprint has remained consistent through the years, although some models are a little taller at 51 mm (2″) in order to accommodate larger drives.

In comparison, the MINISFORUM UM890 Pro exterior measures 127 x 130 x 67 mm (5.0 x 5.1 x 2.6 inches). If you’re familiar with other mini PCs, one of the first things you’ll notice when looking at the UM890 Pro is that it’s a bit taller than most NUC-like models. But to be honest, such a small increase in size is worth it for all the benefits it offers.

The mini PC consists of a black aluminium case with a detachable plastic top and a plastic bottom.

On the front, from left to right, are the following ports:

• 1 x Pin-hole UEFI/BIOS reset
• 1 x 3.5mm headphone jack
• 1 x USB4 (40 Gbit/s) port
• 2 x USB Type-A 3.2 Gen 2×1 (10 Gbit/s) ports
• 1 x illuminated power button

The left and right sides both have large grills to allow airflow.

The remaining ports are on the back. From left to right, they are:

• 2 x USB Type-A 3.2 Gen 2×1 (10 Gbit/s) ports
• 1 x DisplayPort 1.4 (upper)
• 1 x USB4 (40 Gbit/s) port
• 1 x OCuLink port (upper)
• 1 x HDMI 2.1 port (lower)
• 2 x 2.5 Gb Ethernet port (RTL8125)
• 1 x Power jack

You can access the storage and memory by removing the top panel, which is easy to do as it’s only held in place by magnets. Having said that, the top isn’t going to just fall off, as the magnets are strong and require you to lift the top off with some force, either using your fingernails or a tool like a guitar pick.

Removing the top reveals a plastic tray that has the WiFi antennas attached to it. The tray can be removed by unscrewing the four corner screws.

You should be careful when lifting the tray, because it holds a metal heat sink for the two NVMe drives slots, plus a fan which cools them.

The fan’s power lead is relatively short and needs to be unplugged from the motherboard before you can fold the tray over. And you still need to be careful not to damage the wireless antenna cables, which remain attached.

Now you can access the motherboard, which has two slots each for memory and storage.

There are two M.2 2280 slots that support PCIe Gen 4.0 NVMe storage. The left one covers an M.2 2230 slot populated by a MediaTek 7922 wireless card that provides both WiFi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3.

Opposite the storage lie the two SODIMM memory slots.

The UM890 can be purchased as barebones, or with 1 TB storage and either 32 or 64 GB of memory.

The review unit MINISFORUM sent me is a 32 GB model that came with a Kingston (OM8PGP41024Q-A0) M.2 2280 PCIe Gen 4.0 drive that is likely from their Industrial line and two sticks of Crucial (CT16G56C46S5) 16 GB DDR5 5600 MHz memory. Attached to the memory in the lower slot is a metal heat sink, which together with the upper slot’s memory are also cooled by the fan in the tray.

The computer also comes with an OCuLink adapter that can be plugged into one of the computer’s two M.2 NVMe slots.

Once connected, this adapter enables the PCIe data from the external graphics dock or other supported accessories to transfer to the mini PC at a theoretical speed of up to 64 Gbps.

That’s a significant boost in speed compared to what you would get if you used one of the computer’s USB4 ports which are rated at up to 40 Gbps. Because when tunnelling PCIe data over USB4, there is a dependency on the speed of the USB4 controller in the eGPU or device. Even the fastest one currently available, the ASM2464PD chip, can only tunnel PCIe data at up to around 3800MB/s or 30.4 Gbps. So the advantage of OCuLink is clear to see.

Since the OCuLink adapter was not pre-installed, the UM890 Pro I received had a protective rubber plug filling the cut-out in the case for the OCuLink port. Once you remove that plug you can install the adapter and use the high-speed external PCIe port.

As the adapter is shaped, it can only fit in one of the storage slots and the “installation” is just like installing an NVMe drive.

And just for interest, the screw shown in the picture is one of those used to hold the tray in place.

This setup means that you have to choose between using the OCuLink interface or two NVMe drives. However I don’t believe this is as much a drawback as it first seems. Because if you have to swap out an NVMe drive for the OCuLink adapter, you can still add a second NVMe drive by putting it in a USB4 enclosure and connecting it to one of the computer’s USB4 ports.

I measured the speed of both USB4 ports using an ASM2464PD USB4 enclosure with a Samsung 980 Pro PCIe Gen 4.0 NVMe drive. For sequential reads, CrystalDiskMark reported 3,907.33 MB/s for the front port and 3,916.50 for the rear port. Sequential write speeds were equally impressive with 3,859.78 MB/s for the front and 3,855.35 MB/s for the rear port. This is equivalent to a fast PCIe Gen 3.0 NVMe driver when installed internally.

On the other side of the motherboard is the CPU. The UM890 Pro includes an AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS processor. This “Hawk Point” Zen 4 processor has 8 CPU cores and 16 threads and has a TDP of 45 watts. The CPU has a base clock of 4.0 GHz, but supports boost frequencies up to 5.2 GHz. It also includes an AMD Radeon 780M iGPU with 12 cores and a maximum frequency of 2800 MHz. Of course AI is omnipresent, and the processor’s AMD Ryzen AI has an NPU whose performance can reach up to 16 TOPS with the total processor performance of up to 39 TOPS.

Attached to the processor is a cooling system consisting of copper heat pipes, a heat spreader and a large fan to exhaust the hot air. MINISFORUM calls the combination of the top and bottom fans together with the heat sinks, the “Cold Wave 2.2 cooling system,” and while this system does a pretty good job of keeping the computer cool enough to run smoothly, the dual fans are part of the reason that the UM890 Pro is a little taller than many other mini PCs.

To power the computer, MINISFORUM provides an “Ultra Slim” HKA12019063-0D6 120 W (19 V, 6.32 A) power adapter and cord with a country specific plug. Also included in the box is a VESA mount, an HDMI cable, the aforementioned OCuLink adapter and a user manual.

Windows Performance

The MINISFORUM UM890 Pro review unit came with Windows 11 Pro Version 23H2 OS build 22631.3155 pre-installed, which I upgraded to OS build 22631.4037 for testing.

I also shrank the Windows partition down by 100 GB so I could also install Ubuntu 24.04.1 LTS (Noble Numbat).

All the testing was performed using “Balance Mode” in the UEFI (BIOS) as this was the factory default setting. However, the Window’s power mode was set to “High performance” through the Control Panel.

I started performance testing by using Crystal Dew World’s CrystalDiskMark to measure the storage performance. The results were reasonable, with data transfer speeds being similar to the first release of PCIe Gen 4 NVMes. The sequential read speed was around 4800 MB/s and the write speed was 3900 MB/s.

For the other performance benchmarks, I’ve included their results together with those from my reviews of mini PCs with the same AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS processor. These include the Geekom A8, AOOSTAR GEM12, and GMKtec NucBox K8, and you can compare the results in the table below.

It is important to note the values for the Power Limit settings of each mini PC when making any comparison. Their values can have a significant impact on the performance.

On Windows I ran:

• PassMark Software’s PerformanceTest (general performance)
• UL’s 3DMark (CPU and graphics) and Procyon (office productivity)
• Maxon’s Cinebench (CPU)
• Primate Labs’s Geekbench (CPU and graphics)
• Unigine’s Heaven (graphics)

I also ran 3DMark Time Spy, which achieved a CPU score of 11192 and a GPU score of 3024 for an overall score of 3395. That’s inline with the results for other mini PCs with similar processors.

Overall the performance of the MINISFORUM UM890 Pro was very good, with CPU and graphics performance that’s similar to what you’d expect from other mini PCs with similar hardware. The advanced cooling system in the UM890 Pro allows this computer to run more quietly than some others with AMD Ryzen 8040 series processors. In fact, it’s nearly silent even under heavy load, with the fan noise only noticeable if you get very close to the mini PC.

But it is interesting to see the impact of a slightly slower NVMe drive as confirmed by the Passmark Disk Mark score. For I/O bound applications, like office productivity, the slower drive has a notable effect. So if you were considering using this device solely for this purpose, it would probably be worth either upgrading/migrating the drive to a faster one, or keeping your data/moving your home folder to a faster NVMe drive in the second slot.

Gaming Performance

Using nothing but the built-in hardware, it’s possible to play some AAA games with the graphic settings dialled down, thanks to the computer’s Radeon 780M integrated graphics.

But for the best possible gaming performance, you may want to consider using an external GPU, since there’s no room inside the computer for a discrete graphics card. The OCuLink port offers an external PCIe Gen 4.0 x4 interface for connecting a graphics dock.

For mini PCs that don’t have an OCuLink port, the next best solution is using a USB4 port and the UM890 Pro has two of these.

Whilst it is not sensible to compare an iGPU with an eGPU, it is interesting to see how much better an eGPU performs when connected by OCuLink versus USB4. I’ve tested this using the in-built benchmark from Shadow of the Tomb Raider and an NVidia RTX 4060 Ti in a couple of eGPU docking stations I’d purchased from AliExpress: an OCuP4V2 (OCuLink 4i) and a UTG3 (ASM2464PD).

But first, just for a baseline, I ran the benchmark at both low and high presets using the iGPU. For low, the average FPS was 56. This dropped to an average of 41 FPS for the high preset. It is obvious that an eGPU will enable playing the game at faster frame rates, better quality and even possibly a higher resolution.

Looking now at the eGPU connected by USB4. Using the game setting of a high preset, it now achieved an average FPS of 158.

When connected by OCuLink the average FPS improved to 165. This represents a 4.4% increase, or conversely, a 4.2% decrease if using USB4 to connect the eGPU.

This might seem relatively minor, however the benefit from OCuLink varies by game as it depends on the amount of data the CPU is trying to send to the eGPU. An OCuLink connection is theoretically double the throughput speed of a USB4 connection.

As I’m testing with an NVidia eGPU, this throughput difference can easily be demonstrated using the CUDA-Z application. The reality however, is you probably won’t actually see double the speed with OCuLink but you should still see a substantial improvement.

With USB4, the Host to Device speed only measured around 3785 MiB/s (3969 MB/s). Whereas with OCuLink it managed 6365 MiB/s (6674 MB/s) which is nearly 70% faster.

Ubuntu Compatibility

The computer ships with Windows pre-installed, and has all the required drivers for that operating system to interface with the UM890 Pro’s hardware. Customers who purchase a barebones model can download drivers from the MINISFORUM support site.

But MINISFORUM doesn’t currently offer Linux drivers. So after I installed Ubuntu 24.04.1 LTS, I checked to see if hardware that often proves problematic with Linux was working. And I found no major issues.

Specifically I tested WiFi, Bluetooth, headphone audio and USB4 when using an ASM2464PD controller.

I also checked that the power limits were the same in Windows using RyzenAdj.

UEFI (BIOS)

The UM890 Pro has a specifically MINISFORUM tailored UEFI (BIOS). The review unit came with version 2.22.0058, which offers users a limited number of customization options. But it provides access to the most useful setting a user can change without bricking the mini PC.

Of particular note is the “PowerLimit Setting” option under Setup, Advanced, and then under the Power Configuration screen. The default is “Balance Mode” but it can be toggled to “Performance Mode”. The Performance Mode will increase the performance by upping the values for Power Limit 1 and 2 from 60 and 65 W to 70.8 W for both. It also increases the Package Power Tracking from 54.4 W to 70.8 W as well.

I didn’t test this higher performance mode so I can’t vouch for the noise levels. No doubt the fan will increase in speed and this might result in the mini PC being louder at times.

To access the UEFI (BIOS), immediately after powering on the mini PC you can use either the “Del” keys to enter directly into the UEFI (BIOS). Or you can use the “F7” key to access “Boot Menu” and then select the appropriate option.

Power consumption

Power consumption was measured by connecting the MINISFORUM UM890 Pro to a power meter that was in turn connected to a UPS power outlet to provide clean power.

• Powered off (shutdown) – 0.8-1.2 W (Windows) 0.4-0.8 W (Ubuntu)
• UEFI (BIOS)* – 26.4 W
• GRUB menu* – 32.8 W
• Idle – 9.5 W (Windows) and 9.9 W (Ubuntu)
• CPU stressed – Max 95.7 W, average 91.3 W (Windows “Cinebench” + “FurMark”)
• CPU stressed – Max 96.3 W, average 91.4 W (Ubuntu “stress” + “FurMark”)

• if left the power increases due to an increase in the fan speed

Networking Performance

I first tested the 2.5 Gb Ethernet ports and the performance was as expected and similar to other mini PCs at around 2.35 Gbps for both upload and download on both ports.

The computer also has a Mediatek 7922 WiFi 6E card, and I had no problems with wireless reception during testing. Both download and upload speeds were better on the 5.0 GHz band than the 6.0 GHz band, though.

Download on 5 GHz was 1.56 Gbps and upload was 1.25 Gbps. The slightly slower download speed on 6 GHz still reached 1.45 Gbps with upload being 1.19 GHz making both still very respectable.

Thermal Performance and Noise Issues

The MINISFORUM UM890 Pro is one of the quietest mini PCs under heavy load that I’ve tested.

On Windows I ran a high workload consisting of Cinebench R23 running in a ten minute loop along with running FurMark at full-screen. I measured how loud the mini PC was by using a sound meter next to the device. Whilst idling the mini PC was silent with no reading registering on my sound meter. When stressing the system, I could hear a faint whirring noise if I got close to the device, but it only measured 31.4 dBA.

I also monitored the noise under load on Ubuntu. Again when idling, the UM890 Pro was silent. And, like on Windows, when stressed it was still virtually silent measuring just 31.4 dBA.

Then I ran a stress test on all cores for 20 minutes and recorded the CPU temperatures and frequencies using a script.

When idling, the CPU temperature sat at 27°C and the CPU frequency fluctuates around 5130 MHz. At the start of stressing the system, the CPU temperature initially climbed to 86°C and the average frequency dropped to 3729 MHz. The CPU temperature then dropped to 80°C before dipping a further degree to 79°C.

During this period the CPU frequency decreased slightly to an average of 3709 MHz for the duration of the test. On completion of the test, the CPU temperature dropped rapidly before stabilising at its earlier idling temperature of 27°C and the average frequency returned to around 5127 MHz where it fluctuated less than during the stress test.

Verdict

In the introduction I defined a good mini PC as being port-rich and powerful, yet still small and quiet. Having spent time both testing and using the MINISFORUM UM890 I believe it meets all of these criteria.

The ability to run nearly silently is particularly impressive given that the computer is just as fast as other, noisier systems with the same processor.

The clever design of the optional-use OCuLink port means you can get the full eGPU experience without turning your mini PC upside down and leaving it half disassembled.

Probably the most surprising aspect about the MINISFORUM UM890 is the price. Given you can purchase a barebones model directly from the MINSFOUM online store for just $479, it represents extremely good value for money. For the same configuration as the review model, it costs $649 to get the UM890 Pro with 32 GB memory,1 TB storage and Windows 11 Pro software and licence.

I’d like to thank MINISFORUM for providing the review unit.