High-Performance Mini PC with Integrated Graphics

Speaking of which, besides testing laptops, I have tested the most products that are mini PCs. After all, it uses mobile processors, which have a certain connection with laptops.

This time our main character is Mingfan UM790 Pro, which I bought from JD.com. The brand is not well-known, but I was attracted by its configuration. It is equipped with an R9 7940HS processor and has Radeon 780M integrated graphics.

So how does this computer perform in real tests? Today we will analyze it briefly:

Mingfan UM790 Pro (Barebone version)

High-Performance Mini PC with Integrated Graphics

Swipe left to see the ports

Front ports of the machine

Back ports of the machine

Its configuration is as follows:

R9 7940HS processor

No memory, dual SO-DIMM slots

No hard drive, dual M.2 2280 slots

Length 130mm, Width 126mm, Height 47mm

Weight of the machine: 643.8g

Weight of the adapter: 263g

Reference price: 3199 yuan

Its advantages and disadvantages are as follows:

Advantages!

1. A large number of ports

2. Good noise control under high load

3. Independent fan at the bottom for cooling memory and hard drive

Disadvantages!

1. Relatively large size

2. Difficult to disassemble, requires prying off the foot pads

3. Very slow download speed for drivers from the official website

【Upgrade Suggestions】

This computer is not difficult to disassemble. After removing the foot pads at the four corners of the D cover, unscrew the screws and disconnect the cables connecting the D cover to the motherboard, then you can remove the back cover to access the memory slots and M.2 interfaces.The screws for the D cover are hidden under the foot pads, unlike Intel NUC’s foot pads which have a hollow design for easy screw access, this is not user-friendly enough.

The machine has two memory slots, allowing you to choose the capacity and specifications according to your needs.

The machine has two M.2 2280 slots, both supporting PCIe×4.0, allowing you to install hard drives according to your needs.【Note】As of the time of writing, AMD still has not provided public drivers for the Radeon 780M integrated graphics. The barebone version does not come with a hard drive, so it has no integrated graphics drivers. After installing the system, you need to download the corresponding drivers from Mingfan’s official website, or you can get the download link from the customer service of the purchasing channel.

【Purchase Suggestions】

1. Requires a rich variety of ports

2. Requires good noise suppression and cooling performance

3. Users with a certain foundation in computer software and hardware knowledge

To test the Mingfan UM790 Pro, we installed a solid-state drive and a single 16GB DDR5 4800MHz memory, which is also the necessary step for most players after purchasing a barebone system. But unexpectedly, after the system installation was completed, the download speed for drivers from Mingfan’s official website was extremely slow (long time at 50KB/s, which forced me to use scientific methods), and the official website defaults to no Simplified Chinese, requiring a switch to Traditional Chinese and clicking on technical support to jump to the Simplified Chinese page, which is very inconvenient.

In terms of ports, this computer has two USB4 ports on the front (both support DP output and PD external power supply), and one 3.5mm audio port;

On the back, there are four USB-A 10Gbps ports, one 2.5G LAN port, and two HDMI2.0 ports.

In terms of noise, its full load noise level is 39.4dB. (Ambient noise is 34.5dB)

The Mingfan UM790 Pro has two configurations to choose from, the barebone version (no memory/hard drive/system) priced at 3199 yuan, and a complete machine with 32GB memory, 1TB hard drive, and Win11 system priced at 4299 yuan.

So if you want a compact and space-saving Ryzen host, you can consider this UM790 Pro.

However, the barebone version requires a certain level of software and hardware knowledge, and the overall price is relatively high, so if you are a complete computer novice, it is advisable to consider carefully.

Swipe left to see the cooling module

Cooling module

【Cooling Analysis】

The above image shows the disassembly of the Mingfan UM790 Pro, which uses a centrifugal fan + heat pipe combined with fins as a conventional scheme.

Room temperature: 25℃

Reflectivity: 1.0

BIOS version: 1.01

For the standard pressure processor, we use Stress FPU for stress testing.

Under full load, the CPU temperature reached a maximum of 83.8℃, stabilized at 77.6℃, power consumption 54W, frequency 4.15~4.2GHz. For a mini PC, this performance release level is already sufficient.

Swipe left to see the temperature at the front of the machine

Temperature at the front of the machine

The surface temperature is as shown in the above image, with an overall temperature of around 33℃, and the central point at 32.3℃. The highest temperature point at the front is at the middle USB4, which is 36.5℃. Overall, Mingfan UM790 Pro’s cooling is fine, and the shell temperature is well controlled without concentrated hot spots.

【Concluding Remarks】The biggest feature of Mingfan UM790 Pro is that it adopts the R9 7940HS processor, which has integrated graphics performance that surpasses similar Intel NUC mini PCs.

It should be noted that to fully leverage the power of the integrated graphics, high-frequency dual-channel DDR5 memory is required, preferably above 5200MHz or 5600MHz. As a barebone system, there is a lot of room for selection in this part.

As a mini barebone host, it has relatively high hardware specifications and strong playability. Disassembling and installing, I haven’t played with such a labor-intensive product for a long time.

Perhaps I have been spoiled, after all, laptops are all national versions, ready to use upon arrival, with no need for any hassle.

In summary, the user experience after assembling this computer is excellent, with a performance release of 54W that can play mainstream online games. It is a versatile mini PC that is worth recommending.

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