Mini Host Suitable for External Graphics Card

Today we are going to discuss the Mingfan UM780 XTX mini host, which is slightly larger than the mini hosts we discussed before.

However, it has a higher specification cooling system and comes with an M.2 to OCulink interface adapter card. This allows it to connect external graphics cards via the OCulink dock with lower performance loss, making it one of the few mini host products on the market that emphasizes “expandable graphics performance“.

So how does its performance and cost-effectiveness perform? Today we will briefly analyze it:

Mingfan UM780 XTX

Swipe left to see the interface

Front of the machine

Right side of the machine

Its configuration is as follows:

R7 7840HS processor

32G DDR5 5600MHz memory

1TB solid state drive

Dimensions 130.1×126.1×60.3mm≈0.99L

Weight 745g

Adapter weight 274g

Reference price 3999 yuan

Its pros and cons are as follows:

Pros!

1. Good performance release

2. A wide variety of interfaces

3. Reserved OCulink dock interface

Cons!

1. Larger in size compared to similar products

2. Performance mode needs to be switched in BIOS

3. The shell is relatively easy to get dirty

【Upgrade Suggestions】

This computer is not difficult to disassemble. After removing the magnetic cover from the top and unscrewing the four corner screws, you can access the memory and hard drive. Be careful with the cable connected to the top cover. To access the cooling system, you need to remove the motherboard. The machine uses liquid metal thermal conductivity, so it is not recommended to continue disassembling.

The dual-channel 32GB DDR5 5600MHz memory can meet the needs of most uses. The machine has two memory slots, and you can replace the memory if needed.

The test machine’s solid-state drive capacity is 1TB, model Kingston OM8PGP4, supports PCIe4.0×4 and NVMe, and the machine has 2 M.2 slots of 2280 specification, which can be replaced or added if needed.

The machine’s shell has an Oculink opening, and it comes with an M.2 to OCulink adapter board that can be installed in the spare M.2 slot. (Note that this will sacrifice the hard drive’s expandability)

【Purchase Suggestions】

1. High demand for performance release

2. Need for external graphics card expansion

3. Rarely switch between performance and balance modes

The Mingfan UM780 XTX’s body size is not particularly small, but it has a rich set of interfaces, and it comes with an M.2 to OCulink adapter board, allowing you to sacrifice one M.2 slot for higher external graphics performance.

In terms of interfaces, this computer has two USB-A 10Gbps, one DP1.4, one USB-4 (supports PD input and DP video output), one HDMI2.0, two RJ-45 network ports (2.5GbE) and a reserved Oculink cable opening;

The front has a 3.5mm audio interface, one USB4 (supports PD input and DP video output), and two USB-A 10Gbps.

Regarding noise, its full load sound level is 49.1dB. (Ambient noise is 33.0dB)

The Mingfan UM780 XTX has two versions: barebone and complete machine, with reference prices of 2899 yuan and 3999 yuan, respectively. Players who are not keen on tinkering can directly purchase the complete machine, as 32GB+1TB is quite sufficient.

So if you want a high-performance mini host that can connect to an OCulink external graphics card dock, then you might consider this UM780 XTX.

However, this computer does not have a promotional price recently. Considering that 3999 yuan is not cheap, I suggest waiting for the price to drop before considering whether to purchase.

【Cooling Analysis】

The above image is a real photo of the UM780 XTX disassembly, with a conventional combination of a single fan and dual heat pipes (with an axial fan on top to assist with hard drive and memory cooling), and the core uses liquid metal thermal conductivity. It is personally recommended to lay the machine flat during daily use.

Room temperature 25℃

Reflectivity 1.0

BIOS version: 0.08

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

In full load state, after switching to performance mode in BIOS, the CPU temperature reached a maximum of 81.8℃, stabilized at 79℃, with a power consumption of 70W and a frequency of about 4.3GHz.

Swipe left to see the front temperature of the machine

Front temperature of the machine

The surface temperature is as shown in the above image, with the highest temperature at the top being 37.6℃ and the highest temperature at the front being 37.2℃. This computer’s cooling specifications are top-tier among similar products, but of course, it will also be thicker.

【Concluding Remarks】

In summary, the Mingfan UM780 XTX provides excellent performance release and interface configuration even at native performance. The machine’s default performance mode is sufficient to meet the needs of over 90% of ordinary users in audio-visual entertainment, light online gaming, and office work.

One of the highlights of this mini host is the included M.2 to OCulink board. Previously, hosts equipped with OCulink interfaces were rare, and if this interface is not used, it will waste the PCIe4.0x4 bandwidth. Mingfan gives the choice to users: use it when needed; if not, it can be removed to install solid-state drives, avoiding waste.

We have conducted a detailed performance evaluation of this computer’s external graphics card capabilities. If you want to know these details, you can search for “笔吧评测室” on bilibili.com to find our latest video.