Minisforum has released the M2, a new mini PC that fits an Intel Core Ultra 7 356H processor into a standard five-inch chassis. It starts at $575 for a barebones model without memory or storage, while a pre-configured version with 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD costs $1,039.
Minisforum M2 Mini PC Specifications
Inside, the system runs on Intel’s Panther Lake architecture. The Core Ultra 7 356H is a 16-core, 16-thread chip with a 45W thermal design power (TDP). Minisforum is marketing this device toward AI tasks, pointing to the combined 90 TOPS (trillion operations per second) of processing power, 50 from the NPU and 40 from the integrated GPU.
In practical terms, this hardware allows users to run open-source large language models like Qwen3.5-35B locally. This is a useful feature if you want to test AI tools without relying on cloud services.
Running these local models requires a lot of memory, and the M2 supports up to 128GB of DDR5-5600 RAM across two SO-DIMM slots. For storage, it includes two M.2 2280 PCIe 4.0 slots, which can hold up to 8TB of NVMe storage.
The port selection is practical for a home lab setup. The back of the device has two 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet ports, making it easy to configure as a soft router or a network-attached storage (NAS) device. It also supports Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4. For video output, it has HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 1.4, and a front-facing USB4 port that supports data, video, and power delivery. You can connect up to three 4K monitors at once.
The chassis measures 130 by 127 by 50mm and weighs 520 grams, which is typical for this class of mini PC. It comes with a VESA mount so you can attach it to the back of a monitor.
To manage heat, Minisforum uses a dual heat pipe cooler and a standard centrifugal fan. According to the manufacturer’s testing, the CPU reaches about 78 degrees Celsius under full load, generating around 42.5dB of noise.
In related news, Chuwi has recently launched the AuBox X Mini PC with an Intel Core Ultra 7 256V processor and support for triple 8K displays, while Dell recently introduced the Pro 5 Micro Mini PC powered by Intel Panther Lake CPUs.
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