MINISFORUM unveils MS‑R1 ARM mini workstation with UEFI support
MINISFORUM has launched the MS‑R1, promoted as the world's first ARM‑based mini workstation supporting UEFI. The system debuted overseas earlier this month and is now available in China starting at ¥3,299 CNY (about $455 USD).
The MS‑R1 is powered by the CP8180 SoC built on a 6 nm process. It integrates eight Arm Cortex‑A720 cores and four Arm Cortex‑A520 cores, paired with an Arm Immortalis‑G720 MC10 GPU that supports ray tracing. An NPU delivering 45 TOPS is also included.
Memory support reaches up to 64 GB of LPDDR5 running at 5,500 MHz on a 128‑bit bus, with ECC checking available (capacity reduced by 1/8 when enabled). Storage expansion includes dual M.2 slots (PCIe 4.0 x4, 2280/22110), with an adapter board for flexible NVMe or U.2 options.
The chassis measures 7.7 x 7.4 x 1.9 inches (196 x 189 x 48 mm) with a total volume of 1.7 liters. Despite its compact size, it offers a full‑length PCIe x16 expansion slot (physical x16, signal x8) for GPUs, network cards, or U.2 SSDs. Additional interfaces include 40‑pin GPIO, UART, eDP, I2C, and TPM. Networking is handled by dual 10‑gigabit RJ45 ports (RTL8127), plus Wi‑Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3.
Front I/O provides one USB‑A 5 Gbps and two USB‑A 480 Mbps ports. The rear panel includes two USB‑C 10 Gbps, two USB‑A 10 Gbps, two USB‑A 480 Mbps, dual 10‑gigabit Ethernet, and HDMI 2.0.
The system runs a customized Debian 12 distribution optimized for virtualization and container workloads, supporting KVM, Docker, and Android VMs. Power consumption is just 28 W, with noise levels under 40 dB.
Pricing in China is set at:
- ¥3,299 CNY ($455 USD) for 32 GB RAM, barebones
- ¥3,899 CNY ($540 USD) for 32 GB RAM + 1 TB SSD
- ¥3,999 CNY ($555 USD) for 64 GB RAM, barebones
- ¥4,589 CNY ($640 USD) for 64 GB RAM + 1 TB SSD
MINISFORUM is a Shenzhen‑based Chinese manufacturer specializing in mini PCs and compact desktop systems. Founded in 2018, the company has built a reputation for delivering small‑form‑factor computers with strong performance, targeting both consumer and professional markets worldwide. The MS‑R1 marks its first ARM‑based workstation, expanding beyond its established x86 lineup.
