Minisforum has announced its new MS-03 workstation mini PC, which upgrades the previous MS-01 model with Intel’s Panther Lake processor platform. This device marks one of the first mini PC announcements using Intel’s Panther Lake architecture, following announcements like the GPD Box Panther Lake mini PC. The manufacturer designed the compact workstation for productivity, network-attached storage (NAS), and local artificial intelligence workloads.
Other manufacturers are also building compact designs with this processor, including the upcoming Gigabyte Brix GB-BRU9-386H mini PC. Because of its generous storage and networking options, the new hardware will likely appeal to IT teams, developers, and edge computing users. The aluminum chassis includes a slide-out motherboard tray to allow for easy hardware upgrades.
Also read: Best Laptops for 3D Modeling and Rendering
The mini PC uses the Intel Core Ultra 9 386H processor, which has 16 CPU cores and 4 Arc Xe3 graphics cores. The processor operates at a 25W base power limit but can reach up to an 80W max Turbo limit during demanding tasks. To support high memory requirements, the motherboard includes slots for up to 128GB of fast DDR5-7200 SODIMM memory.
Storage expansion options include three M.2 2280 slots that can support up to 8TB solid-state drives per slot. The package also includes an adapter for enterprise-grade U.2 drives to support up to 15TB of internal storage. In addition, dual USB4 ports allow users to connect high-speed external storage arrays or docking stations.
A key feature of the mini PC is a physical PCIe x16 slot that operates at a maximum speed of eight PCIe lanes. This slot supports low-profile discrete graphics cards, though the chassis lacks an internal GPU power connector. Consequently, any installed graphics card is limited to the 75W of power supplied directly by the PCIe slot.
Networking connections are plentiful and include two 10 GbE SFP+ ports, one 10 GbE RJ45 port, and one 2.5 GbE RJ45 port. Minisforum is already offering subscribers a launch-day coupon worth $50 (about 360 Yuan), though the base price remains unrevealed. The company has not announced official pricing or release dates yet but plans to launch the product soon.
Source: Minisforum
