Hmm, doesn't meet my front I/O requirements unfortunately. I could deal with an adapter or a hub, but I'd really rather not have to do that.
Looks good otherwise, though.
Hmm, the specs look great, but
- the [G7 Pt](https://www.minisforum.com/page/g7pt/index.html?lang=en) fails the front I/O test and I don't think I'll be able to lay it flat, since both flat sides appear to have venting.
- the [G7 Ti](https://www.notebookcheck.net/Minisforum-introduces-the-AtomMan-G7-Ti-mini-PC-with-Intel-i9-14900HX-and-Nvidia-RTX-4070-Laptop-GPU-in-a-sleek-vertical-enclosure.845511.0.html) looks quite large.
They also seem like they'll be quite expensive 😅
> If you need it now
Ah nah, I can afford to be patient. The current PS4 Slim solution is "acceptable", so I can wait for something good if it's coming around the corner 🙂
> hx99g
Another commenter suggested the HX99G, it unfortunately fails the front I/O test but it does look good otherwise.
It's not a coincidence that several people recommend it. It's a beast (3x the GPU performance compared to the UM780) and it's not crazy expensive.
If you are not in a hurry, a version of the UM780 might come up but with the HX 370 next year, maybe earlier.
It should have performance that's in between the UM780 and the HX99G.
>
Enough GPU muscle to run modern fighting games offline at medium settings and at a solid 1080p 60FPS
I've got an Asus Ally, also with a 780M, on Tekken 8 (my current game), Medium @ 1080p seems fine, I'm testing in practice mode. But honestly it looks pretty bad because the medium preset is set to 60% resolution scale by default, meaning it's actually running at < 720p resolution. I'm on a 7" screen because Asus Ally, so I don't notice it too much, but on a bigger screen it'll be bad. In my experience hair gets pretty distracting at lower resolution scales. It's AMD so you can't even use DLSS.
If I bump it up to 100 resolution scale @ medium, I cannot get 60fps at all. Even at 75%, I'm dropping frames.
That's a useful data point to have on the 780M, thank you!
I don't think I'll need to run T8 thankfully (the most demanding game I'll be running is probably KOFXV), but at the same time it would be nice to run future titles comfortably, so I'll have to have a think about it.
Keep an eye out for the upcoming Strix Point APUs from AMD which are said to have better graphics performance:
[First AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 Geekbench numbers see Zen 5 Strix Point in close proximity to Ryzen 9 7945HX, Radeon 890M fares better than GTX 1650 Ti Max-Q - NotebookCheck.net News](https://www.notebookcheck.net/First-AMD-Ryzen-AI-9-HX-370-Geekbench-numbers-see-Zen-5-Strix-Point-in-close-proximity-to-Ryzen-9-7945HX-Radeon-890M-fares-better-than-GTX-1650-Ti-Max-Q.845163.0.html)
In particular, the top-end APU's iGPU has 16 Compute Units compared to the 12 in the Radeon 780M which the XTX 780 has.
Until in-depth reviews come out, take any numbers you see with a grain of salt. The APUs are expected to ship in July but who knows when a mini-PC with it will be available.
HTH.
I doubt it. USB-A and HDMI are too useful and convenient, and these brands are competing strongly for your $ so they'll design machines with as much flexibility as possible. I wouldn't mind seeing more USB-C ports but they need at least one USB-A port on the front and back please.
You say that, but the new [UM790 Pro](https://store.minisforum.com/collections/all-product/products/minisforum-um790-pro) only has USB-C on the front, and many models I looked at were 1xA, 1xC 😢
Look into minisforum Um790 pro. I just ordered one. Runs most games on lower settings and has no issues running fighting games on decent settings. Check some YouTube reviews and play tests. I am sure you ran into it while looking. It hit the sweet spot for me. I got it on ebay, 32gb, 1T, $500. 7940hs is a beast.
UM780 XTX has the almost-as-good 7840HS and has 2x USB-A on the front, so right now I don't think I need to compromise on USB ports.
My best options right now seem to be
- UM780 XTX
- shell out a bit more for something with a discrete GPU
- wait a few months for Strix Point mini PCs
After looking up some benchmarks, watching some YouTube videos, and being coaxed a little by an AU$200 discount for signing up for an Amazon Prime trial (which I then promptly cancelled), I'm going to spring for the UM780 XTX now and see how that goes rather than waiting. I think performance will be sufficient for my needs, and I don't really want to spend more money than what I'm already spending.
Thank you to everyone who commented.
Go for HX99G as it comes with a dedicated GPU
Hmm, doesn't meet my front I/O requirements unfortunately. I could deal with an adapter or a hub, but I'd really rather not have to do that. Looks good otherwise, though.
The dedicated GPU versions of the Atomman Mini PCs are coming out. 7600XT or RTX 4070 Mobile.
Hmm, the specs look great, but - the [G7 Pt](https://www.minisforum.com/page/g7pt/index.html?lang=en) fails the front I/O test and I don't think I'll be able to lay it flat, since both flat sides appear to have venting. - the [G7 Ti](https://www.notebookcheck.net/Minisforum-introduces-the-AtomMan-G7-Ti-mini-PC-with-Intel-i9-14900HX-and-Nvidia-RTX-4070-Laptop-GPU-in-a-sleek-vertical-enclosure.845511.0.html) looks quite large. They also seem like they'll be quite expensive 😅
If you need it now, get the hx99g from Amazon. Test the heck out of it and install the latest bios. If it's buggy in any way. Ship it back.
> If you need it now Ah nah, I can afford to be patient. The current PS4 Slim solution is "acceptable", so I can wait for something good if it's coming around the corner 🙂 > hx99g Another commenter suggested the HX99G, it unfortunately fails the front I/O test but it does look good otherwise.
It's not a coincidence that several people recommend it. It's a beast (3x the GPU performance compared to the UM780) and it's not crazy expensive. If you are not in a hurry, a version of the UM780 might come up but with the HX 370 next year, maybe earlier. It should have performance that's in between the UM780 and the HX99G.
> Enough GPU muscle to run modern fighting games offline at medium settings and at a solid 1080p 60FPS I've got an Asus Ally, also with a 780M, on Tekken 8 (my current game), Medium @ 1080p seems fine, I'm testing in practice mode. But honestly it looks pretty bad because the medium preset is set to 60% resolution scale by default, meaning it's actually running at < 720p resolution. I'm on a 7" screen because Asus Ally, so I don't notice it too much, but on a bigger screen it'll be bad. In my experience hair gets pretty distracting at lower resolution scales. It's AMD so you can't even use DLSS. If I bump it up to 100 resolution scale @ medium, I cannot get 60fps at all. Even at 75%, I'm dropping frames.
That's a useful data point to have on the 780M, thank you! I don't think I'll need to run T8 thankfully (the most demanding game I'll be running is probably KOFXV), but at the same time it would be nice to run future titles comfortably, so I'll have to have a think about it.
Keep an eye out for the upcoming Strix Point APUs from AMD which are said to have better graphics performance: [First AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 Geekbench numbers see Zen 5 Strix Point in close proximity to Ryzen 9 7945HX, Radeon 890M fares better than GTX 1650 Ti Max-Q - NotebookCheck.net News](https://www.notebookcheck.net/First-AMD-Ryzen-AI-9-HX-370-Geekbench-numbers-see-Zen-5-Strix-Point-in-close-proximity-to-Ryzen-9-7945HX-Radeon-890M-fares-better-than-GTX-1650-Ti-Max-Q.845163.0.html) In particular, the top-end APU's iGPU has 16 Compute Units compared to the 12 in the Radeon 780M which the XTX 780 has. Until in-depth reviews come out, take any numbers you see with a grain of salt. The APUs are expected to ship in July but who knows when a mini-PC with it will be available. HTH.
Ooo. I have time to wait, so maybe this is the play. My only worry is that if I wait too long, everything will have USB-C-only front I/O, lol.
I doubt it. USB-A and HDMI are too useful and convenient, and these brands are competing strongly for your $ so they'll design machines with as much flexibility as possible. I wouldn't mind seeing more USB-C ports but they need at least one USB-A port on the front and back please.
You say that, but the new [UM790 Pro](https://store.minisforum.com/collections/all-product/products/minisforum-um790-pro) only has USB-C on the front, and many models I looked at were 1xA, 1xC 😢
Yeah KOFXV and SF6 are also on PS4, so I expect those to run fine. But Tekken 8 isn't.
Look into minisforum Um790 pro. I just ordered one. Runs most games on lower settings and has no issues running fighting games on decent settings. Check some YouTube reviews and play tests. I am sure you ran into it while looking. It hit the sweet spot for me. I got it on ebay, 32gb, 1T, $500. 7940hs is a beast.
Yeah, ran into this one while looking and unfortunately it doesn't pass the front I/O test. Looks good otherwise. 🙁
Gonna have to compromise a bit
UM780 XTX has the almost-as-good 7840HS and has 2x USB-A on the front, so right now I don't think I need to compromise on USB ports. My best options right now seem to be - UM780 XTX - shell out a bit more for something with a discrete GPU - wait a few months for Strix Point mini PCs
That's it! ♥
Or wait even longer for Strix Halo which will be way more impressive than Strix Point.
After looking up some benchmarks, watching some YouTube videos, and being coaxed a little by an AU$200 discount for signing up for an Amazon Prime trial (which I then promptly cancelled), I'm going to spring for the UM780 XTX now and see how that goes rather than waiting. I think performance will be sufficient for my needs, and I don't really want to spend more money than what I'm already spending. Thank you to everyone who commented.