Minisforum EliteMini UM700
This pint-sized powerhouse is a miniature PC that delivers very impressive performance
When the Minisforum EliteMini UM700 landed on T3’ s reviews pile, we were intrigued. This is a PC that isn’t just microATX small, but tiny small. The UM700’s official dimensions are 128×127×46mm and the whole thing weighs just 500 grams. So we’re talking crazy small, light and portable. Indeed, while testing we’ve even managed to carry this PC around in our pockets.
The design of the Minisforum EliteMini UM700 is basic but effective and, at least to our eyes, aesthetically pleasing. It’s a small square silver box that has a vented black base. On the front of the system is a power button, 3.5mm headphone jack, a pair of USB Type-A ports and a single USB Type-C port. The front is also home to a digital mic and reset hole.
Move to the top of the Minisforum EliteMini UM700 and you’re faced with a branded top plate, which pops up and then can be slid off. This is how you can gain access to the mainboard of the system as well as its components. So, in the future if you wanted to upgrade its RAM or storage, for example, then doing that is very straightforward. The lid then just clips back in place with a gentle push down.
In terms of hardware you get an impressive package for your money in the Minisforum EliteMini UM700. The CPU is an AMD Ryzen 7 3750H, which comes with 4 cores and 8 threads. It has a base clock of 2.3GHz, but that can scale up to 4GHz. This CPU is joined with 16GB of RAM on the model tested, a 256GB SSD, and most interestingly a Radeon RX Vega 10 GPU, which has a frequency of 1400 MHz. Naturally, on behalf of PC gamers, we were very keen to see just what the Minisforum EliteMini UM700 was capable of. So we installed and ran the AAA game Cyberpunk 2077 on the UM700 and on low settings got a just about playable framerate. Meanwhile, Doom Eternal was 100% playable with smooth framerate on medium settings. This system is definitely imbued with at least some gaming chops, and will be more than powerful enough to play any sort of slightly older PC game without issue.
What we would say is that it was when running these games that we heard the UM700 at its most vocal. We’re only talking a consistent low hum from the fan rather than deafening whir, though.
The Minisforum EliteMini UM700 is a really nice change of pace and, crucially, has shown just what is possible today in terms of nonlaptop PC form factors. The fact that this system comes with a mount so that it can be easily attached to the back of a monitor says it all. From a minimalist point of view, the UM700 absolutely kills.
When more people than ever are finding themselves working from home, and also trying to bring some sort of zen and order to their home office, the Minisforum range of these tiny systems is a really great thing in my mind. And among them the EliteMini UM700 is one of the most impressive.