Minisforum UM690

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• MINISFORUM UM690 $459.00
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MINISFORUM UM690 mini PC with AMD Ryzen™9 6900HX

A few days after the announcement of the Minisforum UM590, the brand launches the Minisforum UM690.

The Minisforum UM690 embeds a new generation chip from AMD. The Ryzen 9 6900HX is an 8-core solution deploying 16 Threads enclosed in a 45 watt thermal envelope. Its main argument, beyond its computing performance and its frequencies ranging from 3.3 to 4.9 GHz, is its graphics circuit. The RDNA2, in other words a Radeon 680M with 12 cores, offers excellent performance in use. It is one of the most impressive chips on the mobile market and is starting to make its appearance on the MiniPC segment. We saw it announced on the Beelink GTR6 last October.

To accompany this processor, the Miniforum UM690 will employ DDR5 on two So-DIMM memory slots for a maximum of 64GB onboard. Storage will obviously be entrusted to an M.2 2280 NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSD. A 2.5″ bay is also present to add a second storage in SATA 3.0 format limited to a thickness of 7 mm.

Other striking similarities can be found between the two machines, starting with the cooling system. For this UM690 series, which uses a Ryzen with the same TDP, Minisforum has kept the same cooling system. We find here a typical laptop solution with a classic fin/duct assembly and a fan that pumps cool air to circulate it in the fins before expelling it to the outside. I guess this device follows the recommendations of AMD which has to dimension the needs of each chip and propose an optimal cooling solution to the manufacturers.

The new model will still offer two USB Type-C ports on the front. But this time the machine offers a USB4 port and a USB 3.2 Gen.2. The USB4 solution will bring higher transfers and the ability to connect a third display to the machine via DisplayPort. An audio combo jack is also present next to the start button illuminated with a classic LED of the range.

On the back of the device we find a power jack, a 2.5 Gbps Ethernet port in addition to Wi-Fi6 and Bluetooth 5.1 integrated on an M.2 2230, a Kensington Lock anti-theft system, four USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A and two HDMI outputs. All this in a chassis 12.8 cm wide by 12.66 cm deep and 4.65 cm thick.

The chassis is exactly the same as the previous model, with the same possibilities of fixing in VESA on the back of a screen or that we can put vertically thanks to the stand provided. It will obviously be possible to leave the machine on its feet.

The machine will be delivered with Windows 11 Pro by default but the manufacturer also announces a compatibility with Ubuntu for this model. Contrary to my habits I would rather advise you not to choose a barebone version if you are considering a purchase of the Minisforum UM690, simply because buying DDR5 So-Dimm might be more difficult than buying DDR4. If you know where to find one with a good price, don’t hesitate to choose a Barebone version especially if you don’t need the Windows 11 Pro license. In other cases, I think it’s more economical to use the brand’s ready-made formula.

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