Minisforum Venus Series UM790 Pro review: Better than its competitors thanks to an AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS and a Radeon 780M

The Minisforum Venus Series UM790 Pro is a relatively compact mini PC fitted with the newest APU from AMD. Its AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS is an 8-core processor belonging to the Phoenix series. The PC doesn’t feature a dedicated graphics card, but this is no problem thanks to its iGPU, the AMD Radeon 780M , which is just as powerful.

With this model, you should be well-equipped for playing the odd game or two. But, we will discuss more about how well the system is able to play current games later on in the review. Next to its brand-new APU, Minisforum has also fitted this test device with 16 GB DDR5 RAM and a total of 512 GB of storage.

Minisforum has taken a slightly different approach to storage devices with this device – namely, it is fitted with two 256 GB SSDs in a RAID 0 array (Redundant Array of Independent Disks). This configuration, which always comes with a Windows 11 professional license, currently costs around $670. If you would like to install RAM and SSDs yourself, then you can also buy the Minisforum Venus Series UM790 Pro as a barebone model for $519.

There are currently no alternative APU versions of the UM790 Pro available. All comparison devices in this review are compact desktop PCs within a similar price range. You can find an overview of these devices in the following table.

Visually, the Minisforum Venus Series UM790 Pro fits right in with the rest of the family, although it does show some differences compared to the Minisforum Venus Series NAB6. It is a slightly darker gray which has quite a strong blue tint. This suits the UM790 Pro well and gives the device a high-quality feel.

Thanks to its metal surfaces, we can only praise how nice the PC feels to touch. Everything apart from the bottom of the mini PC is made from metal, which provides the UM790 Pro with great stability. Thanks to its compact size, the Minisforum Venus Series UM790 Pro doesn’t take up much space on your desk.

It has a footprint of only 13 x 12. 6 cm. In comparison, only the Intel NUC 13 is even smaller.

If you would rather connect the UM790 Pro to the back of a monitor, then you can do exactly that. The package includes everything you need to connect the 666-gram heavy mini PC to a monitor using a VESA mount. The Minisforum Venus Series UM790 Pro features a plethora of modern connectivity options spread out over the front and back of the device.

In total, the PC has six USB ports. We noticed, however, that there are only Type-A ports on the back – in turn, the front only has two USB-4 ports including Thunderbolt support. Connecting more than one monitor is no issue for the Minisforum Venus Series UM790 Pro, as it has two HDMI ports on the back.

In addition, you can also connect further displays via Thunderbolt, meaning a total of 4 screens can be connected at the same time. Minisforum has fitted the UM790 Pro with a Wi-Fi 6E module from Intel. To be precise, it is an Intel Killer Wi-Fi AX1675x module, which only achieved average results in our test (6 GHz).

Within the 5 GHz frequency area, it did even worse and came in last place. As always, we used our Asus ROG Rapture GT-AXE11000 as a test router. Alternatively, the Minisforum Venus Series UM790 Pro has a fast wired connection, enabling speeds of up to 2.

5 Gbit/s. Aside from the device itself, the scope of delivery also includes a 120-watt power supply as well as a VESA mount, in order to connect the PC to a monitor. The PC also comes with an HDMI cable, a short instruction manual and replacement rubber feet.

The Minisforum Venus Series UM790 Pro can be opened on the bottom. The bottom part of the case is held on by lots of tiny screws which are situated beneath the rubber feet. You basically have to rip these feet off in order to access the screws, which isn’t a terribly great solution.

Geekom, for example, has come up with a much better solution, namely by making the screws a part of the feet themselves. At least the PC comes with two replacement rubber feet – but in our eyes, this is just an emergency solution. Our test sample doesn’t have any free space for expansion.

Both of the M. 2 storage devices can be swapped out and so can the RAM and the Wi-Fi module, the latter being situated beneath one of the SSDs. The Minisforum Venus Series UM790 Pro features a brand-new SoC from AMD, namely the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS .

With 16 GB RAM and 512 GB storage, you will be well equipped to begin with. There are currently no SoC alternatives for the UM790 Pro. We ran all tests using the energy profile “balanced”.

The SoC’s performance, as well as the iGPU’s RAM assignment (2 GB) were not changed in the BIOS and were kept in accordance with the manufacturer’s settings as the PC was delivered. The AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS is the powerhouse of the Minisforum Venus Series UM790 Pro. With its 8 cores and 16 threads, there isn’t much new about it.

Even so, AMD was able to increase the IPC considerably with the Phoenix series. Compared to the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX, we noted a performance increase of 10 to 15 per cent. At the same time, its multi-core performance benefits from this, too.

However, its performance limits are usually set by the PC’s installed cooler. In the past, Minisforum has always been able to score points with its solid and very quiet components. For the UM790 Pro, the manufacturer has relied on using liquid metal, meaning it strongly advises against taking the cooling unit apart.

In our test, we noted that our test sample came behind the Beelink GTR7 . This means that its (in theory) worse SoC has actually been able to deliver better performance levels. Compared to its competitors based on Intel ( Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit ), our test device came 10 per cent ahead when it came to its performance rating.

The Intel Core i7-1360P was only able to beat the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS in a few isolated tests. For further comparisons and benchmarks, take a look at our CPU comparison table . The Cinebench R15 continuous loop showed us how the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS behaved over a longer period of time.

The Minisforum Venus Series UM790 Pro completed all 50 runs very consistently. Together with the Beelink GTR7 , our test sample competed in a neck-and-neck race. We didn’t note any performance losses as we did with the Minisforum NAD9, and on average, the SoC had a power consumption of 55 watts.

At up to 65 watts, its maximum performance limit was utilized entirely. The Minisforum Venus Series UM790 Pro came in second place in our measured latency values, behind the Beelink GTR7 . While opening multiple tabs in Edge and when playing our 4K test video, we didn’t measure any high latencies.

This means the UM790 Pro is perfect to use in a streaming environment. We only noticed slightly increased latencies when using Prime95. However, these never reached a critical level.

Minisforum has equipped the Venus Series UM790 Pro with a storage combination resulting in a total of 512 GB storage. The combination used includes two NVMe SSDs from Kingston which each have 256 GB storage and which work together in a RAID-0 array. We aren’t entirely sure why the manufacturer gave us this type of combination.

After contacting them, they told us that the 512-GB variants will be fitted with only one SSD. Thanks to the RAID array, the SSDs delivered good read and write rates. Even so, the storage devices on the comparison devices were mostly faster.

You likely won’t be able to notice this in everyday use. When it comes to cooling, Minisforum has done everything right with the UM790 Pro. Although its continuous performance wasn’t as stable as the Intel NUC 13 Pro , it still delivered great performance levels throughout.

This is thanks to a direct cooling system which uses active fans on the bottom of the device. In total, two SSDs can be installed. 2.

5-inch storage devices can’t be installed into the UM790 Pro. For further comparisons and benchmarks, take a look at our comparison table . The AMD Radeon 780M is the biggest change within the UM790 Pro – in combination with its installed SoC.

This iGPU succeeds the AMD Radeon 680M , which already kept its competitors (Iris Xe 96 EU) in check. Especially SX12 games could be run well by AMD’s current iGPUs. Unfortunately, in the present comparison, we noted that our test sample couldn’t quite keep up with the Beelink GTR7 .

Despite having the same iGPU, it came in around 10 per cent behind. Beelink seems to have its power management between its CPU and iGPU – in combination with its cooling system – under control a little better. Furthermore, the Beelink GTR7’s iGPU has access to up to 8 GB RAM, whereas our test sample only has access to 2 GB.

You can make adjustments in the BIOS, although giving the iGPU 8 GB requires at least 32 GB RAM. We were only able to give the AMD Radeon 780M access to a maximum of 4 GB with the PC’s installed 16 GB RAM. The Ace Magician AM08 Pro showed how well an AMD Radeon 680M was still able to keep up as well.

It lay only 5 per cent behind, which can almost be ignored entirely. In older DX11 benchmarks, we didn’t note any direct advantage for the new iGPU based on RDNA3. At the same time, the new model excelled during the Computemark test and came in quite far ahead.

AMD still has an easy job competing against its Intel competitors. For further comparisons and benchmarks, take a look at our G PU comparison table . Although the AMD Radeon 780M is just the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS ‘s iGPU, it still manages to deliver great performance within the Minisforum Venus Series UM790 Pro.

The AMD Radeon 680M was already able to enable smooth gameplay at medium to high detail levels. Our test sample, however, quickly reached its assigned RAM limit, which explains it only showing a slight improvement compared to the AMD Radeon 680M . If you are looking to use the Minisforum Venus Series UM790 Pro to play the occasional game, then we would recommend going for the 32 GB model, which means you can give the iGPU access to 8 GB.

We would recommend taking a look at the Beelink GTR7 as a reference point. For an overview of the iGPU’s performance compared to other graphics cards, take a look at our GPU games list As the Minisforum Venus Series UM790 Pro is fitted with two USB-4 ports, we have taken a look at its performance in combination with our Razer Core X and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti . In our test, we documented a considerable 3D performance increase using this combination.

We noted similar levels of performance increase within the comparison devices using the same accessories. In direct comparison, the Minisforum Venus Series UM790 Pro achieved upper-average results. Almost no other device managed to come close to the Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit.

However, its lead is limited. During our noise emission measurements, the Minisforum Venus Series UM790 Pro behaved relatively inconspicuously. In idle mode, we noted quite a low value of 31.

7 dB(A), which evened out at around 32. 8 dB(A) under average load. During the stress test, we noted a maximum value of 35.

2 dB(A), meaning the mini PC quietly works away. We didn’t note any high-pitched whining, which would cause the noise levels to seem subjectively louder. In comparison, the Minisforum Venus Series UM790 Pro achieved good upper-average results.

Only the Minisforum NAD9 was considerably quieter in our test. The Minisforum Venus Series UM790 Pro’s case only heated up a little bit during our tests. In total, two fans take care of providing cool temperatures under load.

One fan cools the RAM and SSD via the bottom of the device, and one further fan cools the SoC via the top. In practical use, we already noted how well both SSDs were cooled and that they weren’t throttled at any point due to high temperatures. The AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS is also cooled reliably and during our Prime95 stress test, it reached a maximum of 84.

6 °C. The SoC has access to a maximum of 65 watts, which were also fully taken advantage of. In total, the SoC’s power consumption averaged out at 57 watts.

A well-known 120-watt power supply is used to power the PC – one which we have often encountered when reviewing other mini PCs. In comparison, the Minisforum Venus Series UM790 Pro turned out to be a very frugal system when it comes to power consumption. In idle mode, our measuring device showed values of 4.

6 to 10. 6 watts, meaning our test device achieved good average results. Under average load, we noted a similar value to the Beelink GTR, namely 72.

5 watts. Although, there was quite a difference between the two’s maximum values. Measuring 95 watts at most, the Minisforum Venus Series UM790 Pro is quite a frugal device and it came in about on the same level as the Minisforum UM690 and the Geekom AS 6 .

This means its power supply delivers enough energy to fuel the Minisforum Venus Series UM790 Pro. The Minisforum Venus Series UM790 Pro is a very powerful mini PC based on super up-to-date components. Its AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS is both fast and frugal.

Furthermore, its AMD Radeon 780M is a very powerful iGPU which is able to master the odd game or two. However, this little computing beast is missing just that bit of extra performance that would make it a true gaming PC. The Minisforum Venus Series UM790 Pro is perfectly suitable for everyday office use.

The mini PC masters this effortlessly and doesn’t even struggle with the most demanding of tasks. The 8-core PC always delivers great performance and is accompanied by an excellent cooling system, meaning it can always make use of its full performance potential. Even permanent load proves to be no problem for this device.

This is typical for mini PCs, as can also be seen on the Minisforum NAD 9 . The Minisforum Venus Series UM790 Pro is a really great mini PC with a strong iGPU. However, we didn’t note that big a performance increase over the Minisforum Venus Series UM690.

We loved the PC’s build, design and material choice in particular, which give it a really high-quality feel – both in looks and to touch. The pro list continues with its great connectivity options, meaning most users should be perfectly satisfied. Two USB4 ports are good, although, we believe this port should be standard by this point in the year 2023, in order to make devices as future-proof as possible.

Price-wise, the Minisforum Venus Series UM790 Pro slots in right where it is expected – most competitors offering the same performance are charging a similar price for their PCs. Its main competitor can be named as being the Beelink GTR7 , which costs the same as a UM790 Pro and has the same features. You can now save about $100 if you decide to settle for a Minisforum UM690 – you’ll have to decide for yourself which advantages and disadvantages you might face.

The Minisforum Venus Series UM790 Pro can currently be pre-ordered directly from the manufacturer . There are currently great pre-order deals available. The version with 32 GB RAM and a 512 GB SSD can be purchased for $669.

The barebone version can be had for $519. .