MINISFORUM AI X1 Pro

It suits developers who want 12 cores and 24 threads, two USB4 ports and dual 2.5GbE on one desk. It also suits anyone running local language models or a small lab of virtual machines, provided they pick the 96 GB model. An office desk with up to 4 screens is another good home for it.

Skip it if gaming is the main job: the Radeon 890M is integrated graphics, fine for esports titles at 1080p and not for current AAA games at 1440p. Skip it too if you need a PCIe card slot or an OCuLink port, because it has neither. If your work needs more than 96 GB of memory, look at other machines.

Everyday work: well suited. The 12-core processors are more than enough for office work, and the machine drives up to 4 displays.

Coding: well suited in both models. You get 32 GB or 96 GB of DDR5 in two upgradeable slots, plus two USB4 ports and dual 2.5GbE.

Gaming: workable. The Radeon 890M is integrated graphics, fine for esports titles at 1080p and not for current AAA games at 1440p.

Homelab: workable on the 32 GB model, well suited on the 96 GB model. Two 2.5GbE ports allow routing or network separation on one machine, and two M.2 slots hold storage for your virtual machines.

Local AI: workable on the 32 GB model, well suited on the 96 GB model. For local AI, check the exact model release, quantisation, context length, runtime overhead and memory available after the operating system. System RAM and GPU VRAM are different limits; shared-memory allocation depends on firmware, drivers and the backend. CPU inference or partial offloading can change what loads and its speed. Installed capacity alone does not establish compatibility or useful generation speed. Check the current Ollama or LM Studio hardware documentation for the exact GPU and operating system. Both models also carry an NPU with 50 TOPS.

Workstation: workable on the 32 GB model, well suited on the 96 GB model, whose 96 GB installed puts it in workstation class.

Both retail builds share 12 cores and 24 threads, Radeon 890M graphics, Windows 11 Pro and a 50 TOPS NPU. The 32 GB model pairs the Ryzen AI 9 HX 470, from 2026, with 1000 GB of NVMe PCIe 4.0 storage. The 96 GB model pairs the Ryzen AI 9 HX 370, from 2025, with 2000 GB of NVMe storage. Pick the 96 GB model for local AI, virtual machines and workstation jobs, where its memory makes the difference. Pick the 32 GB model for office work and coding, or if you would rather add memory yourself.

Memory sits in 2 SODIMM slots and is not soldered, so you can swap the modules, up to a maximum of 96 GB. The 96 GB model therefore ships at the ceiling, while the 32 GB model has room to grow to 96 GB. MINISFORUM does not state the supported memory speed, so check module compatibility before you buy.

Storage uses 2 M.2 slots, both for drives of the 2280 length. MINISFORUM does not state the PCIe generation of either slot, which matters if you want full speed from a fast drive. There is no PCIe card slot.

For screens, you get one HDMI output, one DisplayPort output and two USB-C ports that carry DisplayPort, for up to 4 displays at once. MINISFORUM does not state the HDMI or DisplayPort version, so confirm refresh-rate support before you buy a high-resolution monitor. There are also two USB4 ports, and there is no OCuLink port.

On the network side, two 2.5GbE Ethernet ports sit alongside Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4, and the wireless module is included.

The hard limits are a 96 GB memory ceiling, no PCIe card slot and no OCuLink port. The integrated Radeon 890M keeps current AAA games at 1440p out of reach. MINISFORUM does not state the dimensions or volume, the memory speed and bandwidth, ECC support, the graphics memory amount and type, the PCIe generation of either M.2 slot, M.2 SATA support, SATA bays, Thunderbolt or USB-A ports, the HDMI and DisplayPort versions, an SD card reader, the power supply, the TDP or a VESA mount.

The MINISFORUM MS-02 Ultra is the named alternative, and the deciding difference is memory: it reaches 256 GB where the AI X1 Pro stops at 96 GB. It also uses an Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX in place of the Ryzen AI 9 HX 470. Choose it if your virtual machines or language models need more than 96 GB. Stay with the AI X1 Pro if 96 GB covers your work.