Minisforum MS-A1 Mini PC (AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX370, 32GB DDR5, 1TB NVMe, USB4, Dual 2.5GbE) Review

The Minisforum AI X1 Pro-370 is trying to do something specific: fit a workstation-class AMD processor, dual 2.5 gigabit networking, and quad-display output into a box small enough to mount behind a monitor. At $1,199, it is not cheap for a mini PC, but the specs justify a closer look before you write it off.

What You’re Actually Getting

The processor here is the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX370. This is a Strix Point chip: 12 cores, 24 threads, a boost clock of up to 5.1GHz, and an integrated Radeon 890M GPU with 16 compute units. The 890M is the fastest integrated graphics AMD has shipped in this class, capable of handling light 3D workloads, media transcoding, and even some entry-level AI inference tasks thanks to the onboard NPU rated at 50 TOPS.

The base configuration ships with 32GB of DDR5 RAM and a 1TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD. Both are expandable: RAM goes up to 128GB via two SO-DIMM slots, and storage can reach 12TB with the right drive combinations. That expandability matters a lot at this price point.

On the networking side, dual 2.5GbE ports are the headline feature for anyone building a home lab or running this as a lightweight server. You can bond both ports for 5Gbps aggregate throughput to a compatible switch, or use one as a WAN-facing interface and one as LAN. WiFi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 round out the wireless side.

Display output is genuinely impressive: four simultaneous displays via a combination of HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 2.0, and USB4. USB4 also doubles as a high-speed data interface at 40Gbps, which matters if you are connecting external NVMe enclosures or Thunderbolt-compatible docks.

Specs Analysis

The Ryzen AI 9 HX370 sits near the top of AMD’s mobile lineup for 2024-2025. In Cinebench R23 published results, the HX370 scores in the range of 20,000 to 22,000 multi-core, which puts it ahead of Intel’s Core Ultra 7 155H and competitive with the Core Ultra 9 185H in most workloads. Single-core performance in the 1,800 to 1,900 range is strong for a fanless-or-small-form-factor machine.

The Radeon 890M iGPU is a meaningful step up over the 780M found in last-generation mini PCs. Published benchmarks from outlets like Notebookcheck show the 890M outperforming the 780M by roughly 20 to 30 percent in GPU-bound tasks. It can push 1080p gaming in lighter titles and handles hardware video decode for H.264, H.265, AV1, and VP9, which is relevant for Plex or Jellyfin transcoding use cases.

The PCIe 4.0 NVMe slot delivers sequential read speeds around 7,000 MB/s with a capable drive installed. The included 1TB SSD should be near that ceiling given Minisforum’s track record with recent configurations.

Thermal management in a chassis this size is always a question. The X1 Pro-370 uses an active cooling solution with a fan, not passive cooling, which is the right call for a 28W to 45W configurable TDP processor. Under sustained load, expect fan noise to be audible, particularly when the chip is running at higher TDP settings.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Dual 2.5GbE is rare at this price and genuinely useful for home lab networking, NAS connectivity, or running pfSense as a secondary appliance
• Radeon 890M is the strongest integrated GPU available in this form factor right now
• USB4 at 40Gbps opens the door to external GPU docks, fast storage, and display daisy-chaining
• RAM expandable to 128GB, which is more than most mini PCs in this class
• WiFi 7 support means this machine is not going to be a wireless bottleneck even on a future-proofed network
• Quad-display support without a dedicated GPU is genuinely useful for productivity setups

Cons:

• $1,199 is a real ask. Competing units from Beelink, GMKtec, and even Minisforum’s own lower-tier line offer similar processors at $200 to $400 less, though without the dual 2.5GbE and USB4 combination
• The Ryzen AI 9 HX370 is a mobile chip, and sustained workloads can push temperatures and trigger thermal throttling in a small chassis, depending on ambient conditions and TDP configuration
• No dedicated GPU means this is not a gaming machine. The 890M handles lighter titles, but anything GPU-demanding will hit a wall
• At this price, you would reasonably expect Thunderbolt 4 certification. USB4 is compatible but not officially Thunderbolt certified, which can matter for specific peripheral ecosystems
• BIOS and firmware support from smaller OEMs like Minisforum has historically been inconsistent. Long-term driver and security patch cadence is a legitimate concern

Who This Is For

This machine is built for a specific type of buyer, not everyone.

Home lab builders who want a compact proxmox or hypervisor node with real networking legs will find the dual 2.5GbE genuinely useful. Running two virtual machines while keeping a management interface on a separate physical NIC is practical with this hardware. The 128GB RAM ceiling means you can load this machine up meaningfully.

Multi-monitor productivity setups where desk space is at a premium are a strong fit. Four displays from one box this size, without a dedicated GPU, is not something most mini PCs deliver.

Media server applications on Jellyfin or Plex benefit from the 890M’s hardware decode support and the processing headroom of a 12-core chip. Transcoding multiple 4K streams simultaneously is achievable here in ways that lower-powered mini PCs cannot match.

Light development workstations where you need fast compile times, reasonable RAM capacity, and a small footprint will work well here. The PCIe 4.0 SSD and 32GB base RAM keep build and iteration cycles fast.

This is not a good fit for gaming households looking to replace a gaming PC, or for buyers who only need basic desktop tasks and can get away with a $400 to $500 mini PC.

Bottom Line

The Minisforum AI X1 Pro-370 is a well-specced machine that earns its price only if you are actually using the features that differentiate it. The dual 2.5GbE plus USB4 plus Radeon 890M combination is genuinely unique at this form factor and price tier. If those matter to your use case, the $1,199 is defensible. If you just need a fast mini PC for everyday computing, you can spend significantly less and get 80 percent of the performance. Know what you are buying it for before you click purchase.

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