Most mini PCs in this class ask you to accept the integrated GPU and move on. The Minisforum MS-S1 Max doesn’t: alone among the Ryzen AI Max+ 395 machines, it has a full-length internal PCIe slot, so you can drop in a real discrete graphics card. For photographers and video editors who love the compact, low-power Strix Halo idea but want a route to more GPU grunt later, that makes it the most future-proof option here. See it on the official Minisforum MS-S1 Max page.
That expandability is the story. The MS-S1 Max includes a full-length PCIe 4.0 x16 slot (wired at x4), dual USB4 v2 ports at 80Gbps each — matching Thunderbolt 5 bandwidth for the fastest external SSDs and eGPUs — and dual 10GbE networking. For GPU-accelerated photo work that’s a real advantage: DxO PhotoLab’s DeepPRIME XD denoising, arguably the best RAW noise reduction going and heavily GPU-bound, scales with whatever graphics power you can feed it, while Photoshop’s larger AI and filter tasks benefit too. On video, DaVinci Resolve 21 and Premiere Pro both love GPU headroom, and being able to add an internal RTX card down the line is something no rival here offers.
The core spec is the usual high standard: 16 Zen 5 cores, the Radeon 8060S iGPU, and up to 128GB of LPDDR5X-8000 on a 256GB/s bus (soldered, up to 96GB assignable to the GPU). Storage runs to two M.2 slots (one PCIe 4.0 x4, one x1, up to 8TB each), so the SSD is replaceable. It runs harder than most — up to 130W sustained and 160W peak — fed by a built-in 320W PSU, and the chassis is rack-mountable for anyone building out a studio or small render setup.
On AI it’s fully specced — 126 TOPS platform performance and enough assignable memory for large local models — making it a capable base for running models and building your own agents locally. The only asterisks are the familiar ones: soldered memory, and that x1 second M.2 slot is slower than the main one.
If you want a Strix Halo mini PC that can grow with you, this is the one.
Minisforum MS-S1 Max: Specifications
Processor: AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 (16C/32T, 126 TOPS platform AI). Graphics: Radeon 8060S (40 RDNA 3.5 CUs). Memory: up to 128GB LPDDR5X-8000, soldered, ~256GB/s, up to 96GB to GPU. Storage: 1x M.2 2280 PCIe 4.0 x4 + 1x M.2 2280 PCIe 4.0 x1 (up to 8TB each). Expansion: internal full-length PCIe 4.0 x16 slot (wired x4) for a discrete GPU or add-in card. Networking: dual 10GbE (Realtek RTL8127), Wi-Fi 7. Ports: dual USB4 v2 (80Gbps), USB-A 10Gbps, HDMI 2.1. Power/TDP: built-in 320W PSU, up to 130W sustained / 160W peak; rack-mountable. OS: Windows 11 Pro.
Minisforum MS-S1 Max: Price and availability
The Minisforum MS-S1 Max is available in a 128GB configuration priced around $2,299. UK pricing varies by retailer and configuration — check current pricing before purchase.
