The Elitemini B550 was launched by the Hong Kong Minisforum. Today, the company showcased the product on Twitter, created an introductory video, and launched a pre-sale product page with a configurator that includes US pricing. Minisforum thinks their AMD Ryzen-like NUC has two main selling factors. For starters, it features socketed AM4 processors, and owners will also get an external GPU dock, allowing them to use the best graphics cards. There are, however, several additional advantages and disadvantages.
Compared to the Mac Mini and Intel NUC, the Minisforum Elitemini B550 is a small laptop (and several others). According to the product pages, it measures 20.859 x 24.088 x 12.813 cm. However, the measurements given in the product video are significantly smaller, indicating a significant sizing issue.
The design of the Elitemini from Minisforum isn’t particularly beautiful, but it looks functional
The versatility available allows you to neglect aesthetics to some extent. You can get this computer with an AMD Ryzen 7 5700G or Ryzen 7 4700G (for a $100 discount), both of which are 8C/16T APUs of separate generations. Since it’s an AM4 socket processor, you won’t be stuck with your choice. This is something you can adjust later. Therefore, it’s a little disappointing that there isn’t a cheaper version of the ‘Barebone’ option without RAM or SSD.
Two SODIMM slots for up to 64 GB of DDR4-3200 RAM, as well as two M.2 2280 SATA/NVMe SSD slots, are available inside the case. You can use NVMe PCIe 4.0 if you have a next-gen CPU. A single 2.5-inch SATA SSD/HDD is the other user-upgradable component. You won’t have to worry about that because a Wi-Fi and Bluetooth card is already installed.
RJ45 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet Port 1, USB3.2 Port 4, USB-C Port 1 (Gen2), HDMI ([email protected]) 2, DisplayPort([email protected]) 1, 3.5mm headphone jack (green), LINE OUT 2, Clear CMOS 1, 3.5mm MIC jack 1 are all on the back of the Elitemini B550. That’s three monitors without the need for an external GPU. The power button is also on the back.
A basic GPU dock is included with your Minisforum Elitemini B550 purchase. It does not cover the GPU you have chosen to install. Depending on the graphics card you choose, it can expand well beyond the size of the host machine. Choose a 24cm or smaller GPU if you don’t like that idea.
You will not be able to mount VESA on the Minisforum Elitemini B550 if you are using the external GPU docking station. The desktop case is on its side in the photos with the GPU mounted, with the GPU extension basically on the bottom where its feet and mounting holes are.
The 19V power supply included with the Elitemini 500 will not power the external GPU. It requires the use of an external ATX or SFF power supply (not included). Having a power supply next to this system on the desk/table adds clutter. Adding the desktop power supply has the advantage of supporting more powerful processors, but keep in mind that the cooling system is only rated for 65W.
On the surface this seems like a great alternative and a very portable tiny system (it even comes with a travel bag); nevertheless, using all of its features adds a significant amount of bulk, clutter, and clutter to your desktop. To make things cleaner, maybe an SFF PSU could be bolted to the structure. If you want a compact system with a desktop graphics card, on the other hand, you might want to get/build a Mini ITX system, as everything will be securely enclosed in a fashionable chassis.
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