I really like Minisforum mini PCs and I have said for the last little while, I think the MS-01 is the best home lab server mini PC you can buy right now. However, since I recently got my hands on the MS-A1, the AMD “version” of the MS-01, how do they compare? Let’s look at the Minisforum MS-A1 vs MS-01 and see which is the best mini PC for your home lab.
Minisforum MS-01
The Minisforum MS-01 is a mini PC that I have reviewed and also covered in video form. You can take a look at that review on VirtualizationHowto and on the YouTube channel as well.
In general, the MS-01 has just about all the specs that I am personally looking for in a mini PC, including:
- DDR5 memory
- 3 M.2 slots and optional U.2
- PCI-e slot
- 14 core, 20 threads processor, although hybrid processor
- Very strong networking – including (2) 2.5Gbe ports and (2) 10Gbe ports
The MS-01 checks just about every box in the right ways for a home lab server. However, the one thing about the MS-01 that I don’t like is the intel processor being a hybrid processor with the big-little architecture with performance and efficiency cores. I definitely prefer the uniform processors of the Intel Xeon data center CPUs and AMD Ryzen CPUs.
Below we can see the strong networking I/O with the MS-01 with the (2) 10Gbe SFP ports and (2) 2.5Gbe base-t ports.
Also, the MS-01 comes with a PCI-e port.
Minisforum MS-A1
In steps the MS-A1. I know many including myself when the MS-01 came out were thinking this would have been a perfect mini PC if it had the uniform Ryzen processor in it, so we wouldn’t have to enter boot parameters and other things for VMware vSphere and have the non-uniform processor performance across the chip.
You can read my review of the MS-A1 here:
Note the following specs:
- DDR5 memory
- 4 M.2 slots and optional U.2
- Oculink port
- 8 cores, 16 threads, uniform processor
- Weaker networking with only (2) 2.5Gbe ports that are Realtek based
When the announcement was made for the MS-A1 I thought this would be the absolutely perfect mini PC, “if” it could retain all that was good about the MS-01 and use the Ryzen chip. However, this is not to be with the MS-A1.
While it is still a great mini PC, it comes up short in several areas where the MS-01 shined, especially in the realm of networking. The Minisforum MS-A1 only has (2) 2.5Gbe ports and no 10Gbe ports. Also, the (2) 2.5Gbe ports it comes with are not Intel ports, but rather Realtek based.
Power consumption
The power consumption between the two units I think is similar, with the MS-01 capable of hitting higher values at full load.
MS-01:
- Full load – 120 watts
- With workloads idling – 40-45 watts
MS-A1:
- Full load – 110 watts
- Idle no workloads – 25 watts
Where the MS-01 shines
The MS-01 shines as the all out beast of a home lab machine that can run VMware, Proxmox, and really anything else you want to throw on top of it. It has all the features that I am personally looking for, especially on the networking side. For home lab and testing out various things, 10Gbe is definitely a requirement for me these days. It is just hard to go down to 1Gbe and even 2.5Gbe.
If you are wanting to test and run HCI solutions, 10Gbe is really a minimum these days and is what you need to have a performant environment.
The MS-01 delivers on the networking side and even has a PCI-e slot where you can even install 25Gbe cards and others. However, the cards that can be installed in the slot seem to be a bit limited.
If you want to run a home server and 10Gbe is important, the MS-01 superior to the MS-A1. The 10 gig networking will allow you to setup multiple MS-01 units in a cluster with HCI with the bandwidth you need.
Where the MS-A1 shines
The MS-A1 shines in AMD performance power. I think this box definitely wins from a CPU perspective. While I have had no performance issues with the Core i9-13900H processor, I definitely prefer the uniform cores of the AMD Ryzen 8700G processor.
The AMD Ryzen 8700G processor is also a whole year newer processor as it was released in the Q1 2024 compared to the i9-13900H that was released in Q1 2023. So it has advantages in overall performance and single thread performance.
Below are the numbers and comparison between the AMD Ryzen 7 8700G processor and the Intel Core i9-13900H.
Also, if external GPU support is important, the MS-A1 has an Oculink port that will allow you to connect up an external GPU. This may arguably be the better solution than the MS-01 with its PCI-e port since the PCI-e port doesn’t support all graphics cards due to their size and the PCI-e lanes and sharing may not be compatible with all types of cards.
Which is the best overall?
My pick between the Minisforum MS-A1 vs MS-01 is the MS-01. Overall, I think the MS-01 gives the better options for a home server that is especially going to be used for virtualization. With the much beefier networking with (2) 10 gig and (2) 2.5 gig ports, you will have tons of options for your workloads.
Also, the MS-01 gives you compatibility with both VMware ESXi and Proxmox with the Intel networking. The MS-A1 has the better processor and a little stronger storage support with 4 M.2 slots vs 3 M.2 slots in the MS-01. It also has an Oculink port. But, the MS-01 has the internal PCI-e slot that can be used for a wide variety of cards, including GPUs, networking, etc. There is the downside of the MS-01 though of fitting different types of cards in the small chassis and not all cards may be compatible with the MS-01.
However, even with the hybrid processor and older process with the Core i9-13900H, I think the overall possibilities of the MS-01 surpass what you can do with the MS-A1. Let me know in the comments your observations between the two units.
