Minisforum UM760 Slim Unboxing & Test: The Best Budget Ryzen Mini PC?

The new UM760 Slim Mini PC from Minisforum looks to be a sleeper hit for anyone looking for a capable yet reasonably priced mini PC. It was just released. The performance of this device astonished me, especially considering its small and cost. The Minisforum UM760 Slim is a great deal if you’re into gaming, emulation, or just need a powerful computer for work or play.

First Impressions: Unboxing and Design

The Minisforum UM760 Slim is a simple, elegant gadget right out of the box. It is designed to be without the integrated features like a screen or Oculink that you may find on higher-end devices, as well as the luxury metal chassis. Minisforum has managed to keep the pricing low while maintaining a powerful package by removing these extras.

The UM760 Slim Mini PC, an HDMI cable, a mounting device (perfect for placing it beneath a desk or behind a display), and a tiny 120W power supply are all included in the box. One drawback is that the device requires power to operate; despite my initial attempts, it is not capable of being powered via USB 4. 

The external style is really understated. Despite being constructed of plastic, it doesn’t feel fragile. Although some people might prefer a more striking design, I think the subtle appearance makes it fit in well with any office.

Ports and Connectivity

The majority of the fundamentals of I/O are covered by the UM760 Slim. There are two USB 3.2 connections and a 3.5mm audio connector up front. Some people may find it disappointing because there isn’t an SD card reader, particularly artists who require instant access to media files.

A 2.5GB Ethernet connector, full-size HDMI, DisplayPort, USB 4, and two USB 2.0 connections are located on the back, along with the power input. Up to three screens can be connected, making it flexible for multitasking configurations. But if you ever needed additional graphics capability, you could connect an eGPU to the USB 4 connector.

Internal Hardware: What Makes It Tick

The UM760 Slim opens up easily. The internals, which are made to be easily upgraded, are accessible with just four screws. There are two M.2 slots that can accommodate dual-channel DDR5 RAM that can be expanded to an incredible 96GB, and PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSDs.

The AMD Ryzen 5 7640HS APU, a 6-core, 12-thread CPU with a base frequency of 4.3GHz and a boost clock of up to 5GHz, is the central component of the system. This is paired with the Radeon 760M GPU, which has eight compute units (CUs) with a maximum clock speed of 2600MHz and is built on the RDNA 3 architecture. Although not as potent as the Radeon 780M available in more expensive versions, this is still a respectable GPU, and the performance difference isn’t as great as you might imagine.

Performance: Gaming, Emulation, and Everyday Use

I was quite pleased with the UM760 Slim’s performance for gaming and emulation when I first started testing it. Even while the Radeon 760M lacks the 12 CUs of its larger sibling, the 780M, it can still run a large number of games at reasonable settings.

This Mini PC is excellent for routine chores like office work, web browsing, and playing videos. I tested YouTube’s 4K 60 frames per second video playback, and it worked perfectly. Because of this, the UM760 Slim is a good option for people looking to utilize it as a media server at home, even though it might have trouble managing several 4K streams at once.

The Geekbench 6 multi-core score was 10,689, and the single-core score was 2517 in synthetic benchmarks. Due to the fewer cores (6 vs. 8) the multi-core performance is noticeably lower than that of a processor like the Ryzen 7840U, but the single-core performance is competitive. The 3DMark Night Raid GPU benchmark score of 26,310 is slightly below the 28,000 threshold reached by PCs equipped with the 780M.

BIOS Features

In relation to the BIOS, Minisforum has incorporated a visual BIOS with a respectable number of customization choices. Although some sections are locked down by default, advanced users will value being able to adjust the TDP and VRAM settings.

Real-World Performance: Gaming and Productivity

When it comes to practical application, the UM760 Slim performs admirably on a range of jobs. It did a great job throughout testing when it came to standard desktop functions like email, web browsing, and even photo editing. It’s evident that the majority of productivity programs may be adequately handled by the Ryzen 7640HS and Radeon 760M combination.

Gaming Tests:

When it comes to gaming, an area where low-cost mini PCs sometimes fall short, the UM760 Slim excels even more. Here’s a brief summary of how it performed with a few well-known titles:

• Fallout 4: The system averaged about 72 frames per second at 1080p on medium settings, demonstrating that even older games can run smoothly.
• Hogwarts Legacy: The system achieved about 78 frames per second, despite the fact that the settings had to be reduced to 900p with FSR (set to Performance). The game is playable at 1080p, however the average frame rate drops to 58.
• Forza Horizon 5: The system achieved a consistent 80 frames per second at 1080p on medium settings. Even though the systems with the 780M can push closer to 98 FPS, this is still a fantastic performance for the 760M.
• Horizon Forbidden West: One of the trickier games to run, this one has to be lowered to 900p with frame generation turned on and FSR set to Performance. The game was nevertheless playable despite the sporadic drops, with an average frame rate of 64 frames per second.
• Cyberpunk 2077: The system achieved an amazing 65 frames per second even at 900p low with FSR set to Auto, demonstrating that even demanding games can run smoothly with the correct settings.

Thermals, Power, and Noise

Thermal control was maintained during testing. When gaming, the system used a maximum of 73 watts, while idle power was 12 watts. The maximum CPU temperature hit of 88°C prevented the system from throttling even with prolonged use. It is also quiet even while under load because to its excellent noise levels, which hover around 35 dB in performance mode.

Benchmarks: Synthetic Performance

Regarding artificial benchmarks, the UM760 Slim remains competitive:

• Geekbench 6: 2,517 points for a single core and 10,689 points on a multicore.
• 3DMark Night Raid: 26,310, barely trailing the around 28,000-scoring 780M.
• 3DMark Time Spy: 2,810, around 3,200 for the 780M. With less processing units in the 760M GPU, these are excellent results. 

Verdict: A Great Budget Mini PC

For the price it costs, the Minisforum UM760 Slim turns out to be an excellent deal. In example, when comparing performance to Intel’s lower-tier options like the N100, it delivers far more than similarly priced competitors for just $349 with 16GB of RAM and a 1TB M.2 SSD. This Mini PC is a fantastic compromise between price and performance for individuals who enjoy gaming, emulation, or everyday use.

The UM760 Slim is among the best low-cost Ryzen mini PCs available right now, even if it lacks some of the more high-end capabilities of Minisforum’s more expensive versions. Instead, it excels in the areas that really matter.

Video review of Minisforum UM760 Slim Review – Gaming, Emulation & More!