Latest news with #AtomManG7Ti
Tom's Guide
26-05-2025
- Tom's Guide
I didn't expect this mini PC that looks like a PS5 to be this powerful or customizable — and now I can't wait to try it out
It's not every day that a new mini PC comes along that wasn't even on my radar. However, that's exactly what happened with the upcoming Minisforum G1 / G1 Pro, which, with its white and black design and vertical orientation, sure looks a lot like a PS5 at first glance. After being spotted at the Japan IT Week Spring event in April, I finally got a chance to see it for myself in person at Computex 2025. In fact, it was sitting right next to the AtomMan G7 Ti I reviewed last year. Like the G7 Ti, the G1 Pro is also meant to be used in a vertical orientation and is designed for playing the best PC games. However, while the G7 Ti is incredibly thin and almost looks like one of the best gaming laptops without a screen or keyboard, the G1 Pro is a bit thicker with a more console-like appearance. Minisforum is putting that extra space to good use, though, and this mini PC has a trick up its sleeve I haven't seen anywhere else yet. While I'll definitely need to get a G1 Pro in for testing to see if it really is one of the best mini PCs when it comes out this summer, I already have high hopes for this one. That's because along with its sleek, eye–catching design, Minisforum has deviated from its usual formula by making this mini PC surprisingly upgradeable. At 12.4 x 8.5 x 2.3 inches, the Minisforum G1 Pro isn't nearly as tall or as thin as the AtomMan G7 Ti, and you'll definitely have an easier time fitting this in an entertainment center. Since it's designed with 1440p gaming in mind, it's more likely that you'll have it on your desk instead. However, with DLSS 4 enabled, you should be able to play games in 4K with some upscaling and frame generation on your TV. To make its white side panels stand out, Minisforum has added some grooves to both the one on the right and left sides of the G1 Pro. The latter also has ventilation holes cut out in the shape of a triangle, and there's one at the bottom and top of this side panel. While the G1 Pro comes with a plastic vertical stand included, since there are no cutouts for ventilation on the one side, you'll likely be able to use this mini PC vertically or horizontally, which you couldn't do with the G7 Ti. On the front of the G1 Pro, there's a USB-A port, a USB-C port, a headphone/microphone combo jack and the power button. All of these front ports are located in the middle of the device and there are RGB strips above and below them with a small Minisforum logo at the base of this mini PC. While I wish there was an SD card reader like on the G7 Ti, it makes sense that Minisforum omitted one as this is a mini PC designed for gaming after all. I do like how the RGB lighting is a bit more minimalistic this time around compared to the strip of downward-facing arrows on the G7 Ti. On the back of the G1 Pro, there's a single USB-C port, two USB-A ports, an HDMI 2.1 port and a 5 gigabit Ethernet port. It's worth noting that both the front and back USB-C ports are capable of outputting video as well as data, so you don't just have to rely on that HDMI 2.1 port. Compared to the G7 Ti, you're getting an extra USB-C port on the front, an extra USB-A port on the back and, most importantly, you won't need to lug around a bulky power brick to lug around since the G1 Pro has an internal 350W power supply instead. This way, you can use a Universal Power Cord like the ones found on other desktop computers and the best gaming PCs. The G1 Pro has another upgrade that I haven't seen on a mini PC since I reviewed the AtomMan G7 PT. This time around, though, it's even better. Minisforum G1 / G1 Pro Specs CPU AMD Ryzen 9 8945X GPU Nvidia RTX 5060 8GB GDDR7 (G1 Pro), Nvidia RTX 4060 8GB GDDR6 (G1) RAM Up to 96GB DDR5 Storage 2 x M.2 2280 PCIe 4.0 x4 Ports 1 x USB-A, 1 x USB-C, 1 x 3.5mm combo jack (front), 2 x USB-A, 1 x USB-C, 3 x HDMI 2.1, 2 x DisplayPort 1.4, 1 x 5 Gbps Ethernet, 1 x DC power port Connectivity Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3 Power 350W (internal) Dimensions 350W (internal) Operating system Windows 11 If you look at the G1 Pro from above, you notice that there are additional vents on the top. Instead of cooling the PC itself, these are actually for its discrete graphics card. That's right, the G1 Pro comes with an Nvidia RTX 5060 GPU while the G1 comes with a slightly less powerful though cheaper RTX 4060 GPU. Normally, on mini PCs, you're working with a laptop version of a particular graphics card. However, that isn't the case here. Instead, you're getting a full desktop graphics card in a very compact package. With either an RTX 4060 or RTX 5060, you get two HDMI 2.1 ports and two DisplayPort 1.4 ports. This allows you to power four displays with either graphics card. When combined with the ports on the G1 Pro's motherboard, you could technically power six displays from this mini PC. However, this will depend on how Minisforum has configured the system's BIOS and motherboard. Even then, though, powering four displays from the G1 Pro is still impressive. What makes the G1 Pro even better is the fact that its graphics card is upgradeable. Not only does this give you an upgrade path down the line, it also means that you could go with the cheaper G1 to save money in the short term and then upgrade its graphics card from an RTX 4060 to an RTX 5060 when you've saved up enough money. Even though they're much smaller than your standard desktop, most mini PCs provide you with some upgradeability. Usually, this includes the option to add a second M.2 SSD or even a 2.5-inch SSD or HDD along with being able to add more memory. With the G1 and G1 Pro, Minisforum is doing things a bit differently by also giving you the option to upgrade its graphics card. At Computex 2025, Minisforum told me that the G1 Pro should be ready to ship this summer. However, pricing for both the G1 and G1 Pro hasn't been revealed yet. Given that the AtomMan G7 Ti had a list price of $1,600, I'd expect this new mini PC to go for slightly more. Still though, the G1 Pro will likely be cheaper than the more powerful version of the Asus ROG NUC 970 I reviewed last year or the new ROG NUC (2025). I absolutely plan on getting a G1 Pro in for review, so stay tuned. With its white and black design, it could be the perfect mini PC for the same colored desk setup I'm currently putting together for another review. The Minisforum G1 / G1 Pro shows that just because a mini PC is small, that doesn't mean it can't be mighty too and I'm really excited to test one out for myself.
Yahoo
09-02-2025
- Yahoo
Minisforum AtomMan G7 Ti Desktop Review: One Hell of a Laptop in Disguise
If you're looking for a powerful gaming system that takes up almost no space, the Minisforum AtomMan G7 Ti might just be it. This system packs powerful gaming laptop internals into an ultraslim tower PC form. Between its Intel HX-Series processor -- a desktop-class chip -- and its Nvidia RTX 4070 mobile GPU, it can keep up with office workloads and high frame-rate gaming. The CPU is properly fast, and the GPU does a decent job, though it lags behind desktop RTX 4070 GPUs by a bit. Its clever, compact cooling system effectively keeps thermals in check. The Minisforum AtomMan G7 Ti has a lot going for it, but its price is a bit of a sticking point. As tested, it retails for $1,799. On one hand, it's quite a bit cheaper than some gaming laptops it runs circles around, like the Alienware X16 R2, Razer Blade 14 (early 2024) and Acer Predator Helios Neo 14. On the other hand, it's much more expensive than Apple's new M4 Mac Mini, which is a performance powerhouse in its own right and a compact king. It's also more expensive than Lenovo's Legion Tower 5i Gen 8 with a desktop RTX 4070, though in fairness that PC is not nearly as slim as the AtomMan G7. Its Legion 7i Gen 9 laptop, complete with a screen, battery and keyboard, can alternately be had for $1,719 with the same CPU and GPU pairing as the AtomMan G7 Ti. So while it's a little on the expensive side, the form and performance of the AtomMan G7 Ti is an interesting proposition. If you can find it below that full retail price, even more so. The Minisforum AtomMan G7 Ti doesn't come with many configuration options. You'll be choosing between a build with a 24-core Intel Core i9-14900HX, as reviewed here, or one with an Intel Core i7-14650HX. The Core i9 configuration starts at $1,599 as a bare-bones kit that doesn't include memory or storage (and therefore also lacks an operating system). For $1,799, you can get it with 32GB of DDR5 and a 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD pre-installed. The Core i7 version gets a slight name change, "G7 Ti SE," and costs $1,449 for a bare-bones configuration or $1,659 for the same 32GB of memory and 1TB of storage. All configurations get the same RTX 4070 mobile graphics processor. If the CPU specifications hadn't already signaled it, the AtomMan G7 Ti is essentially a beefy gaming laptop stripped of its keyboard and display to serve as an ultra-thin desktop. To its credit, the HX-series processors are repurposed desktop CPUs, but the mobile variant of Nvidia's graphics processor means a lower tier of performance than the actual desktop versions. At the time of testing, all configurations had discounts between $290 and $360, which seemed sticky, bringing our test configuration down to $1,439. The Minisforum AtomMan G7 Ti is a powerful machine, all things considered. Its thinness doesn't really hold it back. The Intel Core i9-14900HX remains a proper beast, and gets largely unleashed in this form factor. It may not live up to the performance of a highly cooled, desktop Core i9-14900K, but it's also not terribly far off the mark. When it comes to CPU performance, it's just about second to none in the mobile space, ripping right past chips like the Intel Core Ultra 9 185H and AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS in gaming laptops in both single- and multi-core benchmarks. It even manages to top Apple's newly released M4 in multicore benchmarks, though the single-core performance of that new chip is hard to beat. That CPU performance helps the overall speed, but sadly the RTX 4070 is a mobile variant of the GPU and as such falls well shy of the performance of its desktop counterpart. The system can readily punch out high frame rates at 1080p, but this performance only narrowly led the desktop RTX 4060 found in the Lenovo Legion Tower 5i Gen 8. A desktop that, it's worth noting, is $400-$700 cheaper though roughly nine times larger. Thankfully, the performance headroom of the AtomMan G7 Ti is enough that you could jump up to 1440p if you wanted and still enjoy smooth frame rates. Plus, given that it's an RTX 40-series GPU, you have access to powerful DLSS enhancements to boost performance with just a minor hit to visual fidelity. Compact form factors can come with cooling concerns. Thankfully, the AtomMan G7 Ti doesn't appear to struggle terribly to keep its cool while operating at a high level. The air pulled into the system goes through two laptop-style fans and blows out across four small radiator stacks, one at the top of the system, two in the back and one at the bottom. With 3DMark's Steel Nomad stress test, which runs the benchmark 20 times in a row, the AtomMan G7 Ti offered consistent performance with scores ranging from 2,847 to 2,879 points. Systems that struggle with heat will see more of a decline in performance as the CPU and/or GPU thermal throttle. Even with the fans running at max speed, they're not overly loud or obnoxiously pitched. While the AtomMan G7 Ti's graphics performance is decent, it comes up lacking in regards to storage speeds. It performed considerably worse than many other drives in our benchmarks. To be clear, it is hitting PCIe 4.0 x4 SSD speeds (4,805 MB/s sequential reads and 3,919 MB/s writes), but it's not pushing the limits of the interface by any means. Fortunately, if this aspect becomes a bottleneck for you, you can upgrade with a second drive. Aesthetically, the AtomMan G7 Ti gives the PS5 Slim a run for its money. It's roughly as tall and deep as that console but is even thinner. It takes up just 2.88 liters of space and weighs only 5.67 pounds. However, some of the size is offloaded since the dainty build and high-power components require an external 280-watt power brick. The one Minisforum includes is over 1.6 pounds. The design of the AtomMan G7 Ti also means it has more in common with a laptop than a true desktop, especially when it comes to ports. You'll find a pair of USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports on the front of the system along with a full-size SD card reader and a 3.5mm audio jack. The rear adds one USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A port and a USB 4 Type-C port, which doubles as DisplayPort. It should also make for a good high-bandwidth connection if you need to add a USB hub. The rear also includes a Gigabit Ethernet port, HDMI 2.1 and the power input. You can probably get by without using Ethernet though, as the system supports Wi-Fi 7 with an Intel network adapter. It proved speedy enough in my testing. If you want to make upgrades to memory or storage, you can access the system's interior by removing three screws on the bottom of the case and prying the vented side panel off (a task more difficult than it should be). Inside, the SO-DIMM memory modules are covered by a metallic insulator. The SSD is covered, too. A second M.2 SSD slot is right on top of the installed SSD, so you can upgrade the storage without having to sacrifice the included drive. In all, the AtomMan G7 Ti generally has the performance to back up its stylish looks, though it is expensive for the performance you get. The review process for laptops, desktops, tablets and other computerlike devices consists of two parts: performance testing under controlled conditions in the CNET Labs and extensive hands-on use by our expert reviewers. This includes evaluating a device's aesthetics, ergonomics and features. A final review verdict is a combination of both objective and subjective judgments. The list of benchmarking software we use changes over time as the devices we test evolve. The most important core tests we're currently running on every compatible computer include Primate Labs Geekbench 6, Cinebench R23, PCMark 10 and 3DMark Fire Strike Ultra. A more detailed description of each benchmark and how we use it can be found on our How We Test Computers page.
