MINISFORUM MS-02 Ultra

Published on March 28, 2026

The MINISFORUM MS-02 Ultra is a CES 2026 Innovation Award-winning mini workstation that blurs the line between compact PC and full-size desktop. Powered by Intel’s Arrow Lake-HX processors with up to 24 cores, this 4.8-liter chassis supports features that no mini PC has offered before: a PCIe 5.0 x16 slot for full-size low-profile GPUs, dual 25GbE SFP28 networking ports delivering 62.5 Gbps of total Ethernet bandwidth, and USB4 V2 ports running at 80 Gbps. Available in three processor tiers — the Core Ultra 9 285HX, Core Ultra 9 275HX, and Core Ultra 5 235HX — the MS-02 Ultra targets home lab enthusiasts, AI developers, and creative professionals who need workstation-class expandability without dedicating desk space to a tower. With support for up to 256GB of ECC DDR5 RAM and an internal 350W power supply, it represents the most ambitious mini PC that Minisforum has ever built.

Pros and Cons of the MINISFORUM MS-02 Ultra

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MINISFORUM MS-02 Ultra Comparison Chart

	MINISFORUM MS-02 Ultra	MINISFORUM MS-02 Ultra	MINISFORUM MS-02 Ultra	MINISFORUM MS-02 Ultra	MINISFORUM MS-02 Ultra	MINISFORUM MS-02 Ultra	MINISFORUM MS-02 Ultra
Price	List Price: $1,583.00 Amazon Prices: Loading prices...	List Price: $2,999.00 Amazon Prices: Check Price on Amazon	List Price: $1,159.00 Amazon Prices: Loading prices...	List Price: $1,239.00 Amazon Prices: Check Price on Amazon	List Price: $839.00 Amazon Prices: Check Price on Amazon	List Price: $1,023.00 Amazon Prices: Loading prices...	List Price: $599.00 Amazon Prices: Loading prices...
Version	32GB/1TB/Core Ultra 9 285HX	192GB/2TB/Core Ultra 9 285HX	Barebone/Core Ultra 9 285HX	32GB/1TB/Core Ultra 9 275HX	Barebone/Core Ultra 9 275HX	32GB/1TB/Core Ultra 5 235HX	Barebone/Core Ultra 5 235HX
Performance Rating	4.9	0.6	4.2	12.5	11.8	5.1	4.5
Operating System	Windows 11 Pro	Windows 11 Pro	No OS	Windows 11 Pro	No OS	Windows 11 Pro	No OS
Processor	Twenty-four-core 2.80 Ghz (max 5.50 Ghz) Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX	Twenty-four-core 2.80 Ghz (max 5.50 Ghz) Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX	Twenty-four-core 2.80 Ghz (max 5.50 Ghz) Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX	Twenty-four-core 2.70 Ghz (max 5.40 Ghz) Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX	Twenty-four-core 2.70 Ghz (max 5.40 Ghz) Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX	Fourteen-core 2.90 Ghz (max 5.10 Ghz) Intel Core Ultra 5 235HX	Fourteen-core 2.90 Ghz (max 5.10 Ghz) Intel Core Ultra 5 235HX
GPU	Integrated Intel Arc graphics	Integrated Intel Arc graphics	Integrated Intel Arc graphics	Integrated Intel Arc graphics	Integrated Intel Arc graphics	Integrated Intel Arc graphics	Integrated Intel Arc graphics
RAM	32 GB DDR5 SO-DIMM, 4-channel (ECC supported on 285HX)	192 GB DDR5 SO-DIMM, 4-channel (ECC supported on 285HX)	0 GB DDR5 SO-DIMM, 4-channel (ECC supported on 285HX)	32 GB DDR5 SO-DIMM, 4-channel (ECC supported on 285HX)	0 GB DDR5 SO-DIMM, 4-channel (ECC supported on 285HX)	32 GB DDR5 SO-DIMM, 4-channel (ECC supported on 285HX)	0 GB DDR5 SO-DIMM, 4-channel (ECC supported on 285HX)
Internal Storage	1 TB NVMe SSD	2 TB NVMe SSD	0 GB NVMe SSD	1 TB NVMe SSD	0 GB NVMe SSD	1 TB NVMe SSD	0 GB NVMe SSD
Dimensions width x length x thickness	8.72 x 8.86 x 3.82 inches (221.49 x 225.04 x 97.03 mm)	8.72 x 8.86 x 3.82 inches (221.49 x 225.04 x 97.03 mm)	8.72 x 8.86 x 3.82 inches (221.49 x 225.04 x 97.03 mm)	8.72 x 8.86 x 3.82 inches (221.49 x 225.04 x 97.03 mm)	8.72 x 8.86 x 3.82 inches (221.49 x 225.04 x 97.03 mm)	8.72 x 8.86 x 3.82 inches (221.49 x 225.04 x 97.03 mm)	8.72 x 8.86 x 3.82 inches (221.49 x 225.04 x 97.03 mm)
Weight	7.6 lbs (3.45 kg)	7.6 lbs (3.45 kg)	7.6 lbs (3.45 kg)	7.6 lbs (3.45 kg)	7.6 lbs (3.45 kg)	7.6 lbs (3.45 kg)	7.6 lbs (3.45 kg)
WiFi	Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be)	Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be)	Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be)	Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be)	Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be)	Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be)	Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be)
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 5.4	Bluetooth 5.4	Bluetooth 5.4	Bluetooth 5.4	Bluetooth 5.4	Bluetooth 5.4	Bluetooth 5.4
Ethernet	4 Ethernet ports at 25 Gbps	4 Ethernet ports at 25 Gbps	4 Ethernet ports at 25 Gbps	2 Ethernet ports at 10 Gbps	2 Ethernet ports at 10 Gbps	2 Ethernet ports at 10 Gbps	2 Ethernet ports at 10 Gbps
HDMI	1 Full-Size HDMI Port	1 Full-Size HDMI Port	1 Full-Size HDMI Port	1 Full-Size HDMI Port	1 Full-Size HDMI Port	1 Full-Size HDMI Port	1 Full-Size HDMI Port
DisplayPort	DP Alt Mode via 3 USB-C/USB4 ports (8K@60Hz)	DP Alt Mode via 3 USB-C/USB4 ports (8K@60Hz)	DP Alt Mode via 3 USB-C/USB4 ports (8K@60Hz)	DP Alt Mode via 3 USB-C/USB4 ports (8K@60Hz)	DP Alt Mode via 3 USB-C/USB4 ports (8K@60Hz)	DP Alt Mode via 3 USB-C/USB4 ports (8K@60Hz)	DP Alt Mode via 3 USB-C/USB4 ports (8K@60Hz)
VGA	No VGA Ports	No VGA Ports	No VGA Ports	No VGA Ports	No VGA Ports	No VGA Ports	No VGA Ports
USB Ports	4 USB 3, 3 USB 4, 3 USB-C 2x USB4 V2 (80Gbps), 1x USB4 (40Gbps), 4x USB-A 3.2 Gen 2	4 USB 3, 3 USB 4, 3 USB-C 2x USB4 V2 (80Gbps), 1x USB4 (40Gbps), 4x USB-A 3.2 Gen 2	4 USB 3, 3 USB 4, 3 USB-C 2x USB4 V2 (80Gbps), 1x USB4 (40Gbps), 4x USB-A 3.2 Gen 2	4 USB 3, 3 USB 4, 3 USB-C 2x USB4 V2 (80Gbps), 1x USB4 (40Gbps), 4x USB-A 3.2 Gen 2	4 USB 3, 3 USB 4, 3 USB-C 2x USB4 V2 (80Gbps), 1x USB4 (40Gbps), 4x USB-A 3.2 Gen 2	4 USB 3, 3 USB 4, 3 USB-C 2x USB4 V2 (80Gbps), 1x USB4 (40Gbps), 4x USB-A 3.2 Gen 2	4 USB 3, 3 USB 4, 3 USB-C 2x USB4 V2 (80Gbps), 1x USB4 (40Gbps), 4x USB-A 3.2 Gen 2
Thunderbolt Ports	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
Internal SATA Ports	No SATA ports	No SATA ports	No SATA ports	No SATA ports	No SATA ports	No SATA ports	No SATA ports
Card Reader	No Card Reader	No Card Reader	No Card Reader	No Card Reader	No Card Reader	No Card Reader	No Card Reader
Headphone Jack	combo	combo	combo	combo	combo	combo	combo
Fanless	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
VESA Mount	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
In the Box	Main unit, HDMI cable, C13 power cable, M.2 heatsinks, screws, manual. 25GbE NIC riser pre-installed (285HX).	Main unit, HDMI cable, C13 power cable, M.2 heatsinks, screws, manual. 25GbE NIC riser pre-installed (285HX).	Main unit, HDMI cable, C13 power cable, M.2 heatsinks, screws, manual. 25GbE NIC riser pre-installed (285HX).	Main unit, HDMI cable, C13 power cable, M.2 heatsinks, screws, manual. 25GbE NIC riser pre-installed (285HX).	Main unit, HDMI cable, C13 power cable, M.2 heatsinks, screws, manual. 25GbE NIC riser pre-installed (285HX).	Main unit, HDMI cable, C13 power cable, M.2 heatsinks, screws, manual. 25GbE NIC riser pre-installed (285HX).	Main unit, HDMI cable, C13 power cable, M.2 heatsinks, screws, manual. 25GbE NIC riser pre-installed (285HX).
Expandability	Up to 256GB DDR5 (4x SODIMM, ECC on 285HX). PCIe 5.0 x16 for low-profile GPUs, PCIe 4.0 x16 riser, PCIe 4.0 x4. 350W internal PSU with 8-pin GPU power.	Up to 256GB DDR5 (4x SODIMM, ECC on 285HX). PCIe 5.0 x16 for low-profile GPUs, PCIe 4.0 x16 riser, PCIe 4.0 x4. 350W internal PSU with 8-pin GPU power.	Up to 256GB DDR5 (4x SODIMM, ECC on 285HX). PCIe 5.0 x16 for low-profile GPUs, PCIe 4.0 x16 riser, PCIe 4.0 x4. 350W internal PSU with 8-pin GPU power.	Up to 256GB DDR5 (4x SODIMM, ECC on 285HX). PCIe 5.0 x16 for low-profile GPUs, PCIe 4.0 x16 riser, PCIe 4.0 x4. 350W internal PSU with 8-pin GPU power.	Up to 256GB DDR5 (4x SODIMM, ECC on 285HX). PCIe 5.0 x16 for low-profile GPUs, PCIe 4.0 x16 riser, PCIe 4.0 x4. 350W internal PSU with 8-pin GPU power.	Up to 256GB DDR5 (4x SODIMM, ECC on 285HX). PCIe 5.0 x16 for low-profile GPUs, PCIe 4.0 x16 riser, PCIe 4.0 x4. 350W internal PSU with 8-pin GPU power.	Up to 256GB DDR5 (4x SODIMM, ECC on 285HX). PCIe 5.0 x16 for low-profile GPUs, PCIe 4.0 x16 riser, PCIe 4.0 x4. 350W internal PSU with 8-pin GPU power.

Detailed Insights into the MINISFORUM MS-02 Ultra

The MS-02 Ultra measures 8.72 x 8.86 x 3.82 inches, making it nearly three times the volume of its predecessor, the MS-01. TechRadar’s Alastair Jennings noted that lifting it from the box immediately communicates its seriousness — at 3.45 kilograms (7.6 lbs), this is a dense piece of industrial-grade aluminum and steel. The front panel houses two USB4 V2 Type-C ports, one USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 port, and a combo audio jack, while the rear provides three USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 ports, one USB4 Type-C port, a full-size HDMI output, and four Ethernet ports. A C13 power inlet with a toggle switch feeds the internal 350W SFX power supply, which means there is no external power brick to clutter your desk. The tool-less design allows access to the internals through thumb screws, and the chassis supports both horizontal and vertical orientations.

At the heart of the top configuration lies the Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX with 24 cores (8 Performance-cores and 16 Efficient-cores) and 24 threads, running at a base clock of 2.8 GHz with boost speeds up to 5.5 GHz. Jakkuh’s review demonstrated that this processor actually outperforms the desktop Intel Core i9-14900KS in both single-threaded and multi-threaded PassMark benchmarks, which is remarkable for a mobile-derived chip. However, the thermal design does have limits — pushing the power limit to 160W caused noticeable throttling in sustained workloads, with jakkuh measuring approximately 50dB of fan noise under heavy load. The 275HX and 235HX variants offer more modest configurations at 24 and 14 cores respectively, while the efficiency-focused Arrow Lake architecture means there is no hyperthreading on any model.

Connectivity is where the MS-02 Ultra truly excels beyond any other mini PC on the market. The flagship 285HX model includes a pre-installed 25GbE NIC riser card with dual Intel E810 SFP28 ports, joined by a 10GbE Realtek RJ45 and a 2.5GbE Intel I226-LM RJ45 with vPro support. For storage, the 285HX gets four M.2 2280 NVMe slots (two on the motherboard, two on the NIC riser card), while the 275HX and 235HX models have two M.2 slots. All three USB-C ports support DisplayPort Alt Mode for up to 8K@60Hz output, and the quad DDR5 SODIMM slots accept up to 256GB of RAM with ECC support on the Core Ultra 9 285HX.

Reviewer Insights on the MINISFORUM MS-02 Ultra

ETA PRIME’s Perspective

ETA PRIME called the MS-02 Ultra “Minis Forum’s most versatile mini PC” and focused extensively on its expansion capabilities and gaming performance with an installed low-profile GPU. He was impressed by the triple PCIe slot configuration, which includes a PCIe 5.0 x16, a PCIe 4.0 x16, and a PCIe 4.0 x4, noting that the system could be configured as an AI workstation with dedicated accelerator cards. The thermal performance exceeded his expectations, with triple internal fans keeping temperatures manageable even under gaming loads: “CPU and GPU temps are looking better than I thought… this little thing is drawing quite a lot of power, but since we’ve got that ventilation up top with those triple fans, it seems to keep itself nice and cool.”

However, ETA PRIME noted that installing a discrete GPU causes the BIOS to reduce CPU power levels to stay within the 350W power supply budget. He tested gaming with a low-profile GPU and found that the 8GB VRAM limitation restricted 4K performance in modern titles, though 1080p and 1440p gaming were perfectly playable.

ServeTheHome’s Deep Dive

ServeTheHome provided the most technically detailed assessment, describing the MS-02 Ultra as “really built for expandability and customization to a degree that we really have never seen in the mini PC space.” Their review highlighted the unique PCIe lane routing, revealing that the physical x16 slot is actually bifurcated through a complex routing arrangement. They were particularly enthusiastic about the networking capabilities: “We have two 25 GB Ethernet ports, a 10 GB, and a 2 and 1/2 GB Ethernet port, giving us 62 1/2 GBs total of Ethernet performance. I mean, it’s crazy.”

ServeTheHome also identified the USB4 V2 front ports as being driven by Intel’s JHL9580 Barlow Ridge Thunderbolt 5 controller, though the system lacks official Thunderbolt 5 certification. They praised the internal power supply design for eliminating bulky external bricks and noted the ECC memory support as a meaningful feature for home lab and professional users. “Having two extra slots where you can go and customize this, it just gives you so much flexibility that to me that’s like a total game changer in a mini PC.”

TechRadar

According to TechRadar, the MS-02 Ultra represents “the link between the Mini PC and the Desktop.” Their review praised the exceptional performance for its size and the unique feature set of the 285HX processor, while noting that reaching the system’s full potential requires significant additional investment in components like a discrete GPU and high-speed networking infrastructure. The slide-out internal chassis design earned particular praise for making component installation and upgrades straightforward.

ServeTheHome Written Review

ServeTheHome’s written review designated the MS-02 Ultra as “Intel’s new home lab king,” emphasizing its modular design that allows for significant customization. They highlighted the support for three vertical half-height PCIe expansion cards and the dual 25GbE SFP28 ports powered by Intel E810 controllers. The review noted that while the system is significantly larger than its predecessor at nearly three times the volume of the MS-01, the additional space is well utilized for features that no other mini PC offers.

Across all reviews, the consensus points to the MS-02 Ultra’s networking and expandability as its standout strengths. Every reviewer highlighted the dual 25GbE ports and PCIe expansion as game-changing for the mini PC category. The common criticism centers on the thermal constraints when pairing a high-power CPU with a discrete GPU, and the fact that the most desirable features like 25GbE and the extra M.2 slots are exclusive to the top-tier 285HX model.

Customer Reviews of the MINISFORUM MS-02 Ultra

Amazon customer reviews for the MS-02 Ultra are still limited given the product’s recent launch, but early adopters have praised the build quality and networking capabilities. Buyers in the home lab community have been particularly enthusiastic about having dual 25GbE ports in such a compact form factor, noting that this eliminates the need for a separate network switch for high-speed storage connections. The solid aluminum and steel construction has also drawn positive comments, with users noting that the device feels premium and well-engineered.

Some early customers have expressed concerns about the complexity of the PCIe slot configuration and the fact that the lower-tier 275HX and 235HX models lack the 25GbE NIC riser card. A few users have also mentioned that the fan noise under sustained loads is more noticeable than expected for a mini PC, though most acknowledge that the thermal demands of a 24-core processor in a 4.8-liter chassis make some fan noise inevitable.

Overall, the early customer sentiment is strongly positive among the target audience of home lab enthusiasts and professionals, with most buyers finding the MS-02 Ultra delivers on its promise of workstation-class features in a compact package.

Conclusion

The MINISFORUM MS-02 Ultra stands out as the most feature-rich mini workstation available in 2026, targeting power users who need enterprise-grade networking, GPU expansion, and massive RAM capacity without the footprint of a tower desktop. Its combination of dual 25GbE SFP28 ports, PCIe 5.0 x16 GPU support, and 256GB ECC DDR5 RAM makes it uniquely positioned for home lab deployments, AI development, and professional creative workflows. For users who can take advantage of these capabilities, the MS-02 Ultra is simply unmatched in the mini PC space.

That said, casual users and those with more modest networking needs should consider alternatives. The 25GbE ports are exclusive to the 285HX model, the system is heavier and larger than typical mini PCs, and reaching its full potential requires additional investment in GPUs, NVMe drives, and high-speed networking infrastructure. Users who prioritize compact size and simplicity over expandability might find the predecessor MS-01 or AMD-based alternatives better suited to their needs.

For those comparing options, see our Mini PC Comparison Chart to find the best match for your needs.

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