If you’ve been shopping for a Ryzen-powered mini PC, you’ve probably landed on two nearly identical-looking boxes from Minisforum: the UM790 Pro and the newer UM890 Pro. They share the same tiny footprint, the same port layout at a glance, and similar prices, which makes it genuinely hard to tell whether the 890 is a meaningful upgrade or just a marketing refresh. You don’t want to overpay for a sticker change, but you also don’t want to save $50 and miss out on a feature you’ll wish you had in two years. This guide settles that question with the published spec sheet for both machines, not guesswork.
The short version: the Minisforum UM890 Pro swaps the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS for the newer Ryzen 9 8945HS, adds a dedicated neural processing unit rated at up to 16 TOPS, and raises the maximum RAM ceiling from 64GB to 96GB, while keeping a similar compact chassis (though the UM890 Pro’s chassis is taller), the same Radeon 780M graphics, and the same 120W power adapter. Everything else carries over largely unchanged. Below is the full spec sheet for both machines side by side, followed by a plain-English breakdown of what each change actually means for real-world use.
Quick Facts
| Spec | UM790 Pro | UM890 Pro |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS (Zen 4, Phoenix) | AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS (Zen 4, Hawk Point) |
| Cores / Threads | 8 / 16 | 8 / 16 |
| Boost Clock | Up to 5.2GHz | Up to 5.2GHz |
| NPU | Not present | Up to 16 TOPS (manufacturer spec) |
| iGPU | Radeon 780M, 12 CU RDNA3 | Radeon 780M, 12 CU RDNA3 |
| Max RAM | 64GB DDR5-5600 | 96GB DDR5-5600 |
| Power Adapter | 120W GaN | 120W GaN |
| Chassis Size | Compact chassis (check manufacturer spec for exact dimensions) | Taller chassis than the UM790 Pro (check manufacturer spec for exact dimensions) |
Source note: specs above are compiled from Minisforum’s official product pages for the UM790 Pro and UM890 Pro (checked August 2025). Manufacturers revise spec sheets over time, so cross-check the current listing before buying if a specific figure is central to your decision.
What Actually Changed Generation-to-Generation
Strip away the marketing and the UM890 Pro is best understood as a mid-cycle refresh, not a redesign. Minisforum kept a similar enclosure (the UM890 Pro’s chassis is taller than the UM790 Pro’s), the same cooling design, and the same port arrangement, and put the upgrade budget into three things: the CPU silicon, the addition of an NPU, and a higher memory ceiling. Here’s the change list in plain terms:
- CPU model changes from Ryzen 9 7940HS to Ryzen 9 8945HS — same core count and clock speeds, but a newer AMD chip generation (Hawk Point instead of Phoenix)
- A dedicated NPU (AI accelerator) is added, rated at up to 16 TOPS per Minisforum’s spec sheet
- Maximum supported RAM rises from 64GB to 96GB, using 2x48GB SO-DIMMs instead of 2x32GB
- Graphics, storage slots, wireless chipset, and power adapter wattage carry over largely unchanged — but the UM890 Pro adds an OCuLink port for external GPUs and uses a taller chassis than the UM790 Pro, so check each model’s own dimension and I/O listing
Full Specs Comparison Table
Below is the complete published spec sheet for both machines. Every figure comes from Minisforum’s own listings; nothing here is estimated.
| Spec | UM790 Pro | UM890 Pro |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS | AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS |
| Architecture | Zen 4 (Phoenix) | Zen 4 (Hawk Point refresh) |
| Cores / Threads | 8 / 16 | 8 / 16 |
| Base / Boost Clock | 4.0GHz / up to 5.2GHz | 4.0GHz / up to 5.2GHz |
| Cache (L2 + L3) | 8MB + 16MB (24MB total) | 8MB + 16MB (24MB total) |
| Configurable TDP | 35W-54W (AMD cTDP range) | 35W-54W AMD cTDP range; Minisforum advertises up to 70W in its performance power mode |
| NPU | Not present | Up to 16 TOPS (manufacturer spec) |
| Integrated GPU | Radeon 780M, 12 CU, RDNA3, up to 2.8GHz | Radeon 780M, 12 CU, RDNA3, up to 2.8GHz |
| RAM Type | DDR5-5600, dual-channel, 2x SO-DIMM slots | DDR5-5600, dual-channel, 2x SO-DIMM slots |
| Max RAM | 64GB (2x32GB) | 96GB (2x48GB) |
| Storage Slots | 2x M.2 2280 PCIe 4.0 x4 (SSD) + dedicated Wi-Fi card slot | 2x M.2 2280 PCIe 4.0 x4 (SSD) + 1x M.2 2230 (Wi-Fi, pre-installed) |
| USB4 Ports | 2x USB4 (40Gbps, DisplayPort Alt Mode) | 2x USB4 (40Gbps, DisplayPort Alt Mode) |
| USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 | 4x (10Gbps) | 4x (10Gbps) |
| Video Outputs | 2x HDMI 2.1 (up to 4K/144Hz) — no DisplayPort | 1x HDMI (up to 8K/60Hz), 1x DisplayPort 1.4 (up to 4K/240Hz) |
| LAN | 1x 2.5GbE RJ45 | 2x 2.5GbE RJ45 |
| Wireless | Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2 | Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3 |
| Audio | 1x 3.5mm combo jack | 1x 3.5mm combo jack |
| Power Adapter | 120W GaN (19V/6.32A) | 120W GaN (19V/6.32A) |
| Dimensions | Check Minisforum’s official spec sheet for exact dimensions | Taller chassis than the UM790 Pro — check Minisforum’s official spec sheet for exact dimensions |
| Weight (barebone) | See manufacturer spec for current weight | See manufacturer spec for current weight |
| OS Options | Barebone, or Windows 11 Pro preinstalled | Barebone, or Windows 11 Pro preinstalled |
| Security | Kensington lock slot | Kensington lock slot |
CPU: Ryzen 9 8945HS vs Ryzen 9 7940HS
On paper, the headline numbers look identical: 8 cores, 16 threads, a 4.0GHz base clock, and a 5.2GHz boost ceiling on both chips. That’s because the 8945HS belongs to AMD’s Hawk Point refresh, which reuses the same Zen 4 core design and the same 4nm process as the 7940HS’s Phoenix silicon. The main engineering change between the two families is a stronger NPU block — the CPU cores themselves weren’t meaningfully redesigned.
Practically, don’t expect a jump in raw CPU benchmark scores between the two mini PCs. Multi-threaded workloads like video encoding, code compiling, or running several virtual machines should land in a similar range on both machines, since clock speeds, core count, and cache sizes match. If your buying decision hinges purely on CPU horsepower, the generation label doesn’t tell the whole story — check independent benchmark databases for the 7940HS and 8945HS for measured numbers, since neither spec sheet publishes internal benchmark results.
The New NPU: What 16 TOPS Actually Means
The most substantive architectural change is the NPU that Minisforum lists as new on the UM890 Pro, rated at up to 16 TOPS (trillions of operations per second) — a figure Minisforum quotes directly from AMD, not an independently benchmarked number. The UM790 Pro’s 7940HS chip has no equivalent dedicated AI silicon.
An NPU offloads certain AI inference tasks — background blur in video calls, live captioning, AI-assisted photo editing filters — from the CPU and GPU onto a purpose-built, more power-efficient block. For most everyday buyers, this matters in three scenarios:
- You run Windows Studio Effects or similar OS-level AI camera and audio features and want them to run smoothly without taxing the CPU
- You experiment with local AI tools that can target an NPU backend, such as on-device transcription or image-generation software
- You want a machine more likely to support future Windows AI features that require a minimum NPU rating (Microsoft’s Copilot+ PC tier has previously required 40+ TOPS for its most demanding features — the UM890 Pro’s 16 TOPS sits below that bar, so don’t buy it expecting full Copilot+ certification)
If none of that applies to you — if you mainly browse, do office work, stream media, or play light games — the NPU will likely sit idle, and its absence on the UM790 Pro won’t be something you notice day to day.
Memory Ceiling: 64GB vs 96GB
Both machines use the same DDR5-5600 dual-channel standard and the same two SO-DIMM slots — the difference is how much RAM each slot can physically support. The UM790 Pro tops out at 64GB using two 32GB modules, while the UM890 Pro accepts two 48GB modules for a 96GB total.
| Use Case | Is 64GB Enough? | Do You Need 96GB? |
|---|---|---|
| Web browsing, office work, streaming video | Yes, comfortably | No |
| Light photo editing, a handful of browser tabs | Yes | No |
| Running 2-3 virtual machines simultaneously | Usually yes | Helpful buffer, not required |
| Local large language model inference (bigger models) | Can be limiting | Yes, if targeting larger model sizes |
| Heavy multitasking: VM host + dev environment + browser tabs | Workable but tight | More comfortable |
Unless you specifically plan to run memory-hungry local AI models or use the machine as a small home-lab server juggling multiple VMs, 64GB is still plenty for the vast majority of desktop and light-server tasks. The 96GB ceiling is nice-to-have headroom rather than something most buyers will actually fill.
Ports, Storage, and Everything That Stayed the Same
It’s worth stating plainly what didn’t change, since it’s easy to assume a higher model number means an all-around upgrade. Both the UM790 Pro and UM890 Pro share:
- The same 2x USB4 (40Gbps) and 4x USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gbps) on both — but display and network I/O differ: the UM790 Pro has 2x HDMI 2.1 and a single 2.5GbE LAN port, while the UM890 Pro has 1x HDMI plus 1x DisplayPort 1.4, dual 2.5GbE LAN, and an added OCuLink port for an external GPU
- The same two M.2 2280 PCIe 4.0 x4 slots for user-installed SSDs, plus a dedicated Wi-Fi card slot on each model (M.2 2230 on the UM890 Pro)
- The same Wi-Fi 6E wireless chipset (Bluetooth 5.2 on the UM790 Pro, 5.3 on the UM890 Pro per Minisforum’s current spec sheet)
- A similar compact footprint, though the UM890 Pro uses a taller chassis than the UM790 Pro — check each model’s manufacturer listing for exact dimensions and weight
- The same 120W GaN power adapter, rated at 19V/6.32A
If you already own a UM790 Pro, the UM890 Pro does add an OCuLink port and a second 2.5GbE LAN jack, but it isn’t smaller — the chassis is actually taller — and the rest is essentially a silicon and memory-ceiling refresh.
Price and Value: Is the Upgrade Worth It?
Minisforum typically prices the UM890 Pro a bit higher than the UM790 Pro, reflecting the newer chip and the higher memory ceiling — though the exact gap moves around with sales events, bundles, and region. Deciding between the two really comes down to how much you value three specific upgrades: the NPU, the RAM ceiling, and a newer chip generation for longer-term driver and firmware support.
Pick the UM790 Pro if you want the lowest price for essentially the same everyday performance — browsing, office work, media playback, and light gaming will feel identical to the UM890 Pro, since the CPU cores, GPU, and clock speeds match. Pick the UM890 Pro if you plan to use NPU-accelerated features, want the option to load 96GB of RAM for local AI models or heavier virtualization, or simply want the newest chip Minisforum currently ships in this chassis for longer-term software support.
FAQ
Is the UM890 Pro faster than the UM790 Pro for gaming? No — both use the same Radeon 780M integrated graphics at the same clock speed, so gaming frame rates should be effectively identical between the two.
Can I add an NPU to a UM790 Pro? No. The NPU is built into the Ryzen 9 8945HS silicon itself; it can’t be retrofitted onto a UM790 Pro’s Ryzen 9 7940HS.
Do I need 96GB of RAM for everyday use? No. Unless you’re running local large language models, hosting several virtual machines, or doing similarly memory-hungry work, 64GB comfortably covers web browsing, office work, and media use.
Will the UM890 Pro’s NPU make it a Copilot+ PC? No. Microsoft’s Copilot+ PC tier has required a 40+ TOPS NPU for its full feature set; the UM890 Pro’s 16 TOPS NPU falls short of that bar, so don’t expect official Copilot+ certification.
Which one should I buy? If your budget is tight and you don’t need AI acceleration or more than 64GB of RAM, the UM790 Pro delivers the same core experience for less. If you want the newest silicon, extra memory headroom, or plan to experiment with NPU-accelerated software, the UM890 Pro is the safer long-term pick.
Reviewed and edited by Jason Paik. Spotted an error? Tell us — we verify and correct. See how we create content.