Do you want to get the most gaming performance from a small setup without a large tower stealing all the space at your desk? Minisforum may have your answer in the new BD790i X3D motherboard. This is far from your normal version of Mini-ITX. This board is fiddled with a feeling of heat under the hood.
Desktop Powers, Mobile Heart
The BD790i X3D is a part of the Minisforum line named MoDT (Mobile on Desktop). The name says it all. This motherboard doesn't have a regular desktop CPU socket. Rather, it has a high-power, mobile AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX3D processor that just happens to be soldered down. Yes, it's a mobile chip, but do not let it fool you. This thing is no ordinary laptop CPU.
Consider it this way. You get a CPU that is intimately related to the desktop Ryzen 9 7950X3D but designed with power efficiency in mind. Importantly, it comes with AMD's revolutionary 3D V-Cache technology. This massive piece of L3 cache is the reason why Ryzen X3D chips are gaming monsters. Now it is cramped under this tiny Mini-ITX board.
Gaming Muscle in a Mini Footprint
So, why is that so exciting? Because the Ryzen 9 7945HX3D, especially with that 3D V-Cache, is expected to be a champion gamer. Sure, its power limits are a bit lower than its desktop counterparts, but for gaming, that massive cache often makes a bigger difference than raw clock speeds or core counts. In many games, this little board could very well punch above its weight class, rivaling even high-end desktop CPUs.
You are limited to SODIMM memory and slightly lower memory speed at 5200 MT/s. But that big fat L3 cache comes in to help again. By making sure more data is available closer to the CPU, any impact from a little slower RAM would be reduced, especially when games are concerned.
Packed with Features, Ready to Build
Minisforum did not skimp on the specifications for the BD790i X3D:
- Mini-ITX Form Factor: Small and easy to fit into small cases.
- An unrestrained PCIe 5.0 x16 slot: Bring your heavy artillery in the form of a dedicated graphics card for some serious gaming.
- Two PCIe 5.0 M.2 slots: Blazing fast storage for games and apps.
- 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet and Wi-Fi 6E : Up-to-date and high-speed network.
- Generous display outputs: HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 1.4, and USB-C with DisplayPort Alt Mode – easily drive multiple monitors.
- Heavy-duty cooling: Down-draft cooler for the CPU and dedicated cooler for the M.2 slots. Smooth operation of this tiny package is crucial.
An Offer Hard to Refuse
Now, here comes the kicker. The launch price of the Minisforum BD790i X3D motherboard is just $599 in an early bird price. One would recall that a standalone Ryzen 9 7950X3D desktop CPU usually fetches much more. Even the more mainstream Ryzen 7 7800X3D would cost closer to that. For builders wanting a compact gaming rig that stands powerful yet does not burn a hole into the pocket, this motherboard becomes a potent option.
Grab It or Lose It?
Minisforum is notorious for making various products that are often in limited quantities. If you fancy a small, powerful, and relatively affordable gaming PC, then consider giving serious thoughts to the BD790i X3D motherboard. The pre-orders have been opened for quite some time, and it would be shipping around mid-March. There is going to be a lot of buzz about this product. If it interests you, you will not want to sleep on it.
Source: Minisforum
