MINISFORUMBD790i X3D Motherboard AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX3D(16C/32T) Gaming Mini PC Without RAM/SSD/OS, 2xDDR5 SODIMM Slots, 2xPCIe5.0 SSD, M.2 2230 Key E Slot, HDMI+DP+USB-C Triple Video Outputs Computer

I've been building mini-ITX systems for years now. So when I saw this motherboard with the Ryzen 9 processor and heatsink combined, I was excited, but with some reservations. Like, no way to replace the heatsink with an aftermarket one is a pretty big reservation. For overclockers, the SODIMM laptop memory could be another reservation. No RGB headers in a world of Tokyo streets-like PC builds could be another.But the benefits far outweigh those potential drawbacks. I bought this on sale for $400 US, and got it even cheaper with an additional $100 off coupon, so it was a no-brainer to me. Even on sale at $400, there's nothing close to this performance for the price. It's faster with more cores than the 7800X3D I have on my main VR system.The heatsink does the job well. I have this in a 4.5 liter case with a 40mm CPU cooler clearance. With a 15mm high, 120mm fan it fits perfectly in the case. Thermals are solid as even during heavy use, the CPU temp stays under 80c. The fan does double duty by pushing air on to of the two M.2 SSDs, keeping them well below 60c for me. It feels like miniforums has done their homework on this.As others have mentioned, the WiFi card setup is a PIA. And that's not just physically installing it. I had one left over from a laptop upgrade, so it didn't cost extra, but to get the drivers installed to make it work, I had to use an Ethernet connection. If you're WiFi-only, this needs consideration, as you can't even get Windows updates without a working Internet connection. It would've been worth paying a little extra for pre installed WiFi, but that wasn't an option.Another thing missing is any SATA ports. It's M.2 only, which was okay for me, but if you have existing drives, you will need an M.2 adapter vard to add them.Despite these limitations, I think miniforums is on the right path here. I see this as the future on mini-ITX. Like the ASRock Mini on steroids.

Unlike many, I bought this board as a board for Gaming. Replacing a 9th Gen i9 this board not only paddles it but does so while sipping power. Building it in a Case with as much volume as a Playstation 5 and pairing it with a high end graphics card this is easily able to hit high frame rates in the games that I play. It's cheaper as well, since the CPU and Cooler and Motherboard are all purchased together compared to a traditional build in which you need to buy those components separately. You just need to add RAM, Storage and Power and you're already booting a computer. The grunt work is done for you.It has WiFi and Ethernet like a regular motherboard would. My only gripe is the lack of SATA ports, and the lack of a dedicated front Type C port. But aside that everything is excellent. The fan won't need to spin often since the CPU only draws 100W at peak power and I have had no issues with stability either. It Literally, just works.

This product is everything I'd hoped for, even if some of the details presented by Amazon (and other sellers) is inaccurate. If I had need for another I would certainly buy another.The documentation available from Minisforum borders on being useless, and that also applies to other Minisforum products I've owned. I had to search around on other parts of the www to get answers, but even now some capabilities remain obscure.If you know how to build PCs already this may be what you want. Given that it supports PCIe bifurcation it can support far more than just two NVME ssds, a M.2 Key E WiFi slot (card not included - what works in the slot and what doesn't is not documented) and a single PCIe 5.0 x16 slot might indicate.It's versatile and highly recommended for both home labs/servers and gaming.

My BD790i SE stopped working within the first few weeks of use. I contacted the seller, MINISFORUM US, who said that my model was no longer in stock. They wanted $50 to trade/upgrade to the BD795i SE, which they said was a different product. I paid for the upgrade, and they sent out the BD795i SE. It was strange that the BD795i SE that I received looked exactly like the BD790i SE model. I am not sure where that $50 went. It looks like the models are different in name only.PROS:- cute board when it worked- customer service is responsive to communicationNEUTRAL:- the total price I paid, $389.97 + 50 = $439.97, seems decent for the product. it's not really a Steal at $439.97, but it's not terrible eitherCONS:- first board broke so quickly under normal use----------------------------------------------------------------UPDATE: I will update the review in a year, after I've had some time with the new board. For now I subtracted stars for the durability and the final price, and I gave it a star for the responsive customer service.

I tried to buy this board 2 times once from minisforum directly and once from amazon. Both came DOA and damaged the ram I used to test the board. Minisforum support only answer emails a couple times a month and they have no phone to call. They spend weeks gaslighting me about my issues and then I forced them to RMA by getting the payment processor involved and they then refused the refund until I reported them as fraud to my back. And this time amazon is even trying to withhold my refund. If you value your money buy something that works the price is great but that is because it's too good to be true.

Nice motherboard combo, works well and is pretty efficient and powerful. Wifi works great!

beware that this listing may have several variants. the 7945HX is great!

Solid performance out of this board. Paired with a rx7900xt and 32gb ram. Using a Noctua industrial cooler and temps haven’t broke 70c. The only downside i encountered was the infuriating wifi card bracket but after some tinkering got it together and it works good. Would recommend!