A Quick look at the Minis Forum UM 450

# A Comprehensive Look at the Mini’s Forum 450: A Low-Power, Affordable Small Form Factor Machine

## Introduction

In my hand is an entire machine packed with memory and storage—a Mini’s Forum device. Specifically, it’s the **Mini’s Forum 450**, equipped with 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. This unit features a Ryzen 5 4500U 6-core CPU, making it one of the most modest machines available on the Mini’s Forum website. Despite its affordability, it’s the model I’ve received the most inquiries about, likely because it’s the least expensive option. However, this machine still holds its own as a capable device for tasks like running a Media Center PC, a guest room PC, or even a Home Server. You don’t need high-end performance for these purposes, and this unit delivers just what you need without breaking the bank.

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## Unboxing: What’s in the Box?

There’s a lot to love about this platform, starting with its hardware. One of the standout features is the use of **DDR4 memory**, which is currently on sale as DDR5 becomes more popular, especially for laptops. This means DDR4 RAM is being phased out, and it’s easier than ever to find 32GB or even 64GB of notebook memory.

The design of the device might look familiar, with two USB 2.0 ports, two 5Gbps USB-A ports, and a front-facing combination Type-C port for display output. Additionally, there’s a SuperSpeed 10Gbps headphone/microphone combo jack, along with a hardware reset button and a physical power switch.

Inside the box, you’ll find:

- **A stand**: If you set it up correctly, it won’t wobble.

- A power brick (standard 19V DC input).

- A short HDMI cable.

- An adapter for using a 2.5-inch SATA device.

- Extra rubber feet for disassembling the unit for upgrades.

- A Visa mounting bracket.

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## Performance Testing: What You Can Expect

Let’s dive into performance testing. This machine has dual HDMI outputs on the back, which is great for multi-monitor setups. However, if you’re looking to use DisplayPort, you’ll need a Type-C to DisplayPort adapter from the front. The input is a standard laptop-style 19V DC power brick—nothing too fancy there.

Using our trusty **killowatt meter**, we tested the power usage of this system. Since it’s essentially a notebook processor repackaged into a small form factor desktop, its power draw is minimal. On average, it uses about **15-16 watts** under nominal conditions, which is impressively low. If you’re running Linux, you can tweak settings to bring consumption down even further—some users have managed to get it as low as 12 watts.

In the worst-case scenario, with all components maxed out (CPU usage at peak), we saw a power draw of around **50 watts**. The power brick itself is rated for 65W, so you won’t be pushing its limits here. Most of the power consumption goes to the CPU, which also handles onboard graphics and other essential functions.

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## Expandability and Use Cases

This device is highly versatile. It supports **M.2 plus two 2.5-inch SATA devices**, allowing for up to 4TB of storage. For a Home Server setup, this is more than adequate. You could even run Docker containers with Proxmox or manage home automation tasks like running Home Assistant.

While it’s only got six cores, the Ryzen 5 4500U is sufficient for light-duty tasks such as streaming media, handling network-connected devices (like security cameras), and basic file storage. The onboard GPU also handles graphical tasks adequately, making it a solid choice for a Media Center PC or a compact工作站.

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## Final Thoughts: Should You Buy It?

In the realm of Mini’s Forum devices, this unit is on the lower end in terms of both power consumption and computational horsepower. While it’s an excellent option for those on a budget (under $300), I’d personally recommend considering something slightly higher-end for long-term use. Upgrading to a model with more longevity offers only marginally more expense but provides better future-proofing.

If expandability is your priority, the Mini’s Forum models with a PCIe slot are my personal favorite. These units allow you to add components like a PCIe graphics card or even an ATX power supply, giving you more flexibility for custom builds. For those seeking something pre-built with more horsepower, I’ve got another unit coming up—stay tuned!

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## Conclusion

The Mini’s Forum 450 is a solid choice for budget-conscious buyers looking to build a Media Center PC, a guest room PC, or even a compact Home Server. Its low power consumption (around 12-16 watts under normal use) and versatility make it a great option for light-duty tasks. However, if you’re planning for long-term use or more demanding applications, it’s worth considering higher-end models from Mini’s Forum that offer better performance and expandability.

For more details or to explore other options in the Mini’s Forum lineup, check out their website or visit the Level One forums for community discussions. Thanks for watching, and I’ll catch you in the next video!

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enI hold in my hand an entire machine memory storage the whole nine yards it's a Mini's Forum machine but this is the um 450 16 gigabytes of memory 512 gigabytes of storage this is one of the least expensive small form factor machines that you can get on the Mini's Forum website complete with a ryzen 5 4500u 6 core CPU but even though this is one of the most modest machines that you can get from minis Forum this is the one that I've gotten the most questions about probably because it's the least expensive but it does actually make a good Media Center PC guest room PC something like that you don't need a really high-end system could also Build a Home Server with it which I'll talk more about in just a second let's unbox there's a lot to like about this platform for one inexpensive ddr4 you know ddr5 is coming in Vogue even ddr5 for notebooks which means the ddr4 is basically on fire sale right now everybody's trying to get rid of their old ddr4 inventory so 32 even 64 gigabytes of ddr4 notebook memory it's not too hard to come by design might look familiar two USB 2 ports two five gigabit ports and then at the front we've got our combination type c plus display as well as our super speed 10 gigabit combination headphone microphone Port our Hardware reset button and our physical power switch also in the Box you get your stand won't stand for this if you bother to set up your stand correctly you get a stand we've also got a power brick a short HDMI cable your adapter so you can use a two and a half inch sated device some extra rubber feet in case you have to disassemble it for an upgrade or something like that and a Visa mounting bracket let's do some performance testing now it does have dual HDMI out on the back and if you want to use DisplayPort you're going to have to use a type c to display port adapter from the front that's just the thing that you have to do and the input is the standard laptop 19 volt you know DC power brick nothing special going on there let's get out the old kilowatt so we can be impressed by the lack of the lack of Watts that this thing is going to use now remember this is basically a notebook processor that minisforum has packaged in a small form factor machine and certainly if you want more performance mini form has got a lot of options for more performance but me I think in the low power use now you can't fit two sated devices in here and I've got to admit for a Home Server multiple two and a half gigabit ports might be kind of nice but it's pretty awesome you could use a combination m.2 plus two and a half inch sated device two and a half inch seated devices up to four terabytes those are the thing 16 Watts nominal now you can go in Linux and you can enable some bells and tunables and blah blah blah and get it down to more like 12 Watts which is a lot more reasonable now in a worst case scenario on our Plucky little kilowatt meter here we're talking about 50 Watts power usage for the system the power brick itself is only rated for 65 Watts so you can't push it 50 Watts with basically nothing connected nothing that's going to consume any power anyway that's pretty good all of our power budget is going to the CPU if we needed to and we have onboard graphics and everything else there as well so 50 Watts you know 15 watts doesn't leave a lot of room for charging peripherals or anything else like that but still our nominal power usage being about 15 watts 16 Watts or something like that and our heaviest power usage at 50 watts and that's for a perfectly reasonable desktop experience whether you're on Linux or Windows pretty darn good but you know again this is a part that was designed for laptop use that Mini's form has stuffed into a tiny small form factor desktop like I say I like this for a Home Server proxmox gonna run Docker containers it's only six cores but you know if you're going to run home assistant maybe some light duty Internet connected or network connected I should say security cameras maybe two and a half inch SATA storage okay maybe that's fine yeah that's not that one's not valid because I did bad things I'm one of this level one this has been a quick look at the um 450 which is a good low power both in terms of watts and computational horsepower given the landscape of other things available even from just Mini's form available in the market I would probably personally go with something higher end because it would have a little bit more longevity and it's only marginally more expensive but for the under 300 category and maybe even a little bit less on fire sale it's you can really accomplish a lot with this platform my personal favorite for expandability is still the minis Forum that has the pcie slot so if you want something that's am4 65 Watts for the CPU but the power supplies a little bit higher plus also the storage plus also hey you can throw in a pcie graphics card and an ATX power supply even though it's a small form factor yeah there's a pcie dock check out that video something a little bit more higher end if you want something that's built in I've got something with a lot more horsepower coming up be sure to check that out all right I'm one of this level one I'm signing out you can find me in the level one forums foreignI hold in my hand an entire machine memory storage the whole nine yards it's a Mini's Forum machine but this is the um 450 16 gigabytes of memory 512 gigabytes of storage this is one of the least expensive small form factor machines that you can get on the Mini's Forum website complete with a ryzen 5 4500u 6 core CPU but even though this is one of the most modest machines that you can get from minis Forum this is the one that I've gotten the most questions about probably because it's the least expensive but it does actually make a good Media Center PC guest room PC something like that you don't need a really high-end system could also Build a Home Server with it which I'll talk more about in just a second let's unbox there's a lot to like about this platform for one inexpensive ddr4 you know ddr5 is coming in Vogue even ddr5 for notebooks which means the ddr4 is basically on fire sale right now everybody's trying to get rid of their old ddr4 inventory so 32 even 64 gigabytes of ddr4 notebook memory it's not too hard to come by design might look familiar two USB 2 ports two five gigabit ports and then at the front we've got our combination type c plus display as well as our super speed 10 gigabit combination headphone microphone Port our Hardware reset button and our physical power switch also in the Box you get your stand won't stand for this if you bother to set up your stand correctly you get a stand we've also got a power brick a short HDMI cable your adapter so you can use a two and a half inch sated device some extra rubber feet in case you have to disassemble it for an upgrade or something like that and a Visa mounting bracket let's do some performance testing now it does have dual HDMI out on the back and if you want to use DisplayPort you're going to have to use a type c to display port adapter from the front that's just the thing that you have to do and the input is the standard laptop 19 volt you know DC power brick nothing special going on there let's get out the old kilowatt so we can be impressed by the lack of the lack of Watts that this thing is going to use now remember this is basically a notebook processor that minisforum has packaged in a small form factor machine and certainly if you want more performance mini form has got a lot of options for more performance but me I think in the low power use now you can't fit two sated devices in here and I've got to admit for a Home Server multiple two and a half gigabit ports might be kind of nice but it's pretty awesome you could use a combination m.2 plus two and a half inch sated device two and a half inch seated devices up to four terabytes those are the thing 16 Watts nominal now you can go in Linux and you can enable some bells and tunables and blah blah blah and get it down to more like 12 Watts which is a lot more reasonable now in a worst case scenario on our Plucky little kilowatt meter here we're talking about 50 Watts power usage for the system the power brick itself is only rated for 65 Watts so you can't push it 50 Watts with basically nothing connected nothing that's going to consume any power anyway that's pretty good all of our power budget is going to the CPU if we needed to and we have onboard graphics and everything else there as well so 50 Watts you know 15 watts doesn't leave a lot of room for charging peripherals or anything else like that but still our nominal power usage being about 15 watts 16 Watts or something like that and our heaviest power usage at 50 watts and that's for a perfectly reasonable desktop experience whether you're on Linux or Windows pretty darn good but you know again this is a part that was designed for laptop use that Mini's form has stuffed into a tiny small form factor desktop like I say I like this for a Home Server proxmox gonna run Docker containers it's only six cores but you know if you're going to run home assistant maybe some light duty Internet connected or network connected I should say security cameras maybe two and a half inch SATA storage okay maybe that's fine yeah that's not that one's not valid because I did bad things I'm one of this level one this has been a quick look at the um 450 which is a good low power both in terms of watts and computational horsepower given the landscape of other things available even from just Mini's form available in the market I would probably personally go with something higher end because it would have a little bit more longevity and it's only marginally more expensive but for the under 300 category and maybe even a little bit less on fire sale it's you can really accomplish a lot with this platform my personal favorite for expandability is still the minis Forum that has the pcie slot so if you want something that's am4 65 Watts for the CPU but the power supplies a little bit higher plus also the storage plus also hey you can throw in a pcie graphics card and an ATX power supply even though it's a small form factor yeah there's a pcie dock check out that video something a little bit more higher end if you want something that's built in I've got something with a lot more horsepower coming up be sure to check that out all right I'm one of this level one I'm signing out you can find me in the level one forums foreign\n"