Minisforum has quietly started selling its Venus Series UM773 Lite, a compact system that packs AMD's eight-core Ryzen 7 7735HS processor. While this ultra-compact form-factor PC is rather powerful, it is relatively inexpensive too, as it is priced starting at $379.
Minisforum's Venus Series UM773 measures 128 mm × 128 mm × 48.2 mm and is a bit smaller and thicker than Apple's Mac Mini, but this is a fully-fledged PC that can be used for productivity as well as entertainment applications – and even some light gaming. The system is based on AMD's eight-core Ryzen 7 7735HS (Zen 3, 8C/16T, 3.20 GHz – 4.75 GHz, 16 MB L3, up to 54W) processor with built-in Radeon 680M graphics (RDNA 2, 768 stream processors, up to 2.20 GHz) that is cooled-down using a blower-style cooler to ensure consistent performance even under high loads.
Meanwhile, the small machine can be equipped with up to 64 GB of DDR5 memory using two SODIMMs, an M.2-2280 SSD with a PCIe 4.0 interface, and one 2.5-inch HDD or SSD for bulk storage.
On the connectivity side of matters, the Venus Series UM773 offers an M.2-2230 slot for a Wi-Fi + Bluetooth adapter, a 2.5 GbE connector, one USB4 port, three USB 3.2 Gen2 connectors (Type-A and Type-C), two USB 2.0 Type-A ports, two HDMI 2.0 outputs, and a TRRS audio input/output for headsets. While Minisforum does not explicitly say that the USB4 port can be used to attach an external graphics card installed into an eGFX box, this is certainly an option if one would like to use this tiny system for more serious gaming.
With regards to pricing, the black UM773 Lite barebones has a list price of $529 when bought at the company's story, but is currently available at a discount for $379. Meanwhile, Minisforum is also offering the UM773 Lite in a floral pink paint job with it UM773 SE Sakura Edition barebones, though it starts out slightly more expensive at $429. Both PCs can also be purchased with memory and a SSD pre-installed; a 16GB/256GB configuration pushes the total price of the the black model costs $489, while the pink model comes in at $549.
