It’s not every day that a new mini PC comes along that wasn’t even on my radar. However, that’s exactly what happened with the upcoming Minisforum G1 / G1 Pro, which, with its white and black design and vertical orientation, sure looks a lot like a PS5 at first glance.
After being spotted at the Japan IT Week Spring event in April, I finally got a chance to see it for myself in person at Computex 2025. In fact, it was sitting right next to the AtomMan G7 Ti I reviewed last year.
Like the G7 Ti, the G1 Pro is also meant to be used in a vertical orientation and is designed for playing the best PC games. However, while the G7 Ti is incredibly thin and almost looks like one of the best gaming laptops without a screen or keyboard, the G1 Pro is a bit thicker with a more console-like appearance. Minisforum is putting that extra space to good use, though, and this mini PC has a trick up its sleeve I haven’t seen anywhere else yet.
While I’ll definitely need to get a G1 Pro in for testing to see if it really is one of the best mini PCs when it comes out this summer, I already have high hopes for this one. That’s because along with its sleek, eye–catching design, Minisforum has deviated from its usual formula by making this mini PC surprisingly upgradeable.
The power of a gaming PC in console size
At 12.4 x 8.5 x 2.3 inches, the Minisforum G1 Pro isn’t nearly as tall or as thin as the AtomMan G7 Ti, and you’ll definitely have an easier time fitting this in an entertainment center. Since it’s designed with 1440p gaming in mind, it’s more likely that you’ll have it on your desk instead. However, with DLSS 4 enabled, you should be able to play games in 4K with some upscaling and frame generation on your TV.
To make its white side panels stand out, Minisforum has added some grooves to both the one on the right and left sides of the G1 Pro. The latter also has ventilation holes cut out in the shape of a triangle, and there’s one at the bottom and top of this side panel. While the G1 Pro comes with a plastic vertical stand included, since there are no cutouts for ventilation on the one side, you’ll likely be able to use this mini PC vertically or horizontally, which you couldn’t do with the G7 Ti.
On the front of the G1 Pro, there’s a USB-A port, a USB-C port, a headphone/microphone combo jack and the power button. All of these front ports are located in the middle of the device and there are RGB strips above and below them with a small Minisforum logo at the base of this mini PC.
While I wish there was an SD card reader like on the G7 Ti, it makes sense that Minisforum omitted one as this is a mini PC designed for gaming after all. I do like how the RGB lighting is a bit more minimalistic this time around compared to the strip of downward-facing arrows on the G7 Ti.
On the back of the G1 Pro, there’s a single USB-C port, two USB-A ports, an HDMI 2.1 port and a 5 gigabit Ethernet port. It’s worth noting that both the front and back USB-C ports are capable of outputting video as well as data, so you don’t just have to rely on that HDMI 2.1 port.
Compared to the G7 Ti, you’re getting an extra USB-C port on the front, an extra USB-A port on the back and, most importantly, you won’t need to lug around a bulky power brick to lug around since the G1 Pro has an internal 350W power supply instead. This way, you can use a Universal Power Cord like the ones found on other desktop computers and the best gaming PCs.
The G1 Pro has another upgrade that I haven’t seen on a mini PC since I reviewed the AtomMan G7 PT. This time around, though, it’s even better.
| Header Cell - Column 0 | Minisforum G1 / G1 Pro Specs |
|---|---|
CPU | AMD Ryzen 9 8945X |
GPU | Nvidia RTX 5060 8GB GDDR7 (G1 Pro), Nvidia RTX 4060 8GB GDDR6 (G1) |
RAM | Up to 96GB DDR5 |
Storage | 2 x M.2 2280 PCIe 4.0 x4 |
Ports | 1 x USB-A, 1 x USB-C, 1 x 3.5mm combo jack (front), 2 x USB-A, 1 x USB-C, 3 x HDMI 2.1, 2 x DisplayPort 1.4, 1 x 5 Gbps Ethernet, 1 x DC power port |
Connectivity | Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3 |
Power | 350W (internal) |
Dimensions | 350W (internal) |
Operating system | Windows 11 |
A big and unexpected upgrade
If you look at the G1 Pro from above, you notice that there are additional vents on the top. Instead of cooling the PC itself, these are actually for its discrete graphics card. That’s right, the G1 Pro comes with an Nvidia RTX 5060 GPU while the G1 comes with a slightly less powerful though cheaper RTX 4060 GPU.
Normally, on mini PCs, you’re working with a laptop version of a particular graphics card. However, that isn’t the case here. Instead, you’re getting a full desktop graphics card in a very compact package.
With either an RTX 4060 or RTX 5060, you get two HDMI 2.1 ports and two DisplayPort 1.4 ports. This allows you to power four displays with either graphics card. When combined with the ports on the G1 Pro’s motherboard, you could technically power six displays from this mini PC. However, this will depend on how Minisforum has configured the system’s BIOS and motherboard. Even then, though, powering four displays from the G1 Pro is still impressive.
What makes the G1 Pro even better is the fact that its graphics card is upgradeable. Not only does this give you an upgrade path down the line, it also means that you could go with the cheaper G1 to save money in the short term and then upgrade its graphics card from an RTX 4060 to an RTX 5060 when you’ve saved up enough money.
A new way forward for mini PCs
Even though they’re much smaller than your standard desktop, most mini PCs provide you with some upgradeability. Usually, this includes the option to add a second M.2 SSD or even a 2.5-inch SSD or HDD along with being able to add more memory. With the G1 and G1 Pro, Minisforum is doing things a bit differently by also giving you the option to upgrade its graphics card.
At Computex 2025, Minisforum told me that the G1 Pro should be ready to ship this summer. However, pricing for both the G1 and G1 Pro hasn’t been revealed yet. Given that the AtomMan G7 Ti had a list price of $1,600, I’d expect this new mini PC to go for slightly more. Still though, the G1 Pro will likely be cheaper than the more powerful version of the Asus ROG NUC 970 I reviewed last year or the new ROG NUC (2025).
I absolutely plan on getting a G1 Pro in for review, so stay tuned. With its white and black design, it could be the perfect mini PC for the same colored desk setup I’m currently putting together for another review.
The Minisforum G1 / G1 Pro shows that just because a mini PC is small, that doesn’t mean it can’t be mighty too and I’m really excited to test one out for myself.
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