MINISFORUM Motherboard BD795i SE Mini ITX NAS Motherboard, AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX, 16 C/32 T,PCIe 5.0 x16 Slot, Dual PCIe4.0 M.2 Support, DDR5,8K Triple Output(HDMI/DP/USB-C), RJ45 2.5G, USB 3.2

Pros:* Cheap* Powerful hardware (16c/32t)* Great sound quality on it's amp/dac (if anyone cares about that anymore)* Built-in intel wifi 6 card* Great support for linux out of the box.* Decent BIOS options* Incredible power efficiency compared to a full desktop chip (60w on desktop/330w while gaming)Cons:* No SATA ports* Only 1 usb header* No usb-c headers* Non-standard fan mount for board fan (uses m2.5 threads when most fans are mounted with m3)* Wireless antenna included is bulky and the pins are non-standard (they protrude from the antenna side going into the case, whereas other antennas expect the pin to protrude from the case) so you can't simply replace it with a small form factor antennaExtremely happy with this board! Very innovative and cost competitive. Literally wouldn't be able to build a mini itx in this price range.For context: I'm upgrading from an i7-5930k 6c 12t processor. This was a huge step up in performance and although there are some caveats (only 1 USB header, 2 m.2, no sata) these can all strategically be worked around in your build (use one m.2 slot for sata or buy 2 large m.2 drives, get a USB header splitter)I'm running on Linux exclusively and everything just works, and works well (USB c for display/USB is working with graphics offloading to a dedicated GPU). There are ways you can control the fans by installing custom firmware on Linux, I haven't done it yet. The fan curves are rough out of the box but they get the job done and I'm hoping to smooth them out.I have this paired with an hdplex 500w DC power supply and a 330w 20v dell power adapter. At the wall it measures 40-60w on the desktop and with my GPU (AMD 5700XT) set to a maximum of 180w, I am measuring 330w max while gaming with nothing getting too hot. This things a monster.

So far so good. Speedy and what I wanted for my computer build

Fantastic system for the price. Stable fast. I'm using this for NAS servers, and they might seem like overkill, but for the money, they are absolutely worth it. Splurge on ECC RAM though - life is too short not to.Minisforum, please make a couple modifications: Add additional m.2 options on back of board - you have the lanes. Also, secure boot support might need some attention. Other than these minor askes, the system is great.

Short version: In summary, if you're willing to compromise by using irregular and nonstandard hardware in order to really chase down the best value, I see no reason why you shouldn't purchase this. Docked a star because it runs a little hotter than it needs to, but can be mitigated if you're willing to tinker.The details: This is probably the most bang-for-the-buck solution you can get. It's got 32 threads, can do PCIe 5.0, and you can even overclock with it. But you need to be aware of the cooling. I spent hours and hours looking into this and did eventually find a solution. The surface of the cooler that meets the CPU die isn't as flat/smooth as any other cooler out there, which results in substandard performance. It will cool the chip just fine, but you're going to hear that fan working and working often unless you change out the paste. And even then it will still be bouncing off TjMax (which is within spec for the chip, so it's fine). I definitely recommend repasting the CPU. Just use an excessive amount of paste to compensate for the cooler's imperfections. I, personally, replaced my paste with a pad of PTM7950, tightened the cooler onto the board as much as I could reasonably go, and my thermals have been great ever since. Alternatively, there does exist a water block for this exact board; but it's prohibitavely expensive (like 400 euros) and unless you can speak German you'll have a tough time getting it.Furthermore, there is a BIOS/UEFI update available for this board that improves the default fan curve and thermals, so do look into that. You can also use the overclocking menus to undervolt the CPU, further reducing temps and fan noise. It's a great chip and performs like others in its class, it just doesn't come out of the box "perfect." And that's ok, people buying this should be willing to tinker.

This board is almost perfect.Pair it with some 5200Mhz CL38 ram from Gskill.Clearly beats my ryzen 9 3950x.My only problem with the board is you can't set a curve to the fans. It basically acts like laptop fans where it's at like 50% or 100% speed. It sometimes just ramps the fan up to 100%. But just slap a Noctua fan and it's not really an issue.Go install UXTU and set the cpu curve to -15 to increase performance and lower temps.