MINISFORUM MS-S1 MAX-P495

The MINISFORUM MS-S1 MAX-P495 is an AI workstation built around the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ PRO 495, a Gorgon Halo processor combining a 16-core, 32-thread Zen 5 CPU with RDNA 3.5 graphics and a next-generation NPU on one package. The processor runs at a 3.1 GHz base frequency with a maximum turbo of 5.2 GHz, and the AI engine delivers up to 55 TOPS from the NPU and up to 131 TOPS of total platform AI performance. Graphics are handled by Radeon 8065S with 40 graphics cores running at 3000 MHz. Its defining specification is memory: up to 192GB of unified LPDDR5x, of which up to 160GB can be allocated as VRAM. That capacity is what separates the P495 from every other system in this class, because for local inference the size of model you can run is limited by available memory before it is limited by compute. The system ships in the same 222.1 × 206.3 × 77.1 mm, 2.8 kg chassis as the MS-S1 MAX, with a built-in 320W power supply. The MS-S1 MAX-P495 uses a 256-bit LPDDR5x unified memory architecture with a maximum speed of 8533 MT/s and a maximum capacity of 192GB, offered as a single 192GB SKU. A shared CPU and GPU memory pool eliminates the copy operations that separate-memory designs require, reducing data movement for large local models, long context windows, and complex datasets. The 160GB allocatable VRAM ceiling is the figure that matters most for model selection, since it determines the largest quantized model that fits entirely in graphics memory. Storage consists of two M.2 2280 NVMe slots, one at PCIe 4.0 x4 and one at PCIe 4.0 x1, each supporting drives up to 8TB for 16TB of total capacity, with RAID 0 and RAID 1 supported. Factory SSD configurations are available at 1TB, 2TB, and 4TB, as well as barebone for buyers supplying their own drives. A slide-out board tray provides direct access for storage servicing without dismantling the chassis. The larger memory pool changes what the P495 can run in a cluster configuration. In MINISFORUM testing, two 192GB units running as a compact cluster executed Qwen3.5-397B locally at 16 tokens per second, a model size that would otherwise require server-grade GPU hardware. The system supports 2U rack deployment, where multiple P495 units are cascaded into a distributed cluster for enterprises and research teams, and in testing a four-unit cluster ran the DeepSeek-R1 671B Q4 model at 380GB in Q4_0 quantization. Four switchable modes adapt the same hardware from a desk to a rack: Performance at 120W, Balanced at 95W, Quiet at 60W, and Rack. A reserved cascade power-on header allows multiple units to start and stop together as a single managed group, so a cluster does not need to be powered on unit by unit. Benchmarks published for the platform cover Cinebench R23 and 3DMark Time Spy alongside the model throughput figures. Rear connectivity includes two 10GbE RJ45 ports using Realtek RTL8127 controllers, two USB4 V2 ports at 80Gbps with DisplayPort 2.0 Alt Mode and 15W Power Delivery, two USB 3.2 Gen2 ports, two USB 2.0 ports, and one HDMI 2.1 FRL output supporting 8K at 60Hz or 4K at 120Hz. The front panel carries two USB4 ports at 40Gbps, one USB 3.2 Gen2 port, a 3.5mm combo jack, and dual digital microphones. Wireless is Wi-Fi 7 via an MT7925 module with Bluetooth 5.4. Cooling uses a six heat-pipe radiator with phase change material and two 80 mm turbine fans running at up to 3600 RPM, sustaining 120W with a 160W peak. MINISFORUM publishes measured noise figures taken at 50 cm in an anechoic chamber: Quiet mode idles at 32 dBA and reaches 41.6 dB at full load, Balanced mode idles at 35 dB and reaches 42 dB, and Performance mode idles at 37 dB and reaches 48 dB. Published noise data at this level of detail is rare in this product category and is useful when the system will sit on a desk. Common use cases for the MINISFORUM MS-S1 MAX-P495 include running very large language models locally where 192GB of unified memory and 160GB of allocatable VRAM accommodate models that will not fit on any single consumer graphics card, multimodal model deployment and agent workflows, AI application development requiring long context windows and large working sets, professional video editing, 3D rendering, and audio production drawing on a shared memory pool, and multi-unit AI clusters for enterprises, research teams, and studios deploying in 2U racks. Buyers typically choose the P495 over the standard MS-S1 MAX when memory capacity is the binding constraint on their workloads, since the P495 adds 64GB of unified memory, faster 8533 MT/s memory, 5 TOPS more NPU performance, 5 TOPS more total platform AI performance, and a higher turbo clock over the Ryzen AI Max+ 395 model. Buyers whose models already fit within 128GB will find the standard MS-S1 MAX delivers the same storage, networking, expansion, and chassis at a lower price.