128GB Mini PCs Head-to-Head: Framework, Minisforum, Beelink, DGX Spark and More
Eight compact desktops, seven of them built around 128GB unified memory pools for local AI. We line up the Framework Desktop, GMKtec EVO-X2, Beelink GTR9 Pro, Minisforum MS-S1 Max, HP Z2 Mini G1a, NVIDIA DGX Spark, Bosgame M5 and Apple's Mac mini to see which wins on price, bandwidth, I/O and noise.
| Product | Price | Rating | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| GMKtec EVO-X2 (Ryzen AI Max+ 395, 128GB) Mini PC Review | — | 4.0 / 5 | — |
| Framework Desktop (Ryzen AI Max+ 395) Review | $1,999.00 | 4.0 / 5 | — |
| Beelink GTR9 Pro (Ryzen AI Max+ 395, 128GB, Dual 10GbE) | $4,349.00 | 3.5 / 5 | — |
| Minisforum MS-S1 Max Review: A Strix Halo Workstation That Fits in a Shoebox | $2,639.00 | 4.2 / 5 | — |
| HP Z2 Mini G1a Workstation | $5,021.00 | 4.0 / 5 | — |
| NVIDIA DGX Spark (GB10 Grace Blackwell) | $4,699.00 | 3.5 / 5 | — |
| Apple Mac mini (2026, M6 / M5 Pro) | $899.00 | 4.0 / 5 | — |
| BOSGAME M5 AI Mini Desktop (Ryzen AI Max+ 395) | $2,999.00 | 3.5 / 5 | — |
| Product | Price (as tested) | Rating | CPU / Chip | GPU | Memory | Bandwidth | Standout differentiator |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GMKtec EVO-X2 (128GB) | Not listed | 4.0 | Ryzen AI Max+ 395, 16C/32T, up to 5.1GHz | Radeon 8060S, 40-core RDNA 3.5 | 128GB LPDDR5X-8000, soldered, eight channels | Not stated | 2-litre chassis; dual M.2 up to 16TB; 120W sustained / 140W peak |
| Framework Desktop | $1,999 | 4.0 | Ryzen AI Max+ 395 (Strix Halo), 16C/32T Zen 5 | Radeon 8060S, 40-CU RDNA 3.5 | Up to 128GB LPDDR5X, soldered (96GB as VRAM) | 256 GB/s | Cheapest 128GB unified-memory machine here; 4.5-litre chassis |
| Beelink GTR9 Pro | $4,349 | 3.5 | Ryzen AI Max+ 395, 16C/32T Zen 5, up to 5.1GHz | Radeon 8060S, 40 CUs | 128GB LPDDR5X-8000, soldered | Not stated | Dual 10GbE + Wi-Fi 7; 2TB SSD (~5,000 MB/s) |
| Minisforum MS-S1 Max | $2,639 | 4.2 | Ryzen AI Max+ 395, 16C/32T, up to 5.1GHz | Radeon 8060S, 40 CUs | 128GB LPDDR5x-8000, 256-bit UMA | 256-bit bus | 2x USB4 v2 80Gbps, dual 10GbE, Wi-Fi 7, PCIe slot (x4 electrical), 2TB SSD |
| HP Z2 Mini G1a | $5,021 | 4.0 | Ryzen AI Max+ PRO 395, 16 Zen 5 cores, up to 5.1GHz | Radeon 8060S | 128GB shared DDR5 (up to 96GB to GPU) | Not stated | Chip run at 150W, roughly double the mobile implementation |
| NVIDIA DGX Spark | $4,699 | 3.5 | GB10 Grace Blackwell, 20-core Arm | Blackwell, 6,144 CUDA cores | 128GB coherent unified LPDDR5x | Up to 273 GB/s | CUDA stack; 10GbE + dual QSFP (ConnectX-7) to 200Gbps; 1.2kg |
| Apple Mac mini (2026) | $899 | 4.0 | Apple M6 (2nm) or M5 Pro | M6 12-core GPU | 16GB (M6) / 24GB (M5 Pro) | Not stated | 0.82L chassis; 3x Thunderbolt 4, HDMI, Ethernet, 2x front USB-C |
| Bosgame M5 | $2,999 | 3.5 | Ryzen AI Max+ 395, 16 cores | Radeon 8060S | 128GB LPDDR5X, soldered (up to 96GB to GPU) | Not stated | 2TB Kingston NVMe; 2x USB4, 8K60 out, four-display support |
Price: Framework's $1,999 reframes the entire group
Six of these eight machines are built on the same AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 silicon with the same 40-CU Radeon 8060S and the same 128GB unified memory pool. That makes pricing the sharpest differentiator in the comparison, and the Framework Desktop wins it outright at $1,999 — a figure our Beelink review explicitly used as the yardstick when calling the GTR9 Pro's $4,349 direct price a steep premium. The Minisforum MS-S1 Max at $2,639 and the Bosgame M5 at $2,999 sit in the middle; the DGX Spark at $4,699 and the HP Z2 Mini G1a at $5,021 are more than twice Framework's ask. The GMKtec EVO-X2 has no price attached in our review, which makes it the hardest of the group to place on value even though its specification sheet is as strong as anyone's.
The Mac mini is the outlier: at $899 it is by far the cheapest thing here, but it is also the only machine that doesn't offer a 128GB memory pool. Judged as a small desktop it wins on price; judged as a local-AI box it isn't in the same conversation.
Local AI: bandwidth and software stack decide it, not capacity
On raw capacity, seven machines tie: 128GB unified memory, with the Framework, Bosgame and HP all quoting up to 96GB addressable as GPU memory. Where they separate is bandwidth and tooling. The DGX Spark's 273 GB/s edges out the Framework's 256 GB/s, and the Spark is the only machine here running CUDA — which directly answers Framework's noted weakness, where ROCm and Vulkan tooling is less polished and heavy training is off the table. But the Spark's own review is blunt that 273 GB/s is the binding constraint, and that on GPT-OSS 20B it lands at roughly a quarter of an RTX Pro 6000 Blackwell's throughput and behind a single RTX 5090. Framework's review is equally blunt about single-digit to low double-digit tokens/sec on a 70B model. Neither is fast; the Spark is faster and better-supported, the Framework is less than half the price.
Among the AMD boxes, HP's decision to run Strix Halo at 150W — roughly double the mobile implementation, per its review — is the clearest claim to better sustained clocks, and the GMKtec's 120W sustained / 140W peak is the next highest figure quoted. If you want the same chip pushed hardest, HP wins; you pay $5,021 for the privilege.
I/O, networking and expansion: Minisforum takes the crown
The Minisforum MS-S1 Max has the best connectivity story in the group: two USB4 v2 ports at 80Gbps plus two USB4 at 40Gbps, dual 10GbE and Wi-Fi 7, and it is the only Strix Halo machine here with a genuine PCIe slot and two M.2 bays. Beelink's GTR9 Pro matches the dual 10GbE and Wi-Fi 7 combination — rare in this class, and the reason it appeals to homelab and NAS builders — but without the PCIe expansion or the 80Gbps USB4 v2 ports. The Bosgame M5 offers two 40Gbps USB4 ports, 8K60 output and four-display support, which is generous but not in Minisforum's league. GMKtec counters with storage headroom instead: dual PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 slots at up to 8TB each, 16TB total, where Minisforum's second M.2 is only x1.
The DGX Spark's networking is a different category again — 10GbE plus dual QSFP via ConnectX-7 at up to 200Gbps — but it's aimed at clustering rather than at your file server. The Mac mini's three Thunderbolt 4 ports, HDMI, Ethernet and two front USB-C are genuinely generous for a 0.82L box, and beat the rest on convenience rather than throughput. One caveat on Minisforum: its acceptable noise level depends on applying the v1.03 BIOS, and its PCIe x16 slot is only x4 electrically, so no graphics card upgrades.
Size, noise and the things you can't change later
The Mac mini is the smallest at 0.82L, with the DGX Spark next at 150 x 150 x 50.5mm and just 1.2kg — remarkably light for what it does. Among the AMD machines, GMKtec's 2-litre chassis is notably tighter than Framework's 4.5 litres, but it pays for that density: load temperatures of 85–98°C in Performance mode are the most uncomfortable thermal numbers in this round-up, and a triple-fan design pulling 140W peak has obvious acoustic consequences. Noise is a running theme — HP's Z2 Mini G1a draws criticism for significant fan noise under load, unwelcome on a monitor mount; the Bosgame M5's fans become noticeably audible under sustained load; and Minisforum's cooling was reported as far too loud at idle before the BIOS fix.
Nothing here is upgradeable in the way a tower is. Framework, GMKtec, Beelink and Bosgame all have soldered memory, and the Mac mini offers no user maintenance, repair or upgrade options at all. Minisforum's PCIe slot and dual M.2 bays make it the most expandable machine in the comparison by a clear margin. Reliability risk isn't evenly distributed either: Beelink alone carries firmware lag affecting power tuning, drivers and stability, plus unresolved first-revision Ethernet reports that make board revision a pre-purchase question.
Verdict: which one to buy
For most people who want 128GB of unified memory for local AI, the Framework Desktop is the buy. It offers the same CPU, GPU and memory pool as machines costing two to two-and-a-half times as much, and its limitations — 256 GB/s bandwidth, no CUDA — are shared or near-shared by almost everything else here. If you need expansion, dual 10GbE and 80Gbps USB4 more than you need the lowest price, the Minisforum MS-S1 Max is the best-rounded machine in the group and our highest-rated at 4.2, provided you apply the v1.03 BIOS. If your priority is the CUDA ecosystem and cluster-grade networking rather than dollars per token, the NVIDIA DGX Spark is the only option here that qualifies — accept that it is slower than a single RTX 5090 on the workloads tested and that $4,699 is an 18 percent climb from launch MSRP.
Buy the HP Z2 Mini G1a only if you need a vendor-supported professional workstation and want Strix Halo run hardest at 150W; it is the most expensive machine here at $5,021 and it is loud. The Beelink GTR9 Pro makes sense only if its dual 10GbE homelab angle is essential and you can confirm the board revision — otherwise Minisforum delivers more I/O for $1,710 less. The Bosgame M5 is a competent 128GB machine with a 2TB SSD, but at $2,999 it is a thousand dollars clear of Framework without a networking or expansion advantage to justify it. The GMKtec EVO-X2 is the pick if a 2-litre footprint and 16TB of NVMe headroom matter most, though its thermals are the group's worst and we have no price to judge it against. And the Apple Mac mini is the recommendation for everyone whose actual need is a fast, tiny, quiet general-purpose desktop at $899 — just don't buy it expecting to load 70B models.
