If you’ve outgrown the N100 tier and need a Ryzen-class mini PC for serious home server work, gaming, or a powerful Plex box, the decision usually comes down to two machines: the Beelink SER6 Pro and the Minisforum UM790 Pro. Both use AMD’s Ryzen 7 7735HS processor — an 8-core laptop chip with the potent Radeon 680M integrated GPU — at roughly similar price points. But they’re not the same machine, and the differences matter depending on what you’re doing with them.
Specifications: Where They Match and Where They Differ
| Spec | Beelink SER6 Pro | Minisforum UM790 Pro |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS | AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS |
| iGPU | AMD Radeon 680M | AMD Radeon 780M |
| Base RAM | 32GB DDR5 | 32GB DDR5 |
| Base Storage | 500GB PCIe 4.0 | 1TB PCIe 4.0 |
| Display Output | HDMI 2.1 + DP 1.4 + 2x USB4 | HDMI 2.1 + DP 1.4 + USB4 |
| Network | 2.5G LAN + Wi-Fi 6 | 2.5G LAN + Wi-Fi 6E |
| USB-C / USB4 | 2x USB4 (40Gbps) | 1x USB4 (40Gbps) |
| M.2 Slots | 1x M.2 2280 (PCIe 4.0) + 1x M.2 2242 | 2x M.2 2280 (PCIe 4.0) |
| Price (approx.) | $350–420 | $400–480 |
Note: Minisforum offers the UM790 Pro with the Ryzen 9 7940HS (8 cores, Radeon 780M) at the same size. The Beelink SER6 Pro strictly uses the 7735HS. The 780M GPU in the UM790 Pro is about 15–20% more powerful than the 680M in the SER6 Pro — a meaningful difference for gaming and GPU-intensive workloads.
Performance: CPU and Gaming
In CPU workloads — Plex transcoding, Docker containers, compilation, Proxmox VMs — both machines perform very similarly because the 7735HS and 7940HS share the same 8-core Zen 4 architecture. The 7940HS has a slightly higher maximum boost clock (5.2 GHz vs 4.75 GHz), which translates to about 5–10% better single-threaded performance in benchmarks. In real-world NAS and homelab workloads, this difference is rarely perceptible.
For gaming and GPU work, the Radeon 780M in the UM790 Pro is the clear winner. Games that are borderline at 1080p medium settings on the 680M run smoothly on the 780M. If gaming or GPU-accelerated tasks (video encoding, local AI inference) are part of your use case, the UM790 Pro is worth the premium.
Connectivity: Where the SER6 Pro Has an Edge
The SER6 Pro’s second USB4 port is a meaningful advantage for certain builds. USB4 at 40Gbps enables eGPU connections (via an Oculink or Thunderbolt enclosure), extremely fast external NVMe storage, and high-bandwidth display connections. Having two of these ports gives you more flexibility — you can have an eGPU connected and still have a fast external storage connection, or drive two high-refresh-rate displays via USB-C simultaneously.
The UM790 Pro’s single USB4 port and extra M.2 slot represents a different design philosophy — more internal storage capacity, less external connectivity. For a home server that doesn’t need eGPU functionality, the extra M.2 slot might actually be more valuable than the second USB4.
Thermals and Fan Noise
Both machines run warm under load — the 7735HS and 7940HS are designed for sustained 35–45W operation in laptops, and mini PC chassis push their thermal systems. At idle, both are quiet (under 30dB in most measurements). Under sustained load, both become audible — the 790 Pro has been noted in community forums as running somewhat louder under heavy workloads due to the higher-TDP 7940HS.
For a home server that runs moderate loads 24/7 (Plex, Docker, file serving), both machines are generally acceptable in noise terms. For a living room HTPC where silence matters, the N100-based Beelink S12 Pro remains a better choice — see our Plex server guide for a full comparison.
Which Should You Buy?
Buy the Beelink SER6 Pro if: You want to add an eGPU down the road, you value the second USB4 port for flexibility, you need 4-display output support (the SER6 Pro supports it via HDMI + DP + 2x USB4), or you’re primarily building a home server rather than a gaming machine. The SER6 Pro is also often $40–60 cheaper than the UM790 Pro.
Buy the Minisforum UM790 Pro if: Gaming at 1080p is important to you (the 780M GPU is meaningfully better), you want two full-size M.2 slots for internal storage, or you want the extra processing headroom of the 7940HS for heavy AI or compilation workloads.
Neither machine is wrong — they’re both excellent mini PCs at this price tier. The choice depends entirely on your specific use case. For pure home lab/NAS companion use, the SER6 Pro’s value and connectivity flexibility make it the slightly better recommendation. For a hybrid gaming + server machine, the UM790 Pro’s GPU edge justifies the premium.