The Minisforum G1 Pro is a console-sized mini PC made by Minisforum, featuring an AMD Ryzen 9 8945X CPU, Nvidia RTX 5060 8GB GPU, and up to 96GB DDR5 RAM in a chassis that resembles a PlayStation 5. It launched at Computex 2025 as a living room-focused alternative to traditional gaming towers, combining internal power delivery, vertical mounting flexibility, and nearly full PC upgrade potential into a footprint that fits alongside your TV. The question isn’t whether this thing can game—it clearly can—but whether a PS5-shaped mini PC actually makes sense for people who want both living room aesthetics and desktop-level customization.
Key Takeaways
- Minisforum G1 Pro features Ryzen 9 8945X CPU and RTX 5060 8GB GPU in a PS5-like chassis
- Supports both vertical and horizontal orientation with included plastic stand
- Highly upgradeable with 2x M.2 2280 PCIe 4.0 storage slots and DDR5 RAM up to 96GB
- Slightly larger than Xbox Series S but smaller than Series X, fitting naturally in living room setups
- Internal 350W power supply eliminates bulky external brick typical of mini PCs
Design That Actually Works for Living Rooms
Most mini PCs look like they belong in a server closet, not next to your entertainment system. The Minisforum G1 Pro sidesteps this entirely by embracing a console aesthetic—white panels with grooved texturing, triangle-shaped ventilation holes positioned at the bottom and top of the chassis sides, and an RGB strip that runs above and below the front ports. It’s not trying to hide what it is. It’s saying, plainly, that a powerful PC can live in your living room without apologies.
The physical design supports this claim through practical flexibility. The included plastic vertical stand lets you orient the unit either vertically or horizontally depending on your setup. This matters more than it sounds. A fixed orientation forces you to adapt your space around the hardware. Flexible mounting means the hardware adapts to you. The front-facing ports—USB-A, USB-C, and a 3.5mm headphone/microphone combo jack—are positioned where you can actually reach them without crawling behind your entertainment center. The internal 350W power supply eliminates the external brick that makes most mini PCs look tethered to a wall outlet. These aren’t revolutionary features individually, but together they signal that someone thought about how this machine would actually sit in a living room.
At 12.4 x 8.4 x 2.3 inches, the G1 Pro is larger than an Xbox Series S but noticeably smaller than a Series X. For context, it occupies a footprint similar to a cable box but with considerably more depth. It’s a trade-off: larger than the tiniest mini PCs, but still compact enough that it won’t dominate your entertainment setup.
Performance and Upgradability That Justifies the Form Factor
The Minisforum G1 Pro ships with genuine gaming muscle. The Ryzen 9 8945X CPU paired with an RTX 5060 8GB GDDR7 GPU positions this squarely in the mid-to-high gaming tier. This isn’t entry-level mini PC performance—it’s the kind of hardware that handles demanding titles at respectable frame rates and resolutions. The RTX 5060 represents a meaningful step up from the standard G1 variant, which uses an RTX 4060.
What separates the G1 Pro from similarly powered gaming laptops or smaller form-factor PCs is upgrade accessibility. You get two M.2 2280 PCIe 4.0 x4 storage slots, DDR5 RAM expandable to 96GB, and a chassis designed to be opened without requiring specialized tools or voiding warranty concerns. This is desktop-class customization in a living room footprint. Want to add a second SSD later? Swap in faster RAM? Upgrade the CPU in a few years? The G1 Pro doesn’t lock you into a sealed ecosystem the way most mini PCs do. It’s a gaming PC that happens to look like a console, not a console pretending to be upgradeable.
The rear port array—2x USB-A, 1x USB-C, 3x HDMI 2.1, 2x DisplayPort 1.4, 1x 5Gbps Ethernet, and DC power—gives you flexibility for multiple displays, wired networking, and peripheral expansion. Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 handle wireless duties without forcing you to rely on older standards.
Where the G1 Pro Stands Against Actual Alternatives
Comparing a living room PC to an Xbox Series X or PlayStation 5 is useful but incomplete. Those consoles are locked ecosystems. The G1 Pro is a full Windows 11 PC with access to Steam, Epic, Game Pass, emulation, productivity software, and everything else. That’s a different product category entirely. A fairer comparison is the Megamini G1, a smaller rival that uses an Intel Core i9 (13th Gen), includes liquid cooling, and delivers strong 1440p and 4K gaming performance. The Megamini is more compact and cooler-running, but it’s also priced significantly higher. The G1 Pro trades some thermal efficiency for a larger footprint and substantially better upgrade potential.
Against other mini PCs like the G7 Ti, the G1 Pro offers superior placement flexibility. The G7 Ti’s ventilation design makes vertical mounting problematic, while the G1 Pro’s design supports both orientations without compromise. This is a practical advantage if your living room setup requires vertical mounting.
Realistic Concerns Worth Considering
A console-shaped PC is appealing, but it’s still a PC. It requires Windows updates, driver management, and the occasional troubleshooting that consoles don’t demand. If you’re drawn to the G1 Pro primarily for its aesthetic appeal and living room fit, you need to accept that you’re buying a gaming PC that happens to look nice, not a console replacement. Thermal management in a compact chassis can be aggressive—the internal design prioritizes silence and aesthetics, which sometimes means fans work harder than they would in a larger tower. Performance will be strong, but you won’t achieve the quiet operation of a sealed console.
Storage is another consideration. The two M.2 slots are excellent for upgradability, but modern AAA games demand substantial space. You’ll likely need to plan storage expansion sooner rather than later, especially if you maintain a rotating library of large titles.
Is the Minisforum G1 Pro Right for Your Setup?
The G1 Pro succeeds at something most mini PCs fail to deliver: it makes a genuinely powerful gaming PC feel at home in a living room. If you want console-like aesthetics, console-like form factor, and PC-like upgradability and game library access, this machine delivers on all three fronts. It’s not the smallest mini PC available, and it won’t run as cool as a liquid-cooled alternative, but it’s the most thoughtfully designed console-shaped PC for actual living room integration.
The real question is whether you need a living room gaming PC at all. If your gaming primarily happens at a desk, a traditional tower or smaller mini PC makes more sense. If you’re gaming on a TV-connected setup and want the flexibility to upgrade components without replacing the entire system, the G1 Pro’s combination of form, function, and upgrade potential becomes genuinely compelling.
Does the Minisforum G1 Pro support vertical and horizontal mounting?
Yes. The G1 Pro includes a plastic vertical stand that allows both vertical and horizontal orientation. This flexibility lets you position the unit to match your specific living room layout without compromising ventilation or performance.
How does the Minisforum G1 Pro compare to the standard G1?
The primary difference is the GPU. The G1 Pro uses an Nvidia RTX 5060 8GB GDDR7, while the standard G1 uses an RTX 4060 8GB GDDR6. The Pro variant delivers noticeably better gaming performance, particularly at higher resolutions and demanding settings.
What are the storage options on the Minisforum G1 Pro?
The G1 Pro includes two M.2 2280 PCIe 4.0 x4 slots, allowing you to install two NVMe SSDs or upgrade storage as needed. This gives you flexibility to expand capacity or add faster storage without replacing the entire system.
The Minisforum G1 Pro represents a genuine shift in how gaming PCs can integrate into living spaces. It’s not a console, and it doesn’t pretend to be one—but it borrows the best parts of console design while preserving the upgrade flexibility and game library access that define PC gaming. For anyone serious about TV-connected gaming who also wants genuine upgrade potential, it’s worth serious consideration.
Where to Buy
$1,439.90 at Amazon | $1,479 at Amazon | Amazon
This article was written with AI assistance and editorially reviewed.
Source: Tom's Guide
