MINISFORUM MS-02 Ultra Core Ultra 5 235HX Workstation (Barebone)

Pros

• +PCIe 5.0 x16 supports a dual-slot desktop GPU — the only pick here that grows into a graphics workstation
• +Four DDR5 SODIMM slots and multiple M.2 slots give the deepest memory and storage headroom
• +USB4 v2 at 80Gbps plus 10GbE and 2.5GbE outrun every other box here on I/O bandwidth
• +Core Ultra 5 235HX brings 14 cores and a 13-TOPS NPU
• +Cooling rated for 100W sustained under load

Cons

• −Ships as a barebone — no RAM, SSD, or OS, so real cost climbs above the $599 sticker
• −Larger chassis runs near 36dB under load — louder and bigger than the 1.0L boxes
• −Not turnkey — you install RAM, an SSD, and Windows before first boot
• −235HX config omits the ECC and dual-25GbE of the flagship 285HX