Minisforum MS-S1 MAX-P495 vs. GMKtec EVO-X5 Pro: Price, Specs and AI

The first AMD Gorgon Halo mini PCs reported available to order are the Minisforum MS-S1 MAX-P495 and GMKtec EVO-X5 Pro. Both use the Ryzen AI Max+ PRO 495 and offer 192GB of unified memory. That capacity is the main draw for local AI: it can make room for larger models, but it does not by itself mean faster processing. 171960

Prices and configurations

Minisforum’s US launch price for the MS-S1 MAX-P495 is reported at $7,399 with a 2TB SSD. GMKtec offers the EVO-X5 Pro in 2TB and 4TB configurations, both with 192GB of memory. Its launch pricing is less straightforward: one report lists early-bird prices of $6,599 for 2TB and $6,899 for 4TB, with regular prices of $6,799 and $7,099, respectively. Check the seller’s current checkout price before comparing or ordering. 171924

At the listed early-bird prices, GMKtec costs less and gives buyers a 4TB option. Minisforum’s price is for a 2TB model, so the headline difference is not a like-for-like comparison at every storage capacity.

What the Ryzen AI Max+ PRO 495 brings

Minisforum lists a 16-core, 32-thread Zen 5 processor with speeds up to 5.2GHz, Radeon 8065S graphics and an NPU rated up to 55 TOPS. It also advertises up to 131 TOPS of total system AI compute. That combined figure is distinct from the NPU rating and should not be read as an LLM generation-speed benchmark. 33

AMD lists support for up to 192GB of LPDDR5X-8533 memory. In these systems, memory is shared between the CPU and integrated graphics: it is not 192GB of dedicated video memory. GMKtec says up to 160GB can be assigned as graphics memory, which can give large local models more room, depending on their format and workload. 192360

Connectivity and expansion

The EVO-X5 Pro is reported to include two USB4 v2 ports, two USB4 ports, dual 10GbE and HDMI 2.1. It has three M.2 slots and is reported to support up to 24TB of storage; the maximum is an expansion capability, not the capacity of the 2TB or 4TB launch configurations. 28

The MS-S1 MAX platform is listed with dual 10GbE, USB4 v2 and a PCIe expansion slot. Because some published platform specifications describe the earlier MS-S1 MAX configuration, check the P495-specific listing for its final port and expansion details rather than assuming every specification carries over unchanged. 3533

Is 192GB a big performance upgrade over Strix Halo?

Earlier MS-S1 MAX systems based on the Ryzen AI Max+ 395 were listed with up to 128GB of unified memory. The 495’s 192GB maximum raises that ceiling by 50%, which matters most when a model or workload does not fit comfortably in the earlier limit. 3560

The available reporting characterizes the processor-performance change as modest, rather than a major generational jump. That makes the 495’s extra memory a more compelling reason to consider it than any assumption of dramatically higher speed. Actual local AI performance will depend on the model, its settings and the workload; the cited launch specifications do not provide a consistent, direct benchmark between these two mini PCs. 52

What about a similarly configured laptop?

A launch report put HP’s Ryzen AI Max+ PRO 495 ZBook Ultra G3a at $7,449 with 192GB of memory—close to the reported $7,399 Minisforum price. That is a useful price reference, but the available information does not establish a like-for-like performance comparison between the laptop and either mini PC. 19

Bottom line: GMKtec’s early-bird offer is the lower-priced route, with a 4TB configuration available; Minisforum’s MS-S1 MAX-P495 offers a workstation platform with PCIe expansion. Both center on the same 192GB-memory advantage. Choose based on current price, storage needs and verified model-specific connectivity—not on an assumption that Gorgon Halo will be substantially faster than Strix Halo.