Minisforum MS-01 PCIe Card and RAM Compatibility Thread

[MetalPhreak]

Added a Samsung U.2 today. It's fiddly and not the best thing in the world to assemble fully loaded, but given the packaging / size, I don't think there was too much room to do a better job. Once it's all together its solid and.functional. The lenovo 1L chassis is much nicer to work on but I don't see Lenovo catering to this crowd

Current config:
12900H CPU config
2x32GB corsair vengeance 4800mhz memory
2x2TB M.2 NVME in the 3.0 slots
Coral single TPU accellerator in the wifi slot
Samsung PM983 1.92TB U.2
TBC: Qnap 16 port external sata card in pci-e slot

With more USB4/Thunderbolt stuff coming as it gets more traction in the market, there is still another 2x40gbps of expansion possible.

 

[DataX]

Has anyone tested >2TB M.2 SSD's? If not I have a couple of 4TB drives I can test in the next couple of days, but other than the single/double-sided thermal concerns, I don't see any reason why they wouldn't work. The U.2 carrier is just a dumb board which connects to the Gen4 slot, and the other Gen3 slots should be wired to the PCH, or am I missing something? Seeing that you can kill your M.2 drive if you bump a little switch on the board, I think they could have gotten away with a sticker or a warning in the manual instead if that's the only reason lol.

 

[PigLover]

Has anyone tested >2TB M.2 SSD's? If not I have a couple of 4TB drives I can test in the next couple of days, but other than the single/double-sided thermal concerns, I don't see any reason why they wouldn't work. The U.2 carrier is just a dumb board which connects to the Gen4 slot, and the other Gen3 slots should be wired to the PCH, or am I missing something? Seeing that you can kill your M.2 drive if you bump a little switch on the board, I think they could have gotten away with a sticker or a warning in the manual instead if that's the only reason lol.

I've got a Sabrent Rocket 4 4tb in the pcie 3.0x2 m.2 slot. Its a double-sided device and works fine. Its not really under much stress so temps are not an issue. Not sure what it would do under load. I did not install any heatsink. It sits right right under the SSD fan but doesn't really get much airflow from it.

I think their disclaimer about double-sided m.2 may have to do with 110mm devices as they would surely press tightly against the 80mm screw terminal.

 

[mrpasc]

Meanwhile minisforum has interesting entry in their FAQ (at their German site MS-01 Work Station )


A: Das MS-01 unterstützt auch SSDs mit Chips auf beiden Seiten.
A: The MS-01 also supports SSDs with chips on both sides.


A: Minisforum empfiehlt die Verwendung einer 2-TB-Festplatte, es können aber auch Laufwerke mit mehr als 2TB Kapazität verwendet werden.
A: Minisforum recommends the use of a 2 TB hard drive, but drives with more than 2TB capacity can also be used.

 

[OJO360]

I am buying one to replace my power hungry server. I don't need 96GB and would be fine with 64GB. The specs are so-dimm 5200 but I'm contemplating the G-Skills one: G.SKILL Ripjaws SO-DIMM 64GB (2 x 32GB) 262-Pin DDR5 SO-DIMM DDR5 5600 (PC5 44800) Laptop Memory Model F5-5600S4040A32GX2-RS. They are 5600 with 40 latency. Before I order those, anybody tried them successfully?

I just got my kit in today and it's working great with ProxMox.


I Ordered my unit back in December when it first went on sale, I was researching the HP & Lenovo minis at the time and this seemed so much more featured. 10GB, PCIe 4 x8 wired(wish it was x16) and USB4 was just too good to pass up, and I didnt know there were youtube reviews coming. I received it last monday but i had to go out of town and i was wrestling with getting 64GB ram or 96GB. I ended up going with 64GB since it was going to be a bit difficult to get my 4090 connected for AI work(Gaussian Splatting). If i upgrade to 96GB i'll probably just end up using the 64GB kit in anther mini PC or Laptop/Tablet. This will be my on set server for data and docker services when I shoot Films. I plan to add a 9500-8e and an Icy Dock 2 bay U.2 for 5.25" bay holding 2x 15TB Intel drives in a RAID 1. Then put everything inside a 3D Printed 5.25" bay enclosure to hold and hide the cables. I already have one holding an internal bluray drive for backing up/viewing my collection. Although I probably should get the 9500-16e and then i can get the 4 Bay, but i feel like 4Bay would be limited by the PCIe 4 x8 wiring. I'm new to server ssds and i am very open to learning anything and everything about them, i already own other used server components. And of course that 15TB 7mm Samsung internally sounds great too. Either way with the GL inet router as a repeater this should be a great off-grid/take anywhere server to hold my footage when i shoot and then some. I want to add NDI and other things that can help consolidate important info on set. By them time i'm done i'll have basically spent as much as a nice Thread Ripper Pro system lol (which i also kinda sorta want to build).

 

[jdpdata]

I ordered 3x MS-01 to be use as nodes in HA Promox cluster. And placed a bid on 6x Samsung MZ-1LB1T9B PM983a 22110 1.88TB NVMe. Planning to run 1x each in slot 2 or 3 of MS-01 as mirrored ZFS VM-storage pool. Slot 2 is rated PCIe 3.0 x 4 but slot3 is only PCIe 3.0 x 2. Does this causes any problems with RAID r/w functions? Will the storage controller kick slot 2 down to PCIe 3.0 x 2 to match slot 3? Also reading that these runs kinda hot. Do you all think I'll have any heat issues. The fan shroud is right on top of them. Should be enough cooling?

 

[jdpdata]

It would be a perfect all-in-one edge device if it could do NAS duty, too. But, I’m dubious about their claims of TB3 capability. I’m using an 8-bay OWC DAS now; this would be perfect to take on the DAS and make it a NAS instead.
I know this thread is about expansion cards, but if someone could plug a Thunderbolt device into this little guy?
I’d also be curious to know if they have the appropriate headers on the motherboard for a real TB4 card.

Would love to know too. I want to retire my power hungry Xpenology running on Lenovo P520. I'm interested with 8-bay OWC DAS enclosure. Does that model take SATA/SAS/ U.2 and NVMe drives? I would run 4x 18TB SATA for my arrs stack video storage and 4x 2TB NVMe for super fast scratch volume.

 

[shmokey629]

I just got my kit in today and it's working great with ProxMox.


I Ordered my unit back in December when it first went on sale, I was researching the HP & Lenovo minis at the time and this seemed so much more featured. 10GB, PCIe 4 x8 wired(wish it was x16) and USB4 was just too good to pass up, and I didnt know there were youtube reviews coming. I received it last monday but i had to go out of town and i was wrestling with getting 64GB ram or 96GB. I ended up going with 64GB since it was going to be a bit difficult to get my 4090 connected for AI work(Gaussian Splatting). If i upgrade to 96GB i'll probably just end up using the 64GB kit in anther mini PC or Laptop/Tablet. This will be my on set server for data and docker services when I shoot Films. I plan to add a 9500-8e and an Icy Dock 2 bay U.2 for 5.25" bay holding 2x 15TB Intel drives in a RAID 1. Then put everything inside a 3D Printed 5.25" bay enclosure to hold and hide the cables. I already have one holding an internal bluray drive for backing up/viewing my collection. Although I probably should get the 9500-16e and then i can get the 4 Bay, but i feel like 4Bay would be limited by the PCIe 4 x8 wiring. I'm new to server ssds and i am very open to learning anything and everything about them, i already own other used server components. And of course that 15TB 7mm Samsung internally sounds great too. Either way with the GL inet router as a repeater this should be a great off-grid/take anywhere server to hold my footage when i shoot and then some. I want to add NDI and other things that can help consolidate important info on set. By them time i'm done i'll have basically spent as much as a nice Thread Ripper Pro system lol (which i also kinda sorta want to build).

Apparently those HBAs are not very good with U.2. From what I've read the SSDs will show up as SCSI devices in the OS instead of proper NVMe devices, negating many of the benefits and making their performance much lower than it should be. U.3 seems to be better.

 

[MetalPhreak]

I ordered 3x MS-01 to be use as nodes in HA Promox cluster. And placed a bid on 6x Samsung MZ-1LB1T9B PM983a 22110 1.88TB NVMe. Planning to run 1x each in slot 2 or 3 of MS-01 as mirrored ZFS VM-storage pool. Slot 2 is rated PCIe 3.0 x 4 but slot3 is only PCIe 3.0 x 2. Does this causes any problems with RAID r/w functions? Will the storage controller kick slot 2 down to PCIe 3.0 x 2 to match slot 3? Also reading that these runs kinda hot. Do you all think I'll have any heat issues. The fan shroud is right on top of them. Should be enough cooling?

Not sure about the intel hardware raid, but I have mine in the same two slots (gen 4.0 nvme devs too) and its running fine as a zfs raidz1. Limited to the slowest x2 lane slot in practice as it needs to write data to both disks before saying "written" for it to be safe.

 

[Joss]

Meanwhile minisforum has interesting entry in their FAQ (at their German site MS-01 Work Station )


A: Das MS-01 unterstützt auch SSDs mit Chips auf beiden Seiten.
A: The MS-01 also supports SSDs with chips on both sides.


A: Minisforum empfiehlt die Verwendung einer 2-TB-Festplatte, es können aber auch Laufwerke mit mehr als 2TB Kapazität verwendet werden.
A: Minisforum recommends the use of a 2 TB hard drive, but drives with more than 2TB capacity can also be used.

So this would mean we could add three 8TB M.2 SSDs, five with a PCIe card.

 

[BlueChris]

Anyone in Europe got any info on it? i received today the 96Gb ram and 2 x 990pro 2TB so i am a bit eager

 

[PigLover]

It would be a perfect all-in-one edge device if it could do NAS duty, too. But, I’m dubious about their claims of TB3 capability. I’m using an 8-bay OWC DAS now; this would be perfect to take on the DAS and make it a NAS instead.
I know this thread is about expansion cards, but if someone could plug a Thunderbolt device into this little guy?
I’d also be curious to know if they have the appropriate headers on the motherboard for a real TB4 card.

I tested the Thunderbolt using an external OWC Thunderbolt 10gbe box and with an OWC Thunderbolt 3 Pro dock (which also has 10gbe embedded). Both worked perfectly, iperft hits 10g speeds no worries.

I know this isn't the same as testing with a Thunderbolt JBOD but thunderbolt is pretty solid - if the 10gbe stuff is working 99.9% chance on the disk box.

Can't confirm TB4, but TB3 speeds should handle 8+ spinny SATA drives or a couple of big U.2 drives no problem.

I'm am curious how the TB connected disks would present to the OS (i.e., would they be available for passthrough). My vision is this box sitting next to an 6 bay or 8 bay Thunderbolt disk box, running Proxmox with virualized TrueNAS as a converged server/NAS. Biggest issue for me now is that the Thunderbolt boxes are too darn costly (OWC 8 bay is $799 with no drives)

 

[PigLover]

Also just noticed OWC has an NVMe enclosure that can handle either 2x U.2 or 8x m.2 over thunderbolt 3. Not sure how they are mux'ing the 8x m.2 (probably x2 or even x1 per drive). But it could make for a pretty interesting all flash NAS with the MS-01.

OWC mercury

 

[PigLover]

I just got my kit in today and it's working great with ProxMox.


I Ordered my unit back in December when it first went on sale, I was researching the HP & Lenovo minis at the time and this seemed so much more featured. 10GB, PCIe 4 x8 wired(wish it was x16) and USB4 was just too good to pass up, and I didnt know there were youtube reviews coming. I received it last monday but i had to go out of town and i was wrestling with getting 64GB ram or 96GB. I ended up going with 64GB since it was going to be a bit difficult to get my 4090 connected for AI work(Gaussian Splatting). If i upgrade to 96GB i'll probably just end up using the 64GB kit in anther mini PC or Laptop/Tablet. This will be my on set server for data and docker services when I shoot Films. I plan to add a 9500-8e and an Icy Dock 2 bay U.2 for 5.25" bay holding 2x 15TB Intel drives in a RAID 1. Then put everything inside a 3D Printed 5.25" bay enclosure to hold and hide the cables. I already have one holding an internal bluray drive for backing up/viewing my collection. Although I probably should get the 9500-16e and then i can get the 4 Bay, but i feel like 4Bay would be limited by the PCIe 4 x8 wiring. I'm new to server ssds and i am very open to learning anything and everything about them, i already own other used server components. And of course that 15TB 7mm Samsung internally sounds great too. Either way with the GL inet router as a repeater this should be a great off-grid/take anywhere server to hold my footage when i shoot and then some. I want to add NDI and other things that can help consolidate important info on set. By them time i'm done i'll have basically spent as much as a nice Thread Ripper Pro system lol (which i also kinda sorta want to build).

I'd suggest you consider Thunderbolt options. For spinning disks they will be guarenteed full speed. For u.2/m.2 options they will likely be fast enough. You'll spend less money, have fewer/thinner cables to deal with, and you won't have to deal with heat issues inside the chassis (the 9500 chips run hot and are power hungry). Plus you'll still have the PCIe slot open for other options.

 

[reasonsandreasons]

I believe they're using their U.2 shuttle. Apparently it uses a ASM2812 PCIe switch, so it's indeed 4x2. it's a nice package, but the shuttles are a substantial additional expense.

 

[OJO360]

I'd suggest you consider Thunderbolt options. For spinning disks they will be guarenteed full speed. For u.2/m.2 options they will likely be fast enough. You'll spend less money, have fewer/thinner cables to deal with, and you won't have to deal with heat issues inside the chassis (the 9500 chips run hot and are power hungry). Plus you'll still have the PCIe slot open for other options.

I totally get what you are saying, I have a few 4 bay m.2 docks bookmarked as backup, but i'm not going to be using these drives all day, Just when i want playback or backing up. Then i may edit off of them a bit but i'm not sure yet. Then i can also have a desktop too with a 9500-8e or 16e. I have Thunderbolt 3 on all but one of my builds and it's pretty much useless; buggy, never works even after constant restarts. It even corrupted one of my drives. I do not trust thunderbolt to be reliable. Is the USB4 compatible with proxmox, i haven't even bothered to look for it. If I have to 3D print a stand with an fan or other solution to take care of the heat i will, it will still be smaller than lugging around an ITX build (which i also have with it's useless thunderbolt). I don't mind how thick the cables are as long as they work. My goal is that it works reliably, not that it was easy to setup or that it's pretty. Nothing worth having comes easy. Thanks for the feedback.

 

[spuwho]

I tested the Thunderbolt using an external OWC Thunderbolt 10gbe box and with an OWC Thunderbolt 3 Pro dock (which also has 10gbe embedded). Both worked perfectly, iperft hits 10g speeds no worries.

I know this isn't the same as testing with a Thunderbolt JBOD but thunderbolt is pretty solid - if the 10gbe stuff is working 99.9% chance on the disk box.

Can't confirm TB4, but TB3 speeds should handle 8+ spinny SATA drives or a couple of big U.2 drives no problem.

I'm am curious how the TB connected disks would present to the OS (i.e., would they be available for passthrough). My vision is this box sitting next to an 6 bay or 8 bay Thunderbolt disk box, running Proxmox with virualized TrueNAS as a converged server/NAS. Biggest issue for me now is that the Thunderbolt boxes are too darn costly (OWC 8 bay is $799 with no drives)

I have tested several TB devices on different generation Intel TB controllers and as far as these storage arrays go, compatibility depends. Some of them will display as simple JBOD or if the case has its own controller, it will report to the OS what the controller formatted the storage for. The real issue comes with some of the utilities used to manage the storage from a host. Some of them expect to see a traditional TB memory mapping to recognize the devices attached and the newer TB/USB4 controllers use virtual memory mapping. When I would run a TB management utility on a TB/USB4 controller, the utility would say "No Devices Found". The older software has no clue where the device was mapped because it didn't exist in the TB spec when the software was written. But if your TB gear is that old, its probably time to upgrade anyway.

 

[Elzeard]

I totally get what you are saying, I have a few 4 bay m.2 docks bookmarked as backup, but i'm not going to be using these drives all day, Just when i want playback or backing up. Then i may edit off of them a bit but i'm not sure yet. Then i can also have a desktop too with a 9500-8e or 16e. I have Thunderbolt 3 on all but one of my builds and it's pretty much useless; buggy, never works even after constant restarts. It even corrupted one of my drives. I do not trust thunderbolt to be reliable. Is the USB4 compatible with proxmox, i haven't even bothered to look for it. If I have to 3D print a stand with an fan or other solution to take care of the heat i will, it will still be smaller than lugging around an ITX build (which i also have with it's useless thunderbolt). I don't mind how thick the cables are as long as they work. My goal is that it works reliably, not that it was easy to setup or that it's pretty. Nothing worth having comes easy. Thanks for the feedback.

I totally agree ! I tried Thunderbold with 4 Nvme Bay : Boîtier SSD M.2 NVMe TB3 à 4 Baies - Boîtiers de disque dur externe | StarTech.com France
Works great but not in passthrough in QEMU, same issues, I had disks disconnected all the time.

For Sata Drive I have an Adaptec 78165E (who cost a few bucks), about 13w on idle.
Compared to 9500-16e, in real world i think it's enough ( I say that because I can't buy it ! ^^)

Miniformus support tell me they will start to send to Europe next week

 

[BlueChris]

Guys i never had usb-c as monitor output so i bought this to get also some other outputs but now that i bought it, i thought to ask after to be sure that it will work with my Displayport monitor.

 

[garbinc]

Coral single TPU accellerator in the wifi slot

Which coral is this?

Mini PCIe Accelerator
M.2 PCIe Accelerator