We spotted two great Cyber Monday deals on Minisforum mini PCs that are too good to pass up. Minisforum is well known for making handsome and feature-packed mini PCs, catering to many types of users. The best deals we saw were for the Minisforum Venus NPB7 and the Neptune HN2673.
Minisforum Venus NPB7 -22% Off on Cyber Monday Deal
Minisforum Venus Series NPB7 Mini PC: now $615 at Amazon (was $789)
Intel 13th Gen Core i7-13700H CPU, 32G DDR5+1TB PCIe4.0 SSD, 2X HDMI(4K)+2X USB4(8K) Output, 2X 2.5G RJ45 Port, 4X USB3.2
The NPB7 mini PC uses a 14-core / 20-thread Intel Core i7-13700H with integrated Intel Xe graphics. It is bundled with 32 GB DDR5 memory and a 1 TB NVMe SSD in an M.2 2280 PCIe 4.0 slot, capable of supporting up to 2 TB, with an additional SATA slot for a 2.5-inch SSD.
For outputs, Minisforum provides 2x HDMI supporting 4K @ 60Hz, and 2x USB4 supporting up to 8k @ 60Hz. There's also one audio jack. But apart from that, you get two 2.5gig ethernet ports, 2x USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-A, 2x USB 4, 2x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type A, and a data-only USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type C port. It includes an Intel 802.11 AX WiFI 6E+ BT 5.2 chip for wireless connectivity.
Minisforum provides an active cooling option for the PCIe 4.0 drive, with a much larger fan for the Intel CPU on the other side of the PCB facing downwards. The compact chassis has aluminum sides but the top and bottom cover are plastic.
Minisforum Neptune Series HN2673 -26% Off on Cyber Monday Deal
Minisforum Neptune Series HN2673 Mini PC: now $623 at Amazon (was $839)
Intel 12th Gen Core i7-12650H(10C/16T) CPU and Arc A730M Graphics , 32GB RAM 1TB SSD, 2xHDMI / 2xUSB-C 4K@60Hz Outputs, 2X HDD Slot, WiFi6, 2.5G LAN
The other mini PC deal we are looking at today is the Minisforum Neptune HN2673 which uses a generation older 10-core / 16-thread Core i7-12650H Alder Lake CPU, clocked up to 4.7 GHz. However, this device offers the additional charms of the Intel Arc A730M GPU with 6GB GDDR5 memory.
While this mobile discrete card isn't going to replace your primary gaming setup, it can definitely power some light gaming fun. Intel Arc drivers have improved lately with regular WHQL driver releases and optimized game-specific BETA drivers. This is a very different situation from the state of Intel Arc series driver support when it was launched.
Other HN2673 specs of note are its 2x HDMI ports and 2x USB-C ports supporting up to 4k @ 60Hz displays. There is 32 GB DDR4 memory on board and 1 TB SSD on an m.2 2280 drive with expansion options via two SATA III ports for 2.5-inch SSD drives.
The HN2673 looks well-ventilated and is also provided with a stand to place it in the upright position. However, for a mini-PC, this is a larger unit with its powerful quad-fan active cooling.
Which will you pick?
Whether you want to use this as a family PC or a personal entertainment system, both provide great options. Both are bundled with Windows 11 Home by default. For the Cyber Monday deal, the Venus series NPB7 is selling at $616, providing 22% off on its original price, and the Neptune series HN2673 system is $623, which is 26% off the retail price. The biggest decision is weighing the NPB7's compact form and newer and more powerful CPU against the bulkier HN2673, which has less CPU power but discrete Arc graphics.
