Power Consumption With Light Usage
In this test, I used each machine over many days while performing a variety of general desktop tasks including, but not limited to, web browsing, email, compiling source code, watching video, listening to music, and running virtual machines.
The chart shows total system power consumption, not just CPU power draw.
Under light load, the Minisforum MS-02 Ultra draws 44.9W, which is considerably higher than the conventional mini PCs in the comparison. However, this figure includes the optional 25GbE network card, which accounts for roughly 10W on its own. Factoring that in, the underlying platform is closer to the mid-30W range, which is still higher than the Ryzen and mobile Core Ultra systems, but more understandable for a compact workstation-class machine with far greater expansion, networking, and storage capabilities.
The MS-02 Ultra is therefore not competing with the likes of the N100, Ryzen 9 7940HS, Ryzen 9 8945HS, or Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 on low power consumption. Those systems are clearly more efficient for light desktop workloads. The better comparison is with desktop-class hardware, where the MS-02 Ultra sits below the i5-12400F system. That desktop draws 64.5W, although its result is heavily influenced by the dedicated graphics card.
Overall, the chart shows the trade-off clearly. The MS-02 Ultra consumes more power under light load than a typical mini PC, but part of that comes from the 25GbE card, and the higher draw buys a much more capable, expandable platform. It’s not the most efficient choice for basic desktop use, but its power consumption is reasonable when viewed as a compact workstation or mini server rather than a low-power mini PC.
Notes about the chart:
- The tasks do not include GPU-intensive activities such as gaming, running locally hosted AI apps, video recording, or live streaming.
- While the tests use software that accesses the GPU, such as Wayland, GPU power consumption is minimal, with the exception of the i5-12400F, as that machine’s dedicated graphics card draws significantly more at idle.
- Two screens are used on each machine.
- The i5-12400F machine hosts a dedicated graphics card, whereas the other machines all use onboard graphics.
- The Balanced CPU governor is used.
- The machines are running Ubuntu.
Next page: Page 3 – Power Consumption With CPU Stressed
Pages in this article:
Page 1 – Power Consumption With System Idle
Page 2 – Power Consumption With Light Usage
Page 3 – Power Consumption With CPU Stressed
Page 4 – Electricity Costs
Complete list of articles in this series:
| Minisforum MS-02 Ultra 285HX | |
|---|---|
| Introduction | Introduction to the series and interrogation of the machine |
| Benchmarks | Benchmarking the Minisforum MS-02 Ultra 285HX Mini Workstation |
| Power | Testing and comparing the power consumption |
| More articles will be published next week | |