Fresh from the forge — archive

UM890 Pro configured prices up at Minisforum: 32GB/512GB now $959 (was $919); 32GB/1TB now $1,023 (was $991), still out of stock. Barebone unchanged at $463.

UM890 Pro: new configured variant in stock at Minisforum — 32GB RAM + 512GB SSD for $919. The 32GB/1TB version remains $991 and out of stock; barebone still $463.

New pick: K11 (~$940) — the complete 8945HS box joins the list alongside the barebone UM890 Pro. Same chip, RAM/SSD/Windows included, cheaper all-in than barebone + parts.

New pick: UM890 Pro ($463 barebone) — the UM690S’s successor takes the power-pick slot: Ryzen 9 8945HS, dual 2.5GbE, OCuLink. Barebone only (you supply RAM + SSD).

UM690S and NAB6 removed from the shortlist — both discontinued and unavailable; see the Discontinued note.

UM690S: Amazon listing now shows Currently unavailable too (Minisforum also OOS) — card marked unavailable. Corrects the earlier Oct 16 note.

GMKtec NucBox G3 dropped: GMKtec no longer offers the 8GB/256GB config; the remaining variants are out of stock.

UM690S: Minisforum direct is $351 but out of stock on all US variants, so the buy link stays on Amazon (~$408).

Mac Mini M4: corrected discontinuation to August 2026 — May was only when Apple dropped the $599 base config.

Price & spec corrections: EQ14 back to ~$190 (DDR4, dual 1GbE), G3 Plus ~$190 (DDR4, single 2.5GbE, 1TB), Pi 5 board ~$200, M4 discontinued at Apple.

Beelink EQ14 Prime deal dead: back up to $369 at Amazon (was $189).

Mac Mini M6 back at $779.99 on Amazon as the $769 Prime price ends — buy button now points to Amazon.

Minisforum NAB6 sold out in all US variants at Minisforum.

Price drop: Apple Mac Mini (M6) down to $779.99 on Amazon — an all-time low, $120 off list, ahead of Prime Big Deal Days. See the Mac Mini (M6).

New hardware: ASRock Industrial NUC 300 series (Intel Wildcat Lake, ECC memory, dual 2.5GbE) launched Oct 2 — industrial niche, watching.

Noted, not a pick: Acemagic F9A Pro 495 — Ryzen AI Max+ Pro 495 “Gorgon Halo” box with 192GB RAM at ~$6,499, undercutting GMKtec’s Evo-X5 Pro early-bird price.

Price correction: the Raspberry Pi 5 (8GB) is $175 MSRP now, not ~$80 — memory-driven price rises through 2026. Card and comparison table fixed. See the Pi 5.

Noted, not a pick: GMKtec Evo-X5 Pro — Ryzen AI Max+ Pro 495 “Gorgon Halo” box, 192GB RAM (up to 160GB VRAM), from $6,799.

New pick: Apple Mac Mini (M6) (~$899) — 2 nm M6 chip, 2.5GbE standard, joins the M4 as a second premium pick.

New pick: Raspberry Pi 5 (~$175 board) — the lowest-idle-power box in the lineup, and the one I run myself.

Apple launched the M6 Mac Mini: 12-core chip, 2.5GbE Ethernet standard, from $899. See the M4 pick.

Spec correction: the Minisforum NAB6 is an Intel i7-12650H box (10 cores), not an N100 — card and comparison table fixed.