The Minisforum MS-03 is in my opinion the true successor to the MS-01, and in this video I put it to the test as a Proxmox home lab server. I look at the new Intel Core Ultra 9 386H, triple 10GbE networking, NVMe and U.2 storage, PCIe expansion, power consumption, cooling, and the compromises you need to know about. I also compare it with the MS-01 systems in my current Proxmox cluster and answer the big question. If I were building my cluster again today, would I choose the MS-03?
Buy it here: https://store.minisforum.com/products/minisforum-ms-03-workstation
Full written review:
https://www.virtualizationhowto.com/2026/08/minisforum-ms-03-review-the-ms-01-home-lab-upgrade-ive-been-waiting-for/
Chapters:
00:00 – Is the MS-03 the new MS-01?
01:32 – Intel Core Ultra 9 386H and hardware
03:28 – MS-03 specifications and features
04:41 – Three 10GbE interfaces and networking
06:08 – NVMe storage and the PCIe x1 limitation
07:22 – U.2 enterprise NVMe support
07:55 – PCIe expansion and MS-01 comparison
09:05 – Panther Lake performance vs MS-01
09:45 – MS-03 power consumption testing
10:43 – Cooling and fan noise
11:40 – MS-03 compromises you need to know
12:44 – Pricing and overall value
13:41 – Would I replace my MS-01 cluster?
