Goodbye bulky desktops: this 2-liter monster has the power of a workstation

Thermalright, a company historically known for its air cooling solutions, has expanded its portfolio with the AI HydroNous R1, a high-performance Mini-PC aimed at redefining the boundaries of the "AMD Strix Halo" platform. The system stands out for the integration of the Ryzen AI Max+ 395 processor, a solution featuring 16 cores and 32 threads based on Zen 5 architecture, supported by a high-profile integrated graphics section.

The technical peculiarity of the AI HydroNous R1 lies in the processor's power management. Although the Ryzen AI Max+ 395 is officially credited with a standard TDP of up to 120W, Thermalright has implemented an unlocked configuration capable of reaching peak values up to 176W. To manage such thermal density in an extremely compact vertical chassis (only 2.6 liters in volume), the manufacturer opted for a custom liquid cooling system. This solution is designed to ensure the necessary operational stability in gaming contexts, where the iGPU Radeon 8060S promises adequate performance even with high-quality presets, as well as in professional workloads saturating the 16 CPU cores.

Despite its reduced dimensions that favor portability, the chassis integrates a 4.6-inch LCD display on the front dedicated to real-time monitoring of hardware parameters (temperatures, frequencies, and system load). The structure is characterized by large ventilation grids to promote constant thermal exchange.

On the connectivity front, the device offers a configuration that includes a high-speed Ethernet port (rumored to be 10GbE LAN) and dual USB4 for connecting high-bandwidth peripherals or fast external storage.

Although Thermalright has not yet officially released details regarding memory and storage configurations, initial reports suggest the arrival of a top-of-the-line variant equipped with 128 GB of RAM and a 2 TB SSD. The pricing positioning reflects the product's technical exclusivity: rumors point to a price tag of around 23,990 Yuan, equivalent to about 3,500 US dollars. No information has yet been released regarding the product's availability in the European market or the possible distribution of "barebone" versions, i.e., without memory and storage.