The list of Ryzen AI Max+ PRO 495 mini PCs keeps growing, and now a familiar US name has joined it. iBuyPower, the California system builder best known for gaming desktops, has announced its first mini PC, the Pro AMD AI Halo Mini PC. It pairs AMD’s newest Strix Halo chip with 128 GB of memory, dual 10 Gb Ethernet and three storage slots, and iBuyPower says it will go on sale in the fourth quarter of 2026 from $3,999.
What iBuyPower announced
The Pro AMD AI Halo is built around the Ryzen AI Max+ PRO 495, which AMD lists with 16 CPU cores and 32 threads, boost speeds up to 5.2 GHz, Radeon 8065S graphics with 40 compute units and a 55 TOPS neural processing unit. iBuyPower pairs it with a fixed 128 GB of LPDDR5X-8000 memory, so the only configuration choice is storage, with up to 8 TB across three M.2 slots, according to its announcement.
The ports are generous for a box this size. There are six USB ports, two of them USB4 at 40 Gbps, plus HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 1.4, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4 and two 10 Gb Ethernet ports for fast network storage or clustering. The case measures 200 x 198 x 70 mm and runs Windows 11 from an external power supply. iBuyPower’s standard three-year parts and labor warranty applies, with repairs available at any Micro Center store.
Where it lands among 495 mini PCs
Every other 495 mini PC sold in the US so far pairs the chip with 192 GB. GMKtec’s EVO-X5 Pro costs $6,799 with 2 TB and ACEMAGIC’s F9A Pro 495 costs $6,499. I have covered the 192 GB route twice, with the Minisforum system and the Framework Desktop, and the Lucebox Zero 495, a larger workstation, pairs 128 GB with a separate graphics card for $5,999.
On the other side, 128 GB machines with the older Ryzen AI Max+ 395 cost less. GMKtec’s EVO-X2 is $3,499.99, and AMD’s own Ryzen AI Halo mini PC with the 395 also started at $3,999, as Liliputing reported. iBuyPower runs the memory at 8,000 MT/s, the speed 395 machines use, where AMD rates the 495 for up to 8,533 MT/s, so the main gains over a 395 box come from the newer chip’s higher clock speeds.
Why 128 GB matters
For local AI, memory decides which models fit. On 128 GB Ryzen AI Max systems, Windows lets the graphics processor use up to 96 GB, as Notebookcheck notes, which covers many large models but leaves out the biggest ones that 192 GB machines can hold. For coding assistants, image generation and mid-size language models, 128 GB is still a lot of room.
Nvidia’s RTX Spark desktops are the other new option at this size. Microsoft’s Surface RTX Spark Dev Box pairs 128 GB with Nvidia’s software tools for $5,999.99 and ships in November, while Dell and ASUS have announced 128 GB models without prices. Against those, iBuyPower’s box is about $2,000 cheaper and runs regular x86 Windows.
What to watch
The details still to come are the base storage size, cooling and noise, and exact availability, since iBuyPower has only committed to the fourth quarter and has not listed the machine for sale yet.
An upgrade in name only
To me, this is effectively an upgrade in name only. Take away the extra RAM and the extra memory bandwidth, and you’re just left with the same processor under a slightly different model number, with a very slight gain in processor speed. Honestly, I don’t even know if I can call it a generational jump in the technical sense. It’s only generational in the sense that it’s a new release.
Which I guess is also why it has price parity with the older 395. At $3,999, it costs the same as AMD’s own 395-based Halo box, because effectively, it’s almost the same chip.
