System76’s Thelio Mira hits the market with Ryzen 9000 power and eye-popping RTX 5090 upgrade costing over $5,000
- Thelio Mira is powered by AMD Ryzen 9000 series processors with high cores
- System76 supports up to 192GB DDR5 memory and 28TB storage configurations
- Chassis redesign improves airflow by approximately 13.5 degrees and repairability
System76 has officially launched its redesigned Thelio Mira Linux desktop, bringing major changes to both aesthetics and internal architecture.
The desktop is built around the latest AMD Ryzen 9000 series processors, including options such as the Ryzen 9 9950X3D 16-core 3D V-Cache and Ryzen 9 9950X.
It can be paired with up to 192GB of DDR5 memory and storage capacities reaching 28TB across multiple NVMe and SATA drives.
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Decent upgrade with a premium price
The new Thelio Mira is designed to accommodate high-end Nvidia GPUs, including the recently released GeForce RTX 5090.
The chassis has undergone a notable redesign, departing from the original wood veneer look toward a style System76 calls “Precision Industrialism.”
This update provides easier access to front panel I/O, improves airflow, with an approximate 13.5-degree reduction in heat, and enhances repairability.
The new Thelio Mira delivers performance gains through thermal and architectural improvements.
Its CPU clock speeds have increased by up to 19%, while liquid cooling allows the processor to sustain peak performance during extended, compute-intensive tasks.
A removable bottom dust filter also helps the device maintain airflow and long-term performance.
Internally, the layout supports large GPUs up to 358mm in length, and the primary PCIe 5.0 x16 slot accommodates cards up to four slots in height.
Benchmarks and initial testing suggest the system handles demanding workloads effectively, running the Pop!_OS 24.04 operating system with the new COSMIC desktop environment.
The Thelio Mira supports a wide range of GPUs, from the RTX 5050 to the 5090, and includes the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT as an option.
Storage options are extensive, with multiple PCIe NVMe generations supported, although some configurations disable secondary slots depending on occupancy.
Networking is provided through Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.2, and 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet, and audio outputs reach up to 7.1 channels via the Realtek ALC1220 codec.
Power requirements vary depending on the GPU, with certain configurations needing up to a 1000W PSU.
Despite the system’s comprehensive specifications, attention has focused on the price of the RTX 5090 upgrade.
System76 is asking $5,299 for the GPU, a figure that exceeds the cost of most of the system’s memory configurations, including 96GB of DDR5-5600 RAM, which retails for substantially less.
At the moment, you can get an entire PC with an RTX 5090 GPU for less than $5,100, showing the disparity between the GPU cost and the rest of the configuration.
This raises questions about the perceived value of such an upgrade for typical Linux desktop users.
The rest of the Thelio Mira hardware, although high-end, can already handle most workloads without the top-tier Nvidia card, making the need for it questionable.
It remains to be seen whether the RTX 5090 upgrade will appeal beyond enthusiasts willing to pay a premium for a Linux-ready, ultra-high-end GPU solution.
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