Geekom will increase the number of new products in 2024: The Chinese manufacturer will bring several mini PCs with particularly powerful AMD processors and even models for video games onto the market.
The mini PC market has long seemed confidential and in better shape than ever before. On the one hand, because more and more users are turning to these miniature computers, which advantageously replace the large towers of yesteryear. On the other hand, because the manufacturers specializing in this area are advancing ever further into the upper class with ever more diverse and ever more powerful models. In fact, countless Chinese brands now offer very cheap mini PCs for basic needs – but there are a whole range of them between 150 and 200 euros from NiPoGi, Bmax, Acemagician, Fodenn, Letsung, etc. – while some more modern specialist manufacturers integrate components of the latest generation to offer ever more efficient machines that are no longer much inferior to classic high-end computers or even PCs for gamers.
This is particularly the case with Geekom, a Chinese manufacturer that stood out in 2022 with modest but very well designed mini PCs such as the MiniAir 11, the Mini IT8 and the Mini IT11, before equipping itself with more sophisticated models in 2023 with newer processors such as the AS5 and AS6, the Mini IT 12 or the Mini IT13, most of which were tested in our columns. And the manufacturer doesn't want to stop there, as its latest announcements show.
Geekom A7 and A8 Max: latest generation Ryzen
After ending 2023 with the A5, a mid-range model with a Ryzen 7 5800H, a powerful but not very young processor, Geekom is starting 2024 with two mini PCs equipped with the latest generation AMD chips.
First, the A7, a model equipped with either a Ryzen 7 7800H or a Ryzen 9 7940H, very powerful processors (Zen 4 architecture, 8 cores-16 threads, 780M integrated graphics circuit…), with 32 or 64 GB RAM in DDR5, a 1 or 2 TB SSD in PCIe Gen4x4 and several interfaces (USB4, Ethernet 2.5 Gbit/s, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3…), all in a particularly compact 0.47 l housing and for a reasonable price (between 750 and 900 euros depending on the configuration chosen). In short, a complete, balanced and versatile computer that can easily compete with the best models from Beelink or Minisforum.
© Geekom
Then and especially with the A8 Max, which will be one of the first mini PCs on the market that has Ryzen the 8 promises better graphics management thanks to an optimized GPU but also a connection to artificial intelligence with neural units (NPU). These processors are very similar to the Ryzen 7000 series and can easily be housed in a compact chassis similar to the A7 with similar interfaces.
Geekom APro8 Max: a mini gaming PC with a real graphics card
However, things are about to change dramatically with the APro8 Max. Equipped with a Ryzen 9 8940H, this gaming-focused model benefits from a much larger chassis as its processor is supported by a true independent graphics circuit, namely a Radeon RX 7600M XT, accompanied by 8GB of dedicated GDDR6 RAM. On paper, it's enough to offer performance equivalent to that of a GeForce RTX 4060, one of Nvidia's latest chips. Enough to really play the most demanding games in good conditions, taking advantage of ray tracing and other advanced graphics features.
Small detail worth noting, the whole thing could use AMD Smartshift technology to dynamically switch between the GPU integrated into the processor and the dedicated graphics card according to the needs of the applications used, which would limit energy consumption – the graphics cards are always more delicious. The APro8 Max is significantly larger than other Geekom mini PCs (252 x 193 x 92 mm) and can be placed vertically like a PS5 gaming console. And it will also have a variety of sockets and interfaces (6 x USB-A in USB 3.2 Gen 2, 2 x USB-C in USB4, 2 x HDMI 2.0 + 2 x DisplayPort 1.4, 2 x Ethernet 2.5 Gbit/ s). .). There should be no shortage of sockets, regardless of the purpose!
On the left the A8 Max, on the right the APro8 Max. © Geekom
The APro8 Max won't be the manufacturer's only gaming-oriented mini PC. Geekom has actually added other models of this type to its catalog with the Mini FUN9 and MiniFUN11. However, these computers are significantly larger because their cases are designed to accommodate large PCIe graphics cards (up to 321 mm), such as those from the AMD Radeon RX 6000 or Nviidia GeForce RTX 3000 series. In addition, they work on 9th and 11th generation Intel chips, respectively, which are significantly less powerful than the Ryzen 9 8940H of the APro8 Max, which is supposed to be the brand's new flagship.
Even though Geekom is clearly relying on AMD chips for its new models, the manufacturer hasn't forgotten Intel. And after the MiniIT12 and Mini IT13, equipped with 12th and 13th generation Intel chips respectively, the brand is launching the Mini IT14 Pro, a minicomputer powered by a 14th generation Intel processor ( known as Meteor Lake), namely a Core Ultra 7. 155H. Thanks to its Metor Lake architecture, it is more efficient than its predecessors and particularly benefits from an integrated Arc graphics module, which is much more at home in video games than the Iris Xe.
We see Geekom has big ambitions for 2024, especially since the year has just begun. Note that if it is already on sale on the official website (with a discount for its launch), the manufacturer has not indicated the date or price for its other models.