We tested two opposite poles, the Geekom Fun11 and A8 mini PCs

In terms of connectivitythe Geekom Mini FUN11 is well equipped with six USB 3.2 Gen2 ports, two Thunderbolt 4 ports, HDMI 2.0b, and support for Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2. As an addition, Geekom has designed small antennas that are installed on the back to give more range to Wi-Fi 6E, which works like a charm no matter how far away you are from the router. Furthermore, the most important thing for a gamer PC, dedicated graphics cards of up to 31.2 cm in length fit into the small box, that is, practically all existing ones, such as a Radeon RX 6000 or the GeForce RTX 30, which allows a high level graphics performance. Of course, they are not included.

We loved the design of the Mini FUN11, always keeping in mind that it is very gamer. It has a chassis custom made by Cougar for the Intel NUC Extreme Element, with a tempered glass side panel that allows you to see the internal components, and is illuminated by RGB fans, which are also responsible for cooling the system. It’s like a gaming PC that we usually see on streamers, but in mini size. The size means that we may have some limitations on possible hardware upgrades, since the space inside the box is what it is.

The Mini FUN11 is perfect for two types of users, content creators and gamers, the 32 gigabytes of RAM, the Intel CPU and the GPU that you can install, make it a good workstation for editing content and to play any AAA to the maximum of its capabilities.

Right now Geekom has the Mini Fun11 at a price of €759, 50% of the launch price. 1519 euros was a somewhat high price for this minipc that does not include a dedicated graphics card in the package, for that amount there were better alternatives. At the current price, it is a great option to have a “nice” and attractive gaming PC, with good basic technology that allows you to choose your own graphics card.

Mini Work PC

As a more ‘serious’ alternative as a work PC, we have tested the Geekom A8, a mini PC that provides good performance thanks to the AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS or Ryzen 7 8845HS processors, in a very small space due to its tiny size.

The Geekom A8 that we have tested is equipped with an AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS processor with 8 cores and 16 threads, capable of reaching speeds of up to 5.2 GHz. In addition, it has integrated Radeon 780M graphics, offering graphics performance, let’s say, “decent.” » for a mini PC. It comes with 32GB of DDR5-5600 RAM, expandable up to 64GB, and a 2TB PCIe Gen4 SSD, providing ample storage space and fast read/write speeds.

Unlike the Mini Fun11, the goal of the Geekom A8 is to go unnoticed, with an aluminum chassis that gives it a feeling of robustness and sobriety. The device weighs approximately 450 grams and thanks to its ridiculous size it can be installed anywhere, even behind a monitor, with VESA anchors. In terms of connectivity, it includes several USB-A and USB-C ports, HDMI 2.0b, and a USB 4.0 port that supports transfers of up to 40 Gbps. We could connect up to 4 screens to the A8, to offer a total of 4k resolution. Cooling is provided by a huge top fan, which can make it a little noisy at times if it’s hot out and we have it working hard.

The AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS processor, which is an “old acquaintance”, combined with RAM, has obtained good results in GeekBench, surpassing most mini PCs in its category. If we have to put a “but”, it is the integrated Radeon 780M graphics, which has nothing to do with having a dedicated graphics card and cannot run demanding games, although it can be used to edit video or play games that we already have. count on a few years. As an added bonus, this processor has AI capabilities with its 38 TOP NPU, which we have not tested, but which would allow it to run artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms locally.

The Geekom A8 is an excellent option for those looking for a powerful and discreet mini PC, so it would be suitable for any office. Although, let us remember that it is not suitable for high-end games, it is suitable for office work, content creation and as an entertainment center.