Geekom A8 mini PC review

Even with Intel NUC exiting the mini-PC game that it helped to popularise, mini PCs are still a popular computer form factor. Case in point, the Geekom A8. After shifting its focus to mini PCs in 2021, Geekom hasn’t been shy of rolling out mini PC revisions. Geekom sent me an A8 model to review—the high-end AMD Ryzen 9 version—and I was left mostly impressed with the results. Scroll on for my full Geekom A8 review.

Mini PC enthusiasts will know that compact computers don’t always ship with all the hardware innards required to boot them up. Geekom sells ready-to-boot mini PCs, so all you need to add is a monitor, keyboard and mouse. In terms of pricing, less-compact gaming-centric mini PCs can cost north of $3,500 RRP.

While not as cheap as a barebones or entry-level NUC, both the Ryzen 7 ($1,299 RRP) and Ryzen 9 ($1,499 RRP) versions of the Geekom A8 are competitively priced. It’s worth spending the extra $200 for the Ryzen 9 version, too, for the faster processor and double the speedy M.2 storage capacity. According to the Geekom Australia store, both A8 models are covered by a 30-day refund-and-return policy and a three-year warranty.

Outside of the powerful innards, the Geekom A8 packs a wealth of ports into a tidy mini-PC case. In the box, you’ll find everything you need, including the mini PC, a generous-length power cable and even a mounting bracket (plus screws).

In terms of I/O ports, there are two USB 3.2 Gen 2 type-A ports on the front (including one with power delivery), alongside a 3.5mm stereo headset port and the power button. The right side has a grill pattern for airflow, and the left flank has the same grill broken up by a full-sized SD slot. On the back, there’s a healthy selection of ports to the right of the power slot:

• HDMI 2.0 (x2)
• Ethernet RJ45 2.5Gbps
• USB 3.2 Gen 2 (type A)
• USB 2.0 (type A)
• USB 3.2 Gen 2 with power delivery (type C)
• USB 4 Gen 3 with power delivery (type C)

About the only thing missing is some form of DisplayPort as far as monitor inputs are concerned. Admittedly, HDMI is more ubiquitous (and pretty much every monitor supports it), plus the A8 supports up to four monitors overall: two via HDMI and two via the USB-C back ports. I did most of my review with the Espresso Display 15 Touch as the main screen to complement the compact design (and it worked a treat).

In terms of initial setup, there weren’t any quirks. Connect a keyboard, mouse and monitor—I used a Logitech G502 X mouse and Asus ROG Claymore II keyboard via respective 2.4GHz dongles—then you hit the power button and go through the user configuration for Windows 11. It’s also a nice touch that Geekom has included a preinstalled Windows 11 Pro (instead of Home). Practically speaking, it took about 13 minutes from initial power on before the A8 was properly usable, and most of that was Windows installation time.

There’s very little to nitpick with the Geekom A8 as an everyday computer. It takes about 12 seconds to boot to the Windows login screen. After you’re logged in, there may be some fan noise as the initial background apps load. In fairness, that noise was low-to-mid 40 decibels with fan noise measured about half a metre away from the A8.

I measured similar fan noises during stress testing with sound disabled which, impressively, is smidge above the noise you can expect in a library. At the time of review, there was a pre-release update that added three fan settings to the BIOS, which I didn’t use for most of my testing.

I’m a pretty heavy multitasker in my everyday computing, but the A8 never felt like it was lagging. In terms of specific stress tests, here are the benchmark scores for the A8 CPU and GPU:

• Geekbench 6: 2,615 (single core CPU); 13,451 (multi-core CPU); 31,272 (GPU)
• Cinebench R23: 1,818 (single core CPU); 16,230 (multi-core CPU)
• Novabench CPU: 3,419 (overall); 2,167 (CPU); 329 (GPU); 426 (RAM); 497 (storage)

For context, those Cinebench CPU numbers were in the top five for single-core and multi-core scores. Impressively, some of those single-core CPU scores are better than Intel Core i9 laptops we’ve reviewed, with higher Geekbench scores than the Acer Predator Helios 3D gaming laptop, and only a smidge behind the double-the-RRP Lenovo Legion Pro 5i laptop. The GPU scores aren’t anything to write home about, but the A8’s AMD Radeon 780M integrated graphics solution scored ahead of the Microsoft Surface Laptop Copilot Plus and HP Spectre x360 in Geekbench.

Unless you’re buying a noticeably bulkier gaming-centric mini PC, the form factor really isn’t built for playing the latest greatest games at high resolutions with the graphics maxed out. That said, you should still expect to play games at around 1080p with playable frame rates.

Initially, I had issues with every game crashing during my tests. The crashes went away when I shifted from the games-focused HYPR-RX mode with the preinstalled AMD Software. But the more stable fix came from an eventual AMD Software update. All of my game testing was done with the HYPR-RX mode re-enabled to gauge the best frame rates with minimal tweaking.

I’ve been obsessed with the Ghost of Tsushima Steam port lately, and it defaulted to a high preset for my tests. Performance was okay at 32 frames per second (fps) for native 1080p resolution, better with FSR 3 balanced mode enabled (44fps), then better still with FSR 3 frame-gen active (55fps). Admittedly, there was something buggy with the frame pacing for frame-gen, which made it feel choppy in my tests. According to my internet sleuthing, the FSR 3 frame-gen choppiness is an issue with the AMD anti-lag feature; disable it to get smoother frame rates.

Immortals of Aveum fared better with FSR 3 frame-gen enabled: from an unplayable 19fps at native 1080p resolution (low preset) to 48fps. My other recent obsession Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor had a very playable 63fps at native 1080p, while a custom Counter-Strike 2 map averaged the same. Elden Ring defaulted to 720p resolution—which the A8 upscaled to 1080p via a ‘Super Resolution’ feature—netting a tidy 51fps during my tests (vs 33fps at native 1080p).

Everspace 2, though, only managed a 29fps average on low settings during my tests. Finally, I tested another FSR 3 game in Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora. On low preset, it scored 32fps at native 1080p with the in-game benchmark, which paradoxically got worse with basic FSR 3 enabled (29fps). That said, FSR 3 with frame-gen enabled jumped to a very playable 49fps average.

Most of those frame rates and default quality presets aren’t anything to write home about, but they are playable for most games. Like Nvidia graphics cards with DLSS, the best results come from FSR 3 games that support frame-gen. Still, it’s good to know that the A8 is capable of some gaming, even if it clearly isn’t built for it. It’s also worth noting that the same BIOS update I didn’t apply for testing purposes reportedly optimises the graphics card memory, which could leave to better scores.

If you’re in the market for a mini PC all-rounder, the Geekom A8 is definitely worth considering. Sure, it’s more built for everyday computing, but the price is competitive, the innards are powerful, and it’s got plenty of ports. While the gaming performance has a few disclaimers, this mini PC is still a viable choice for fans of older games, indie titles or anything less reliant on beefier graphics cards.