Geekom A8 “AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS” Mini PC Review: Hawk Point Upgrade Brings Boosted AI TOPS

When it comes to Mini PCs, Geekom is a name that most of you will be familiar with as they offer a wide range of solutions based on AMD and Intel hardware. We have covered a range of Mini PCs in the last couple of years featuring the latest and greatest solutions from each CPU vendor and their latest design is now available in the form of the Mini A8, a slim and sleek-looking machine that is packed with AMD's Ryzen 8000 "Hawk Point" APUs.

Today, we will be testing the Geekom A8 Mini PC which features the top specs for the Phoenix line of APUs and comes loaded with 32 GB DDR5 memory and a 2 TB SSD, all for a price of $806.00 US.

Geekom's A8 Mini PC comes in AMD Ryzen 8000 "Hawk Point" flavors which feature the latest Zen 4 core architecture. For this review, the sample that we got was equipped with the AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS CPU so right off the bat we know this is about as fast as APUs can get. Our unit was the fully decked out variant with two DDR5-5600 32 GB (16 GB x2) SO-DIMM memory modules and a 2 TB PCIe Gen 4.0 x4 M.2 drive.

Coming to the specifications, the Geekom A8 Mini PC rocks the AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS "Hawk Point" CPU which features 8 cores, 16 threads, 24 MB of cache (16 MB L3 + 8 MB L2), and a boost clock of up to 5.20 GHz. The CPU has a TDP of 35-54W. The chip also packs a dedicated NPU based on the Ryzen AI "XDNA" engine and offers 16 AI TOPS. That's the fastest number of AI TOPS that you can get at the moment with AMD's Ryzen APUs but it will soon be outpaced by the Ryzen AI 300 chips with up to 50 AI TOPS with their brand new XDNA 2 engine.

The iGPU is a major component of the AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS which comes in the form of the RDNA 3-powered Radeon 780M. This iGPU packs 12 Compute Units and is clocked at 2800 MHz. The AMD Radeon 780M has proven to be a very strong integrated graphics solution in our previous tests. It supports all of the latest AMD FiedlityFX technologies such as FSR 3, Frame Generation, Video Super Resolution & support for the latest APIs, all the while being offered in the same driver branch as the latest AMD Radeon RX 7000 GPUs.

Other specs for the Geekom A8 Mini PC include 32 GB DDR5 (Dual-Channel) memory operating at 5600 MT/s. This isn't soldered and instead features a SO-DIMM design so users can completely upgrade it as they wish (supports up to 64 GB). Storage comes in the form of a single M.2 2280 SSD slot running at Gen 4.0 speeds. There's also an onboard M.2 SATA SSD slot along with a 2.5" SATA HDD slot.

I/O on the Geekom A8 Mini PC, includes one USB4 (40 Gbps / DP) port, two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports, a single USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port, a single USB 2.0 port, a 2.5 GbE LAN port, an SD card reader, a DC Jack, a power button, two HDMI 2.0b outputs, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The following are the main features of the Mini PC:

The Geekom A8 Mini PC comes in a black cardboard package that has a simplistic look. You can see a picture of the mini PC in the front with a silver metallic body.

The back of the box has some basic specifications that list the specific configuration for this model. We got the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS variant with 32 GB of memory and 2 TB storage capacities.

Lifting the top box cover, you are welcomed by a soft foam internal in which the PC and its various accessories are kept safe and away from harm.

Before talking about the case itself, we have to mention the accessories that come with the A7 Mini PC. It comes with a Power Adapter, a mounting bracket with screws, and a manual. It has a power adapter that is rated to deliver up to 19V, 6.32A of current, or up to 120W of power to the system.

With the A8 Mini PC out of the package itself, you are met with another greeting on the plastic film around the PC.

So looking at the PC, you are met with a gorgeous and perfect square-shaped chassis that comes with a simplistic silver color scheme. The curved edges and the aluminum + shiny exterior have a very premium feel.

The top is fully enclosed while the sides of the chassis have vents to push hot air out of the unit that is dissipated by the cooling solution.

The front I/O on the Geekom A7 Mini PC comes with two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports, a microphone jack, and a Power On/Off button.

The back I/O of the Geekom A7 Mini PC comes with a 2.5GbE Ethernet LAN port, two HDMI 2.0b outputs, 1 USB 2.0 & 1 USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A port, 1 USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port, one USB4 Type-C port, and the DC-in power delivery port on the back.

The sides of the chassis come with an SD card reader which is quite an unusual place to have it but given the compact nature of this case, it looks like Geekom was only left with this place to place it.

Both sides feature a mesh design since they and the rear I/O are the only places where the hot air will be vented out.

Our test unit packed 32 GB of DDR5-5600 memory and 2 TB of SSD. This is the maximum config you can get from Geekom but still leaves room for expansion with up to 64 GB memory support & up to 4 TB M.2 capacities.

The interiors of the Mini PC can be accessed by removing four screws at the bottom. These screws are hidden underneath the feet of the Mini PC.

Geeokom is using Crucial DRAM modules which are rated at 1.1V while the SSD is from ACER in its standard M.2 2280 form factor and Gen4x4 design. The top of the chassis has an M.2 thermal pad which connects to a small aluminum heatsink. It should also cover the M.2 SATA SSD which can be attached to the free slot. The chassis can also mount a 2.5" HDD. For cooling, you get a standard blower fan with a couple of heat pipes on the other side which attaches over the CPU & VRM. The Geekom A8 Mini PC measures 112x112x37mm (W/L/H)  in its 0.47L chassis and weighs 450 grams.  You also get a VESA bracket along with four screws to mount it behind a monitor with ease.

For performance testing, we used the standard 60W power profile for the AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS when testing the Geekom A8 Mini PC.

For gaming, we tested a couple of the latest and most played esports titles along with a mix of AAA titles at 1080p resolution. The performance was measured between the AMD Radeon 780, Radeon 680M, AMD Vega 8, Vega 7, Vega 6, Intel UHD, and Intel Iris Xe-LP integrated graphics.

Following are the power and thermal numbers of the Geekom A8 Mini PC using its 60W power profile.

As for thermals, the Geekom A8 Mini PC peaked at around 96-98C with the 60W profile which peaks to 88-90W under maximum turbo power. The fan was noticeable under full load such as multi-threaded and gaming tasks. But the standard temperatures hovered around 60-70C while producing 45dBa noise.

Earlier this year, we got the chance to test Geekom's latest A7 Mini PC packing the Phoenix Point flagship, the Ryzen 9 7940HS. Today, we are looking at the updated A8 Mini PC which retains the same design and specifications, but now with the upgraded Hawk Point flagship, the AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS. This APU features the same specs as the 7940HS but features an upgraded AI NPU with a 16 TOPS compute performance. This should allow for faster AI capabilities on an already top-notch machine that outshines Intel's Core Ultra "Meteor Lake" platform.

The AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS delivers exceptionally great performance despite it running in such a small casing. We have seen it hit temperatures of around 90C but these are nothing that should be a cause for concern as they are well within the max thermal limits. Furthermore, the iGPU delivers a great gaming experience that is bolstered by AMD FiedlityFX features we see on the high-end RDNA 3 discrete GPU family.

The exterior comes with a very premium silver tint that looks great. There are a good amount of USB ports with the latest USB4 and HDMI 2.0b options. There's also WiFI 6E & BT 5.2 connectivity, an essential in today's day and age. The 2.5 GbE LAN port is great too but we hope to see more modern features such as 5 GbE and WIFI 7 solutions in the upcoming designs from Geekom.

The best part is that the Hawk Point upgrade comes in at the same price of $849.00 US as the older Phoenix predecessor. Plus, with our exclusive code, you can get a savings of up to $42, bringing the price down to $806 US, a fantastic deal for a high-end Mini PC configuration.

Grab the Geekom XT12 Pro Mini PC for 5% Off Using the code "WCCFA8. 

You can also grab the Geekom XT12 Pro Mini PC for 5% Off Using the code "WCCFA8" on the official webpage here (Lasts 10th July 2024)

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