Geekom A8 review: Compact mini PC power in an elegant design | usagoldmines.com

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Technical specs

• Processor: AMD Ryzen 7 8745HS (8 cores, 16 threads)
• Memory: Micron 16 GB DDR5-5600, expandable to 64 GB
• Hard drive: 1 TB M.2 2280 PCIe Gen 4×4 SSD (Wodposit WPBSN4M8-1TGP)
• Graphics: AMD Radeon Graphics 780M (integrated)
• Front ports: 2 × USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, 1 × 3.5 mm audio
• Rear ports: 1 × USB 4 (Type-C), 1 × USB 3.2 Gen 2 (Type-C), 1 × USB 3.2 Gen 2 (Type-A), 1 × USB 2.0 (Type-A), 2 × HDMI 2.0, 1 × 2.5G LAN
• Wireless: Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2
• Operating system: Windows 11 Pro pre-installed
• Dimensions: 112.4 × 112.4 × 37 mm (W × D × H)
• Accessories: VESA mount, HDMI cable, external power supply

The market for compact desktop solutions is developing rapidly. With the Geekom A8, we have a new device that claims to replace classic tower PCs in terms of office performance. Here we are testing the A8 in a configuration with an AMD Ryzen 7 8745HS, 16 GB DDR5 RAM and a 1 TB SSD. Let’s find out if it can live up to that claim.

Geekom A8: Design

The chassis of the Geekom A8 is made of aluminum alloy. The silver surface looks elegant and is resistant to fingerprints. In direct comparison to the larger A9 Max models, the case appears significantly more compact – it measures just 112 x 112 x 37 millimeters (W × D × H).

Christoph Hoffmann

This makes the A8 flatter than competitors such as the Peladn WO4 or the Alliwava GH8. The rounded corners give the device a modern look reminiscent of Apple products.

Despite its small size, the mini PC appears robust. The gaps are precisely crafted. The manufacturer’s logo is emblazoned on the top. The side panels are perforated for air circulation. There are rubberized feet on the underside to prevent it from slipping on the desk. They also cover the screws used to open the case. The workmanship is good, and everything looks as if it were made from a single mold.

Christoph Hoffmann

The cooling system is exceptionally quiet under normal load. The fan is usually inaudible during simple office work. Under full load, it revs up audibly without producing an annoying whistling noise. Heat dissipation via the metal surface works well.

The included external power supply is still compact.

Geekom A8: Features

The AMD Ryzen 7 8745HS belongs to the Hawk Point generation and is classified as a powerful upper mid-range mobile processor designed specifically for efficient multitasking, office workflows and productive applications. The CPU was introduced in early 2024 and offers eight cores and 16 threads, but unlike the top models, it deliberately does without a dedicated NPU for AI acceleration.

The AMD Radeon 780M is a modern integrated graphics solution based on the RDNA 3 architecture, which is found in CPUs such as the Ryzen 7 8745HS and is suitable for mainstream graphics tasks and games with low hardware requirements; It delivers significantly more performance than older iGPUs, but still lags behind dedicated graphics cards and is only truly suitable for e-sports titles, which are usually played at reduced resolution and low 3D settings.

Christoph Hoffmann

Given its compact design, the Geekom A8 surprises with its variety of ports. On the front, there are two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports and a 3.5 mm jack for headphones and headsets. The flush-mounted power button has a defined pressure point.

Christoph Hoffmann

The rear panel is densely populated: here, users will find a USB4 port with up to 40 Gbit/s. It also supports image output and power supply for external devices. In addition, there are two HDMI 2.0 ports and another USB-C port. The fast 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet connection (Realtek RTL8125) ensures stable network connections.

Christoph Hoffmann

While cheaper models such as the Acemagic M1 often skimp on USB speed, the A8 offers consistently fast ports.

For wireless connectivity, the mini PC relies on a MediaTek MT7922 (IEEE 802.11ax) Wi-Fi 6E module, which supports the 6 GHz band in addition to the 2.4 and 5 GHz bands. This enables higher data rates, lower latencies and a more stable connection in heavily utilized networks. Bluetooth 5.2 is also included in the wireless equipment. This allows input devices, headsets and other accessories to be connected wirelessly.

The 16GB of RAM comes from Micron and is located in a DDR5 SO-DIMM slot. According to the manufacturer, the RAM can be expanded to up to 64GB of DDR5 RAM. This provides sufficient reserves for demanding multitasking scenarios, productive applications and long-term use.

Christoph Hoffmann

A 2280-format M.2 SSD with PCIe 4.0 x4 connection from Wodposit (model WPBSN4M8-1TGP) is used for data storage. It enables very high sequential transfer rates and short access times, which has a positive effect on both system starts and the loading of large amounts of data, noticeably speeding up the mini PC as a whole.

Christoph Hoffmann

Geekom A8: Operating system

The Geekom A8 comes with a hardware-bound Windows 11 license pre-installed, so no additional activation is necessary. When you switch on the mini PC for the first time, the Windows setup wizard starts automatically. During this setup, the first system and security updates are downloaded. Nevertheless, it’s advisable to check for further updates manually after the installation is complete.

Christoph Hoffmann

Although Windows 11 is basically ready to use as soon as it is delivered, the user must still install drivers for stable and performance-optimised operation. In particular, the latest AMD drivers for the Radeon graphics unit and the chipset should be installed as soon as possible. Both have a decisive influence on system stability, energy efficiency and graphics performance.

Christoph Hoffmann

In addition, you can check whether the feature update to Windows 11 version 25H2 is already available and can be installed. This was the case for us. Among other things, the update contains security-related adjustments as well as changes to system functions and operating system management. An update ensures that the system complies with the current support and update status from Microsoft.

Geekom A8: Performance

At the heart of the A8 is the AMD Ryzen 7 8745HS processor. The eight cores clock at high speed and handle multitasking tasks with ease. The benchmarks clearly show the strength of this CPU: in PCMark 10, for example, the system achieves a total score of 6,470 points. The tiny device is particularly impressive in the Essentials category with 9,912 points and in Productivity with 9,129 points. Office applications, surfing the web with dozens of tabs and video conferencing are no problem at all.

Christoph Hoffmann

The A8 achieves a solid 8,125 points in digital content creation. The A8 is ideally equipped for image editing in Adobe Photoshop or simple video editing. The 16 GB DDR5 RAM ensures smooth system operation.

For comparison: the Alliwava GH8 with AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS achieves almost the same result in this benchmark. The AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS in the Geekom A7 Max is only slightly faster.

In the CPU-specific tests of 3DMark, the processor scores 7,359 points at maximum thread count. This underlines its suitability for computationally intensive tasks. The differences to the two mini PCs mentioned above are similar to those in PCMark 10.

Christoph Hoffmann

When it comes to graphics performance, the Geekom A8’s integrated Radeon unit reaches its limits. It scores 1,877 points in the Time Spy benchmark, which is only ten points less than the Geekom A7 Max.

The Steel Nomad Light test delivers a clear signal with 12.41 FPS: this mini PC is not a gaming machine. Even current blockbuster titles can only be played with greatly reduced details and low resolution. The estimated gaming performance usually remains below 30 FPS. Older e-sports titles such as League of Legends, on the other hand, run smoothly.

Compared to the Sapphire Edge AI 370 or the Minisforum AI-X1 Pro, the A8 ranks in the upper mid-range.

The lack of an NPU is noticeable in the Geekbench AI scores: the system achieves 3,646 points in the single precision score. The more expensive Max models are better suited for specialized AI workflows.

Christoph Hoffmann

With read speeds of over 7,160 MB/s and write speeds of 6,129 MB/s, the SSD delivers high transfer rates. Programs start without any noticeable delay. The system feels responsive and stable.

Christoph Hoffmann

Stress tests show that the compact case reaches its physical limits under prolonged full load. Although the Ryzen 7 8745HS briefly achieves very high boost clock speeds, after a few minutes of intensive computing, the system begins to slightly throttle performance (thermal throttling) in order to keep CPU temperatures within a non-critical range. Although the IceBlast cooling system is well optimized for short performance peaks, you can expect a performance drop of about 5 to 10 percent compared to a cold start during hours of continuous use.

Geekom A8: Energy consumption & operating noise

The Geekom A8 is quite efficient overall, but it takes its toll under load. When idle, the system consumes a modest 5 to 11 watts. However, as soon as full computing power and Radeon graphics are required, consumption rises to an average of 35 to 50 watts, with peaks of up to 90 watts.

The included 120-watt power supply is therefore generously dimensioned and offers sufficient reserves to reliably power connected USB 4 peripherals. Under full load, however, consumption is higher than that of simple office mini PCs.

The noise level of the A8 is a compromise between size and performance. While the PC runs almost silently when performing simple tasks such as surfing the Internet, the fan curve spikes quickly under changing loads. This can lead to audible fluctuations when background processes briefly demand CPU power.

Under full load, the fan reaches levels of up to 45 to 55 dB(A). The noise is more of a constant hum without high-frequency whistling. In a quiet working environment, the mini PC is clearly noticeable under load.

Is the Geekom A8 worth it?

In testing, the Geekom A8 proved to be an extremely versatile work computer for private use and the modern home office. It handles typical everyday tasks such as office applications, web research, video conferencing, image editing and multimedia playback with ease and without any noticeable delays. Thanks to its high system performance, the mini PC is also suitable for more demanding multitasking and productive workflows that are otherwise reserved for larger desktop systems.

Naturally, limitations become apparent with graphics-intensive applications. Users who regularly render professional 3D models, work on complex CAD projects or want to play the latest games in 4K resolution with high detail levels are better off getting a system with a dedicated graphics card. For the vast majority of users, however, the A8 is a compelling solution.

This article originally appeared on our sister publication PC-WELT and was translated and localized from German.