Geekom A7 or GMKTec NucBox K4

[WilliamJones]

Anybody have any experiences with either of these two companies that produce mini gaming PCs? I am looking for good or bad experiences. I have listed the companies and the computer I am looking at buying. The prices listed are also a link to the description.

GMKTec NucBoxK4 with 2TB SSD $700
Geekom A7 with 2TB SSD $829

 

[Nobu]

I haven't owned either, I have seen a few comparisons of GMKTec's and some others on yt, but it's been a while.

They're probably just okay. If they're powerful, don't expect them to be quiet. Accessing/upgrading storage will be difficult or impossible depending on the model, just some things to keep in mind.

 

[dogDAbone]

Well I have 3 mini-me boxes from other mfgrs and there are great for what they are...small, quiet, solid performance, good feature sets, and most of all, reasonably priced

No they are NOT gammin/workstation powerhouses, but that's not what they are designed for anyways.

And don't worry too much about access to or upgrading of the storage (or ram & WiFi), as most mfgr's realized a while back that that was an issue of concern in the older ones & they quickly addressed it in later models...

However, you may want to check on Amazon or other e-tailer for them, as they tend to have better prices most of the time, because the listed prices seem high and at the upper limit for this type of machine IMHO

 

[johnny0]

Cooling is a big issue with ddr5-based mini PCs. The APU cooks the memory and the memory cooks the APU.

Using the mini pc for gaming? That's going to hit both the APU and memory at the same time, heavily. When the memory overheats, it refreshes more often to stay stable, which lowers performance AND generates more heat, resulting in a nice performance death spiral.

Think a nice dual-rank setup will let that APU stretch its legs? Run furmark and watch the FPS counter get cut in half in mintues! Woo! All while your ears bleed from the little jet engine that couldn't.

Some companies like Minisforum have been putting some thought into dealing with these thermal issues, but you still run into support problems like bios/agesa updates. How long will these updates come out for? And why are they served via mediafire?

Decide to go with a more established vendor for (maybe) better support? Get comfortable with the idea of modding the case and tossing your warranty in the garbage.

 

[pendragon1]

both look about the same, go with whichever is cheaper. for something different, i was going to suggest looking at the ayaneo am02, but its an indigogo thing....

 

[WilliamJones]

I should have given more info in my original post. I am not a gamer, but I do some video editing and don't really need the power these have. I know there are mini PC's with cheaper prices/slower processors, but I have always wanted a higher end PC, (but not the ultimate jet-engine PC). Since my original post, I have done more YouTube-type searching and did see how one guy took the lid off his GMKTec box and added a fan to keep his games running at the max. Not sure I need this amount of cooling.
Minisforum has an equivalent, Minisforum m790 pro. However, it doesn't come with a 2TB drive. I may have to rethink my choices, but the heat issue may not affect me.