GEEKOM A8, review of the mini-PC in Spanish

After analyzing its predecessor the GEEKOM A7 a couple of months ago, today we have the new one for review. GEEKOM A8, a very interesting mini-PC. Now equipped with the new
AM processorD Ryzen 9 8945HSwhich integrates graphics AMD Radeon 780Mand with 32 GB of DDR5 RAM, it is an excellent option if we are looking for great office, multimedia and even gaming performance, with its obvious limitations.

GEEKOM A8 Technical Specifications

Packaging and Accessories

Faced with its packaging, we begin the review of the GEEKOM A8 seeing how this shows us the design of the product itself on the front, as well as a few of its specifications on the back. From its dimensions and weight, we can guess the type of equipment we have in our hands, really compact and light.

Inside, we find the mini-PC on the first level protected by a foam frame, while on the second level we find all its accessories.

On the one hand we have the user manual, a thank you card for the purchase, an HDMI cable, a metal adapter to use it on a VESA mount and some screws to fix it. On the other hand, we find a fairly compact 120W (19V / 6.32A) current transformer, matching the equipment.

Design and connectivity of the GEEKOM A8

We continue the GEEKOM review
A8 with this already completely unpacked and placed on our work table. Before us we have a
ultra compact mini-PC manufactured on a
CNC aluminum chassis of just 0.47 liters of volume, something that comes from some
dimensions of only 112.4 x 112.4 x 37mm (length, width, height). Furthermore, with a weight 450 gramswe can really take it anywhere with complete ease.

Front-end connectivity

On the front of the GEEKOM A8 We find part of the connectivity, as well as the power button. We have a pair of USB 3.2 Gen2 portsone of them compatible with PD charging, and one TRRS jack connector for headphones and microphone combined.

On the left side, we find a SD card readeran always practical detail in a piece of equipment that can be used for photographic or video editing tasks.

Rear connectivity

The rest of the connectivity of the GEEKOM A8 We find it on the rear side, as well as a grille that allows a glimpse of part of its aluminum finned radiator.

In addition to the power connector, we find
two HDMI 2.0 video outputs capable of offering a 4K image at 60 Hz. We have an excellent variety of USB connectors made up of a USB4 Gen3 port
(40 Gbps, PD charging), a USB-C 3.2 Gen2 (PD charging), a USB 3.2 Gen2 and a latest USB 2.0. Additionally, in the networks section, we have an RJ-45 connector for a Realtek 2.5 GbE network cardwhich is combined with a Realtek Wi-Fi 6E wireless network card with Bluetooth 5.2 already inside the chassis.

He GEEKOM A8 It has a black plastic base finished with four rubber feet for good support on the table. Removing them, we find four screws that allow us to release it and access the insides of the equipment.

Inside, we find a metal tray that covers the components and helps dissipate heat from the installed SSD unit. In addition, we see how we have space for a second unit, but no connector for it, as well as two slots for DDR5 memories in SO-DIMM format.

GEEKOM A8 Hardware

We continue with the review of the
GEEKOM A8 focusing now on the hardware that gives it life.

AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS Processor

As a celebration of the team, we find the processor
AMD Ryzen 9 8945HSa model from the AMD Phoenix family with Zen 4 architecture that, as a novelty compared to the previous generation, has a 38 TOPS NPU based on AMD Ryzen AI technology. The processor is made up of 8 cores that are divided into 16 threadswhich start from a base frequency
4.0GHz to achieve a 5.2 GHz boost frequency. It also has 16 MB of L3 cache memory and 8 MB of L2 cache memory, certifying a TDP of 35W to 45W that makes it truly efficient and ideal for such a compact device.

32GB DDR5 memory

The processor is accompanied by 32 GB of DDR5 RAM at 5,600 MHz, an ideal choice for the majority of uses that we are going to give to this equipment. This is divided into two Crucial memory modules with Micron memory chips, obviously in a dual-channel configuration.

Integrated AMD Radeon 780M Graphics

But the strong point of GEEKOM A8 is none other than the integrated AMD Radeon 780M graphics. Composed of 12 cores at 2.8 GHz, they make use of 512 MB of system memory to offer quite interesting gaming performance, very similar to that of portable consoles such as the Steam Deck or ASUS ROG Ally.

M.2 PCIe 4.0 SSD Storage

On the other hand, a Acer N5000 2TB SSD It is responsible for storing data on the computer. As you can see in an image of its interior, it is a unit in M.2 PCIe Gen4x4 format that, as we see below, offers good performance, although not maximum for its interface. This is because for laptops or mini-PCs, which have more complicated cooling, it is decided to use cooler units, usually with slightly more moderate performance.

Test of performance

To start using the GEEKOM A8 It is only necessary to connect a monitor, some peripherals and, obviously, connect it to the electrical network to turn it on. In a few seconds we will be welcomed by the final Windows 11 installation process, which is somewhat tedious, but easy for any level of user. Before installing our programs, we recommend updating the system to the latest version and installing at least the chipset and graphics drivers, basic to get the most out of your computer.

As we can see in the previous performance comparison, the processor AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS of the
GEEKOM A8 It is not a qualitative leap compared to the Ryzen 9 7940HS of the GEEKOM A7. This was to be expected, since they share specifications, except for the NPU. In any case, we have a processor that offers performance at the level of mid-range or mid-low-range desktop processors, even a couple of steps away from the most powerful laptop models. This does not mean we should think that it is a processor lacking in power, because for an office and multimedia approach, it is quite adequate, even being ideal for editing or rendering tasks, without requiring the performance of a mid-high range desktop.

With the benchmark 3DMark Time Spy We can see how it offers performance on par with the ASUS ROG Ally, since it is practically the same as that found in the AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme chip. It would be located in this way in the power of a GTX 1060 laptopwhich already has some years behind it, being far from a more recent RTX 3050 Ti for laptops and much more so for desktop models.

But what really makes its performance in games clear is nothing other than the games themselves. We can check how
Playing in Full HD resolution with low filters is totally possible, especially with the help of FSR technology. It is true that we can go down to 720p and get extra performance, but also lower image quality. It is something that will be to the taste of each player, but reaching 60 FPS should not be a problem in most titles.

On the other hand, we cannot forget to talk about how the car’s cooling system behaves. GEEKOM A8. The processor reaches peaks of 93 ºC that cause thermal throttling, reducing frequencies and then maintaining slightly lower temperatures. The reality is that in stress tests we were not able to maintain good temperatures, but in practice, we will maintain them in the majority of uses, not as intensive as these.

Conclusions of the GEEKOM A8

After finishing the review of the GEEKOM A8it is time to draw conclusions from everything that this very compact computer can offer us, with only so much
0.47 liters of volume. His AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS processornext to 32 GB of DDR5 RAM at 5,600 MHz, offers mid-range performance in terms of calculation and rendering, sufficient for most users, especially for office, design or multimedia tasks. Meanwhile, their integrated graphics
AMD Radeon 780M, allow any modern title to be played with certain features, even with a Full HD resolution and the filter level at minimum. For his part, the
2TB M.2 SSD included provides capacity and speed in equal parts, while a very complete USB and network connection they finish rounding the product.

He GEEKOM A8 is available for purchase by 949 euros in the version analyzed here, although we can acquire it for 799 euros with the AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS and a 1 TB SSD. It is clear that the price of mini-PCs is increasing every day and that they are becoming less economical, although also more performant. While it is true that for the same price we can build a desktop with a dedicated graphics card like the RTX 3060, we must not forget that we are dealing with a truly compact device, which Fits in the palm of your hand and can even be placed behind your monitor if we want to minimize it as much as possible.

Since The Computer Bug we grant you the Gold Award to the barebones GEEKOM A8.