I’ve been reviewing a lot of mini PCs lately, and I’ve got another one in from GMKtec that stands out due to its Intel Core Ultra 5. You can see what it’s all about in my latest review.
The price point on this will vary quite a bit. In most cases you’ll see a coupon code on Amazon that will dramatically reduce its price so be sure to click that before checking out.
The GMKtec Nucbox K9 features an Intel Core Ultra 125H running at a 65-watt TDP. It comes with 32 GB of DDR5 5600 MHz RAM, which is upgradeable to 64 GB, and two NVMe SSD slots. The unit includes a 1 TB NVMe SSD from Mason Semi, and you can add or swap out SSDs as needed.
In terms of ports, the Nucbox K9 is well-equipped. There’s an audio input/output, a full-service USB 4.0 port running at 40 Gbps, capable of video output and powering the computer up to 100 watts. However, the included 120-watt power supply is recommended for regular use. I tested the USB 4 port with a Thunderbolt SSD, confirming it delivers the full bandwidth. There are also two USB 3 ports on the front, two USB-A ports, a DisplayPort out, an HDMI out for three simultaneous 4K displays, and two 2.5 Gbps Ethernet ports, both performing at full bandwidth. The Ethernet chipset is from Realtek.
The Nucbox K9 runs Windows 11 Pro, though the onboarding process uses a local account instead of connecting to a Microsoft account. However, a scan for malware and viruses came up clean. Web performance is excellent, and it handles 4K 60 FPS video on YouTube without drop frames.
For video editing, I tested DaVinci Resolve with a 4K 60 FPS project. It handled transitions effortlessly without needing an external GPU, suitable for simple editing tasks.
Gaming performance is also notable. Running No Man’s Sky at 1080p on standard settings achieved just under 60 FPS. Red Dead Redemption 2 at 1080p on the lowest settings performed well, between 40 and 50 FPS. Grand Theft Auto 5 at 1080p on high settings stayed mostly above 60 FPS.
Linux performance was decent, with most hardware detected except for audio. Ethernet, Wi-Fi, and video worked well.
Overall, the GMKtec Nucbox K9 offers a lot of hardware for its price, including ample RAM, storage, and a high-performing processor. It’s a good option if you’re comfortable with potential support issues from an overseas company. Despite the higher cost compared to previous models, it delivers impressive performance and is a solid choice for those willing to take a slight risk on long-term support.
Disclosure: GMKTech provided the Mini PC free of charge. No other compensation was received nor did they did not review or approve this review before it was uploaded.