The landscape for budget mini PCs has shifted recently. Not long ago, a well-equipped unit could be found for under $200, but those options have become increasingly scarce.
My latest Mini PC review takes a look at the GMKTec G11, a machine that attempts to balance affordability with a modern feature set. Powered by an AMD Ryzen Embedded R2514 processor, the unit I tested includes 16GB of RAM and Windows 11 Pro for a fairly reasonable price. For those who prefer to provide their own components, a barebones version is available for about $169 (compensated affiliate links).
The hardware design is functional, offering a variety of connectivity options. On the front, there are three 10Gbps USB 3 ports, including one Type-C port that supports 4K video output at 60Hz. It is worth noting that this port does not support power delivery, so the included external power supply is still required. The back of the device features dual 2.5 gigabit Ethernet ports, which performed to standard in my testing, and two additional HDMI ports that can each deliver 4k 60 independently. For wireless connectivity, the G11 uses a MediaTek Wi-Fi 6E radio. In my environment, it reached speeds of 600Mbps downstream and nearly a gigabit upstream.
Inside the chassis, the G11 shows some improvements over previous entry-level models from this manufacturer. It now features two NVMe slots rather than one running with the older mSATA standard, allowing for dual-drive configurations. The RAM is also user-upgradeable, with two DDR4 slots supporting up to 32GB.
Cooling is handled by an internal fan that remains relatively quiet during standard operations. Users can toggle between three performance modes in the BIOS; switching from the default 20-watt “standard” mode to the 25-watt “performance” mode provides a measurable boost in benchmarks, though it does cause the fan to engage more frequently.
My initial experience with the software was less straightforward. Unlike previous GMKTec machines I have reviewed, which arrived with a clean installation of Windows, this unit included several pre-installed applications. One, called “GMKTec Claw,” appears to be a version of an AI application that requires a login I did not have. Another, titled Herdsman, is apparently a Local AI client that was entirely in Chinese. Given the low-level system access these types of AI tools often require, I would suggest that users consider a fresh installation of Windows or a move to a Linux distribution upon receiving the device.
In terms of daily performance, the G11 handles standard productivity tasks, such as web browsing and office applications, without difficulty. However, I encountered some limitations during specialized testing. While streaming 4K video at 60fps on YouTube, the system dropped a noticeable number of frames, suggesting that the drivers for this specific Ryzen processor may still require optimization. The Browserbench.org Speedometer benchmark placed the R2514 in the same performance bracket as Intel’s N300 and N150 processors, which are common in this price range.
Graphical performance is modest but better than its low-end Intel competitors. During a test of No Man’s Sky at 720p on the lowest settings, frame rates stayed consistently below 30fps. Similarly, PS2 emulation struggled to reach full speed at native resolutions.
For those interested in media serving, the AMD architecture presents some challenges with Plex. While I managed to get some hardware transcoding working in Windows, higher-bitrate 4K HDR files caused the CPU usage to spike and the video to buffer. This is an area where an Intel Mini PC generally maintains an advantage.
But the G11 proved to be a stable platform for Linux. I booted the latest version of Ubuntu and found that the hardware was recognized immediately, including the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth modules. The operating system felt responsive, and for users looking to run Docker containers or a basic home server, this hardware offers a capable foundation. The system draws about 11 to 12 watts at idle and peaks at 48 watts under heavy load, keeping temperatures around 60°C while running sustained heavy workloads.
The G11 represents the current entry point for the mini PC market. While it no longer carries the sub-$200 price tag of years past for a full configuration, it provides a functional set of ports and upgradeable internals that suit basic desktop needs or lightweight server duties.