Is this the Mac mini’s BIGGEST Windows competitor?! GEEKOM AE7 mini PC!

[@MarkEllisReviews]

Mini PC/Mac mini owners: what do you use your machine for?

[@flexairz]

Everything...

[@jimcabezola3051]

One M1 Mac Mini runs Asahi Linux for everyday tasks (email...blah, blah, blah). The other M1 Mac MIni runs my Apple Music/CD collection (it's largely the same as iTunes which I've used since day one). My 2015 MBP runs Linux more snappily and quickly than it does its original native MacOS (and it gets multiple security updates per week), so that's the portable aspect handled. Your Geekom AE7 there would make another superb Linux machine! I use windows to ventilate the home and look outside at the world...

[@JudgeFredd]

The mac mini is the perfect form…use it for everything

[@louisefindlay23]

I use my Mini PC - a Minisforum UM580 as my personal and business computer. Web development was the more extensive task I performed on it. It also had a life as a media client running Libreelec (Kodi) with demanding skins. I love how you can power it via USB-C using Alt Mode like Macbooks. I wish Mac Minis could have that ability.

[@akin242002]

Mini-PC all every time. Adjustable SSD and RAM. Access to all X86 software tools. Costs less too. Being a desktop, you don't have to worry about battery life because it is plugged in all the time.

[@GEEKOMPC]

Thank you for reviewing our product. Your feedback on GEEKOM products is greatly appreciated!

[@MarkEllisReviews]

My pleasure, guys!

[@Jaden-y7e]

​@@MarkEllisReviews2 Replies

[@JonBushell]

I loved windows like you but switched a Mac mini and never looked back. I love the reliability, speed, simplicity and the fact that all short cuts and messages on phone and iPad all carry over. Unfortunately I have to use windows at work and boy the endless updates that break something ands following updates that fix that but break something else. I think windows needs to be better by now.

[@SumitKumar-vv1kl]

Hi bro please reply, mai bhi soch raha hu lene ke liye lekin kuch dought hai 1.window (microsoft) jaisa reliable hai use me 2.coding le liye kaisa hai ,apps sab purchase nahi karna padega 3.kahi leke ke gaya monitor nahi hone pe connect kar ke file copy kar sakta hu

[@PaulJacobs51]

PC's are not the issue, they are good value for money.. period... The problem is Windows..! I'll stick with my Mac mini thank you..!

[@impulsesystems]

Mac Minis are 'amazing' because of MacOS. The hardware spec of the AE7 is impressive but ...Windows. On a day of worldwide Windows outage, I am relieved to be a Mac user. Great comparison. Thanks!

[@MuddyDuck...]

BRAVE 😂- pushing a Windows box over a Mac on the same day as a Windows bug causes major global outages. Fortunately I remain fairly platform agnostic, although Windows purchases are currently running in 🥉3rd place...

[@bob5997]

Had two windows mini pc’s in the past. Both overheated and fried the motherboard. There’s just not enough cooling in them. Gave up trying and went to Mac mini m2. Never had any issues. Never going back to windows. Enough said!

[@petere8129]

Another great review and I think that is a cracking bit of kit for the price. I was thinking about getting a Windows laptop (for home use) because I use windows and apple and I’m seriously tempted to get a Geekom as I have a 4K monitor doing nothing. Less than £1000 for a device with a 2 TB SSD seems like a bargain.

[@dansanger5340]

Mini-PCs are the best thing to happen to computing in years. They range from $135 Intel N100-based machines, to higher end ones like in the video. Almost all of them run Windows and Linux equally well. And, the higher end ones like in the video (with a Radeon 780M iGPU) are capable of running many modern triple-A games on low settings at an OK to good framerate. I've bought three mini-PCs in the past six months. One is a higher end mini-PC similar to the one in the video that is my main Windows desktop that I use for general productivity and gaming (Red Dead Redemption II). I also bought an inexpensive N100 machine that houses two 3.5" HDDs that I installed a Linux-based NAS operating system on that I use as a NAS. And, I bought a third N100 machine that I installed Linux Mint on. All three combined were less than $1000. Plus, I still have my M1 MacBook Air for when I want portability.

[@eduardowatkinz]

Have you tried video editing with it? How are the rendering/export times. That's were I see the short coming of any comparison to the M series Mac Mini; the Mini does a great job with video editing/rendering and exporting.

[@akin242002]

@eduardowatkinz I personally haven't used it, but most tests have M chip Mac Minis far ahead of the competition for video editing. Ranging from 20% to 3x the render speeds faster than other mini-PCs.

[@louisefindlay23]

Sweet. Upgrading the memory and SSD is great. I like to take advantage of Prime Day and BF sales.

[@RodLogsdon]

I purchased the AE7 about 3 weeks ago and I am very pleased with it. Windows is not my preferred OS, I've been running LinuxMint for years. I have set up the Geekom with a dual boot, Windows/Linux OS to use my preferred Linux OS. For the 2 or 3 times a year that I need Windows I can boot into Windows 11.

[@ofrutsra]

Won’t lie, it’s a little disheartening to see a computer half the size AND price of the one I bought perform basically just as well… Still really like my Mac Mini though

[@bzzerc]

The two USB A Ports on the front not 4.0 as you suggested they are usb3.2 gen 2 ports. There are no usb A gen 4.0 ports there are only usb c 4.0 ports

[@casualobserver9113]

The perfect size box to run Linux on.

[@beanmasterz]

Have fun typing for 20 minutes to change your wallpaper

[@jimcabezola3051]

@@beanmasterz Nah... It's just a right-click process on my distro. Same as macOS. I don't know how Windows does it...probably have to ask permission of Bill Gates first.

[@beanmasterz]

@@jimcabezola3051 so your beloved Linux resorts to copying macos? I'm sorry to hear about your disability

[@jimcabezola3051]

@@beanmasterz Nah... the same ability as everyone else who uses a GUI in the 21st century. I simply used the same solution to the non-existent problem of it taking "20 minutes to change" my wallpaper that you and everyone have used. We all copy one another. There is nothing new under the Sun....

[@cmathieu]

For my use case - the Geekom AE7 - have not bought it yet as I am deciding between the AE7, the A8 and the Asus NUC 14 Pro+

[@yelseh]

is this good for audio workstation being an AMD and so !!???.

[@dadude-rs7ub]

Why not wait for Apple to put out is m4 and compare it to that??? Has that been out 2 years like the Mac mini m2

[@JesseRainbow76]

I have a Mac mini M1 and it's stuck in Beta software. The update broke it from updating to the newest version. When the update permission password screen comes up. I type in the password click enter. Then it asks a second time for the password in a new screen. Then it won't update even with the correct password entered each time. Apple purposely breaks there devices to force you to upgrade. Well I upgraded to Samsung phone and know use my windows 11 computers which are faster then the M1 even though it uses more power. Yet I don't have a broken Mac mini.

[@louisefindlay23]

For the Windows PC use case, it will probably be cheaper to get Parallels for macOS users but if you're subscription averse.

[@techtipsuk]

I bet that runs hot. Its small but does have an external power supply. The biggest issue of all is it runs Windows. Apple did add the SD Card to the Mac Studio.

[@LiberatedMind1]

It doesn't, it runs nice and cool as benchmarks have shown. Windows is a far more versatile OS. There is nothing you can on Apple that you can't on Windows. I bet you have an Apple logo on your forehead.

[@LiberatedMind1]

@@Äpple-pie-5k I've been running that for over a decade. I can program, play video games all without interruption on my Windows 10 machine. No in fact, I didn't even buy Windows, it's free from Microsoft's website, then I just ran a crack to get rid of the watermark. How's that overpriced heap of junk that you can't upgrade? And has your forehead healed from the tattoo?

[@disinfodestroyer260]

@@Äpple-pie-5k Hyperefficient, that's why you can't drag and drop windows to tile, snap and cascade them on a Mac. What a joke of an OS.

[@LiberatedMind1]

@@Äpple-pie-5k I've had that for over a decade on Windows. I can program, browse, play video games all without interruption and task switch on the fly. Meanwhile you can't even copy and paste, or as mentioned above manage windows with ease on a stupid mac. And no, I didn't even pay for Windows, as it's available for free. I just ran a crack to get rid of the watermark. You don't even own your mac, can't upgrade it, must pay Crapple $200 for 8 gigs of ram, lmao. Unlike you I'm not a sucker for big corps. How's your forehead healing?

[@atk6441]

Which one has the lower fan noise ?

[@patrickwhitehead]

I use mac, Linux and windoze and tried a NUC as a replacement for my lounge mac-mini, failed! The old intel quad core i7 mac-mini was superior in every way and has only just had to be replaced with a new M2 mini due to its age and inability to run the latest apps. It still works at thirteen years old and I use it as a backup file server in another room. The NUC is now just a play thing for trying various new Linux distros before I install them on my main Linux machine.

[@dansanger5340]

@@Äpple-pie-5k It depends what you want to do. If your needs are web browsing, email, office apps, and maybe running Turbo Tax once a year, you can buy a mini-PC capable of that (Intel N100/16GB/500GB) for around $150. The cheapest Mac Mini costs four times as much. No fancy accounting is going to make the Mac Mini cheaper.

[@JonBushell]

Mac hating people only ever say “hate the way you’re locked in to Apple”. That doesn’t actually mean anything. Having the phone, iPad, watch and Mac all synced together and show the same functionality is great. Is that locked in? If you by a ford focus, are you “locked in” to ford cos they sell the parts? Anyway nice and great that it’s upgradable which is the only benefit I can see. But if you research properly you don’t need to upgrade macs and they will work for 10 years if looked after. And external ssd,s make more sense anyway and are safer.

[@TechXSoftware]

I'm considering getting an TV streaming box.

[@louisefindlay23]

If USB-C on the front is important, alternatives like Minisforum have it on the front but then A is on the back.

[@StrangerNoises]

point of order; mac studio has a sd card reader on the front. 🙂 but... you got my attention... if it's also good for linux? stick ubuntu 24.04 on a stick, install, does it work? (doesn't need reaction to ubuntu's config choices, just things like: does the display work properly, does that 40Gbit (presumably usb-4) port work properly? bluetooth? (someone below mentions the A8's bluetooth does not, with arch. this one with ubuntu?) (in mourning because i just tried and failed to retire my 2019 iMac to Linux and am slumming it with a six year old dell xps with a busted fan bearing that kicks up when playing youtube videos)

[@StrangerNoises]

@@Äpple-pie-5k I did in fact end up putting Ubuntu back on the iMac; it works, but with notes. Can only use the display as 4K (but upscaled to 5K looks better than expected); plug any thunderbolt device in, the desktop crashes; wifi doesn't work but probably fixable with effort; some bluetooth issues; no internal audio but cheap USB soundbar is fine. Still better than the old XPS even though everything worked there except the fingerprint sensor.

[@JonBushell]

The Mac mini is perfection and beautifully made. That does look a bit cheap.

[@JonBushell]

It should be compared to the basic Mac mini as Mac software and Apple chips will probably still out perform that so that is more expensive?

[@shakeitoff1000]

The Mac Studio has an SD slot

[@karayuschij]

The Mac Mini has no competitor!!!

[@mallisette]

The Geekom plus it’s power supply is about the same size as the Mac mini🤔

[@MarkEllisReviews]

Where do you put your power supplies?

[@flexairz]

Yes, but its Windows..

[@skm6777]

Wish they would put the Mac mini into the form of an Apple TV. I don't need one, but I'd buy it in a second.

[@alpacamale2909]

I would install arch linux so fast on that windows mini pc.

[@Yukeake]

I have the A8, which is a very similar mini-pc (8945HS/780M/32GB), and run Arch on it. The only caveat is that the bluetooth chipset Geekom uses isn't supported. If you need BT, you'll need a cheap USB dongle, and to manually enable the 'bluetooth' system service (systemctl start bluetooth && systemctl enable bluetooth). Runs great. Support for the 780M is good, Steam (and Proton) work very well. There are instructions on the Arch wiki for setting up gamemode, which will eke a little more performance out of it. I also tried Bazzite, which worked fine (same BT chipset issue), but *really* wanted to use the internal audio instead of HDMI for some reason. I assume that's fixable, but I moved on. If you want the Steam Deck experience, it's definitely workable.

[@beanmasterz]

​@@Yukeakeor... Use windows?

[@Colinsplace]

An interesting day to promote a windows product. 😂😂😂😂😂

[@adamburke4738]

But, Microsoft wasn’t at fault, it was a third party company.

[@ArthropodSpidey]

@@adamburke4738 It's an issue only present on Windows. The mac version of that software works perfectly. Windows is junk.

[@jj-icejoe6642]

On Mac it's not USBC but Thunderbolt

[@dansanger5340]

Properly implemented USB4 includes Thunderbolt 3 functionality.

[@parster2010]

If only Windows was as easy to work in as MacOs. Have to use Windows for work and feels like walking through treacle most of the time.

[@michaelknight6077]

Comparing apples to oranges, the Mac Mini has an internal power supply while the Geekom has an external power supply. As other people have mentioned, the Mac Studio has an SD slot on the front, so the MacBook Pro line isn’t the only model with that feature. I wish the Mac Mini line had that and the USB ports on the front as well. I’ve got a Mac Studio with M1 Max and 1TB of storage and the GPU core bump up that is incredibly underutilized for just email and web browsing. I used to play World of Warcraft so bought a machine that I hoped would play that with all the graphics effects turned on.

[@AaronFigFront]

Quality control, customer services, support. Not even remotely a competitor. Maybe just a raspberry pi type home small computer competitor.

[@oliverstemp9132]

The Mac mini is the best computer of its type. It’s just that brilliant.

[@minuszero332]

Look up Intel NUC 13 Vivid Canyon, a true Mac mini competitor

[@hammerstone365]

The first link you posted in description gave my computer a trojan...Maybe edit links....not cool lol

[@MarkEllisReviews]

No it didn't.

[@jj-icejoe6642]

Linux

[@stankramer6262]

As usual, excellent video but - I hate to tell you - you're still a Windows guy and you've become an Android guy too. That's OK though - If I didn't live in the US I might do the same.

[@flashscanhd]

if you see the design, you know that this geekom is a looking like the typical PCs, no design, just ugly

[@ArthropodSpidey]

Is anyone really a "Windows person" after a huge IT disaster? lmao