NUC Killer? GEEKOM MiniAir 11 Mini PC Review

[@GEEKOMPC]

Thank you for reviewing our product. Your feedback on GEEKOM products is highly valuable to us!

[@dave_r]

A couple of times during the review, I found myself thinking that Rob seemed awfully pleased by at best mid-level parts, and then I'd think "oh yeah... it's about $160" and then i started remembering other units around that price range, and boy does this look good.

[@fumble_brewski5410]

Bought mine direct from Geekom at a discounted price. It shipped with a 250GB SSD, 8GB ram and Windows 11 Pro. Promptly added another 8GB memory for a total of 16GB, which is the maximum supported by the CPU. Never felt comfortable with W11, so I removed the stock SSD and replaced it with a newer 500GB Kingston SSD. BTW, you can still go back to W11 by simply reinstalling the original SSD (as long as you don’t reformat the drive). Then I loaded LMDE 6 Cinnamon on the new 500GB SSD, and the new OS makes all the difference in the world. It recognized all the hardware and had all the necessary drivers right out of the box. Very impressive. Looks like the version of Linux is a keeper. Cheers.

[@wocket42]

They should be proud of their cooling.

[@AgentZeroNine1]

As usual, nice review. This manufacturer definitely showed up Intel's NUC team in terms of in-box accessories. Hoping for fanless mini-PCs or laptops equipped with one of these N95-N305 CPUs. Also, I honestly do not understand why in 2023 computers still have more USB-A ports than USB-C ports. What keyboard, mouse, mic, external drive, etc even is equipped with a USB-A port these days?

[@MrRunItUp]

Would be nice to have more USB-C ports for sure, but all of my peripherals use an USB-A port though, my wireless mouse, my wired keyboard, my wireless headset, everything except my phone uses an USB-A port. But I still agree with you on needing more USB-C ports!

[@wocket42]

Yeah. Waiting for an N300 with DDR5 to see how it holds up.

[@Robtech]

N95 coming up next...on DDR4

[@john__west]

Thanks for another great review. Looks like a nice little unit!

[@-opus]

Looks like a very good buy for a htpc given the low price

[@wocket42]

Can't wait for the next gen Intel NUC Essential.

[@wocket42]

@Yusuf it may be a perfect successor to my J5040 set up.

[@havenj9145ify]

So there is no way it will power up when power is restored? Do you have to push the power button every time? This is inside my mini jumbotron, and is going to be a pain to have to push the power button everytime.

[@David_P132]

I hope its wifi module lasts longer than my NUC 11's which died after only a year or so, so I had to get an external USB wifi dongle (Tenda).

[@Robtech]

Check your warranty period. Here it's 3 years for NUCs

[@David_P132]

@@Robtech I know Rob but I couldn't be arsed having to send it away to Sydney and wait for repair/replacement and all that involves.

[@Robtech]

It was pretty painless the couple of times I've gone through it. But if you do upgrade to a new mini PC within the warranty period, might as well get this one replaced and sell the warranty unit as a new one. From experience, very difficult to sell a mini with busted wifi, even if you provide a USB dongle.

[@David_P132]

@@Robtech Cheers mate.

[@curiousb3148]

Thank you for your review. You had mentioned that the BIOS has limited functionality. Does Wake-on-LAN work on this model? How does the N095 compare to the I3 8109U which is in the IT8 i3-8109U? Thanks again.

[@Robtech]

Wake on LAN wasn't an option so I don't think so. 8th Gen i3 NUC basic data: CB20 Single Core 356, Multi Core 908. 3DMark DX11 2089 DX12 622. Max Power Draw 68W!

[@curiousb3148]

@@Robtech Thank you for your reply. I apologize as my understanding of hardware is limited. The IT8 i3-8109u is from Geekom and utilizes the 8109u processor. I imagine the power draw would be similar as a NUC with an i3 processor. Is it less for the Celeron processor? The i3 processor stated 15W on the spec sheet. Is that an average as opposed to a maximum draw? If so, what would be the maximum draw from Celeron N5095 or N5105? I'm also trying to figure out if a i3 8th generation processor is any better or worse than an 11th generation Celeron processor for basic computer functions (no gaming). As for WOL, the Geekom IT8 i3-8109u apparently can support WOL according to the sales rep. They haven't answered my question for the Celeron based units. Does WOL ever come enabled on the BIOS without the option to shut off except through Windows? Thanks for your answer.

[@Robtech]

The TDP of 15W is the base power mode and isn't really useful. Turbo boosts much higher. Also the board and other parts use power adding to the overall power draw. Basically, 8th Gen processors are really outdated (power draw to performance). The mini PC itself will also produce more noise to remove all that extra heat. Maybe you'd be interested in the N95 which is the successor to this one (check my Beelink S12 video). It has similar CPU performance and weaker graphics which is fine for your usage case. It draws a max of 27W and is near silent. Or the N100 which ups graphics performance over the N95. Plenty of units incoming that use either CPU. As for WOL, my understanding is it needs to be enabled in the BIOS and the MiniAir 11 BIOS doesn't let you change anything apart from the boot order. I couldn't find WOL in the Beelink S12 BIOS either. I've seen it on other units before, but it's not listed on this one.

[@curiousb3148]

@@Robtech Thanks. I may have to give up that idea of having that feature. Sounds like a Celeron processor would be enough for my purposes.

[@Robtech]

If I see it in my next budget mini review I'll let you know

[@lucaauditore4546]

Can you do with it some editing work? I need it for Video, Foto and Music editing Is better the 5095 or the 5105 version? Thank you for the answer and the video!

[@Robtech]

Better off looking at the newer N100 Intel CPUs. Although I wouldn't recommend it for video.

[@willilegrand]

I placed my order on March 8. I didn't receive the mini display Port to HDMI adapter or the Protective carry bag.

[@Robtech]

Send customer service a message and let me know what happens. I'll take this up with them. Everything I get should be in the box.

[@willilegrand]

@@Robtech Hi Rob, I didn't expect to get a reply from you because your time is valuable. The missing parts are no big deal although I wouldn't mind getting the mini display port to HDMI adapter. I just assumed that from the time you received your free sample and the time you posted your review, things had changed. For example, I didn't mention it but the power brick came with a wall wart instead of the two part cable. Perhaps you can tell me if there is a USB2 header on the motherboard. Thank you, willi

[@Robtech]

I'll send them an email. I didn't spot one no.

[@kamertonaudiophileplayer847]

Do you have a review of GEEKOM Mini IT112?

[@Robtech]

Nope, sorry.

[@kamertonaudiophileplayer847]

@@Robtech I assume it is a pretty much as NUC 12.

[@MrRunItUp]

Hey Rob, how does the N5105 compare to this processor? I just got a really good deal on a mini PC that has 16ddr4 ram, 512gb storage and the 11th gen N5105 processor. I don't know too much about these processor's though, thanks Rob!

[@Robtech]

Biggest difference is in graphics performance as can be seen in the charts. CPU performance between both is similar

[@MrRunItUp]

@@Robtech Thanks Rob, love the content man! You're rising up the charts fast!

[@EdwinBalderrama]

Can it run Minecraft decently well?

[@Robtech]

No. The Beelink EQ12 with the Intel N100 should be able to run the Java version okay as it is a bit above the minimum requirements.

[@stanleyfisher3645]

How well would it work for video editing with Davinci Resolve 18? Anybody tried?

[@Robtech]

Too slow

[@kevinpompanin7922]

Hi guys and thanks to who is going to help me. So i started a etichal hacking course and i bought a mini pc Lenovo M910q. Graphics integrata hd530 512ssd 16gb ram cpu I5-6500t. For the course is good but i love total war game and even with the oldest game is not working(till rome total war is enough a Uhd640 intel graphics). So i find out a cpu that is enough forse me intel pentium gold G7400 with Hd710 graphics. It is possibile to chance it to my mini pc?? Many thanks

[@Robtech]

You'd want something much more powerful. Maybe something like a Ryzen 5500U

[@kevinpompanin7922]

@@Robtech i don't undersrand why if I do the test to see if my pc is ok for the game the result is good.. i bought the game from Steam.

[@rudycastillo6369]

can u upgrade the ram in this machine

[@Robtech]

Yes

[@rudycastillo6369]

@@Robtech both sides to upgrade or only one

[@Robtech]

If it has RAM slots, you can put whatever DDR4 kit you want

[@rudycastillo6369]

@@Robtech is any of the ram sodered on or can both be removed thanks

[@maximustitan8171]

No gaming benchmark this time?

[@Robtech]

I've tested the N5095 a couple of times, and review was long enough already. Better CPU performance in this one won't do much for the GPU bottleneck it'll encounter in most games/emulators. CPU itself isn't very interesting.