GEEKOM GT1 Mega Mini PC Review

I’ve given many GEEKOM mini PCs the review treatment, but the GT1 Mega pushes the power beyond anything I’ve seen before. This premium powerhouse features the 14th Gen Core Ultra 9 185H processor, a spec that impresses on its own, but which is further bolstered by 32 GB of DDR5 dual-channel RAM, a 2 TB M.2 2280 PCIe Gen 4 x 4 SSD, and an extensive range of I/O. As always, GEEKOM delivers specs that look impressive on paper, but how do they translate to real-world performance? Here’s my review.

Compact gamer

Despite its incredibly compact size, which makes it perfect for hiding away behind a monitor or under a desk or for taking on-the-go, the GEEKOM GT1 Mega has specs you’d expect to find in a much larger system. The Core Ultra 9 185H, for example, boasts 16 cores and 22 threads, a feat that seemed ludicrous a few years ago. This pairs with the onboard Intel Graphics to deliver Ray Tracing and XeSS, which is useful for video editing and, yes, gaming on even AAA titles like The Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077.

I was able to render these intensive games at Medium/High Settings at 1080p with 30-50 FPS. For me, with a 30 FPS lock enabled, these games are perfectly playable. However, for those demanding high frame-rates, less-demanding games perform much better with esports-oriented titles like CS:GO 2 pushing frame-rates high into triple-digits.
In a nutshell, when you’re done using the GEEKOM GT1 Mega for crushing video editing tasks like rendering 4K video, or hefty photo edits with many different layers and effects applied, it can quickly pivot to being a gaming machine.

Dual-channel wins

The GEEKOM GT1 Mega is able to flex its muscles thanks to the dual-channel DDR5 RAM and super fast M.2 PCIe Gen 4 SSD. Previously, I’ve criticized GEEKOM’s use of single-channel RAM, so it’s great to see the company employing dual-channel in its most recent configurations. It’s easy performance gains and means the user doesn’t have to worry about upgrading for a while. The SSD is great, too, and the 2 TB option offers a good chunk of space to start with.

GEEKOM often shines brightest in the I/O department, and this is once again the case with the GT1 Mega. Looking around the case, you’ll find 1 x USB3.2 Gen2 Type-A, 1 x USB 2.0 Type-A, 4 x USB3.2 Gen2 Type-A (one port supports Always On), 2 x USB 4.0 (one port supports Type-C), 1 x 3.5mm stereo headset jack, 2 x RJ45 (2.5 Gbps), 2 x HDMI 2.0, 1 x Kensington Lock, and 1 x SD Card 4.0.

Thanks to the wide range of connectivity options, power users can go to town on plugging in peripherals, storage drives, and monitors. Speaking of displays, users can connect up to four 4K monitors or, for those who own one (or hope to in the future), an 8K monitor.

A little loud

An obvious concern when looking at a mini PC featuring a Core Ultra 9 processor is how it handles heat. GEEKOM is using its “IceBlast 2.0” system to help control and dissipate heat. It appears effective, keeping the processor from throttling except under extreme, sustained workloads. However, the noise emitted by the system under full load is louder than expected and may distract others if you’re working in a shared environment, so I’d factor that in before making a purchasing decision.

Price-wise, the GEEKOM GT1 Mega is obviously not cheap. It’s a flagship product armed with flagship specs and, if you want to work and play with that kind of power in a small form factor PC, then the price will climb.

Disclosure: Review sample provided by GEEKOM.