GMKtec Mini PC, Intel N100, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD

Basically, I tried to do everything I could to test this unit and see if it stumbled in any way. I have not been able to make it stumble so I am very pleased with this purchase. I love the small size and because of it I may just keep components in several places and just transport the small box as my portable computer. It has plenty of power for the type of work I do, which is normal homeowner type of uses. It has all the ports I could use or anticipate needing. It has a DP Port (Display Port) which is used to string multiple monitors together. I haven’t considered this in the past, but may in the future and it will be nice to have the option with this machine. Some of the USB ports I’m using could be freed up by using Bluetooth components.

I would recommend this computer for people looking for an alternative to laptops or towers and the price is right considering what you get. It also appears to me that upgrading to larger RAM and Storage may not be necessary as the cloud appears to be taking over. I upgraded my other mini to larger RAM and a 1 terabit drive. But after using this unit I’m not sure it is necessary. All in all I can’t say anything negative about the unit. I’m very pleased!

Keep reading for additional detailed description.

This is my second minicomputer from GMKtec. I purchased one about 1 year ago. It worked well but the SSD crashed. The company worked with me, and I was able to replace the SSD, and rebuild the software and it has been working ever since. So, they have been responsive and stand behind their products.
I had a need for a second computer so spotted this and decided to give it a chance. The unit came nicely packaged and intact. All the items listed were in the package as advertised. The difference with the minicomputer is that all the peripherals are not included. I have many of the peripherals so it is not an issue for me but be aware that if you don’t you need a monitor (I’m using a small TV I had), a keyboard (I bought a $13 USB one) and a mouse (I already had one).

After acquiring the components, you literally just plug the components in and turn it on. The first thing you notice is how fast the screen comes up. Remember when you would turn your computer on then go get some coffee and hope it was up and running? Not so here it is a fast boot up.

It went through some introductory screens and askes you some questions. The only one that gave me hesitation was the password one. It turns out this is to log into the computer every time you turn it on. So, make that a simple one to remember. I didn’t but went in to change it later.
It comes loaded with Microsoft Windows 11

After that I started downloading software and Apps, all the ones that I use. I had no difficulty or problems with any of them. I connected it wirelessly through my home router with no difficulty. It comes with the latest wifi-6. I’m connected with 2.4 GHz channel and get 55 Mbps download and 33.42 Mbps upload. I know this depends on your systems but shows that there is plenty of speed.

The minicomputer unit is 1.5 inches high and 3 3/8 inches square (see picture). Plenty of USB ports and if necessary, you can put a USB expander in one port. I used the headphones jack to listen to some music and connected my Bluetooth ear buds also both worked with a hitch and there is no lag or distortion. The package also comes with an angle support so you can hang it on the back of the monitor. This cleans up the area and make the monitor appear to be an all in one.

I loaded Microsoft 365, a mechanical drawing program, iTunes and quicken and used them thinking that they may put the unit to a test for speed and any potential problems. There were none and it performed flawlessly.

I have some “sleep” issues with the other unit, but this unit goes to sleep and wakes up with no issues even if left for a long period and with the monitor disconnected.

Another improvement I noticed was that they have changed the way they screw the cover on. On my previous unit you had to remove the rubber feet to access the screws, and this will eventually cause problems with them coming off. This newer unit has the screws accessible trough the feet. This is much better for those looking to do any upgrading.

Upfront, I am impressed with the GMKtec G2.

I have purchased a number of mini/micro PCs recently for various projects (both personal and commercial) so I feel I have some good points of reference for this unit. From a “brand” standpoint, I’ve tried a few different ones but I find myself coming back to GMKtec. I like their designs, the products are solid and well engineered, and they have a fully open/unlocked BIOS, which allows for some case-specific tweaking on my end.

I have a total of 3 comparable units: this GMKtec G2 (Intel N100, 12G DDR5-4800 RAM, 512GB mSATA), the GMKtec KB5 (Intel N5105, 8G DDR4-2933 RAM, 128GB mSATA), Kamrui AK1Plus (Intel N95, 8G DDR4-2933 RAM, 256GB mSATA).

Out of the box, the G2 scored 8.7% better than the AK1Plus and 42% better than the KB5 on Passmark PerformanceTest 9 (older version sure, but it’s what I have). The N5105 is an older generation CPU, so this difference is understandable, but still bigger than I expected. The KB5 was something I purchased for a remote monitoring PC and a digital signage project, it’s extremely capable for those tasks as well as light office type tasks. This G2 with the boost CPU and RAM push it into the range of honest general usage. You’re not really going to play any modern games on it, but any web browsing, video streaming, day to day basic usage is easily handled. It would also make a great emulation rig for a home arcade machine project or classic gaming station.

The N95 vs N100 is fairly close in overall specs, with the N95 being slightly higher TDP/power and slightly faster graphics (but less execution engines: 16 vs N100’s 24), so the main difference maker here is the memory. DDR5 4800 MT/s over the DDR4 2933 MT/s provides a solid boost in both CPU, Memory, and 2D graphics benchmarks and real world performance.

2D graphics benchmarks clock in at 628 for G2, 565 for AK1Plus, 458 for KB5; and 3D benchmarks are within 1% across all 3 chips/models (the scores are low, these aren’t made for 3D graphics).

The CPU benchmarks show the biggest difference with the N100 here coming in at 7881, the N95 in the AK1Plus model scored 7062, and the N5105 in the KB5 model scored 3660.

Now there is a tweak I did in the BIOS to boost performance and benchmark scores here to a consistent 8300, which is a 5% boost. I changed the fan settings, adjusted the power limits, and tweaked the core boost values. This does not overclock this CPU at all, but what it does do is allows the CPU to run at full strength. Raising the fan setting here is the most important to help offset heat and thermal throttling. Normal usage doesn’t cause it to throttle very often and by default the fan is quite quiet, but if you do anything that pushes all the cores for any length of time, it does heat up and then throttle.

I’ve taken mine apart to see how it fits together and the design is clever and impressive. Taking the bottom panel off shows the CPU cooler (all copper) and is where the LED ring on the bottom plugs into the motherboard. Nothing really accessible there. RAM is soldered on in chiplets, so non-replaceable, but at 12G running DDR5 you likely wouldn’t need to anyway. The top panel, which is replaceable with the included red 3D-printed option, reveals the mSATA SSD, and underneath is the WiFi/BT card. If you disconnect either WiFi antenna connection, they are a bit difficult to reconnect but must be done otherwise you’ll have terrible WiFi reception. The plastic insert sitting under the WiFi card can only be removed by disconnecting the WiFi antennas and really doesn’t reveal anything replaceable or upgradable underneath.

The form factor of the unit is nice and small, somewhat impressively so at 3.5″x3.5″x1.6″. They make the most use of the size available too, with power button on front, USB on right side, display on left side, and networking & power on the rear. This design works great for being mounted to the back of a monitor or underside of a desk/cabinet. If you’re looking for a minimalist and clean cable arrangement, you might find this layout annoying.

With dual 1G LAN ports, this box could also be repurposed as a small firewall device if you chose to install PFSense or OPNSense. You could also install Hyper-V on the included Win11 Pro install and have a dedicated port for a VM. I tested each port and got close to line speed on both simultaneously (~800-900mbps). WiFi performance was acceptable too, with an avg of 300-400 mbps on a WiFi5 connection and 600-800 mbps on a WiFi6 connection.

I was unable to test the bandwidth of the 3 USB 3.2 ports, but anything I threw at it worked just fine, included an external SSD.

Triple display support with 2 HDMI and 1 DP is nice. The DP is v1.4 but doesn’t support 8k as a limitation of the CPU itself, but triple 4k displays isn’t too shabby!

The unit pulled about 8-9W of power at idle and ramped up to about 36W at absolute max, averaging closer to 16W during normal usage. Hooking this up to even a small UPS should allow plenty of runtime in power outages if you want/need to keep this up 24/7.

The CPU cooler is well sized and designed for the CPU used. A more powerful CPU (or the ability to overclock this chip) would require a more powerful cooler.

My only slight issues with the unit are: it would have been nice to have a USB Type-C on the front near the power button, and the Realtek LAN choice over an Intel (possibly even a 2.5G) option is a bit limiting but an understandable cost measure.

As a lightweight office-use PC or Kiosk type machine, it is absolutely sufficient. As a low power, low cost, task specific project PC this is a fantastic choice with enough CPU and RAM power to take more complex tasks. Small on-premise web server or digital signage, custom Arcade emulator or classic console game emulator, running monitoring or automation software, or even lightweight Hypervisor are all fantastic choices for this unit.