Geekom MegaMini G1 Mini PC review

Geekom
MegaMini
G1:
30-second
review

Lots
of
Mini
PC
makers
have
attempted
to
make
unfeasibly
small
systems.
But
the
Geekom
MegaMini
G1,
a
collaboration
between
Techno
and
Geekom,
throws
that
presumption
out
of
the
window
from
the
outset.

This
uniquely
styled
mini
tower
features
an
RGB
lighting
array
and
a
windowed
alloy
body
where
you
can
see
a
120mm
fan
and
water
cooling
in
operation.

Built
around
an

Intel
13th-generation
i9-13900H
twenty-thread
processor
and
32GB
of
DDR5,
this
is
a
powerful
system
that
comes
with
plenty
of
ports
for
connecting
all
manner
of
external
devices.

These
include
USB
3.2
Gen
2,
Gen
1,
USB
2.0
and
Thunderbolt.
However,
it
also
has
an
OCuLink
port
to
connect
an
external
GPU.

However,
depending
on
the
GPU
performance
you
need,
the
Geekom
MegaMini
G1
also
has
a
discrete

Nvidia
RTX
4060
8GB
that
offers
dramatically
better
graphics
than
the
integrated
GPU
in
the
i9-13900H.

A
caveat
to
this
internally
mounted
GPU
is
that
it
can’t
be
upgraded,
and
to
power
it,
the
PSU
on
this
mini
PC
is
rated
to
330W,
giving
an
idea
of
how
much
power
it
can
consume.

Those
thinking
this
might
look
spectacular
on
the
edge
of
the
desk
should
be
aware
that
the
cooling
system
is
noisy
when
it’s
working
hard.
And,
annoyingly,
this
is
only
available
through
a

Kickstarter,
and
Geekom
wants
a
commitment
of
$1800
for
the
model
reviewed
here.

Geekom
MegaMini
G1:
Price
&
availability

• 
  How
  much
  does
  it
  cost? 
  From
  $1599
• 
  When
  is
  it
  out? Available
  now
• 
  Where
  can
  you
  get
  it? Kickstarter,
  ships
  in
  November

Geekcom
is
another
PC
hardware
maker
we
can
add
to
the
list
of
those
using

Kickstarter
for
marketing
purposes,
for
which
it
wasn’t
intended.

The
Geekom
MegaMini
G1

Super
Early
Bird
pledge
starts
at
$1,599
for
a
machine
with
the
Core
i7-13620H
processor,
32GB
of
DDR5
memory,
and
1TB
of
storage.

The
review
hardware
we
received
with
the
Core
i9
processor
and
2TB
of
storage
starts
at
$1,799,
and
both
machines
come
with
the
RTX
4060
8GB
graphics
card.

They
did
have
a
cheaper
$1499
launch
day
special
for
the
same
spec
as
the
cheaper
model,
but
that
ended
after
three
days.

The
obvious
question
most
interested
parties
will
wonder
is
if
$1,800
fits
this
specification.

Geekom
sells
the
GT13
with
the
same
processor
for
around
$1,000,
and
an
RTX
4060
8GB
is
about
$300.
But
alas,
that
hardware
doesn’t
support
OCuLink,
so
there
is
no
way
to
connect
the
two.

A
more
comparable
machine
is
the
new
Minisforum
G7
Ti,
which
sells
for
$1,439
and
has
an
even
more
powerful
Core
i9-14900HX
and
an
RTX
4070
mobile
GPU.
That
lacks
OCuLink,
so
the
graphics
power
cannot
be
enhanced.

Overall,
both
this
and
the
Geekom
MegaMini
G1
are
overpriced,
probably
hinting
at
the
limited
number
of
these
companies
expect
to
sell.

One
cheaper
option
is
the
Minisforum
UH125
Pro,
which
comes
with
an
OCuLink
port,
and
the
Core
Ultra
5
125H
processor,
for
under
$500.
Even
adding
an
external
OCuLink
box
and
the
desktop
RTX
4070
16GB
would
be
cheaper
than
the
Geekom
MegaMini
G1.

• 
  Value: 3.5
  /
  5

Geekom
MegaMini
G1:
Specifications

Geekom
MegaMini
G1:
Design

• 
  Unique
  styling
• 
  Ports
  front
  and
  back
• 
  Water
  cooling
• 
  Easy
  internal
  access

To
say
that
the
Geekom
MegaMini
G1
is
uniquely
styled
is
an
understatement.
It
resembles
a
miniature
fairground
amusement
where
prizes
are
randomly
grabbed
with
a
motorised
claw.

Instead
of
fluffy
toys
succumbing
to
the
claw,
the
G1’s
clear
sides
reveal
a
120mm
case
fan
rotating
and
clear
pipes
coming
from
a
water
cooling
system,
all
framed
by
an
RGB
lighting
show.

At
about
a
foot
tall
(255mm)
and
weighing
nearly
4kg,
this
is
easily
one
of
the
biggest
‘mini
PC’
designs
we’ve
seen,
but
it
still
manages
to
be
smaller
than
the
smallest
desktop
PC
enclosures.

The
sheer
mass
of
this
device
means
it
won’t
easily
be
toppled
over
on
the
desk,
as
most
of
the
weight
is
in
the
lower
section.

With
the
exception
of
a
side-mounted
SD
card
reader,
all
the
ports
are
either
on
the
front
or
back.
The
front
has
four
USB
Type-A
ports,
two
each
of
10Gbps
and
5Gbps,
and
a
single
3.5mm
audio
jack.

But
this
selection
is
a
taster
for
it
on
the
back,
which
includes
more
USB,
dual
HDMI,
Thunderbolt,
a
2.5GbE
LAN
port,
and
the
all-important
OCuLink
port.

Someone
reading
this
now
asking
why
it
didn’t
get
two
2.5GbE
LAN
ports,
but
it
is
a
relatively
inexpensive
enhancement
to
convert
one
of
the
USB
3.1
Gen
1
ports
into
another
or
even
a
5GbE
connection.

The
water
cooling
solution
is
a
sealed
system,
and
in
our
review
hardware,
a
significant
number
of
small
bubbles
would
cycle
around
when
the
machine
was
running.
Typically,
water-cooled
systems
have
a
gas
trap
at
some
point
to
remove
these,
as
they
lower
the
density
of
the
water,
but
not
here.
Perhaps
it
helps
to
see
the
water
moving
around
for
those
who
need
proof
of
these
activities.

Access
is
from
the
underside
and
is
exceptionally
easy
to
do.
Once
four
rubber
feet
are
removed
and
the
screws
under
them
removed,
the
motherboard
is
fully
available
for
memory
and
storage
changes.
Our
only
disappointment
here
was
that
the
second
unoccupied
M.2
slot
is
only
2242-sized
and
not
2280
like
the
one
already
fitted.
Two
2280
slots
would
have
been
wonderful,
but
you
can
add
more
storage
with
the
2242
slot.

Both
DDR5
SODIMM
modules
are
changeable,
and
this
system
should
be
able
to
accept
48GB
modules
to
give
a
total
of
96GB.

The
graphics
card
is
not
accessible,
and
it
is
most
likely
a
special
layout
card
to
fit
elsewhere
in
the
case.
However,
the
OCuLink
port
allows
other
GPUs
to
be
connected
externally
for
those
who
want
even
more
graphical
power.

This
is
a
well-constructed
system
that
feels
solid
and
not
remotely
flimsy,
like
some
Mini
PC
designs.
The
fan
can
be
a
little
loud
when
the
graphics
card
is
being
put
through
its
paces,
but
it’s
much
less
obtrusive
in
normal
operation.

• 
  Design:
  4
  /
  5

Geekom
MegaMini
G1:
Features

• 
  Intel
  Core
  i9-13900H
• 
  Nvidia
  RTX
  4060
  8GB

The
Core
i9-13900H
is
another
from
the
Raptor
Lake
product
cycle
that
has
given
Intel
so
much
trouble,
but
the
one
in
our
test
system
ran
flawlessly
throughout
our
testing.

Launched
in
Q1
of
2023,
the
Core
i9-13900H
is
a
13th-generation
part
that
the
14th-generation
i9-14900HX
has
since
superseded.

This
chip
has
six
performance
cores
and
eight
efficiency
cores.
The
performance
cores
are
hyperthreaded,
allowing
up
to
twenty
threads
of
processing.

The
baseline
power
for
this
CPU
is
45W,
which
can
jump
to
115W
in
turbo
mode,
where
the
clock
speed
can
hit
5.4GHz.

This
chip
is
ideally
suited
to
this
hardware
because
its
microprocessor
PCIe
revision
is
5.0,
and
with
the
chipset’s
PCIe
3.0
support,
it
has
up
to
28
PCIe
lanes.

Eight
lanes
will
be
used
by
the
graphics
card,
but
the
rest
are
available
for
the
USB,
LAN,
Thunderbolt,
and
OCuLink.

Given
that
a
single
USB
3.2
Gen
1
only
needs
a
single
PCIe
3.0
lane
or
a
quarter
of
a
PCIe
5.0
lane,
there
is
plenty
to
go
around.

Where
things
start
to
get
even
more
interesting
is
the
graphics
department
since
most
Mini
PCs
use
laptop
processors,
such
as
the
Core
i9-13900H
used
in
this
design.

Typically,
laptop
makers
will
describe
a
mobile
version
of
a
GPU
as
if
it
were
the
desktop
model,
which
it
generally
isn’t.

Without
the
limitations
of
battery
power
that
wasn’t
necessary
in
the
G1,
and
amazingly,
the
GPU
is
the
full
desktop
version
of
the
RTX
4060,
with
3072
unified
shaders,
96
TMUs
and
a
bandwidth
of
272GB/s
over
its
128-bit
bus.

Before
getting
carried
away,
it’s
worth
saying
that
the
8GB
version
of
this
card
is
the
one
that
is
generally
agreed
should
never
have
existed
since
the
RTX
3060
offered
a
12GB
model.

That
said,
even
with
8GB
of
GDDR6
memory
and
a
restricted
memory
bus,
this
card’s
agility
makes
the
integrated
Intel
ARC
look
like
it
is
wearing
concrete
overshoes.

It
offers
the
user
high-performance
3D
rendering
with
raytracing
at
decent
resolutions
and
detail
levels,
and
it
can
be
utilised
by
design
tools
like
Blender
and
Fusion
360.

And,
if
that’s
insufficient
GPU
power,
an
externally
mounted
GPU
of
an
even
higher
specification
can
be
attached
using
the
OCuLink
port.

I’d
mention
some
of
the
other
ports,
but
these
are
merely
bit-players
when
compared
to
the
CPU
and
GPU
in
this
platform,
which
elevate
the
G1
to
being
a
low-end
workstation.

• 
  Features: 4
  /
  5

Geekom
MegaMini
G1:
Performance

• 
  Powerful
  CPU
• 
  RTX
  4060
  8GB

By
our
good
fortune,
we
recently
covered
the

Lenovo
ThinkStation
P2
Tower,
a
machine
that
uses
a
desktop
processor,
the
Core
i9-14900K,
and
the
same
Nvidia
RTX
4060
8GB.

Surely,
based
on
the
desktop
versus
previous
generation
laptop
processor
equation,
these
can’t
be
comparable,
can
they?
Disturbingly
for
Lenovo,
the
G1
is
the
little
workstation
that
could.

Obviously,
the
places
where
the
G1
takes
a
beating
are
related
to
the
CPU.
The
desktop
version
of
the
Core
i9-14900
has
24
cores,
and
eight
of
those
are
performance
cores,
over
the
i9-13900H
with
six
performance
cores.
But
it
also
has
more
efficiency
cores,
giving
it
twelve
extra
threads
over
its
mobile
counterpart.

This
is
most
evident
in
the
Blender
CPU
score,
where
the
i9-14900K
has
slightly
more
than
twice
the
power.
But,
this
is
where
the
G1
fights
back,
with
the
same
graphics
card
in
many
tests,
it’s
able
to
trade
blows
effectively
and
even
manages
the
odd
victory.

If
you
used
the
G1
to
render
in
Blender
using
the
GPU,
not
CPU
rendering,
the
difference
between
the
P2
Tower
and
the
G1
would
be
negligible.

What’s
worth
noting
is
that
with
the
tested
specification,
the
P2
Tower
is
close
to
$2500,
a
significant
chunk
of
change
more
than
the
G1,
which
still
isn’t
the
cheapest
option
for
this
level
of
performance.

The
argument
that
the
P2
Tower
is
worth
the
extra
because
it
has
accessible
PCIe
slots,
enabling
a
more
powerful
discrete
GPU,
is
undermined
by
the
limited
space
in
that
machine.
There
is
insufficient
room
to
accommodate
an
RTX
4080
or
4090,
as
those
are
typically
longer
than
the
23cm
available
in
that
chassis.

In
theory,
and
we
never
tested
this,
those
cards
could
be
externally
mounted
in
an
OCuLink
external
case
and
attached
to
the
G1.
And,
while
the
OCuLink
technology
might
not
offer
the
same
performance
as
a
PCIe
8x
slot,
it
would
be
faster
than
the
RTX
4060
by
some
considerable
margin.

Overall,
the
G1
comes
a
plucky
second
in
these
curated
results
but
demonstrates
that
it
can
be
a
modest
workstation
if
required.

• 
  Performance: 4/
  5

Geekom
MegaMini
G1:
Final
verdict

It’s
easy
to
look
at
this
machine
and
its
rainbow
lighting
and
dismiss
it
as
something
made
for
gamers
that
would
have
no
place
in
an
office.
But
that
would
entirely
miss
the
point
of
why
this
is
such
a
revolutionary
machine.

Glossing
over
the
pricing
and
promotion
via
Kickstarter,
neither
of
which
is
ideal,
this
is
a
brilliantly
conceived
small
system
that
delivers
more
performance
than
was
expected.

It
should
come
with
some
software
utilities
to
turn
the
lighting
show
off,
and
better
manage
the
fan
noise,
but
the
machine
has
real
potential
for
those
who
need
a
powerful
small
system
that
doesn’t
take
up
much
desk
space.

Hopefully,
Geekom
will
shift
enough
through
Kickstarter
to
make
this
a
retail
option,
and
with
volume
production,
they
will
reduce
the
price.

Should
you
buy
a
Lenovo
Geekom
MegaMini
G1?

Buy
it
if…

Don’t
Buy
it
if…

Want
to
power-up
productivity
on
the
go
we
reviewed
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