GMKtec Gaming PC, K11 AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS(8C/16T, Up to 5.2GHz), 32GB DDR5 RAM 1TB Mini PC Desktop Computer, Oculink, Dual NIC 2.5GbE LAN, HDMI/DisplayPort/USB4*2

Pros: - Small - Powerful (8 Zen4 cores, 16 logical CPUs, Radeon 780M graphics, HX power spec) - (Relatively) low power consumption from being a laptop CPU (Though the HX is not as efficient as the U version) - Comes with a good amount of good quality RAM from a name brand - 2x 2.5G nics - USB4 port (haven't tested it out yet, other reviewers had issues) - Good cooling - Quiet at idle (YMMV) Cons: - Came with a moderately used Lexar SSD - Windows 11 (wiping that put even more write cycles on the SSD) - A U power spec option or BIOS support for lowering TDP would have been nice for lower power consumption - No SATA support - Ethernet controllers are Realtek, not Intel - Wifi also not Intel This is just an initial review, but out of the box I noticed that the 1TB SSD that was included in this GMKtek K6 mini PC had logged about 86 hours of usage in SMART, as well as over 8TB written and 7TB read on this 1TB Lexar SSD. That seems like a lot more than initial imaging and burn-in to me. Over 8 full write cycles for every memory cell will have an impact on the SSD's lifespan. I am only using the included SSD as a supplement to my main SSD, so it's not a big issue, but buyer beware! Also, the SSD did come with an extra heatsink pre-installed. That may improve the longevity of the disk enough to compensate for a lot of the usage. I removed it from the included drive and installed it on my 3rd-party drive instead since I use that one more. Overall, this system seems to work well. I wiped Windows 11 and am using proxmox on it. The Ryzen 7840 CPU is really great for my purposes as a VM server / AI host. In July 2024 I got this for $509. With the 32Gigs of ram and a 1TB SSD that is functioning, at least, it's a really amazing deal. Similar machines from other manufacturers cost hundreds more without the RAM or SSDs, so I'm not going to complain too loudly. In fact, I think it's a great deal from Amazon and GMKtec. Time will tell how well this machine holds up, but the construction seems solid, the cooling seems to be well-designed for this form factor with a fan for the CPU being pretty standard, but a second fan for cooling all the other components is a nice addition that you don't see in some competitors. I will update this review with any developments.

The CPU is pretty good for its class, and has very acceptable integrated graphics. The H 255 is seemingly only sold to the chinese market, has no real documentation officially (as of the time of writing), and is essentially a recycled die from better chips that didn't meet the cut so to speak (at least as far as I can find), but I don't see any of those as a real problem; die recycling is perfectly fine if it actually works and is stable, and AMD is usually pretty good at the latter... and it makes me feel a little better that AMD can save something that would otherwise end up being e-waste. Despite the borderline unofficial nature of the CPU, I have not experienced any performance issues, instability, or crashes of any kind after a few weeks. Note that I updated the BIOS and microcode immediately after receiving the unit, and I suggest everyone do the same.