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GMKTec K8 Review: Amazing, So much power in a small and light package that costs significantly less then it would cost to build from components. Lowers electricity usage significantly compared to a desktop computer. (I average about 12 watts.)
(1) Exceptional performance: RYZEN 7 with 16 processes (8 cores) running at up to 5.1Ghz.
(2) Built in GPU: 780M RDNA with 12 Compute Units running at 2700mhz with performance similar to an NVIDIA GTX1650!
(3) Great connectivity: 40Gbps type-c front port. Three USB 3.2-Gen2 ports at 10Gbps. Two Network Ports, each at 2,500Mbps (2.5Gbps). Two PCIE GEN4 2080 ports for M.2 SSD's of up to 4TB each, for total of up to 8TB. Built in Wifi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2.
(4) Uses very little power consumption compared to almost all full size computers, yet has power that exceeds most. Power usage will vary by load from 9 watts to 60 watts, however, my average power usage is about 12 watts.
(5) I got the K8 with 32GB of DDR5 Crucial Ram in Dual Channel mode built in. As well as with a 1 TB (1,000GB) PCIE-M.2-SSD based on GEN4x4 specifications which allows for transfer speeds of up to 8,000 MBytes per second (8 GigaBytes per second) same as 80Gbps. This Mini-PC comes with two of these ports, each allowing up to 80Gbps for the PCIE device (such as the SSD.)
(6) Built in upgraded AI Unit with 16 TOPS (Trillions of Operations per second) for coming future AI tasks and abilities.
I really dug into this machine and am going to share what I learned as best I can.
First, one of the best things about the GMKTec K8 is that the BIOS is UNLOCKED!!! This is rare. We should thank GMKTec for unlocking the BIOS. It really helps in my enjoyment of this mini-PC and I think it offers you a lot of freedom to configure if you need to. Having said that, not to worry, it is not necessary to change anything. However, I like being able to change a few things and greatly appreciate that I am not stopped from doing so. As you know, so many big companies just seem to “lock down” everything, even when there is not a great reason. GMKTec just did the right thing and left it UNLOCKED!
Switching to WINDOWS 10
You may ask, why did I change? I will tell you. I prefer my own version of Windows. Nothing wrong with what is built in which is Windows 11. I wanted to go with Windows 10. How hard was it? Super easy! I got this baby running Windows 10 in minutes with zero issues! I was surprised at how easy it was. I downloaded the GPU driver from AMD's site, and used 'SnappyDriverInstaller' (shareware) for any other drivers.
WHAT I CHANGED IN BIOS (See my pictures)
Here is what I changed for MY preferences: (Press “DEL” key on keyboard when turning on to get to BIOS screen.) On “Main” screen, all you can change is date and time, so change that in Windows instead. So do nothing on “Main” screen.
On “Advanced” screen I changed:
Auto Power On: to [Power Off]
BIOS Flash Enable: to [Disabled]
Wake on LAN: to [Disabled]
USB Boot: I left at [Enabled]
Power Limit Select: I ended up after extensively trying all three settings of Performance, Balanced, and Quiet, of selecting [Quiet]
You may wonder, why would this tech savvy person go with 'Quiet' when he has 'Performance' available. I will tell you.
After testing carefully, yes it is true that in some cases you can get about a 5 percent increase in maximum stressed performance by pushing a lot more power into the box with subsequent heat, and some noise. When I saw the little real world benefit while also seeing how much extra power was needed, and extra heat, it just did not make sense to me. After all, this Mini-PC Ryzen 7 is a 'screamer' already. The situation where I am going to notice a 5 percent change at peak stress just made no sense given the extra power, noise, and heat. In my testing, this Mini-PC performed amazingly if set to “Quiet” (It comes set to “Balanced” which is OK, but not as good as 'Quiet' for me at least.) However, I just enjoyed the amazing power with virtually zero noise and with such little power usage and the lowest heat setting as well when just set to “Quiet”. I did extensive benchmark testing and in single core CPU performance, this MINI-PC performed Best when set to “Quiet”. It is counter-intuitive, however, Ryzen CPU's self throttle, so if they get too hot (with too much power) they slow down automatically. That is why just sending more power can sometimes back-fire. In Quiet Mode I got either the Highest, or essentially “top” scores in Single-Core Computing, and in 3D graphics, and in 2D graphics benchmarks. The only area where Quiet loses in benchmarks is in heavy multi-core use where there can be a 5 percent difference. So, in real life, I get Single-Core, I get 3D, I get 2D, and I get low power, low heat, and lowest noise (no noise from just a few feet away). It is like I get to eat all the candy I want and I lose weight at the same time! That is why this Mini-PC the GMKTec K8 breaks all the “rules”. You actually get to have your cake, and eat it, and lose weight!
Continuing onto BIOS Advanced Menu:
I left: “S5 RTC Wake Settings” to [Disabled]
I CHANGED GFX configuation:
Inside of that is: “iGPU Configuration”: I changed it to [UMA_SPECIFIED]
I changed “UMA Frame buffer Size” to [4G] (Doing this speeds things up just a little, at really no downside since I have 32GB to work with. It takes 4GB away, however, it slightly improves performance with no extra power or noise.)
Under “Trusted Computing” I changed “TPM support” to [Disabled] (this is my preference, it is not necessary for you choose the same. I just prefer 'no TPM' by habit of having built and worked on so many computers over decades.)
I left CPU Configuration, Memory Configuration, and I/O port Access unchanged.
Under “Security” menu, I left “Secure Boot” unchanged as [Disabled] (I also prefer this as well.)
I appreciate that GMKTec left this Disabled. Another nice consumer friendly feature you do not see much any more, especially from the bigger impersonal companies out there.
Under the “Boot” Menu, I changed “Fast Boot” to [Disabled]. You may ask Why? Well, it is a lot easier to get back into the BIOS if you leave it Disabled. Once changed it is not easy anymore.
I will comment more on Fast Boot later when I write about Boot Speed.
Under “Boot Menu” if you plan to boot a USB drive such as to install windows, then of course you would select USB as “Boot Option #1” (Please make sure your USB is virus free if you are going to boot it, (or use it) since unknown USB's transfer computer viruses.)
Bench-marking
I have so many benchmark results, however, I am going to simplify and get to the essentials.
My wife uses a desktop with an AMD A4-7300 and an AMD HD8570D video card, my $3,000 custom built desktop from a number of years ago uses a Ryzen 5-2600 with an Nvidia GTX 1050 video card. I built for my son an i7-4790K with a GTX970 a number of years ago, and I have another desktop I use with an AMD 8-core FX-8350 and a video card similar to the GFX1050 (I used GFX1050 data since I did not have the exact 3d result handy for that similar card.)
Here are the results:
CpuZ(Multi/Single) G3D G2D Disk-Sequential
GMKTec K8 8845HS 7071 / 668 7096 892 6504
A4-7300+HD8570D 385 / 222 753 465 474
Ryzen5-2600+GTX1050 3323 / 421 5040 470 558
i7-4790K+GTX970 2135 / 440 9641 779 512
FX-8350+GTX1050 1608 / 240 5040 779 523
As you can see it does very well and surpasses all prior compared computers with the exception of the G3D score for the GTX970 video card which still surpasses the fast GPU in the 8845HS. I recall that getting my son's computer built was expensive, in total it was over $2,000 for his computer, and that video card alone was about $300.
Who is this MINI-PC for?
I want to turn that question around. My question is: Who is it NOT for?
Lets see. I is a Ryzen 7 with 16 compute units (8 cores) running at 3.8 to 5.1 Ghz. That is right at the top of the performance ladder of anything consumer out there. It is always good to have extra power on tap. This is one of the reasons I selected “Quiet” in the BIOS, it has so much extra power on tap that there was no point to pushing more watts through it. It already runs through anything you throw at it.
It has a Built in GPU similar to a GTX1650. We are talking a very fast GPU. It is not a $1,000 GPU, however it is close to a $200 GPU, and in today's world, that is a lot of GPU power.
It also has a new upgraded AI NPU (Neural Processing Unit) with 16 Trillion Operations per second (TOPS) built in for AI. The prior generation's NPU only offered 10 TOPS. So this newer chip's NPU is 60 percent faster in AI then the last generation. In total, the 8845HS offers 38 TOPS of performance between all three of its main components, CPU, GPU, NPU.
So, for a person looking for a home based computer, who is it not for? Only a person who wants to spend $1,500 to $3,500 to build their own computer to put a very high end discreet GPU inside. Other then that person, I cannot think of why this Mini-PC would not fill the needs of almost all other users needing a home based computer.
One of the idiosyncrasies of human behavior or psychology is that it is normal for our subconscious to associate “bigger” and “heavier” with “better”. This is the main issue with a Mini-PC of this capability. It is that people probably do not realize just HOW GOOD it is because being so small and light, they have associated that with 'less' in terms of power or value. This GMKTec K8 Breaks that mold. The hardest part of understanding this computer is us. Something so small is difficult to envision as so powerful and good and valuable. Once that psychological hurdle is tackled, then it is smooth sailing, because the logic is all there. Another way to explain this is that children when they are young, if you put out 5 dimes, and also put out 5 nickles and ask them which do they want. They almost always pick the 5 nickles because “they are bigger”. Only later when they understand the value of the coins and money will they reject the bigger nickles and pick the dimes. This is another way of getting to my point that it is us that can have difficulty realizing just how great this Mini-PC is partly because in being so great it accomplished being powerful, yet small, light, and using very little power, and making almost no noise. It is like you win all the prizes. It seems too good to be true, however, it is. That is one of the reasons it may take time to wrap ones 'head' around just how impressive it really is.
This Mini-PC has little or no compromises for a home based computer other then not being able to easily buy an expensive $1,000 GPU to add to it (however, even this is possible, since the USB 4 port allows for remote GPU since it runs at 40 Gbps.)
This is what I mean. This K8 Mini-PC has everything and has the connectivity and power to replace almost everyone's home based desktop computer without any real sacrifice. In fact, you get a quiet system, almost inaudible (if set to “Quiet”). That weighs less then 2 pounds and is 5 inches by 2 inches by 5 inches. And I am using on average about 12 watts. My older desktop computers used to average I would estimate more like 100-130 watts. So every day I save money on electricity while having more computing power, a great GPU, a Neural Processing Unit for future abilities, and I am able to get rid of a big bulky and heavy desktop computer which is probably about 40 times its volume in size.
Build one instead?
You may ask, what if you did want to build a computer similar in abilities to this K8 Mini-PC. I took the liberty of answering that question for myself, just to see where things stand:
Here is what you would need to replicate what the GMKTec K8 is offering in a compact package:
Similar parts to build as a desktop computer using lower cost available components:
Ryzen 7, 7700 $320
Motherboard $150
GTX1650 4GB $180
32GB DDR5 Ram $110
1TB PCIE4 SSD $ 75
500 to 600W PSU $ 65
MicroATX Case $ 50
Wifi-6E+BT5.2 $ 45
TOTAL $1,005
Size approximately 16 x 9 x 16 inches. Weight approximately 22 pounds
Whereas this GMKTec K8 is 5 x 2 x 5 inches and the computer box weighs about 1.5 pounds.
(Power adaptor weighs about 1 pounds.) And the whole package costs a lot less
Turn on and Shut down speeds:
This GMKTec has some of the fastest turn on and turn off speeds I have had the pleasure to experience.
To give you a brief history. Back in 1977, when I purchased an APPLE II, it turned on instantly because the 'BIOS' took much less then a second to function. Even when floppy disks came out, I still had the computer booting from floppy in maybe 2 to 3 seconds. As PC's evolved, things got bad, and then worse. It became many seconds, then minutes. It seemed like computers were getting faster, however booting was getting slower and slower until a few years ago. This GMKTec gets from full off to Windows 10 desktop in 12 seconds with “Fast-Boot” Off. With Fast-Boot On, you can save almost a second. (It is not worth it to me, however, wanted you to know what Fast-Boot does.) In terms of Shut Down. With Fast-Boot on, the computer shuts off in about 2.7 seconds. With Fast-Boot On, it takes about 2 seconds.
AMAZINGLY FAST.
Audio
This Mini-PC has an Analog Audio jack which I figured probably is just a 'generic' audio jack. It turns out that the jack is actually surprisingly powerful. First, it is super quiet in terms of virtually no audible noise from the jack. Also, who would have guessed, GMKTec built into this K8 Mini-PC Audio jack an Analog Audio Output of 24 bits per channel, Stereo Sound at a Sampling Rate of up to 192,000 Hertz (192kHz). Years ago I used to be into professional audio. To buy a DAC or Digital to Audio Converter that did 24 bits per channel of Stereo at 192kHz was of considerable cost. Now, while I am seeing what this GMKTec K8 Mini-PC will do, just on a whim I find out that the analog audio jack comes with high end upgraded output capabilities at no extra cost. Good job GMKTec for not charging extra for that.
RAM
Mine came with two sticks of Crucial DDR5 at 5600 MT/s 16Gbytes each module for a total of 32 Gigabytes in dual channel mode.
You can put in each of the slots up to 128bytes, allowing for up to 256 Gigabytes of RAM if upgraded.
Display Ports
The K8 comes with 4K HDMI and 4K Display Port, and the USB-C port allows for a third 4K monitor.
Networking
Two Network ports come with the Mini-PC. Each is 2.5Gbps.
USB Connectivity
The GMKTec K8 comes with:
Three USB 3.2 GEN2 Ports at 10Gbps each.
One USB 2.0 Port
One USB-C Port at 40Gbps
In case you may not realize, 40Gbps is CRAZY fast. Let me explain. You know how computers had and still have internal 'slots' for cards. Well those slots transfer data at certain limited speeds. Most of those slots are very SLOW compared to the 40Gbps USB-C port right on the front of this GMKTec K8 Mini-PC. In other words with a 40Gbps USB Port, you do not need 'slots', at least for the vast majority of people.
Storage
Dual Pcie Gen4x4 M.2 ports for SSD delivering up to 8,000Mbps, or 8Gbps per port. Each port can handle at least a 4TB SSD to give a total capacity internally of 8TB. If you want more? Simple, hook up an external 20TB, or 22TB drive via one of the USB 3.2 Gen2 ports and you just added a portable 20TB or 22TB. You could add a simple USB multiport device and then hook up many of these drives. It would be simple to have say 100TB of external storage with off the shelf external USB drives.
WiFi and Bluetooth
Included and setup inside the Mini-PC is WiFi 6E which uses 2.4Ghz, 5Ghz, and 6Ghz bands to increase speed. Also included is Bluetooth 5.2 which allows for very high fidelity audio streaming. This 5.2 is the version of Bluetooth you want to get, not what other companies may offer which is the older version 4.x
In summary, this is a Mini-PC with no Compromises. You get 32GB of fast Ram in dual channel, and in my case, I got 1TB SSD at GEN4x4 speeds which is very fast. This is one of those cases where unless you are in a specific category of being a person who must build their own computer for $1,000 to $2,500, then this K8 Mini-PC checks ALL the BOXES. You give up nothing, and you get everything. It does not get any easier then that when considering the options and choices. It is like I wrote earlier. Imagine, you get a cake, you get to eat as much as you want, and you get to lose weight and stay healthy the more you eat? That is what we have here, it is Win, Win, Win, and no lose.
Bastion
