Geekom Mini IT13: 30-second assessment
Sporting a chip that by no means made it into the official Intel NUC product line, the Geekom Mini IT13 takes the idea this firm created with the Mini IT11 to the following degree.
Or that’s the logic we’re meant to use. Sadly, moreover the processor particulars and its assist chipset, there may be little or no distinction between this and the Mini IT12 or Mini IT11.
What colors this image is that it is a cell processor designed to function on 45W of energy in a battery-powered laptop computer. And, whereas the Mini IT13 isn’t battery-powered, the restrictions on the facility outline what this machine can do, particularly when it makes use of DDR4 reminiscence.
That’s to not say this isn’t a strong machine, and it may be upgraded with additional reminiscence and storage past the bought SKU, however it may possibly’t escape the underlying fact that it isn’t a desktop platform and doesn’t carry out at that degree.
This machine is great in offering an exceptionally versatile device that may serve recordsdata from exterior storage, be a {hardware} firewall or do any job that includes exterior units linked by USB or Thunderbolt.
Whereas it may appear implausible, this isn’t the quickest Mini PC round, even with a Core i9 processor. These in search of the last word small system options, from Geekom and others, ought to inquire underneath the part for AMD Ryzen 9 programs.
Geekom Mini IT13: Value and availability
- How a lot does it value? Ranging from $499/£449
- When is it out? Accessible now
- The place are you able to get it? You may get it instantly from Geekom or from Amazon
Shopping for instantly from Geekom, 4 completely different SKUs can be found within the UK for the Mini IT13. One makes use of the Intel I5-12500H with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, and the center order each use the i7-13700H with 32GB of RAM (1TB or 2TB). The one reviewed right here makes use of the flagship i9-13900H processor with 32GB and 2TB of onboard NVMe storage.
The prices of those SKUs are £499, £599, £649 and £699 respectively.
For US clients, there are solely three SKUs with the 2TB i7 mannequin being omitted, and these value $499, $649 and $789 for the i9 variant.
This {hardware} will also be purchased by way of Amazon within the UK and the USA at roughly the identical value.
Geekom is without doubt one of the first system builders to get a Mini PC of this specification into the market, however we count on extra to comply with quickly.
Geekom Mini IT13: Specs
| CPU: | Intel Core i9-13900H (14 cores 20 threads) |
| GPU: | Intel Iris Xe (96 EU) |
| RAM: | 32GB LPDDR4X (expandable to 64GB) |
| Storage: | 2TB Lexar NM7A1 NVMe M.2 2280, unused M.2 2242 slot |
| Ports: | 3x USB 3.2 Gen2 Sort-A, 1x USB 2.0, 2x USB 4.0 Sort-C, 1x SD Card reader, 2x HDMI 2.0, 1x common audio jack |
| Networking: | 2.5GbE LAN, WiFi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2 |
| OS: | Home windows 11 Professional (pre-installed) |
| PSU: | 19V 6.32A |
| Dimensions: | 117*112*49.2mm |
Geekom Mini IT13: Design
- IT12 and IT11 reborn
- 2.5” SATA bay inside
- Huge PSU
As its identify implies, this NUC-sized system leverages the most recent thirteenth technology Intel cell processors, and in our assessment machine, that is the Raptor Lake cored Intel Core i9-13900H.
A theoretically highly effective platform that Geekom by some means managed to suit inside this tiny field. Nonetheless, as a result of it was designed for a laptop computer, this chip is restricted to a base energy consumption of 45W and a Turbo mode of 115W.
If it used extra energy, it in all probability wouldn’t be potential to suit this platform in an NUC-sized enclosure with out overheating points.
Ergonomically, this isn’t considerably completely different from the Mini IT12 and Mini IT11 fashions that got here earlier than it.
It has the identical two USB Sort-A ports on the entrance together with the headphone jack and energy button, and on the rear are the remainder of the USB, HDMI out and the LAN port. The port numbers and kinds are equivalent to the earlier fashions, together with the side-mounted SD Card Reader.
Entry to the within is easy sufficient and includes the 4 screws that sit contained in the 4 rubber ft. As soon as these are free, the underside of the IT13 comes free and might be lifted all to the aspect to disclose the DDR4 reminiscence slots and M.2 NVMe drive.
Going inside requires some precaution because the underside stays hooked up by a ribbon cable that connects a 2.5-inch SATA port on the reverse aspect of the lid.
That permits both a standard HDD or SSD to be simply added. On the mainboard, there may be additionally a spare M.2 2242 slot. It’s a disgrace this wasn’t a 2280-sized M.2 slot, however given the house limitations, some PCIe M.2 expansions exist and are appreciated.
Like its predecessors, the IT13 comes with a mounting plate for VESA holes on the rear of a monitor and a brief HDMI cable to do a tidy job of that.
Whereas it’s potential to orientate it in a different way, the Geekom-approved technique is to have the entrance face pointing upwards. That place permits easy accessibility to the SD Card Reader slot on the left, and all of the rear-connected cables hold instantly down.
The facility provide is a considerable block that makes use of a pin-barrel connector and is rated to 120W. There’s ample cable for the PSU to be positioned on the ground, no matter whether or not the IT13 is sitting on the desk or hooked up to a monitor.
Briefly, aside from this enclosure’s distinctive metallic teal look, there may be nothing uncommon right here to see. And, with out the particular color scheme, it may simply be mistaken for an earlier design.
Geekom Mini IT13: Options
- 13h Gen Core i9
- USB 4.0/Thunderbolt
- PCIe 4.0 M.2
The headline characteristic of this machine is undoubtedly the Core i9 class processor, an i9-13900H.
However importantly, it is a cell half and shouldn’t be confused with the Core i9 13900 desktop chips, a few of which have a base energy consumption of 150W.
Intel additionally makes one other cell half, the Core i9 13900HX, with a 55W base TPD and 157W turbo draw, however that 32-thread mannequin isn’t the one used right here.
What the i9-13900H has is six P-cores, all hyperthreading, and eight E-cores, giving a possible thread rely of twenty. This core format is identical because the Core i7-13700H; the one distinction is the marginally quicker base and turbo clocks on the i9. Each have the identical 96 Execution Unit model of the Iris Xe GPU, 24MB Good Cache, and energy consumption limits.
As we’ll focus on within the efficiency part, this chip may be thought-about an i9 in identify solely, however the i9 merchandise have been criticised as being extra of a advertising and marketing train than a major improve since inception.
This platform is undeniably helpful as a result of it’s PCIe 4.0 succesful, which is achieved with the Microprocessor being PCIe 5.0, whereas the chipset is PCIe 3.0. With 28 PCIe lanes to splash round on the I/O ports, this offers distinctive connectivity. Each USB 4.0 ports can shift as much as 40Gbps, permitting for as much as 8K screens or exterior RAID bins to be simply accessed.
The M.2 slots inside are PCIe Gen 4, enabling very quick NVMe drives to be linked, which might be twice the pace of the standard Gen 3 modules.
General, it is a nice platform, however in all probability not price the additional value over the Core i7-13700H, with the identical cores and PCIe lanes.
Geekom Mini IT13: Efficiency
| Benchmark | Take a look at | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| 3DMark: | Wild Life: | 13,523 |
| Row 1 – Cell 0 | Fireplace Strike: | 5,369 |
| Row 2 – Cell 0 | Time Spy: | 1,935 |
| Cinebench R23: | Single-core: | 1,727 |
| Row 4 – Cell 0 | Multi-core: | 11,721 |
| Row 5 – Cell 0 | Ratio: | 6.79 |
| GeekBench 5: | Single-core: | 2,002 |
| Row 7 – Cell 0 | Multi-core: | 11,101 |
| Row 8 – Cell 0 | OpenCL: | 18,408 |
| CrystalDiskM.: | Sequential Learn: | 4,857 MB/s |
| Row 10 – Cell 0 | Sequential Write: | 4,484 MB/s |
| PCMark 10: | Workplace Take a look at: | 6,501 |
| WEI: | Rating: | 8.3 |
- Efficient CPU
- Not gaming fodder
- PCIe 3.0 NVMe isn’t excellent
Evaluating this machine to different Mini PC designs, even different ones made by Geekom, is a barely sobering expertise. As a result of whereas it is a Core-i9, what that interprets into for the benchmarks isn’t exceptional.
What was most placing right here is that we not too long ago coated the Geekom AS 6, a Ryzen 9 machine that, with a couple of small exceptions, beat this Core-i9 throughout the board.
The reason is that the AMD Ryzen 9 has a greater GPU and another efficiency enhancements that allow it to outperform the i9 in most duties.
What’s extra shocking is that this {hardware} was additionally crushed by the Minisforum NBP7, a system that makes use of the Core i7-13700H. How does that work?
What it comes all the way down to is that the Mini IT13 makes use of DDR4 reminiscence, whereas the NBP7 makes use of DDR5, permitting a lot larger bandwidth that helps recycle the cache and in addition boosts the efficiency of the Iris Xe GPU that shares system reminiscence.
Briefly, it is a quick Mini PC, however quicker ones exist that use DDR5, and most of them value lower than this one.
Geekom Mini IT13: Verdict
Within the chilly gentle of day, the assessment specification {hardware} of the Mini IT13 isn’t price the additional cash, and the Core-i7 will present a really related expertise and go away sufficient price range for a high-performance PCIe 4.0 NVMe drive or a 2TB SATA SSD.
Throughout the house and energy constraints imposed by the NUC-sized mainboard and enclosure, the Mini IT13 does in addition to anticipated. Nonetheless, with out DDR5 reminiscence or a discrete GPU, throwing extra cores at this drawback delivers exponentially diminishing returns.
That Geekom is the one Mini PC maker providing this configuration on the time of writing hints that maybe it wasn’t one of the best plan.
What’s good about this design is the distinctive connectivity, making it a extremely versatile machine that may be helpful in quite a few methods. However you will get that connectivity with the decrease specification variations and even the earlier Mini IT12 mannequin.
If you need a strong Mini PC that may outperform this one, then the Geekom AS 6 is a more sensible choice.
Must you purchase a Geekom Mini IT13?
| Worth | Costly, contemplating it makes use of DDR4 RAM | 3 / 5 |
| Design | A by-product design that seems to be largely unchanged from the Mini IT12. | 4 / 5 |
| Options | An distinctive port choice that features two USB 4.0 ports, and there are different enlargement choices inside. | 4 / 5 |
| Efficiency | Quick, however not the quickest, and slower than a Core i7 with DDR5 reminiscence. | 4 / 5 |
| Whole | Small and highly effective NUC, however fails at being the highest canine in a aggressive house. | 4 / 5 |
Purchase it if…
Do not buy it if…
Additionally take into account
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