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Earlier this year we had the opportunity to review the GEEKOM Mini IT8 small form factor computer. Considering its size and specifications, this is an excellent computer at a reasonable price for the average home or work computer. The company has several other variants with different specifications at different prices.
Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
Our review of the GEOKOM MiniAir 11 looked at a similar small form factor PC that's easily upgradeable and VESA-mountable, but with lower specs and therefore a lower price. If you've read our IT8 Mini review, this one will be pretty much the same, except in the performance department. On that note, read our full review!
Detailed description
The GEEKOM MiniAir 11 mini PC we reviewed has the following features and specifications.
| Manufacturer | 11th Gen Intel® Celeron® N5095 processor (4 cores, 4 threads, 4 MB cache, up to 2.90 GHz); TDP 15W |
| Graphics processors | Intel® UHD Graphics 605 (supports up to two 4K displays) |
| Storage | dual-channel DDR4 SODIMM, 8 GB; Expandable up to 32 GB |
| Storage | 1 x SSD (SXmicro NF830 2280 M.2 PCIe/SATA), 256 GB; Expandable up to 1 TB |
| Ports | 2 USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports, USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports, 2 USB-C ports (data only), SD card reader (USB2.0), 3.5 mm headphone jack, RJ45 Gigabit Ethernet port, HDMI 1.4 port, Mini DisplayPort, DC jack, Kensington lock slot |
| Ethernet | Intel® 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet |
| Wireless connection | Bluetooth v4.2, Intel® Wi-Fi 5 |
| Procedure | Windows 11 Pro |
| Dimensions (W x W x D) | 4.61 x 4.41 x 1.35 inches (117 x 112 x 34.2 mm) |
| Weight | 1.10 lb (500.3 g) |
What's in the box?
- ARRIVED Mini Air 11
- VESA mounting plate
- Power supply unit 65W
- HDMI cable
- Mini DisplayPort to HDMI Adapter
- Soft bag
- VESA mounting screws
- A brief guide
- Thank you card
Design
Like its sibling, the Mini IT8, the GEEKOM MiniAir 11 is small and somewhat flashy. It is only about 4 5/8 inches wide, 4 3/8 inches deep and 1 3/8 inches tall (including the 1 1/2 inch rubber feet). Black color, the edges are rounded with a soft coating. The top is glossy black with the GEOKOM logo printed in the middle and the Intel Inside logo on the top right.
The front of this mini PC has a data-only USB-C, a USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 port, a 3.5mm headphone/microphone combo jack, and a small power button. On the back you'll find most of the ports, a small round 19V power port for a 65W PSU, a Mini DisplayPort, a Gigabit Ethernet port, two USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 ports, another USB -C-only data port, and an HDMI 1.4 port. There are air vents on the left and right sides. There's a full-size SD card slot on the left, and a Kensington lock slot on the right.
The base of the GEKOM MiniAir 11 is durable, with four rubber feet. Removing the four screws on the legs allows easy access to the system tubes. Here you can easily add more storage to your device. In the main compartment, you can view and upgrade the M.2 2280 PCIe/SATA solid state drive, and add a second SODIMM RAM chip in the free expansion slot. You can also easily upgrade it by removing the original one and replacing it with a larger RAM chip, up to 32GB (16GB per channel).
GEEKOM has included a soft carrying case if you want to move the device from place to place. Although it fits inside a mini PC, there is no room for a power adapter and an HDMI cable.
Of course, the MiniAir 11 makes some sacrifices to keep the price down. First, the USB-C port on the back is for data only and cannot be viewed. Second, GEEKOM uses an HDMI 1.4 port instead of a 2.0 port. Third, there is no additional slot for a 2.5-inch SATA SSD for memory expansion like the Mini IT8. While most people who need a basic PC will be fine without more powerful ports, there are some important differences here.
Overall, the GEEKOM MiniAir 11 mini PC is compact but easy to upgrade and add more RAM. Easy VESA mounting, can be placed out of sight or behind the monitor for a clean workspace.
Software
While most systems come with Windows 10/11 Home, the GEEKOM MiniAir 11 comes with Windows 11 Pro, giving you full access to the consumer and business features that Windows 11 has to offer. Read our latest laptop or desktop reviews. Here at Techaeris, you know we're big fans of Windows 11. It's a nice operating system with a modern look and feel and even runs on systems with 11th Gen Intel Celeron processors.
Best of all, this system has no additional software, including the antivirus program that comes pre-installed with this system, so a fresh install of Windows 11 is very clean.
arrive
I usually stay away from Celeron CPUs. I had misgivings about the IT8 with an 8th generation Intel Core i5 processor (which turned out to be absolutely adequate) so I thought I'd give the Mini 11 a shot. For the record, it's an 11th gen Intel Celeron N5095 4. cores, 4 threads, 4 MB cache and runs up to 2.90 GHz. Our review unit has a 256GB SXmicro NF830 M.2 2280 SSD and 8GB Wooposit 2666MHz DDR4 SODIMM RAM.
First, I use the normal hard drive read/write steps:
| Crystaldisk Mark Sec (Q8T1) read | 546.24 MB/s |
| Write Crystaldisk Mark Sec (Q8T1) | 436.61 MB/s |
| Read AS SSD Seq | 502.87 MB/s |
| Write AS SSD Seq | 391.78 MB/s |
| ATTO sequence reading (High) | 499.51 MB/s |
| ATTO SEC WRITE (HIGH) | 428.71 MB/s |
As you can see, even with SSD it is very slow. However, the speed is sufficient for everyday tasks such as web browsing, office applications and audio/video playback. Using Edge with multiple tabs open is also fine, it took about 10 minutes before it started to slow down. If you're not into graphics or gaming and you're not a power user, this box will do the trick a little slower than other mini PCs like the IT8, which have decent internals.
Of course I used it for daily work for a while and had no problems, the integrated graphics worked well for document processing, web browsing and video streaming (Netflix in 4K HDR), no problems with any of the 4K displays. Short time during the exam. Overall, it's not as slow as I thought, based on my previous (albeit years) experience with Celeron processors.
I tried heroes of the storm, and it resulted in a very low framerate, even on medium settings. For this reason, you may want to stick to simple games like Microsoft Solitaire on this computer. In addition, the Mini Air 11 does not get hot when working and is used throughout the day.
Sure, you can add more RAM and upgrade to another solid state drive, but then you'll increase the cost. If you want something more durable, I'd definitely go for the IT8 Mini for the extra price.
price/price
The GEEKOM MiniAir 11 Mini PC with 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD sells for US$279.99. Even better, the unit is currently discounted to $199 on Black Friday on the GEKOM website (after using a coupon). If you want to save a few more bucks, Amazon lists it for $195, pushing it to buyout territory if it suits your needs.
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Closure
Given the specifications and performance of the GEEKOM MiniAir 11, its possibilities are limited. But at a very reasonable price, if you're looking for a small computer that's more than adequate for basic computing tasks at home or work, or if you want to use it as a set-top box/server, you can don't go wrong If you want a little more performance and some photo/video editing, I'd go for the mini IT8.
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Last updated on November 24, 2022.
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