Finally! AMD-powered workstation mini PC comes with USB 4 ports – allowing creatives to connect Thunderbolt-powered GPU docking stations
Geekom, which celebrated its 20th anniversary in October 2023, produces some excellent mini PCs, including the Mini IT13 that we tested here in October, and the Mini IT11, tested in late 2022.
The next big – well, small – release will be the Geekom A7 mini PC. This will be officially unveiled at CES 2024, but we've already had a sneak peek and it looks like the company has another hit on its hands.
The Geekom A7, with a metal body, will be powered by Ryzen 7000 series APUs – specifically Ryzen 9 7940HS and Ryzen 7 7840HS – paired with up to 64 GB of DDR5 RAM, clocked at 5600 MHz in dual-channel. This setup means it can handle fairly heavy workloads. An M.2 NVMe PCIe 4.0 slot means the A7 can accommodate an SSD of up to 2TB, and the new mini PC also has a connector for a SATA drive.
USB4 support
Its wireless capabilities include Intel Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3, and it comes with a decent selection of ports, including 2.5G Ethernet, USB Type-A, 3.5mm audio and HDMI.
Most notably, the A7 mini PC comes with a USB 4 Type-C port. USB 4 mirrors many of the specifications of Thunderbolt 4, so it can support DisplayPort 2.0 and deliver speeds of up to 40 Gbps. It will also be backwards compatible with USB 3.2 (and even USB 2.0). This inclusion means that creatives can connect GPU docking stations to the device, delivering a significant performance boost.
According to Geekom CEO Alan Chen, “The A7 will be the thinnest mini PC on the market in terms of body size, with guaranteed stability and performance.”
There's no word yet on pricing or availability for the Geekom A7, but with CES 2024 just around the corner, we won't have to wait too long to find out the full details.