The Geekom A5 is a powerful mini PC for economical users
Hardly any other manufacturer offers such a large selection of mini PCs as Geekom, which launches new models on the market every few months. ntv.de has already tested several small flagships from the Chinese company and found them to be good, most recently the Mini IT13 with a 13th generation Intel Core i9 processor. The Geekom A5 does not have this kind of motorization. However, it is much cheaper and even proved to be more powerful in practical tests than its stablemate, which is almost twice as expensive.
Visually, the A6 hardly differs from other Geekom minis. In order to keep prices low, the manufacturer saves itself the effort of regularly developing new housings. This is absolutely okay, because the construction of a robust plastic shell and internal metal housing is very stable and the workmanship is of high quality.
The stylish Geekom minis are also a sight to behold if they don't disappear on the back of a monitor or under the desk top with the supplied holder. This is particularly true of the A5, which stands out with its delicate rose gold finish.
Lush equipment
The features of the 117 x 112 x 49.2 gram mini PC should satisfy the needs of most users. In addition to the on/off switch and headphone socket, there are two USB-A inputs (USB 3.2 Gen 2) on the front, which enable data transfers of up to 10 gigabits per second (Gbit/s). One of these can be used to power connected devices.
There are two more USB-A ports on the back. One offers USB 3.2 speed, the other with USB 2.0 is sufficient for input devices such as keyboards and mice. There are two USB-C sockets to the left and right. Unlike the IT13 Mini, these are not Thunderbolt ports, but also USB 3.2 ports. However, the data transfer is fast enough for most purposes and you can operate an 8K monitor on each of the USB-C inputs.
Two additional screens can be connected to two HDMI ports (2.0) if required. In addition to the power connection, there is also a LAN port on the back, which allows speeds of up to 2.5 Gbit/s. An SD card reader and an opening for theft protection with a Kensington lock are located on the left and right sides. The PC establishes wireless connections via Wifi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2.
Mobile processor for large notebooks
Even if the Geekom A5 is not a high-performance computer, its inner workings cannot be described as weak. Although the AMD Ryzen 7 5800H chip was introduced in 2021, it can still keep up very well. After all,"Notebookcheck" described it as a "mobile processor for large notebooks (e.g. gaming laptops)". Geekom has provided it with 32 gigabytes (GB) of RAM (DDR4), which can be doubled to 64 GB.
An NVMe SSD from Lexar (NM620) with 512 GB capacity is used for mass storage. If you need more, there is a free space on the board for another M.2 SSD. A 2.5-inch HDD can also be inserted.
More powerful than expected
Although the existing SSD is not outstandingly fast, it is certainly fast enough to never slow down the system. It achieved a total of around 4060 points in the AS SSD benchmark. It scored just under 1490 points in the read rating and 1810 points in the read rating.
PCMark 10, which tests everyday requirements up to the rendering of videos. Here, the A5 achieved a total of 6445 points. It not only outperformed the Geekom AS6 (6017), which is equipped with an AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX, but surprisingly also outperformed the Mini IT13, which scored 6099 points.
The A5 is therefore ideally equipped for any office task and also has no problems with image and video editing, as long as it is not done in the professional sector with enormously large files. The mini PC is also ready for simpler games, but they must not be too graphically complex.
Loud fan
The comparatively high performance is probably due to the fact that Geekom does not or hardly holds back the processor horses of the A5. The Intel Core i9 of the IT13 Mini, for example, is throttled if it consumes more than 45 watts of power, as otherwise there is a risk of overheating. The Geekom A5, on the other hand, reached almost 70 watts in the test, including during video editing. So it's no wonder that the little one can get quite warm when it's really put to the test. Although the temperatures remain in the unproblematic range, the fan then has a lot to do.
This means that when high processor performance is required, the Mini PC's fan is quite loud. In normal office use, this is rarely a problem, although the fan is almost never really quiet. However, if you plan to frequently edit images or videos, you should not place the computer in the immediate vicinity. In normal operation, the A5 is quite frugal with a power consumption of between 10 and 40 watts.
Conclusion
The only real weak point of the Geekom A5 is the occasionally too loud fan. On the other hand, the system is surprisingly powerful and very well equipped despite the lack of Thunderbolt. Geekom currently charges just under 430 euros for the mini PC, which means it offers excellent value for money.
Source: www.ntv.de
