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GMKtec EVO-T1: 30-second evaluation
The GMKtec EVO-T1 is a compact but potent mini PC constructed round Intel’s cutting-edge Core Extremely 9 285H processor. With 16 cores (six efficiency, eight effectivity, and two low-power, clocking as much as 5.4GHz, it’s designed to deal with demanding multitasking, AI workloads, and artistic purposes with ease. Paired with Intel’s Arc 140T GPU and a devoted NPU, the EVO-T1 delivers as much as 99 TOPS of AI acceleration — making it probably the most succesful AI-ready mini PCs in its class.
Bodily, the EVO-T1 maintains a palm-sized footprint (103 × 98 × 32 mm), but it packs workstation-grade specs: as much as 128GB of DDR5 RAM (64GB pre-installed in greater SKUs), triple PCIe Gen 4 M.2 slots supporting as much as 12TB of storage, and a sturdy array of ports together with USB4, OCuLink for exterior GPU assist, twin 2.5GbE LAN, HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 1.4, and quad-display output. Its dual-fan cooling system retains thermals in examine with out extreme noise, and the configurable energy profile (as much as 150W) permits customers to stability efficiency and effectivity.
Whereas the barebone model gives flexibility for DIY builders, the 64GB RAM + 1TB SSD SKU offers the perfect worth for many customers, delivering plug-and-play comfort with out compromising on velocity or capability. The dearth of a pre-installed OS could also be a minor hurdle for some, but it surely additionally offers professionals the liberty to deploy Linux, Home windows, or customized environments as wanted.
The EVO-T1 is greatest suited to builders, AI researchers, and artistic professionals who want severe compute energy in a small kind issue. It’s superb for working native LLMs, coaching fashions, compiling code, enhancing media, or managing digital machines. Because of its upgradeability and connectivity, it additionally serves nicely as a compact workstation, edge server, or perhaps a residence lab node.
Players could discover the built-in Arc GPU limiting for AAA titles, however with OCuLink assist, exterior GPU pairing is a risk. Total, the EVO-T1 is a forward-looking machine that blends efficiency, flexibility, and portability — excellent for customers who demand greater than what conventional mini PCs can provide and wish the greatest mini PC with Intel know-how.
GMKtec EVO-T1: Worth and availability
- How a lot does it value? From $899
- When is it out? Out there now
- The place are you able to get it? Direct from GMKtec or by way of on-line retailers like Amazon
This machine could be purchased instantly from GMKtec for under $899 for the barebones SKU by clicking right here.
For these within the UK/EU, you will wish to head the the corporate’s new European retailer by clicking right here. The barebones is € 799.99, the 1TB is € 1099.99, and the 2TB is € 1199.99.
Nevertheless, for a mannequin with RAM, storage, and Home windows 11 Professional pre-installed, the beginning worth is $999.99 for 64GB of RAM and 1TB of storage, with the choice to improve to 2TB of storage for $1079.99.
I am seeing loads of completely different configurations over on Amazon within the US and UK. That features the 1TB mannequin on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk. Though the $1300 / £1201 worth is a hefty improve for the enjoyment of next-day supply.
Nevertheless, I might advise avoiding Amazon.co.uk, as this can be a US-sourced import and the vendor is asking an eye-watering £2,465.11 for the top-end mannequin. I might suggest utilizing GMKtec direct on this occasion.
You will get just a few {dollars} off by buying it by way of AliExpress, however not an enormous low cost.
Presently, there are three different mini PC designs utilising the identical Extremely 9 285H platform. These embrace the Geekom IT15, the MinisForum M1 Professional and the Asus NUC 15 Professional+. The IT15 is roughly the identical worth, and the M1 Professional is simply $695 for the barebones choice.
The NUC 15 Professional+ is offered in a variety of SKUs with completely different Extremely processors, with fashions that includes the Extremely 9 ranging from $1,469.99 on Amazon.com.
GMKtec EVO-T1: Specs
|
Merchandise |
Specification |
|---|---|
|
CPU |
Intel Core Extremely 9 285H (16 cores: 6P + 8E + 2LP, as much as 5.4GHz, 24MB L3 cache) |
|
GPU |
Intel Arc 140T (8 Xe cores, as much as 2.35GHz, 77 TOPS INT8) |
|
NPU |
Intel AI Enhance (13 TOPS INT8) |
|
RAM |
64GB DDR5-5600 (32GB × 2 SO-DIMM), expandable to 128GB (as much as DDR5-6400) |
|
Storage |
1TB PCIe Gen 4 SSD (M.2 2280), expandable to 12TB by way of 3× PCIe Gen 4 M.2 slots |
|
Enlargement |
3 × M.2 2280 PCIe Gen 4 ×4 slots |
|
Ports (Entrance) |
1 × USB-C (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PD/DP/Information) – 3 × USB-A (USB 3.2 Gen 2) – 1 × 3.5mm combo audio jack |
|
Ports (Rear) |
1 × HDMI 2.1 (8K@60Hz / 4K@144Hz) – 1 × DisplayPort 1.4 – 1 × USB4 – 1 × Kind-C – 2 × USB 2.0 Kind-A – 2 × 2.5GbE LAN – 1 × OCuLink (PCIe Gen 4 ×4) – 1 × 3.5mm combo audio jack |
|
Networking |
Wi-Fi 6 (AX200), Bluetooth 5.2, Twin 2.5GbE LAN |
|
Show Output |
Quad-display assist by way of HDMI, DP, USB4, and Kind-C |
|
OS |
Barebone (no OS pre-installed) or non-compulsory Home windows 11 Professional |
|
Energy Provide |
DC IN 19V 6.32A (120W) or 19V 7.89A (150W max) |
|
AI Efficiency |
As much as 99 TOPS (INT8) mixed CPU/GPU/NPU |
|
Dimensions |
154 x 151 s 73.6mm |
GMKtec EVO-T1: Design
- Metallic building
- Awkward entry inside
- Triple M.2 2280
For no matter purpose, in all probability as a result of that is the eleventh mini PC from GMKtec I’ve reviewed, however I anticipated GMKtec to make the EVO-T1 fully from plastic. A number of the case sections are, however there are additionally some steel case elements.
This offers the machine far more gravitas, because it equals or surpasses the development high quality that Intel had with its NUCs and that Asus gives in the present day.
The marginally odd gold wrap on the highest and left creates a pretty accent in gold to the primary enclosure, which is a silk end black. The machine is made to both lie flat or be vertically positioned, and it comes with a VESA mounting plate for attaching it to a monitor.
Measuring 154 × 151 × 73.6 mm, this design is a bit larger than a traditional NUC, however not excessively giant. Its brushed aluminium chassis feels premium and strong, with refined venting alongside the perimeters and base to assist its dual-fan cooling system.
One oddity is how the gold steel shroud connects to the remainder of the EVO-T1, utilizing three of the 4 ft which can be threaded by to the underside of the case.
These ft have to be eliminated to get inside, and as they’re fully easy, this isn’t simple. As soon as they’re out, 4 small screws could be taken out to separate the case into two halves, with a big fan in a single.
We’ve seen circumstances which can be a lot simpler to get inside than this, although as soon as previous the three ft and 4 screws, you’ve gotten full entry to the twin DDR5 reminiscence slots and the three 2280 M.2 slots. One of many M.2 slots is occupied with the provided storage, except you go for the barebones choice.
On the entrance panel, you’ll discover three USB-A ports (USB 3.2 Gen 2), a USB-C port supporting knowledge, DisplayPort, and Energy Supply, and a 3.5mm combo audio jack. These are perfect for fast entry to peripherals like exterior drives, headphones, or enter gadgets. The rear panel is the place the EVO-T1 really shines: it features a USB4 port, one other Kind-C connector, two USB 2.0 ports, HDMI 2.1 (supporting as much as 8K@60Hz or 4K@144Hz), DisplayPort 1.4, twin 2.5GbE LAN ports, and a second 3.5mm audio jack.
There’s additionally an OCuLink port, permitting customers to attach an exterior GPU for severe graphical workloads or gaming. And, GMKtec already gives the AMD Radeon 7600M XT– AD-GP1 Exterior GPU Docking Station for these needing better GPU efficiency.
The chassis is designed with modularity in thoughts. The highest panel could be eliminated to entry three M.2 PCIe Gen 4 slots, making upgrades simple. The system helps quad-display output, enabling creators to run a number of screens for enhancing, coding, or buying and selling setups. Cooling vents are strategically positioned to optimise airflow with out compromising the glossy silhouette.
Total, the EVO-T1’s exterior design is each sensible and forward-looking. It gives the sort of I/O and expandability often reserved for a lot bigger techniques, all whereas sustaining a clear, understated look that matches into any workspace.
GMKtec EVO-T1: Options
- Intel Core Extremely 9 285H (16 cores, 16 Threads)
- 28 PCIe Lanes
- Intel Arc 140T GPU
TThe Intel Core Extremely 200 collection, significantly the Arrow Lake desktop CPUs, has drawn criticism from each lovers and professionals for falling wanting expectations. Marketed as a leap ahead in AI acceleration, gaming efficiency, and vitality effectivity, the collection promised a flagship expertise.
However early benchmarks and real-world utilization revealed a unique story. Many customers discovered that chips just like the Core Extremely 9 285K underperformed not solely towards AMD’s Ryzen 9000 collection however even towards Intel’s personal previous-generation Raptor Lake CPUs.
What Intel bought proper was energy effectivity, however to attain this goal, chip designers sacrificed multi-thread efficiency, and none of those processors have hyperthreading.
It is a drawback from a mini PC perspective, as energy administration isn’t the identical subject the Intel Core Extremely 9 285H was designed to resolve, given there is no such thing as a battery to handle.
The one benefit of getting such a power-efficient chip inside a small PC is that it’s unlikely to overheat with even a modest cooling system.
That mentioned, the Intel Core Extremely 9 285H options sixteen cores, permitting it to deal with a good variety of duties concurrently, and it additionally has 28 PCIe lanes.
The lane breakdown is a single x8 Gen5 + three x4 Gen4 and eight Gen4(x1,x2,x4). That’s an enormous quantity of bandwidth, and on this context, it permits lots for USB ports, M.2 slots and OCuLink.
If this structure has a weak spot apart from uncooked efficiency, it’s in all probability the Intel Arc 140T GPU. The Intel Arc 140T built-in GPU, featured in Arrow Lake cell processors, has struggled to satisfy expectations, particularly when in comparison with AMD’s newest built-in graphics.
A big subject right here is that Intel has developed the Lunar Lake 140V GPU, which utilises second-gen XeSS cores; nonetheless, the 140T depends on the older Xe+ structure, which limits its effectivity and gaming capabilities.
With AMD now rolling out the Radeon 880M and 890M, these have a superior software program stack and better GPU frequencies that give them the sensible benefit in lots of eventualities.
Intel has this odd notion that the identical built-in GPU that’s on the bottom 200 collection processor can also be effective for the very best, and for energy customers, the reply is to make use of OCuLink and fasten a discrete GPU externally.
That’s an choice, however that will increase the general value of the system to a degree the place a desktop PC may need been a extra reasonably priced selection.
In the event you don’t want GPU efficiency, then the Intel Arc 140T GPU won’t be an issue, however for people who need a extra compelling expertise, the newest AMD Ryzen designs and their GPUs seem like a more sensible choice.
GMKtec EVO-T1: Efficiency
|
Mini PC |
Header Cell – Column 1 |
GMKtec EVO-T1 |
Beelink GT Extremely (GTi12) |
|---|---|---|---|
|
CPU |
Row 0 – Cell 1 |
Intel Core Extremely 9 285H |
Intel Core i9 12900H |
|
Cores/Threads |
Row 1 – Cell 1 |
16C 16T |
14C 20T |
|
RAM |
Row 2 – Cell 1 |
64GB LPDDR5 (2x32GB) |
32GB DDR5 (2x16GB) |
|
Storage |
Row 3 – Cell 1 |
Essential P3 Plus 1TB |
Essential P3 Plus 1TB |
|
Graphics |
Row 4 – Cell 1 |
Intel Arc Graphics 140T |
Intel Iris Xe Graphics (96EU) |
|
3DMark |
WildLife |
24893 |
15261 |
| Row 6 – Cell 0 |
FireStrike |
8213 |
5821 |
| Row 7 – Cell 0 |
TimeSpy |
4363 |
2028 |
| Row 8 – Cell 0 |
Nomad Lite |
3436 |
1375 |
|
CineBench24 |
Single |
129 |
109 |
| Row 10 – Cell 0 |
Multi |
1141 |
705 |
| Row 11 – Cell 0 |
Ratio |
8.82 |
6.48 |
|
GeekBench 6 |
Single |
2973 |
2531 |
| Row 13 – Cell 0 |
Multi |
16097 |
10757 |
| Row 14 – Cell 0 |
OpenCL |
41700 |
16645 |
| Row 15 – Cell 0 |
Vulkan |
38605 |
20439 |
|
CrystalDisk |
Learn MB/s |
5198 |
5218 |
| Row 17 – Cell 0 |
Write MB/s |
4726 |
4751 |
|
PCMark 10 |
Workplace |
7917 |
6067 |
|
WEI |
Row 19 – Cell 1 |
8.4 |
8.4 |
My efficiency evaluation is a type of good cop, unhealthy cop offers, so we’ll begin with the constructive elements of this muddled equation.
To place it bluntly, that is the quickest Intel mini PC I’ve ever examined. In most assessments, it outperforms each machine that makes use of a Core Extremely 100 collection processor, and it additionally smoked traditional Core i9 12900H machines. I’ve used considered one of these because the comparability machine, the Beelink GT Extremely, now rebranded the GTi12.
Any take a look at that’s graphical, the Arc 140T is healthier than the Intel Iris Xe Graphics. The Iris X2 makes use of the Gen12 Xe structure and has 96 execution items, whereas the Arc 140T is a Xe-LPG design that has 1024 shaders, equal to greater than 128 execution items.
In concept, the 140T must be twice the velocity of the Iris Xe, and in just a few assessments, it manages to attain near that. Additionally being constructed on a TSMC 5nm node, the 140T gives much better energy effectivity and thermal administration than the 10nm SuperFin building that the Iris Xe is saddled with.
So this all appears to be like good, absolutely?
There are two points, one that’s revealed by the PCMark10 bench knowledge. The Beelink GT Extremely is roughly 75% of the efficiency of the EVO-T1, but it surely was additionally solely about 75% of the fee when it was first launched. It will possibly now be purchased instantly from Beelink with 32GB of RAM and 1TB of storage for $579, making it an excellent higher deal. You get efficiency, however at a worth.
What I can’t provide right here is any knowledge on the newest AMD platforms to current, however hopefully, we’ll see these quickly. However my intestine feeling is that the brand new Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 platforms will both match or be faster than the Core Extremely 9 285H, largely as a result of they’ve a GPU that’s rated at 8.6 TFLOPS, whereas the Intel silicon is 4.8 TFLOPS.
The one space the place the Intel platform is more likely to outperform convincingly is its AI Acceleration, which reaches 99 TOPS, in comparison with the AMD chip’s 50 TOPS.
We’ll be introducing some AI benchmarking shortly and exploring that in upcoming critiques.
Total, I am not a fan of the 200 collection, however that is nearly as good as that line will get for the cell chips.
GMKtec EVO-T1: Remaining verdict
It’s arduous to be essential of this design or specification, even when Intel seems to have misplaced the plot previously couple of years with its processor designs.
The EVO-T1 is an exceptionally punchy platform that may take loads of RAM and storage, making it a versatile resolution that ought to deal with most duties.
In the event you want much more GPU energy, the inclusion of an OCuLink port may allow a discrete graphics card to ship that. Nevertheless, it will probably by no means match the efficiency ranges of a system that connects an exterior GPU by way of PCIe instantly.Â
My concern is that that is an costly gadget that additional blurs the strains between the price of desktop techniques and mini platforms. If this have been $100 cheaper, I may be much less centered on how this may be pricing itself out of some budgets, it’s that effective a margin.
However on the plus aspect, that is the best-engineered mini system that GMKtec has made up to now, and I can’t wait to check it to the identical model’s AMD-powered EVO-X1.
Do you have to purchase a GMKtec EVO-T1?
|
Worth |
Not an inexpensive system, however nicely made |
4.5 / 5 |
|
Design |
Appears to be like nice if not the best NUC to open |
4 / 5 |
|
Options |
Highly effective CPU and three M.2 slots |
4 / 5 |
|
Efficiency |
Quickest Intel mini system up to now |
4.5 / 5 |
|
Total |
Nice efficiency however hardly nice worth |
4 / 5 |
Purchase it if…
Do not buy it if…
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