The GEEKOM A7 is a mini PC that supports up to an AMD Ryzen nine 7nine40HS processor, 64GB of RAM, and 2TB of SSD storage. It’s essentially the AMD equivalent of the GEEKOM Mini IT13 with an Intel Raptor Lake processor. But after the GEEKOM A7, a lot over the last month, I’ve discovered that it’s a small, capable but quiet computer.
It also provides the cash price of any mini PCs you’ve reviewed over the past year.
The GEEKOM A7 is available on GEEKOM. com for $699 and up, or you can get a model on Amazon for $849. Lilliputing readers can also save $20 by using one of the coupons at the end of this article.
GEEKOM sent me an A7 to test. This mini PC was given free of charge to Lilliputing, with no need for the computer to be returned once the exam is completed. This review is not sponsored by GEEKOM and the company has not changed or endorsed in any way the content of this article.
The exterior of the GEEKOM A7 measures 112. 4 x 112. 4 x 37 mm (4. 43 x 4. 43 x 1. 46 inches) and is composed of a brushed aluminum housing with a detachable plastic bottom. Inside is the motherboard and, towards the top, an AMD Ryzen nine 7nine40HS processor. with an AMD Radeon 780M graphics card, cooled by a fan.
On the other side of the motherboard and face down, also available on the back of the mini PC, are two DDR5 SO-DIMM slots for memory, and an M. 2 2230 NVMe slot for a WiFi card that is covered by an M. 2. 2280 NVMe slot for storage.
The Ryzen nine 7nine40HS is a rugged processor with 8 multi-threaded “Zen 4” CPU cores for a total of 16 threads. The base clock is 4. 0 GHz and can boost up to 5. 2 GHz. It has a configurable TDP (cTDP) between 35 and 54 watts.
The chip also features a Radeon 780M graphics card with 12 cores and a frequency of 2800 MHz. AMD Ryzen AI is also available for those who need (or even know how) to use it.
The GEEKOM A7 is sold as a configured mini PC. It comes with 32GB of memory and the drive GEEKOM sent me contained two keys for 16GB of Crucial DDR5-5600 RAM.
Also included are 2TB of NVMe storage provided via what appears to be an “China-only” Acer N5000CN M. 2 2280 drive.
There’s an Azurewave AW-XB591NF M. 2 2230 wireless card with a MediaTek 7922 chip. Supports WiFi 6E and Bluetooth 5. 3 (LMP 12. 8966).
On the front of the GEEKOM A7 are two USB Type-A 3. 2 Gen 2×1 (10 Gbps) ports, a 3. 5mm headphone jack, and a bright power button.
The left side has a full-size SD slot, as well as fine mesh holes for ventilation. These holes are replicated all over the right side. And unlike the GEEKOM Mini IT13, it doesn’t have a Kensington Lock slot.
Most of the ports are on the back. These include, from left to right:
All ports are annotated and tests have shown them to work well and are exactly in line with the published specifications. However, it is not specified, none of the USB Type-C ports support Power Delivery.
To force the GEEKOM A7, an FSP120-ABBU3 “Ultra Slim” adapter with separate power cable is provided. This 120W (19V 6. 32A) power adapter is not only smaller than a traditional adapter provided with mini PC, but it is also much lighter. .
The box also includes an HDMI cable, a small instruction booklet, and a thank you card.
Memory and garage access is the foundation of the device.
To remove the back cover, you will first need to remove the 4 rubber feet. Although they are coated with adhesive, they are also designed to plug into their placement holes and stay there without the need for glue.
After cutting those feet and the screws they protect, we want to remove the plastic base to reveal the odd screwed steel plate.
After cutting 4 more screws, gently lift this board, as the main WiFi antenna is attached with black tape, which holds it in position. The final attachment point is the plastic base, so you can lift the tape securely. and this will provide enough space for the WiFi cable to allow the steel plate to be removed and the plastic base to rest horizontally.
To access UEFI (BIOS), without delay after turning on the mini PC, you can use the “Esc” or “Del” keys to enter the UEFI (BIOS) directly. Or you can use the “F7” key to enter the “Start Menu” and then the appropriate option.
UEFI (BIOS) is incredibly limited. It is attractive to note a “FAN Mode” option on the first screen whose default price is “Normal Mode” which can optionally be changed to “Silent Mode” or “Performance Mode”. The related description reads “Performance Mode with maximum functionality and maximum FAN speed; Silent mode brings low functionality and low fan speed; The general mode is the break-even point. “
The GEEKOM A7 comes with Windows 11 Pro edition 23H2, edition 22631. 2861 pre-installed, which I updated to OS edition 22631. 3155 for testing purposes. I shrunk the Windows partition to 1 TB so I could install Ubuntu as well. Initially, I installed Ubuntu 22. 04 . 4 LTS (Jammy), but then I also installed the Ubuntu 24. 04 (Noble) edition for the reasons listed under “Issues” below.
All tests were performed in “Normal Mode” in UEFI (BIOS) and with Forced Mode set to “High Performance” in Windows, or with the CPU Scale Slider set to “Performance” in Ubuntu.
I tested the wireless ports first, and they all worked as expected, with the exception of Bluetooth on Ubuntu; see “Issues” below.
I started testing Crystal Dew World’s CrystalDiskMark functionality to measure functionality on Windows and a script for the “fio” or “flexible I/O test” command to determine it on Ubuntu. The effects were clever because, according to the specifications of this unit, we only deserve to achieve sequential read speeds of up to 5,000 MB/s and write speeds of up to 4,400 MB/s.
For the SD card reader, I tried using a UHS-II card in Windows. For sequential reads, they gave me a speed of 197. 10 MB/s and for sequential writes, they gave me 170. 03 MB/s, which are two pretty typical speeds. For high-end mini PCs, reading from a USB card can reach almost theoretical maximum speeds of 312 MB/s.
Now let’s move on to the other functionality criteria. I’ve included the effects from my Simply NUC Onyx NUC13OXv9 and GEEKOM Mini IT13 reviews in the effects table to offer a comparison with several other mini PCs I’ve tested recently that have high-end specs. Both computers are supplied with Intel Core i9-13900H processors, although, as the effects of comparative tests show, there are many points that can affect the functionality of this processor.
On Windows, I run:
On Ubuntu, I ran the following benchmarks:
The effects of the sbc-bench can be seen in http://sprunge. us/Xhdrny.
The effects of the GEEKOM A7 are some of what I’ve noticed on any mini PC I’ve tried.
A small factor check was that PerformanceTest Edition 11. 0 did not complete because the 3D graphics GPU compute check could not be executed. Switching to PerformanceTest 10. 2 resolved this factor, and I saw no noticeable differences between individual check effects between editions.
Browser functionality on Windows wasn’t a challenge for gambling videos up to 4K 60 FPS on YouTube on Edge and Chrome. However, Ubuntu has yielded inconsistent results.
Initially, Firefox and Chrome played videos in 4K 60FPS on YouTube with clever effects, and only occasional photos were deleted. But it’s possible that those effects will simply replicate. Further testing revealed that Firefox or Chrome were worse than before. However, when you review the game in 8K 30fps, the operating systems and browsers run smoothly.
Finally, at 8K 60FPS, Edge and Chrome on Windows lost frames, but overall they were better than the gameplay videos in that solution on Ubuntu.
Unfortunately, the Ethernet and WiFi functionality in Windows is disappointing compared to Ubuntu.
For some reason, I was constantly getting a slower Ethernet download speed for Windows. And WiFi download speeds were about twice as fast on Ubuntu as they were on Windows, while download speeds were about 4 times faster on Ubuntu.
That said, Ubuntu’s speeds were the fastest I’ve noticed on any mini PC I’ve tested to date.
Despite its cooling, the GEEKOM A7 is very quiet.
Although the CPU temperature rises to a maximum of 95°C under heavy load, the fan only increases from 33. 0 dBA at idle to 44. 5 dBA when running a combined voltage check and FurMark on Ubuntu.
Due to the maximum temperature, the CPU reports thermal throttling, dropping to an average of 3,680 MHz.
Power consumption is measured as follows:
Off (Off) – 0. 7 W UEFI (BIOS) – 10. 2 W GRUB Menu – 20. 7 W (if left on GRUB, force due to higher fan speed) Idle – 4. 5 W (Windows) and 5. 1 W (Ubuntu) CPU Demand – Max. 92. 6 W, average 73. 5 W (Windows “Cinebench” “FurMark”) CPU Demand: Max. 88. 9 W, average 73. 4 W (Ubuntu “stress” “FurMark”)
The built-in AMD Radeon 780M GPU is so rugged that it’s popular among gaming laptop PC manufacturers. So I wanted to see what kind of gaming functionality this iGPU offered in a mini PC like the GEEKOM A7.
I tried a handful of AAA games.
Obviously, additional tweaks are needed to lower some of the parameters of SOTTR and Horizon Zero Dawn to achieve the magic of “60 FPS”.
Since the GEEKOM A7 has a USB4 port that supports 40 Gbps data transfer speeds, you can also connect an external graphics docking station. To verify this, I plugged in my internal version, which is made up of an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 housed in an ADT. -Link K43SG and connect a JEYI ASM2464 USB4 M. 2 NVMe enclosure and a USB4 cable.
Host and device speeds of just over 3600 MiB/s are very smart and verify that the USB4 port is working properly with the eGPU.
Running the top SOTTR defaults of 1080p as before, an average increase in FPS from 42 to 85 FPS was shown, which is in line with the expected functionality of this eGPU combination and given that the game is now GPU-bound.
The main known factor in testing was that Bluetooth didn’t work immediately on Ubuntu. I first checked if the Linux firmware edition was 20240312 or later, as this is the first edition to include the firmware of the MediaTek 7922 wireless chip used in the GEEKOM A7. .
However, in the case of Ubuntu, the firmware has already been backed up for the jammy-updates package in the 22. 04. 4 edition, so there is no need to download it from the kernel firmware repository. There may be answers for other Linux distributions.
Initially, instead of debugging the Bluetooth issue, I followed the same direction of updating the kernel as above, as this works for new devices. I first updated the kernel to the newest major edition that supports 22. 04. 4 LTS. However, it didn’t make any difference. I then installed the daily edition of Ubuntu 24. 04 (Noble) and, since Bluetooth still didn’t work, I updated its kernel to the last main kernel that Canonical had compiled well, which at the time was v6. 8-rc6. Unfortunately, once again, Bluetooth still didn’t work.
I then diagnosed that the problem was due to the fact that the product ID was not identified for this specific card connected to the USB bus. In fact, it only requires a very undeniable patch for the affected module on which DKMS can be installed. make Bluetooth work. You can also create your own kernel and come with the solution. I installed the upstream patch on the main kernel so that only a workaround was required.
The GEEKOM A7 unit featured in this review is a high-end model with a Ryzen 9 7nine40HS processor, 32 GB of RAM, and 2 TB of storage. Its list value is $84 nine.
There’s a $699 model with a Ryzen 7 7840HS processor and 1TB of storage.
The GEEKOM A7 is available on Amazon or the GEEKOM website, and Lilliputing readers can save $20 (or £20) with the following coupons:
The GEEKOM A7 is a nice, rugged and quiet little computer that comes with a pretty high price tag compared to the competition.
But there are a few things you should know before buying one:
With its small power adapter and small size, the GEEKOM A7 is a true “mini”. It also offers performance, port deals, and a three-year warranty at a smart price. I would like to thank GEEKOM for offering the review unit.
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One more piece of knowledge for those who are interested in this machine: I contacted GEEKOM to ask if it is ECC compatible and the answer was no, as expected.
I also asked them if they would sell it with 64GB of RAM and a 4TB SSD instead of the 32GB and 2TB on offer, but the reaction was also negative, and they added something somewhat unpleasant about my attempt to install them myself, namely that it “affects my warranty”. It’s not nice. . . :-/
Thank you for the review and especially for the much-appreciated strength intake figures.
I see that Ubuntu has higher power consumption than Windows, especially at rest; Usually it’s the other way around, it’s funny.
When you measured, what external devices had you connected (e. g. , an HDMI cable with the monitor on or off, 2. 5 or 1 Gbps Ethernet, USB keyboard/mouse, etc. ) and the WiFi connected/disconnected?
Also, according to AMD, the Ryzen 7940HS can ECC RAM as long as the motherboard seller rarely looks to save a few pennies by skipping the physical copper lines between the CPU and RAM; Do you know if this device is?
AUNT!
I’m guessing that Ubuntu’s top input is fan-like and idle charging activates the fan curve, which would possibly be lower than other devices. But I agree, since the rule is the other way around. When I measure force intake, I usually only have the bare minimum connected, mainly LAN, USB (to KVM), HDMI (monitor on) and AC adapter connected to a plug-in force meter connected to a UPS.
The AMD Ryzen 9 7nine40HS (https://www. amd. com/en/product/13036) specs say “ECC Support: No” and I don’t have any ECC memory to check anyway. Note that this is different from RAM that supports on-chip ECC, which is not the same as ECC RAM.
Thank you for the thoughtful reply.
Thank you for the additional data related to the force measurement conditions.
You’re right: the undeniable 7940HS doesn’t have ECC support, I made a mistake and checked the 7940HS Pro, which it does: https://www. amd. com/en/product/13466 and of course I’m aware that DDR5 has mandatory ECC on the chip, however, from what I’ve heard, it’s only there to bring the much higher error rate of DDR5 on par with older/less dense/slower DDR4 (so this isn’t the case). counts as additional security).
One more thing: would you measure the PTO again with the HDMI monitor plugged in but turned off, just like the LAN (unplugged or off at the other end)?
I ask because my use case for this device is headless (it’s essentially used for telemetry logging, where it spends 99% of its idle time, as well as occasional knowledge processing, when the Ryzen APU would actually be put through its paces). test), and the LAN is only enabled during the day (all transfer, as well as the other devices, are turned off at night, because force ingestion is critical and it’s a remote setup that runs on batteries charged via solar panels).
AUNT!
Okay, for fully updated Ubuntu 22. 04. 4, the newest HWE kernel (6. 5. 0-26-generic) with my BT patch as DKMS module, then with WiFi off (radio off), BT disabled (service stopped), force setting to Power Saver, no GDM (default multi-user target), HDMI connected (monitor off), and LAN connected (for SSH), the standby force input is 3. 8 W (bounces between 3. 6 and 4. 0 W).
When you disconnect the Ethernet cable, the standby intake drops to 3. 4 W (it bounces between 3. 2 and 3. 6 W).
So, to summarize, as I upload features, strength intake (doh):
Ethernet cable unplugged, the power input is 3. 4W (3. 2-3. 6) Connect the Ethernet cable, the power input is 3. 8W (3. 4-4. 0) Turn on the monitor, the power input is 5. 8W (5. 6-6. 0) SSH to the device, the forced input is not replaced 5. 8W (5. 6-6. 0) Start GDM, the forced input is 5. 3W (5. 2-5. 4) Exit SSH, Forced input is not replaced 5. 3 W (5. 2-5. 4) Connect to the console, forced input is 5. 4 W (5. 2-5. 6) Reboot BT, no replacement on power input 5. 4 W (5. 2-5. 6) Reboot WiFi, Wider Force Input 5. 4W (5. 1-5. 7)
Wow, thank you so much for the detailed answer! I couldn’t get a better answer even if I had the device in front of me and did it myself!Really impressive, I’m impressed! ???
I just sent you a modest PayPal donation as a thank you, and when I buy this device (which is probably because the 3. 4W idle power input is completely offline), I’ll use the Amazon link here.
Thanks again!
Thank you so much.
Ok, which PC is more productive for the eco-friendly man?The index is Top500 in terms of speed and power. I use Wyse 5070, type in a larger option.
I can’t find much about GEEKOM’s ecosystems, however, this link (https://www. geekompc. com/3-perspectives-to-upgrade-the-workstations/) includes parts that would possibly be relevant. Assuming you select Wyse 5070 are its thin consumer capabilities, GEEKOM has published this article (https://www. geekompc. com/mini-pc-vs-thin-consumer/) on “Mini PC vs. Thin Client: Which One Is Right for You”.
Thanks for the review! Sounds great, on paper, the AOOSTAR GEM10 or 12 have higher specs (3 M. 2 slots and an Oculink)
Could you take a look at that one as well? Especially with Linux applied?
I’d love to, but I will on AOOSTAR and availability.
I installed the upstream patch on the main kernel so that a workaround was necessary.
Thank you! ❤️
I don’t have Bluetooth on my new Chuwi Larkbox X and I’m a casual Linux user, but I managed to upgrade to the newer main Linux kernel. It didn’t help.
Now I need to see if the challenge is the same as yours. I don’t even know where to start.
If you can “paste” the output of “lsusb”, I can check if it is the same challenge. Otherwise, you may be in for a long road, because first of all you want to install some other Linux distributions and check if any of them work. Also make sure you have the lacheck firmware installed on each of them, the easiest way is to download the lacheck firmware from the Linux firmware git. So if you’re not technical, you’ve probably already used ‘Google’ or similar to find out how to do this, so now try searching for your device, WiFi/BT card and chip, and each of the Linux distributions you’re using. I tried to see if anyone else had the challenge or even kept up with it. Finally, if you can’t get it to work and the search results don’t show anything, ask the Chuwi channel. If you don’t find anything useful, ask a question on the device’s forum. Then post your favorite Linux distribution on the forum. Then rinse and repeat posting on your second/third…th favorite Linux forum. Wait a bit each time to see if anyone responds, and if all else fails, get a Bluetooth USB dongle.
You helped me!
Firmware the problem.
I didn’t know what express blob I needed in git. kernel, so I ended up downloading the entire tree and replacing my existing items.
Now I have Bluetooth. Thank you!
Obviously there’s a position for a moment for the m. 2 interface on this motherboard. If one can find a way to load a bootable device, it is possible to run two NVMEs in a mirrored configuration.
To me, it just turns out that there’s room for an M. 2 SATA (NGFF) 2242 drive because the socket (which you want to add) is just a “B key” on the card lines.
I wonder if Geekom could have voluntarily left this empty 2d M. 2, for example for stability/thermal reasons. . .
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