GEEKOM Mini Air12

The GEEKOM Mini Air12 is a budget-friendly mini PC targeting home office and media center use. Its Intel N100 (4C/4T, 3.4GHz) and 16GB DDR4-3200 RAM handle basic tasks smoothly—web browsing, 4K video playback, and light productivity (Word/Excel) run without hiccups. At $229, though the N100’s 4-thread limit bottlenecks multitasking. The Intel UHD Graphics (16EU) struggles beyond 1080p gaming (Minecraft: 45fps at Low settings), but hardware decoding supports 4K/60Hz streaming (Netflix, YouTube) via HDMI 2.0 and DisplayPort 1.4. The 0.5L chassis is compact but lacks premium materials, with a plastic exterior that feels utilitarian.

Connectivity is a mixed bag: WiFi 6 and triple USB 3.2 Gen2 ports (10Gbps) are highlights, but the single USB 2.0 port feels outdated, and there’s no Thunderbolt or USB4. The dual-display support works well for office setups, though the N100’s limited encode/decode engines stutter with dual 4K streams. Storage is upgradeable (second M.2 slot available), but the 512GB PCIe x4 SSD’s read speeds (~1,800MB/s) are mid-tier for the price. The 12W TDP keeps the fan near-silent (~22dB), but sustained loads (e.g., Zoom + 20 Chrome tabs) push CPU temps to 75°C, triggering throttling. Pre-installed Windows 11 Pro adds value, but bloatware (McAfee, Candy Crush) requires cleanup.

The Mini Air12’s closest rival is the Beelink S12 Pro (N100, 16GB/512GB at $169), but uses slower DDR4 RAM. For $30 less, the Acemagician N150 (N150, 16GB/512GB) offers similar performance with worse efficiency. If you need sheer value for office tasks, the GEEKOM delivers—but gamers or power users should consider AMD-based alternatives like the GMKtec M5 (Ryzen 5 5825U, $279) for better GPU performance.

- GhostKeyboard Review.