More powerful than the MiniAir 11, the Mini IT8 Geekom is a practical and versatile miniature PC which advantageously replaces a classic tower in all daily uses, especially since it is particularly quiet.
Is it still wise to use a fixed tower type PC? Not really. In fact, only certain professionals and, above all, gamers, need a large case that can accommodate a very high performance processor with its huge heat sink and a huge latest generation graphics card like the famous Nvidia RTXs. For most classic uses – office automation, surfing the Internet, video playback… – a more modest and, above all, more compact computer is more than enough. This is the reason why many users today prefer portable PCs and Macs, which are much more practical but also much more energy efficient – a criterion that is increasingly important these days. However, in purely sedentary use, a laptop is not a panacea either: the screen, of necessarily contained size, remains fixed to the keyboard, which is not detachable, and it is often necessary to add a mouse and a external monitor to regain ideal comfort.
The intermediate solution is to turn to a mini PC: a miniature computer that allows you to find the advantages of a fixed PC by connecting a real full keyboard, a good mouse and a large screen – or even two! – without taking up too much space on a desk. And it is precisely in this field curiously neglected by the “big manufacturers” that has specialized Geekom, a Taiwanese manufacturer which, like Beelink, Nipogi or Minisforum, only offers mini-PCs. Admittedly, its catalog is still modest, but the manufacturer has already acquired a good reputation with experts for the quality of its products, which benefit from a serious design and a neat finish, as shown by the Mini IT8 that we were able to test. Before going around, it should be noted that this miniature computer is not intended to compete with the competition PCs that gamers love, any more than the Apple chip Macs (M1 or M2) very popular with creatives – the prices are not comparable in the two cases! It is, more modestly, a compact and practical PC, intended for everyday tasks. But that doesn’t stop it from being versatile…
Geekom Mini IT8: a really tiny PC
Like the excellent MiniAir 11 (see our test), the Mini IT8 surprises first with its size. Almost square in shape, it also takes the dimensions of its little brother by being just a little thicker, with 117 mm in width, 112 mm in depth and 45 mm in height. If other manufacturers adopt this miniature format, it is still much less than a Mac mini, a benchmark in the world of compact computers and better than many barebones – these small computers to be completed with memory and storage. And since it weighs only 573 g, it can easily be taken in one hand and even taken anywhere – it also comes standard with a small protective cover.
With such dimensions, the Mini IT8 easily finds its place on a desk, or even behind a screen – monitor or television – since it can be mounted on a VESA standard metal support – also supplied in standard – to fix and hide it. Practice ! Note, however, that like mini PCs from other manufacturers, the power supply is not integrated: you have to connect an external block, obviously provided, of the same type as the adapters for laptops – and for good reason, as we will see later. Nothing embarrassing insofar as the work plan can thus remain clear.
Nothing to say about the finish. Like the MiniAir 11, the Mini IT8 oozes quality. The case, in black plastic on the outside, is perfectly adjusted and seems made to last. More massive than you might think, the whole thing seems particularly solid: in fact, the whole interior rests on a metal frame that also serves as magnetic shielding. Likewise, the side ventilation grilles are well dimensioned, which testifies to real care in the design and production, as well as the assembly of the connectors. Serious work, then.
Geekom Mini IT8: an open and scalable computer
The Mini IT8 also shares many other physical characteristics with the MiniAir 11 – and with the Mini IT11, the top model of the Geekom family. We thus find the same rather generous connections: at the front, a USB-C socket, a USB 3.2 Gen 2 socket – in the classic USB-A format –, a headphone-line audio output in stereo mini-jack – the all with power button and LED; on one side, a memory card slot in SD format and, on the other, a Kensington type anti-theft connector; finally, at the back, another USB-C socket, two other USB 3.2 Gen 2 sockets, a Gigabit Ethernet port, an HDMI output and a second Mini DisplayPort type video output, plus the power input. It’s much more than on laptops! You can thus directly connect and use two screens simultaneously – an HDMI cable is supplied as standard, but no Mini DisplayPort adapter – and even up to four monitors by combining HDMI, DisplayPort and USB-C, which is more than comfortable. In addition, as the Mini IT8 has a Bluetooth 4.2 compatible module, you can use a wireless keyboard and mouse and free up its USB sockets for other peripherals. Or use a small USB-A or USB-C hub to multiply the outlets. Let us add, to finish with the interfaces, that the Mini IT8 is equipped with a Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) module for wireless communication. So classic.
A significant detail, the Mini IT8 is easy to open. Its case opens quickly, simply by removing the four screws that hold the bottom plate. We thus discover with surprise a space and a connector intended to receive a secondary internal storage device – mechanical hard drive or SSD – to the Sata standard and in 2.5 inch format. This explains the small difference in height with the MiniAir 11, which lacks this possibility… That’s not all: we also quickly and easily discover the tiny motherboard, which allows access to two memory connectors in SO- Dual-channel DDR4 dimm, like on laptops, and an M.2 NVMe 2280 format slot for the SSD. The Mini IT8 is thus offered in different configurations, with 8 or 16 GB of Ram and 256 or 512 GB of storage. But, and this is an indisputable strong point, it can very easily be upgraded by increasing it to 32 GB of Ram – the maximum authorized – and by adding a 1 TB NVMe SSD and a 2 TB Sata disk. Clearly, unlike many mini PCs and most laptops, the Mini IT8 is easily upgradable.
Geekom Mini IT8: a low-power 8-core processor
At the heart of the Mini IT88 is an Intel Core i5-8279U processor. An eighth generation model – hence the name, IT for IT, 8 for… 8e ! – and therefore an old eu – released at the end of 2019, it is still engraved in 14 nm technology – but which still has four physical cores – and eight threads, which act as virtual hearts – and which runs at 2.4 GHz in normal mode – and 4.1 GHz in turbo mode. It’s clearly not a cutting-edge processor – Intel just launched its 13e generation –, but it is more than enough for all common tasks, and, above all, it is compatible with Windows 11, which is not the case with processors of 7e generation. A feature that guarantees a certain durability, especially if we increase the RAM and storage.
Like other processors in its class, the Core i5-8279U embeds a graphics part – a GPU. In this case, an Iris Plus 655, which uses a small part of the RAM as video memory. A modest circuit – no question of running a greedy action game in 4K at 120 frames per second! –, but more than enough to manage the display on several screens, in Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels), in QHD (2560 x 1440 pixels) or even a 4K screen (3840 x 2160 pixels, but at 60 Hz however) . In short, perfect for office or even graphic use, in accordance with the vocation of the Mini IT8.
The other advantage of the Core i5-8279U, especially at a time when energy management is becoming crucial, is its power consumption. This model designed for laptops only requires a maximum of 25 W – hence its 45 W power supply. Better still, during our tests, we noted an actual consumption of only 10 W in normal operation – Internet browsing , office software, video playback… –, with momentary peaks at 35 W during sustained video conversions. It’s extremely weak, and infinitely inferior to large towers for gamers which gobble up several hundred watts… In addition, the Mini IT8 is particularly discreet in terms of sound: you can’t hear it at all in basic use, and its fan just emits a very low noise when the processor is heavily used, without heating up. Again, these are details that matter on a daily basis.
Geekom Mini IT8: modest but sufficient performance
On the performance side, as we said and as we suspect, the Mini IT8 is not able to compete with current racing cars – again, this is not its vocation. The benchmarks we launched credit it with a modest score: 886 points in single core and 3638 points in multi core for the CPU and 7806 points in OpenGL for the GPU with Geekbench, and 8406 for the CPU and 1846 points in 3D with PassMark. Nothing huge then. But it’s equivalent to a Core i5-9400H, a Core i5-10200H or even a Core i7-1180G7, which are more recent! Above all, it is more than enough in practice for all daily uses. Because, beyond the figures, the Mini IT8 is very pleasant to use: it starts up in three seconds and is always responsive, even in a somewhat “loaded” configuration with several applications running in parallel (web browser with many open tabs, office suite, video player, image editing and layout software, etc.). You can even run games that aren’t too demanding. Admittedly, slightly heavy processing (in video, for example) logically takes a little longer than on competition PCs, but that’s it: for the most part, everything is fluid, and that’s all that account !
This fluidity does not only come from the hardware. It is also due to the fact that, like the other Geekom mini PCs, the Mini IT8 comes with Windows 11 in its Pro edition – already activated – but, above all, in a “pure” version: it has no third-party software preinstalled – the famous bloatware –, not even an antivirus – that of Microsoft is enough. As a result, and this is still a significant little advantage, nothing slows down the system, and there is nothing to uninstall to clean the computer, unlike what happens with PCs from major brands, always full of useless apps.
Geekom Mini IT8: an ideal mini PC for the home
In the end, the Mini IT8 fulfills its contract perfectly: compact and very quiet, it has a connection rich enough to connect conventional peripherals and work on multiple screens while taking advantage of the Internet at very high speed; it is fluid in daily use: it consumes little electricity and does not heat up, even in permanent use; and one can easily expand its RAM and internal storage when needed. It can be found online at merchants like AmazonCdiscount or Darty, but also directly on Geekom’s website. Above all, it is currently offered at a special price, at less than 400 euros in the 16 GB – 512 GB version – i.e. 100 euros less than the usual price –, always with free delivery from Europe and the possibility of a return within 30 days in case of dissatisfaction. Enough to set up an elegant configuration at a lower cost for the office or home, even by buying a nice new screen!