Geekom A9 Max “AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370” Mini PC: Great Performance All-Around With Solid IO

When it comes to Mini PCs, Geekom is a name that most of you will be familiar with as they offer a wide range of solutions based on AMD and Intel hardware.

We have covered a range of Mini PCs in the last couple of years, featuring the latest and greatest solutions from each CPU vendor. While we have seen some incredibly powerful options that cost a premium, Geekom has now announced its high-end AMD solution, the Geekom A9 Max, a Mini PC powered by the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 CPU. This is a top-of-the-line solution that has a lot of AI & gaming prowess thanks to the new Ryzen, Radeon, and XDNA architectures. So let's see what the A9 MAX is capable of.

Geekom A9 Max Mini PC - Specifications At A Glance

In terms of specifications, the Geekom A9 Max is equipped with the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 APU. This is the flagship processor within the Strix mobile lineup and has a lot to talk about so let's get started.

The AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 APU features 12 cores in total with 24 threads. The cores are a mix of 4 Zen 5 and 8 Zen 5C cores which allow AMD to maximize the efficiency of its mobile lineup. The CPU has a base frequency of 2.0 GHz. The Zen 5 cores clock up to 5.1 GHz while the Zen 5C cores clock in at 3.3 GHz at max boost. The chip features a total of 24 MB cache and has a TDP rating of 15-54 Watts.

For the iGPU, AMD is using its latest RDNA 3.5 architecture, which is a slightly upgraded & more efficient variant of the RDNA 3 architecture.

The AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 is configured with the Radeon 890M GPU, which offers 16 compute units (1024 SPs) that clock up to 2.9 GHz and feature a maximum TOPS rating of up to 30. The Radeon 890M iGPU supports all the latest APIs and AI Frameworks. Plus, RDNA 3.5 also supports the latest upscaling and frame generation features, such as FSR 2, FSR 3, FSR 3 Frame-Gen, and AFMF2, while adding advanced latency reduction technologies such as Anti-Lag 2. It's one of the fastest iGPUs on the market right now.

On the NPU side, the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 is equipped with an XDNA 2 NPU, which offers a peak TOPS of 50 and supports all the latest AI frameworks. This is the fastest NPU in terms of AI TOPS in the market right now, and the only thing that comes close is the 48 TOPS of the Lunar Lake lineup.

AMD Ryzen AI 300 APUs:

CPU Name	Architecture	Cores / Threads	Clock Speeds (Max)	Cache (Total)	AI Capabilities	iGPU	TDP
Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375	Zen 5 / Zen 5C	12/24	2.0 / 5.1 GHz	36 MB / 24 MB L3	85 AI TOPs (55 TOPS NPU)	Radeon 890M (16 CU @ 2.9 GHz)	28W (cTDP 15-54W)
Ryzen AI 9 HX 375	Zen 5 / Zen 5C	12/24	2.0 / 5.1 GHz	36 MB / 24 MB L3		Radeon 890M (16 CU @ 2.9 GHz)	28W (cTDP 15-54W)
Ryzen AI 9 HX 370	Zen 5 / Zen 5C	12/24	2.0 / 5.1 GHz	36 MB / 24 MB L3	85 AI TOPs (55 TOPS NPU)	Radeon 890M (16 CU @ 2.9 GHz)	28W (cTDP 15-54W)
Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 370	Zen 5 / Zen 5C	12/24	2.0 / 5.1 GHz	36 MB / 24 MB L3	80 AI TOPs (50 TOPS NPU)	Radeon 890M (16 CU @ 2.9 GHz)	28W (cTDP 15-54W)
Ryzen AI 7 365	Zen 5 / Zen 5C	10/20	2.0 / 5.0 GHz	30 MB / 20 MB L3	80 AI TOPs (50 TOPS NPU)	Radeon 880M (12 CU @ 2.9 GHz)	28W (cTDP 15-54W)
Ryzen AI 7 PRO 360	Zen 5 / Zen 5C	8/16	2.0 / 5.0 GHz	24 MB / 16 MB L3	80 AI TOPs (50 TOPS NPU)	Radeon 880M (12 CU @ TBD GHz)	28W (cTDP 15-54W)

The main highlights of the Geekom A9 Max Mini PC include:

• AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 + Radeon 890M: Up to 80 TOPS of AI performance and powerful graphics for 1080p editing and gaming
• DDR5 5600 MT/s up to 128 GB | PCIe 4.0 SSD up to 8 TB: Ultra-fast memory and massive storage capacity
• Supports 4 displays, up to 8K: HDMI 2.1, USB4, and DP 1.4 for maximum visual productivity
• Advanced connectivity: Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, dual 2.5 Gbps LAN for fast and stable networking
• Versatile ports: 8x USB, SD card reader, and more for all your devices. Includes a Kensington lock slot for physical security
• Efficient and quiet cooling: Dual copper heat pipes with +52% thermal dissipation efficiency
• Robust, compact metal chassis: Withstands up to 200 kg of pressure, featuring a sleek design and VESA mount support
• Proven reliability: Passes 339 quality tests for over 5 years of stable operation
• Pre-installed Windows 11 Pro: Ready to use with Copilot AI and compatible with Linux and other operating systems

With the internals of the CPU covered, let's talk about the rest of the specifications. First, we have the memory, which comes in the form of 32 GB of DDR5. The SO-DIMM DRAM modules that are rated at 5600 MT/s speeds can be upgraded up to 128 GB. Geekom only offers 32 GB RAM configurations.

Storage includes a 2 TB Lexar SSD, but there is a second NVMe M.2 Gen4x4 slot which supports up to 4 TB each or 8 TB in total on the A9 Max. The max configuration that Geekom offers is 2 TB.

IO includes four USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A ports, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and the power button on the front. The back features two USB4 Type-C (DP-Alt / PD-in) ports, one USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A port, 1 USB 2.0 Type-A port, 2 HDMI 2.1 ports, two 2.5GbE LAN ports, and a DC-in port for power.

Talking a little bit about the BIOS, just like previous iterations of Mini PCs from Geekom, the A9 MAX comes with a few nifty features such as allowing users to manually adjust the iGPU clocks, DDR5 clocks, and the power profile, which can be tuned up to 70W.

Geekom A9 Max Mini PC - Unboxing & A Closer Look

The Geekom A9 Max comes inside a square-shaped box, with the "MAX" logo and has a large picture of the Mini PC on the front.

The back of the box has some basic specifications that list the specific configuration for this model. We got the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 variant with 32 GB DDR5 memory and 2 TB storage.

Within the box, you can find the Mini PC in its old compartment, along with a guide/warranty booklet, the power adapter, the power cable and an HDMI cable. The adapter offers up to 120W of power and is made by "Hyleton".

Geekom goes for its iconic aluminum-chassis design with a sleek "Geekom" logo etched in the center with a metallic finish. The curved edges and the simplistic design looks great.

The sides feature a mesh design that acts as an exhaust vent for the internal cooling. The sides also come with an SD card reader and a Kensington lock.

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The front I/O on the Geekom A9 Max includes four USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A ports, one of these ports is Always-On. There's also a 3.5mm headphone jack and an LED-lit power button.

The back I/O on the Geekom A9 Max includes two USB 4.0 Type-C ports; one of these ports features both DP-Alt mode and PD-In, while the other one only features Alt-DP functionality. There's also a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A port, a USB 2.0 Type-A port, two HDMI 2.1 ports, two 2.5GbE LAN ports, and a DC-in connector.

To access the internals, you have to unscrew the four feet at the bottom of the chassis. These are easy to remove.

For cooling, Geekom is using its IceBlast 2.0 thermal system which includes a blower-style fan that is attached to a full copper heatsink with dual copper heat pipes and a dedicated copper baseplate. This small cooling solution is said to be 52% more efficient for small form factor Mini PCs such as the A9 MAX.

Removing the fan cover exposes the bottom of the motherboard, which houses the two M.2 slots. One of them is populated with a Lexar 2 TB SSD and has a pre-attached heatpad and is cooled by the top metal plate. There are two DDR5 SO-DIMM slots, each populated by a 32 GB DDR5-5600 memory stick from Wooposit, operating at 1.1V.

The other side of the motherboard houses the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 CPU and the power delivery. All of this is located under a large heatsink with a blower-style fan.

Geekom A9 Max Mini PC - CPU Performance

We start by comparing the 3DMark CPU Profile tests.

In Blender, we used the standard monster, junkshop, and classroom tests for evaluation.

In CPU-Z, we tested the single-thread and multi-thread performance.

For Cinebench 2024, we once again compared the single-core and multi-core performance.

In Geekbench 6, we used the full-suite benchmark to evaluate the performance.

In UL Procyon's office test, standard office use-cases were evaluated.

Lastly, we have the WinRAR benchmark test.

Geekom A9 Max - AI Synthetic Performance

Next up, we have our first AI benchmarks for the latest Intel and AMD CPUs. First up, we have the Geekbench AI benchmark numbers, which are as follows:

For UL Procyon, we again see Intel's latest CPUs and its various AI accelerators, such as the NPU and the GPU, offering better performance capabilities than the Ryzen AI offerings.

Geekom A9 Max Mini PC - GPU Synthetic Performance

Now we are going to look at the GPU performance, and before we present to you the gaming numbers, we first have to see how the performance fares in synthetic benchmarks. For this purpose, we first want to outline the single-precision FLOPs each iGPU offers. Intel's Arc and AMD's Radeon series are based on entirely different architectures, and despite the FLOPS of the Radeon iGPU being higher, it doesn't necessarily mean that the Radeon iGPU will be faster. But with that said, the following is how the two chips compare:

In 3DMark Speed Way, we see the Radeon iGPU narrowly beating the Alchemist+ iGPU. Speed Way is a very intensive benchmark that uses ray tracing, so Intel at least needs to work on some GPU-centric optimizations here.

For 3DMark Steel Nomad, we get to see our first non-RT performance of these iGPUs.

In 3DMark Port Royal, Intel's Arc 140T iGPU offers a 10% lead over the fastest Radeon iGPU. This is a ray tracing-heavy benchmark and goes off to show that the results we saw in the Speed Way test are an anomaly, something that you will also notice in the gaming tests.

In 3DMark Time Spy, the Intel Arc 140T iGPU is 30% faster than the Radeon 890M.

For Fire Strike, Intel offers great performance even on DX11 APIs, which is a good showcase, as many games still run DX11.

Lastly, we have 3DMark Night Raid, where Intel scores another comfortable lead with its new Arc 140T GPU.

Geekom A9 Max Mini PC - HD Gaming Performance

With the synthetic performance out of the way, we can start taking a look at pure gaming numbers, and we start off our testing spree with Cyberpunk 2077 running at Medium Preset at 1080p with Balanced XeSS/FSR upscaling.

In Forza Horizon 5, we only ran the game using Quality Upscaling at the Medium Preset at 1080p.

In F1 24, we used the High Preset at 1080p.

In Horizon Zero Dawn at the "Favor Quality" preset, we used the FSR 2 upscaling set to Balanced.

Metro Exodus also runs great on the Arc 140T, offering the bare minimum 40-30 FPS with RT enabled at 1080P at the high preset.

Lastly, we have The Callisto Protocol, where both iGPUs are very similar in performance but offer FPS in the mid-50s range even with FSR 2 enabled. It would be better to lower the resolution to get a better playing experience, but still, over 50 FPS is decent for these iGPUs.

Geekom A9 Max Mini PC - Power & Thermals

Next, we can see the power consumption of the latest Mini PCs.

Following thermals, we have temperatures:

Conclusion - A9 Max Maxes IO Options

Geekom's A9 Max promises a fast AMD Mini PC option and on that, it delivers. The AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 configuration on the A9 Max is very fast at productivity workloads, works well with AI, and offers a lot of gaming capability despite being such as compact Mini PC solution. Credits to AMD for making a SoC that works great across all three segments.

The memory and storage are also upgradable from the base 32 GB SO-DIMM at 5600 MT/s and 2 TB Gen4x4. The memory capacity can be upgraded to 128 GB for those who want to use these machine as a Mini LLM station while up to 4 TB of capacity per M.2 slot can provide up to 8 TB capacities for your storage needs.

This also brings us to a comparison between the Beelink SER9 and Geekom A9 MAX. The Beelink solution has soldered memory which can't be upgraded but it does run at 7500 MT/s which provides performance advantages while the Geekom Mini PC comes with a SO-DIMM design that can be upgraded up to 128 GB, twice the maximum capacity of Beelink's SER9, but operates at 5600 MT/s. The difference isn't huge when it comes to performance between both Mini PCs.

Each Mini PC also has its advantages on the IO side. Geekom offers dual 2.5 GbE LAN ports versus Beelink's single 2.5GbE LAN port. Geekom offers more USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A ports and dual USB 4 ports versus Beelink's dual 10 Gbps ports and just one USB4 port. But Beelink does offer a built-in PSU, a built-in speaker system, and also has an integrated microphone array for Windows Copilot+. The cooling on the Geekom A9 Max is an edge better, which is due to the memory not being soldered on the same PCB.

The Geekom A9 Max is an all-rounder Mini PC that gets the job done for everyone who are looking for a small form factor powerhouse. The AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 APU is a solid solution for such setups, and with its upgradability and superb IO options, the A9 Max makes for a great Mini PC choice. The Mini PC is listed for $999 but with our exclusive discount code "WCCFA9MAX", you can get a $60 US savings, bringing the price down to $939 US.

You can purchase the A9 Max from the links below:

• US Link
• UK Link

Use code "WCCFA9MAX" to get a 6% discount on the Geekom A9 MAX PC when buying from this link.

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