I tested the GMKtek K11 mini PC and the OCULINK eGPU support makes it great for professionals and creatives

GMKTec NucBox K11: 30-second review

For a mini PC, there’s plenty on offer here, and I really like the fact you have the option to upgrade the RAM to a huge 96GB. This makes it an ideal solution if you’re looking for a machine capable of handling 4K video editing. There’s also the fact that it features dual M.2 slots for internal storage, and while the 1TB SSD in my review sample is rather small, you can boost this to an impressive 8TB using two 4TB sticks.

But what really interests me—both for video, image editing, 3D graphics and gaming—is the fact that it offers an OCULINK option, enabling you to connect an external GPU such as the GP1.

Even without the graphics boost, you still have the option to plug in up to four 4K displays, along with plenty of connection options and network connectivity through both dual LAN and high-performance Wi-Fi. This makes it an ideal option for any small business user despite the colourful LED array to lure in gamers.

While there’s a lot to like about the power of this small machine, as we’re starting to see with some of the other best mini PCs we've tested featuring the latest AMD AI-enhanced CPUs, the cooling systems here have had to be heavily overhauled. As such, the new high-powered fans do create some noise when the system is pushed.

However, there’s absolutely no doubting the performance and considering the price, which places it firmly in the mid-range, you get an awful lot of power for your money, making it an ideal solution for a wide range of uses.

That said, it is worth considering one design aspect. In the K11, GMKTec has focused on the gaming market, and as such, there is that built-in LED illumination. While aesthetically pleasing for gaming enthusiasts, it might be a little too garish for business use, but as with some other setting you can switch this off in the BIOS.

GMKTec NucBox K11: Price and availability

• How much does it cost? From $479
• When is it out? Available now
• Where can you get it? Directly from GMKtec or Amazon.com

The GMKtec NucBox K 11 is widely available and can be purchased directly from GMKtec by clicking here or from online retailers such as Amazon.com.

You can currently get $10 off the 32GB/1TB model when you use the code GMKK11TRextra from GMKtec by clicking here.

• Value: 5 / 5

GMKTec NucBox K11: Specs

GMKTec NucBox K11: Design

Taking a look at the GMKTec NucBox K11, it sits on the larger side of the Mini PC market, and part of the reason for this is that it contains a very powerful AMD Ryzen 9 processor, which is coupled with AMD Radeon graphics. It also features an NPU AI chip that helps boost the system’s capabilities.

While the design is compact and lightweight, measuring 127 × 132 × 58 mm and weighing 624 g, it is still larger than some other mini PCs.

Looking over the design, it is all very nice and minimalistic, with a high-quality metal casing around the edges and a transparent top that allows you to see the LED light surrounding the fan, adding a bit of fun and aesthetic appeal to the otherwise boxy design.

Around the front and back, there is a decent selection of ports, with a good range of USB, display, network, and audio ports. They are all quick and easily accessible, making this a great option whether it’s sitting on a desktop or being transported for use with other systems.

One of the other aspects of the design that will really appeal is the ease of upgrading. You can access the internal components in just a couple of minutes, and it shouldn’t require too much technical expertise to install additional RAM or storage as needed.

The build and handling of this mini PC are quite generic, making it appealing to the mass market. However, if you're working in the creative sector, while the power and capabilities of this machine will certainly appeal, it is worth noting that there is no SD card slot, which often appears on machines at this level.

• Design: 4 / 5

GMKTec NucBox K11: Features

The list of features for the GMKtec NucBox K11 includes the AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS processor and the AMD 780M graphics. These are joined by PCIe 4.0 M.2 2280 SSDs, and my review sample comes with a 1TB stick included. What’s interesting here is that GMKtec has gone for a dual slot, so you can fit up to two 4TB sticks into each of those slots, essentially enabling you to have up to 8TB of internal SSD storage.

It’s also great to see that it features the latest DDR5 RAM, and my review sample arrived with 32GB, which is perfectly adequate for most Windows applications, including Lightroom and Adobe Photoshop. If you are going to be using video editing software, gaming, or high-demand applications, then you may want to bump this up, and you can go up to a maximum of 96GB.

When it comes to connectivity to external devices and networks, this machine also packs in plenty of options. It features dual LAN Intel i226V ports, enabling speeds of up to 2500Mb per second. Another great feature is the fact that you can plug in up to four 4K displays through the HDMI 2.1, DP 2.1, and the two USB4 (40Gbps) ports. Those two USB4 ports also enable plenty of other options, so you can connect larger hard drives and other accessories that require the data speed afforded by the USB4 protocol.

Alongside the two LAN ports, there is also Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2, which are pretty standard for most Mini PCs at present.

Now, because of the power of the Ryzen processor and Radeon GPU, there needs to be a decent cooling system, and here the system uses Hyper Ice Chamber 2.0, which utilises a top and bottom cooling fan with copper paste, designed to create less noise than its predecessors.

Taking a look at the selection of ports available on the back, there are 2 × USB 2.0, an HDMI 2.1 (which is capable of 8K at 60Hz), a DisplayPort 2.1 (also capable of 8K at 60Hz), two gigabit LAN ports (RJ45 at 2.5G), the first of the USB4 Type-C ports, a Kensington lock, and DC power input.

At the front, we have the power button, a 3.5mm CTIA audio port, two further USB 3.2 ports, a USB4 Type-C port, and finally, the OCULINK PCIe 4.0 port for connecting an external GPU.

One of the other features actually built into the system is the ability to adjust the power draw. However, this is not a simple option within an interface in Windows. Instead, you need to access the K11’s BIOS and adjust the settings there. While these days most BIOS interfaces are relatively easy to navigate, the one here is a little bit dated, but it does enable you to tweak the settings for performance and ultimately fine-tune the power for your intended use, you can also switch off the LED if you want.

Really, for a mini PC, everything here is very much aimed at the mid-range and will appeal to a wide range of users, from people looking for a decent machine for business and creative applications to those wanting moderate gaming capabilities.

• Features: 4.5 / 5

GMKTec NucBox K11: Performance

As I'm starting to see with a lot of these mini PCs, the out-of-the-box package is only the beginning, and as a standalone machine, the K11 is impressively powerful considering that it is in the mid-range.

With a firm focus on gamers, this machine has a powerful CPU and GPU, enabling it to handle graphics and high-demand processing, which also translates to strong performance for the creative sector. It is capable of handling the likes of Photoshop and DaVinci Resolve relatively well, although I wouldn’t want to edit anything too vast on the machine. But for standard social media posts and edits up to about 15 minutes in length, this machine is more than capable.

My review machine only featured a 1TB internal SSD, which, while sufficient for most people during office work or a bit of gaming, will quickly run out of space if you're using it for imaging or video editing. Likewise, for 3D graphics and even gaming, that 1TB of space will be used up relatively quickly.

However, what I really like about this machine is the fact that it features two USB4 ports—one at the front, which is ideal for accessories, and one tucked away at the back. This means you can connect an external hard drive with a large capacity to store your video and image files. The great thing about this USB4 connection is that it provides the necessary speed for using an external drive as a working drive, not just for archiving or storage.

The other feature I really like is the dual LAN ports, allowing you to connect a NAS drive for archival storage while also having a wired connection to a faster internet network if needed. This makes it a great option for working in an office environment.

Taking a look at the results from some of the tests carried out on the machine, first and foremost, the supplied SSD put in an outstanding performance with a read speed of 5181.15 MB/s, enabling the computer to access applications and high-resolution video quickly. Likewise, the write speed of 4724.17 MB/s means that saving files is fast, making this SSD highly capable.

Through testing, using DaVinci Resolve to edit some 4K video shot on the Canon EOS R5C, the machine handled the footage relatively well. The only limitation was that I quickly ran out of internal storage.

As I ran through basic apps on the machine and tested Microsoft Office, installation was quick, and running Word, Excel, and creating a PowerPoint presentation all proved well within this machine’s capabilities. With a Windows Experience Score of 8.2, this is exactly where a machine like this should be. It will provide anyone who requires intermediate to advanced Windows use with the power to get through a full day’s work without issue.

Pushing the machine further, I tested Photoshop, and it handled images smoothly, with only a slight slowdown in thumbnail rendering when JPEG and RAW files were opened in Adobe Bridge. However, once images were selected and opened in Photoshop itself, everything sped up, and enhancements using brushes and effects were applied smoothly.

Switching over to video editing, I used DaVinci Resolve with 4K footage from the Canon camera, and again, the system handled the footage with relative ease. What became apparent was that as effects and edits started to build up, the system began to struggle around the 10-minute mark, and by 15 minutes, there was a notable delay as we reached the machine’s maximum capabilities. However, for 1080p footage and most standard 4K footage shot on consumer devices and cameras, this machine was more than powerful enough. This was highlighted by the Cinebench score of 16,194 for the CPU multi-core test and 1,019 for the CPU single-core test.

Wanting to really push the system, I moved on to gaming, loading up 3DMark and running a variety of benchmarking tests. It was impressive to see that the Wild Life score hit a massive 19,371—an excellent result for a mid-range machine.

This translated into gameplay, where Hogwarts Legacy and Cyberpunk 2077 ran relatively smoothly, as long as some graphics settings were lowered. Overall, this was an impressive result for a machine in this price range.

• Performance: 5 / 5

GMKTec NucBox K11: Final verdict

The GMKTec NucBox K11 is a mid-range gaming mini PC that has the power and upgradeability to make it a great option for creative users as well as small businesses. There are several points that I really like about this particular machine, and the first of those is the upgradeability. You can upgrade this machine as your budget allows, and if you already own a Mini PC that you're looking to upgrade, it's more than likely that you can transfer the SSD and the RAM across from that old machine to this new one, thus saving you some money.

Another feature that I really like and that will appeal to many creative users is the fact that it has two USB4 ports. This enables the fast connection of external hard drives and other accessories, which is essential when you're handling large files that can slow down other systems. With a large external hard drive attached, this frees up internal memory space, especially when it's limited to the 1TB SSD in our review unit.

While the upgradeability and USB4 ports are great features, what really elevates this mini PC is the fact that it has the OCULINK connector on the front. This essentially enables you to connect to an eGPU, such as the GP1, which not only boosts graphics performance but also improves almost every other area of performance for this Mini PC. So, once again, you can start with the barebones setup, upgrade the RAM and storage, and then add an external GPU. Obviously, this will cost quite a bit more, but it eventually puts this Mini PC in the same performance territory as far larger and more expensive desktop machines.

At the end of the test, I have to say I'm really impressed with the GMKTec K11. It has a couple of features that are very much aimed at attracting gamers, but in reality, you can switch off the LEDs and ignore the transparent top. What you have underneath is a very proficient work machine at an affordable price. It also, unlike many other Mini PCs, gives you plenty of options to upgrade, which not only boosts performance but also helps increase the longevity of use for a machine like this.

Should I buy a GMKTec NucBox K11?

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