14 Cores At 5 GHz For $699

The Mini PC market is being flooded with new solutions every month and while everyone wants the latest specs, sourcing out those chips is becoming hard for manufacturers of these Mini PCs so the companies are now leveraging the available hardware and offering unique products to consumers.

We have seen with the AMD Ryzen APUs where the supply of the newer 7000/8000 APUs is so low that Mini PC makers still reuse the older Ryzen 5000/6000 APUs. Geekom has decided to select the Intel 12th Gen Alder Lake option for its more multi-threaded & performance-oriented offerings with the likes of its new XT12 Pro, which features up to the Intel Core i9-12900H CPU.

Today, we will be testing the Geekom XT12 Pro which is the latest in the company’s Mini PC arsenal powered by Intel CPUs, and see if it’s worth the price of $699.00 US.

Geekom XT12 Pro Mini PC – Specifications At A Glance

Geekom’s XT12 Pro Mini PC comes in Intel 12th Gen “Alder Lake” CPU flavors which feature a P & E-Core hybrid architecture. For this review, the sample that we got was equipped with the Intel Core i9-12900H CPU. Our unit was the fully decked out variant with two DDR4-3200 32 GB (16 GB x2) SO-DIMM memory modules and a 1 TB PCIe Gen 4.0 x4 M.2 drive.

Coming to the specifications, the Geekom XT12 Pro Mini PC rocks the Intel Core i9-12900H “Alder Lake” CPU which features 14 cores in a 6 P-Core and 8 E-Core configuration, 20 threads, 24 MB of cache, and a boost clock of up to 5.00 GHz. The CPU has a TDP of 45W and a maximum turbo power rating of up to 115W. It also has a minimum assured power rating of 35W.

For the GPU, the Intel Core i9-12900H CPU packs a UHD iGPU which features 96 Execution units that are clocked at 1.45 GHz. This integrated graphics chip supports DX12.1, OpenGL 4.6, and OpenCL 3.0 & can run 4 displays at once with a maximum eDP resolution of 8K @ 60Hz or 4K @ 120Hz. The iGPU is a bit old for today’s standards as Intel and AMD offer much faster iGPUs as a part of their latest CPU lineups but it should get the job done for the vast majority of users who won’t be gaming on it and just need it for video playback.

Other specs for the Geekom XT12 Pro Mini PC include 32 GB DDR4-(Dual-Channel) memory operating at 3200 MT/s. This isn’t soldered and instead features a SO-DIMM design so users can completely upgrade it as they wish (supports up to 64 GB). Storage comes in the form of a single M.2 2280 SSD slot running at Gen 4.0 speeds. There’s also an onboard M.2 SATA SSD slot.

I/O on the Geekom XT12 Pro Mini PC, includes two USB4 (40 Gbps / DP) ports, three USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports, a single USB 2.0 port, a 2.5 GbE LAN port, a DC Jack, a power button, two HDMI 2.0b outputs, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The following are the main features of the Mini PC:

• 12th Gen  Intel Core i9-12900H
• Intel Iris Xe Graphics
• Dual-channel DDR4-3200MHz RAM of up to 64GB
• Ultra-fast PCIe4.0*4 SSD of up to 2TB
• WiFi 6E  and Bluetooth 5.2
• Supports 4 displays, up to 4K

Geekom XT12 Pro Mini PC – Unboxing & A Closer Look

The Geekom XT12 Pro Mini PC comes in a white and blue cardboard package which has a simplistic look.

The back of the box has some basic specifications which list the specific configuration for this model. We got the Core i9-12900H  variant with 32 GB of memory and 1 TB storage capacities.

Within the box, you are first greeted with a nice “Thank You” card. Little things like these make for a fun unboxing experience.

Lifting the top box cover, you are welcomed by a soft foam internal in which the PC and its various accessories are kept safe and away from harm.

Before talking about the case itself, we have to mention the accessories that come with the XT12 Pro Mini PC. It comes with a Power Adapter, a mounting bracket with screws, and a manual. It has a power adapter that is rated to deliver up to 19V, 6.32A of current, or up to 120W of power to the system.

With the XT12 Pro Mini PC out of the package itself, you are met with another greeting on the plastic film around the PC.

So looking at the PC, you are met with a gorgeous and perfect square-shaped chassis that comes with a beautiful silver and white color scheme. The curved edges and the aluminum + shiny exterior have a very premium feel.

The top is fully enclosed while the sides of the chassis have vents to push hot air out of the unit that is dissipated by the cooling solution.

The front I/O on the Geekom XT12 Pro Mini PC comes with two USB 3.2 Type-A ports, a microphone jack, and a Power On/Off button.

The back I/O of the Geekom XT12 Pro Mini PC comes with a 2.5GbE Ethernet LAN port, two HDMI 2.0b outputs, 1 USB 2.0 & 1 USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports, two USB4 Type-C ports, and two HDMI 2.0b ports. There’s along the DC in the power delivery port on the back.

The sides have large vents through which the internal cooler can push out hot air.

There’s also a Kenngiston lock on the other side of the chassis which also features a mesh design to vent out hot air.

Our test unit came with 32 GB of DDR4-3200 memory and 1 TB of SSD. This is the maximum config you can get from Geekom but still leaves room for expansion with up to 64 GB memory support & up to 4 TB M.2 capacities.

The interiors of the Mini PC can be accessed by removing four screws at the bottom.

Geeokom is using SK hynix DDR4 DRAM modules which are rated at 1.2V while the SSD is from Kingston in its standard M.2 2280 form factor and Gen4x4 design.

You can also note that there’s a SD card reader slot on the motherboard which is fully functional but since there is no cut-out on the chassis, it’s pretty much useless. It seems to be a design flaw with this specific variant.

The top of the chassis has an M.2 thermal pad which connects to a small aluminum heatsink. It should also cover the M.2 SATA SSD which can be attached to the free slot.

For cooling, you get a standard blower fan with a couple of heat pipes on the other side which attach over the CPU and VRM.

The Geekom XT12 Pro Mini PC measures 117x111x38.5mm (W/L/H) and weighs 550 grams. You also get a VESA bracket along with four screws to mount it behind a monitor with ease.

Geekom XT12 Pro Mini PC – CPU System Performance

For performance testing, we used the standard 65W power profile for the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H when testing the WizBox AI F1M Mini PC.

Geekom XT12 Pro Mini PC – 1080P iGPU Gaming Performance

For gaming, we tested a couple of the latest and most played esports titles along with a mix of AAA titles at 1080p resolution. The performance was measured between the AMD Radeon 780, Radeon 680M, AMD Vega 8, Vega 7, Vega 6, Intel UHD, and Intel Iris Xe-LP integrated graphics.

Geekom XT12 Pro Mini PC – Thermals & Power Consumption

Following are the power and thermal numbers of the Geekom XT12 Pro Mini PC using its standard 35W power profile.

As for thermals, the Geekom XT12 Pro Mini PC peaked at around 98-100C with the standard 35W profile which can go all the way up to 90W with the maximum turbo power. The fan was noticeable under full load such as multi-threaded and gaming tasks. But the standard temperatures hovered around 60-70C while producing 45dBa noise.

Conclusion – Multi-Core Powerhouse In A Tiny Package

There’s a large number of users who want a compact PC solution for their productivity & business needs with a decent amount of CPU horsepower and a GPU that handles the most basic tasks. The Geekom Mini IT12 Mini PC we tested a while back was a great solution for this kind of user with its Intel Core i7-12650H offering 10 cores and 16 threads. Now, Geekom is offering a faster variant in the form of the Core i9-12900H, offering up to 14 cores and 20 threads.

The cooling solution on the XT12 Mini PC provides great cooling in such a congested space. There are great internal upgradability options with DRAM that can be expanded to 64 GB and M.2 storage that can be expanded in M.2 PCIe, M.2 SATA, and a 2.5″ HDD option. The small PC can get a bit loud and noticeable when running multi-threaded work-loads but besides that, it doesn’t get too much bothersome.

The GPU isn’t the strongest part of the Geekom XT12 Pro Mini PC but it gets the job done by providing up to four 4K displays and you can also run some basic eSports titles though for higher-end needs, the company does offer more powerful Mini PCs with Meteor Lake and Ryzen 7040/8040 options. The exterior comes with a very premium silver and white tint that looks great. There are a good amount of USB ports with the latest USB4 and HDMI 2.0b options. There’s also WiFI 6E & BT 5.2 connectivity, an essential in today’s day and age. The 2.5 GbE LAN port is great too but we hope to see more modern features such as 5 GbE and WIFI 7 solutions in the upcoming designs from Geekom.

For $699 US, the Geekom XT12 Pro Mini PC is a solid multi-threaded machine with lots of I/O options and great expansion capabilities.

Grab the Geekom XT12 Pro Mini PC for 5% Off Using the code “WccfXT12Pro. 

You can also grab the Geekom XT12 Pro Mini PC for 5% Off Using the code “WccfXT12Pro” on the official webpage here.