A Powerful Phoenix Inside A Slim Design

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 and their latest design is now available in the form of the Mini A7, a slim and sleek-looking machine that is packed with AMD’s Ryzen 7000 “Phoenix” APUs.

Today, we will be testing the Geekom A7 Mini PC which features the top specs for the Phoenix line of APUs and comes loaded with 32 GB DDR5 memory and a 2 TB SSD, all for a price of $849.00 US.

Geekom A7 Mini PC – Specifications At A Glance

Geekom’s A7 Mini PC comes in AMD Ryzen 7000 “Phoenix” flavors which feature the latest Zen 4 core architecture. For this review, the sample that we got was equipped with the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS CPU so right off the bat we know this is about as fast as APUs can get. Our unit was the fully decked out variant with two DDR5-5600 32 GB (16 GB x2) SO-DIMM memory modules and a 2 TB PCIe Gen 4.0 x4 M.2 drive.

Coming to the specifications, the Geekom A7 Mini PC rocks the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS “Phoenix-H” CPU which features 8 cores, 16 threads, 24 MB of cache (16 MB L3 + 8 MB L2), and a boost clock of up to 5.20 GHz. The CPU has a TDP of 35-54W. The chip also packs a dedicated NPU based on the Ryzen AI “XDNA” engine and offers 10 AI TOPS. That’s slightly less than the 16 AI TOPS offered by the newer Hawk Point “Ryzen 8040” APUs but besides this, the APUs are virtually identical.

The iGPU is a major component of the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS which comes in the form of the RDNA 3-powered Radeon 780M. This iGPU packs 12 Compute Units and is clocked at 2800 MHz. The AMD Radeon 780M has proven to be a very strong integrated graphics solution in our previous tests and we can only expect it to perform even better with the higher-end Ryzen 9 7940HS. It supports all of the latest AMD FiedlityFX technologies such as FSR 3, Frame Generation, Video Super Resolution & support for the latest APIs, all the while being offered in the same driver branch as the latest AMD Radeon RX 7000 GPUs.

Other specs for the Geekom A7 Mini PC include 32 GB DDR5 (Dual-Channel) memory operating at 5600 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 along with a 2.5″ SATA HDD slot.

I/O on the Geekom A7 Mini PC, includes one USB4 (40 Gbps / DP) port, two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports, a single USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port, a single USB 2.0 port, a 2.5 GbE LAN port, an SD card reader, 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:

• The AMD Ryzen 7000 Series processors deliver performance leadership
• AMD Radeon graphics support four 4K displays
• Up to 64GB dual channel DDR5 memory support
• Intel Wi-Fi6E and Bluetooth 5.2
• Ultra-slim, space-saving design
• Windows 11 Pro is pre-installed

Geekom A7 Mini PC – Unboxing & A Closer Look

The Geekom A7 Mini PC comes in a black cardboard package that has a simplistic look. You can see a picture of the MIni PC in the front with a silver metallic body.

The back of the box has some basic specifications that list the specific configuration for this model. We got the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS variant with 32 GB of memory and 2 TB storage capacities.

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 A7 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 A7 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 simplistic silver 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 A7 Mini PC comes with two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports, a microphone jack, and a Power On/Off button.

The back I/O of the Geekom A7 Mini PC comes with a 2.5GbE Ethernet LAN port, two HDMI 2.0b outputs, 1 USB 2.0 & 2 USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports, 1 USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port, one USB4 Type-C port, and the DC-in power delivery port on the back.

The sides of the chassis come with an SD card reader which is quite an unusual place to have it but given the compact nature of this case, it looks like Geekom was only left with this place to place it.

Both sides feature a mesh design since they and the rear I/O are the only places where the hot air will be vented out.

Our test unit packed 32 GB of DDR5-5600 memory and 2 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. These screws are hidden underneath the feet of the Mini PC.

Geeokom is using Crucial DRAM modules which are rated at 1.1V while the SSD is from ACER in its standard M.2 2280 form factor and Gen4x4 design. 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. The chassis can also mount a 2.5″ HDD. For cooling, you get a standard blower fan with a couple of heat pipes on the other side which attaches over the CPU & VRM. The Geekom A7 Mini PC measures 112x112x37mm (W/L/H)  in its 0.47L chassis and weighs 450 grams.  You also get a VESA bracket along with four screws to mount it behind a monitor with ease.

Geekom A7 Mini PC – CPU System Performance

For performance testing, we used the standard 54W power profile for the AMD Ryzen 7 5800H APU when testing the Geekom A5 Mini PC.

Beelink SER7 Mini PC – 1080P GPU 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, and Intel Iris Xe-LP integrated graphics.

Geekom Mini A7 Mini PC – Thermals & Power Consumption

Following are the power and thermal numbers of the Geekom A7 Mini PC using its standard 54W power profile.

As for thermals, the Geekom A7 Mini PC peaked at around 84C with the standard 35W profile which can go all the way up to 60W with the maximum turbo power. The fan was noticeable under full load such as multi-threaded and gaming tasks though it wasn’t that much intrusive as we expected in such a small casing.

Conclusion – Premium Mini PC With Top-Notch Specs

We have tested the Geekom A5, & the AS6 and now we finished testing the latest A7 Mini PC. This is the fastest Mini PC that Geekom has on offering within the AMD camp and it is a beast of a machine with top-notch specs featuring the fastest Phoenix APU on the market, the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS coupled with a sleek and slim aluminum chassis which is going to impress anyone who underestimates the Mini PCs of today.

The AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS delivers exceptionally great performance despite it running in such a small casing. We have seen it hit temperatures of around 90C but these are nothing that should be a cause for concern as they are well within the max thermal limits. Furthermore, the iGPU with an added clock bump over the 7840HS delivers slightly better performance while retaining all those great AMD FiedlityFX features we see on the high-end RDNA 3 discrete GPU family.

Furthermore, those looking for a Ryzen 8040 system should retain awesome performance in this tiny package since the only difference is in the NPU and the 7040 with its XDNA “Ryzen AI” engine is still a great solution for your entry into the AI PC segment.

The exterior comes with a very premium silver 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.

Geekom has been impressing us with its Mini PC offerings for several years now and the A7 is a testament to their high-quality and premium component design. The A7 is a powerful machine & such premium designs come at a cost that is a bit high for the average Mini PC buyer but you’re not going to go wrong with the A7.

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