GEEKOM Mini IT13 Mini PC Review

Have you ever wanted a powerful desktop PC, but didn’t have the storage space to place it? Or are you looking for a desktop-grade PC that is portable, allowing you to bring it around with you? If yes, GEEKOM Mini PC may be the one for you. This review takes a look at the GEEKOM Mini IT13 to see how it performs.

This is a sponsored article and was made possible by GEEKOM. The actual contents and opinions are the sole views of the author, who maintains editorial independence even when a post is sponsored.

The GEEKOM Mini IT13 mini PC is running the 13th Gen Intel Core CPU, and there are 3 variants for this model. You can choose between the i5, i7 or i9 variants. We cover the most powerful i9 variant in this review.

What’s in the Box

• 1 x Mini IT13 Mini PC
• 1 x VESA mount plate and screws
• 1 x Power adapter
• 1 x HDMI cable
• 1 x User manual
• 1 x Thank you card

Design

When you take it out of the box, the first thing that you will notice is how small this mini PC is. With a size of 117mm x 112mm x 49.2mm and 652g, you can easily hold it with one hand or drop it in your bag without it weighing you down.

The case is made with a high-strength metal and plastic frame and anti-slip stand. It comes with a metallic blue glossy paint, which makes it sleek and geeky. I am sure this is one device that will pique many interests.

For those monitors with a vesa mount point (the 4 holes behind the monitor that allow it to be mounted on the wall), this device has a vesa mount plate that you can fit to install it onto the back of the monitor. I must say, this is pretty cool.

Specifications

Alongside its sleek exterior, the interior is also very impressive. Its brief specifications are as follows:

• Running 13th Gen Intel Core i9-13900H CPU with Intel Iris® Xe graphics
• Dual-channel DDR4-3200 32GB RAM
• 2TB SSD storage space
• Extensive port selection, including two USB4 ports and two HDMI 2.0 ports
• Intel® Bluetooth® 5.2 and Wi-Fi 6E for faster connections

and the details:

Size	117mm x 112mm x 49.2mm
Weight	652g
CPU	13th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-13900H (14 Cores, 20 Threads, 24MB Cache, up to 5.40 GHz) 13th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-13700H (14 Cores, 20 Threads, 24MB Cache, up to 5.00 GHz) 13th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-13500H (12 cores, 16 threads, 24 MB cache, up to 4.70 GHz) TDP: 45W
Graphics Processor (GPU)	Intel® Iris® Xe graphics compatible
Random Access Memory	Dual-channel DDR4-3200 SODIMM, supports up to 64GB
Storage	1 x M.2 2280 PCIe Gen 4 x4 SSD, supports up to 2TB 1 x M.2 2242 SATA SSD slot, expandable up to 1TB 1 x 2.5″ SATA HDD (7mm) slot, expandable up to 2TB
I/O Ports	3 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports 1 x USB 2.0 port 2 x USB4 ports 1 x SD card reader 1 x Speaker (3.5mm jack) 1 x 2.5GbE LAN port 2 x HDMI 2.0 ports 1 x Power connector 1 x Power button
Operating System	Windows 11 Pro
Bluetooth® Wireless Technology	Bluetooth® v5.2
Wireless LAN	Intel® Wi-Fi 6E AX211
Adapter	19V, 6.32A
Ethernet	Intel® 10/100/1000/2500Mbps RJ45

Performance

This Mini IT13 device is just a mini PC without the peripherals, so you will need to provide your own monitor, keyboard, and mouse. With all the cables connected, press the power button (at the front of the box) to turn it on.

On the first run, it will guide you through the Windows 11 pro setup, which will take about 15 to 30 mins. Once that is completed, subsequent bootups require less than five seconds to get you to the desktop, which is really impressive. The bootup is very fast, feeling instantaneous.

I used the Mini IT13 as my daily driver for a week. While using it for normal tasks like browsing, editing documents, watching videos, and playing music, I had no issues. All the applications ran fast and without hiccups. I could even open plenty of applications and switch between them without delay. This is kind of expected when you have a device with powerful specifications.

Heat … or Lack Thereof

I often work with a browser with around 10 open tabs, running Slack in the background, a graphic editing tool, and a video player playing video or Spotify playing music. At no time did the device heat up. Even when I was playing games, I could barely feel any heat on the device. In fact, I could fit in my hand, and the amount of heat it generated could barely be felt.

What makes it even more impressive is the lack of noise. It is completely quiet. I spent tons of money building up my desktop PC, and it has never been this quiet. While you can feel the CPU fan working hard to dissipate the heat, the device is never hot and loud.

Playing Games

The Intel® Iris® Xe graphics chipset is capable of running games, though you shouldn’t expect it to run AAA or graphic-intensive games well.

While playing Tomb Raider, it can run smoothly at 60fps and 1920×1080 resolution. There is no stutter and the images are clear and crispy.

I am not a frequent gamer, but I am glad that this mini PC still allowed me to play some games on it occasionally.

Tip: if you are planning to build a gaming PC, make it worth your while by following these tips to building the most value-to-money gaming PC.

Cutting Edge Technology

While using the mini IT13, I do feel bad for not pushing it to its limit, due to some technology constraints. This has cutting-edge technology that may be too advanced for its time. It has a Wi-Fi 6E card, which has double the combined bandwidth of 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz, but I don’t have a compatible router to reap the benefit. The 2 USB 4 ports can support 8K videos at 30fps, and I don’t have an 8K monitor to test it. (The fact is, 8K monitors are still rare and expensive at this moment.)

Upgradability

The box may seem to be fully sealed up, but you can actually open up the bottom of the box to access its internal components. Once you unscrew the bottom cover, you will be able to swap out the RAM and/or SSD.

There are additional slots for you to upgrade the storage, too. It has an additional M2 SATA slot that supports SSD up to 1TB and a SATA slot that supports a 2.5-inch hard drive up to 2TB.

Wrapping Up

Needless to say, this is a very impressive device. While GEEKOM is not a big-name brand like DELL or HP, this particular device, with a ton of raw power packed in a small sturdy casing, definitely outperforms those offered by the big brands. At its price point ($789), it is definitely a steal. For now, you can get $40 off using the code ZFRSITMH when checking out on Amazon. You can also get the same $40 off with the code maketecheasier40 when you purchase from their official site.