GEEKOM A7 mini-PC Review : Premium Phoenix in a Compact 4x4 Package
by Ganesh T S on May 31, 2024 8:00 AM ESTSetup Notes and Platform Analysis
Our review sample of the GEEKOM A7 came with all necessary components pre-installed - including the OS. Prior to setting up the OS on first boot, we took some time to look into the BIOS interface. Unlike the GUI-based UEFI interface offered by tier-one vendors, the BIOS here is a vanilla one with keyboard-only navigation. There are plenty of configurable options, and the video below presents an overview of the features.
The BIOS allows limited tweaking of the cTDP with the FAN mode option in the main screen. Our evaluation was done in the default 'Normal Mode' which balances fan noise and performance.
The bus I/O diagram provides further context to the PCIe lane allocations from the Phoenix SoC.
Having evaluated the Beelink GTR7 with the Ryzen 7 7840HS earlier, we were a little bit disappointed to find that USB4 40 Gbps support was restricted to only one of the rear Type-C ports in the A7 instead of both. It is likely thermal concerns may have dictated this decision, as the GTR7 is a more bulky system (despite still falling under the SFF category).
In today's review, we compare the GEEKOM A7 and a host of other systems based on processors with TDPs ranging from 15W to 65W. The systems do not target the same market segments, but a few key aspects lie in common, making the comparisons relevant.
| Comparative PC Configurations | ||
| Aspect | GEEKOM A7 | |
| CPU | AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS Zen 4 (Phoenix) 8C/16T, 4.0 - 5.2 GHz TSMC 4nm, 16MB L3, 35-54W Max / Target TDP : 54W / 35W |
AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS Zen 4 (Phoenix) 8C/16T, 4.0 - 5.2 GHz TSMC 4nm, 16MB L3, 35-54W Max / Target TDP : 54W / 35W |
| GPU | AMD Radeon 780M Graphics (RDNA3) - Integrated (12 CUs @ 2.8 GHz) |
AMD Radeon 780M Graphics (RDNA3) - Integrated (12 CUs @ 2.8 GHz) |
| RAM | Crucial CT16G56C46S5.M8G1 DDR5-5600 SODIMM 2x16 GB |
Crucial CT16G56C46S5.M8G1 DDR5-5600 SODIMM 2x16 GB |
| Storage | Acer SSD N5000 (2 TB; M.2 2280 PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe;) (3D TLC NAND; Maxio MAP1602 DRAM-less Controller) |
Acer SSD N5000 (2 TB; M.2 2280 PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe;) (3D TLC NAND; Maxio MAP1602 DRAM-less Controller) |
| Wi-Fi | 1x 2.5 GbE RJ-45 (Realtek RTL8125) MediaTek MT7922 Wi-Fi 6E (2x2 802.11ax - 1.8 Gbps) / Bluetooth 5.2 |
1x 2.5 GbE RJ-45 (Realtek RTL8125) MediaTek MT7922 Wi-Fi 6E (2x2 802.11ax - 1.8 Gbps) / Bluetooth 5.2 |
| Price (in USD, when built) | (Street Pricing on May 30th, 2024) US $799 (as configured, with OS) |
(Street Pricing on May 30th, 2024) US $799 (as configured, with OS) |
The next few sections will deal with comparative benchmarks for the above systems.
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
18 Comments
View All Comments
TheinsanegamerN - Friday, May 31, 2024 - link
I feel like I'd be much more excited about these when we get a strix halo version.The Hardcard - Friday, May 31, 2024 - link
The problem is by the time of the review, there will be so many details leaked about Zen 6 products that your excitement for Strix Halo will be crushed.kn00tcn - Friday, May 31, 2024 - link
did you forget what strix halo will be? the single biggest leap in gpu size in any apu ever, it's extremely unlikely that the gen right after that would somehow leap again unless integrated gddr is usedt.s - Saturday, June 1, 2024 - link
bingo!meacupla - Friday, May 31, 2024 - link
The one shortcoming of all these startup mini-PC brands is longer term BIOS support.My 2020 AMD Renoir Dell laptop still gets occasional BIOS updates, but the same cannot be said of the trigkey, kamrui, or bosgame mini-PCs that I have kicking around.
Desierz - Friday, May 31, 2024 - link
Have you considered if they really need BIOS updates?PeachNCream - Friday, May 31, 2024 - link
They generally work with release BIOS versions but its quite common to see updates later resolve problems or enhance relaibility so after sales support can a significant consideration.kn00tcn - Friday, May 31, 2024 - link
have you considered agesa updates have already contained important memory, usb, and security updates multiple times in the past?meacupla - Friday, May 31, 2024 - link
They do. One of them is missing a critical fix for Zen bleed. So it's missing Agesa 1.2.0.bkn00tcn - Friday, May 31, 2024 - link
those sound like random aliexpress 'brands', while geekom or minisforum have been established worldwide names by contrast (not that i've checked their updates, even majors like asrock are disappointing for agesa updates on deskmini/deskmeet)