[Device Reviews and Information] Jupit3r:
The good:

Compact design and great build quality.

Plenty of ports and the ability to drive 4 screens.

Decent CPU and GPU performance.

Licensed Windows 11 Pro operating system.

Easy access to the internals.

The bad:

Relatively old processor.

No WiFi6.

Thanks to continued improvements in mobile chips’ computing horsepower as well as power efficiency, scenarios that require large traditional desktop PCs have shrunk considerably. Most people only need a small form factor PC to deal with all their computing tasks nowadays. While cheap Celeron-based models may struggle with heavier and more graphics-intensive duties, and high-end ones could cost you quite a fortune, there are a healthy number of mid-range offerings worth looking at, and the GEEKOM Mini IT8 is one of them.

For those who have never heard of GEEKOM, it is a Taiwanese PC company founded in 2003, and has products ranging from PC accessories to complete PC systems. GEEKOM hasn’t entered the mini PC market until earlier this year, but their first model, the Mini IT8, which comes with a beefy i5-8259U processor, licensed Windows 11 operating system, and a very attractive price tag, is catching a lot of eyeballs recently.

Main specs of the GEEKOM Mini IT8

Processor: Intel Core i5-8259U

CPU: 4 cores, 8 threads, 2.3-3.8GHz

GPU: Iris Plus 655 Graphics

Process technique: 14nm

OS: Windows 11 Pro

RAM: 8/16GB DDR4 2400MHz (expandable to 32GB)

Storage: 1*M.2 NVMe/SATA SSD, 256/512GB (expandable to 1TB);

1*2.5’’ SATA HDD/SSD (expandable to 2TB)

Network: WiFi5 + BT 4.2 / Ethernet Gigabit

Ports: 3x USB 3.2 Gen 2 / 2x USB-C / 1x HDMI 2.0b / 1x Mini DisplayPort / 3.5mm audio jack / 1* SD card slot

Accessories: 19V-4.74A DC adapter/ 1x HDMI Cable (1m) / User Manual / VESA Mount / Carrying pouch

Packaging

View attachment 5626223

GEEKOM takes a simplistic approach to the packaging of the Mini IT8, there’s not much to find on the blue box besides the brand, the model name and some key specifications. Inside the box you will find a mini PC, a VESA mount bracket, a 96-watt power adapter, an HDMI cable, a bag of screws, and a user manual, there is also a greeting card to show the brand’s gratitude for its buyers.

Design and build

View attachment 5626225

The GEEKOM Mini IT8 employs a well-ventilated PC-ABS chassis measuring 117 mm x 112 mm x 45.6 mm to house the Intel Core i5-8259U SoC and other internal components. The matte black finish on top may not win any beauty pageant, but it does give the machine a premium look, in a low-key kind of way. You can find the branding in the middle of the top panel, and an “Intel Inside” logo on the upper-right corner.

View attachment 5626227

The GEEKOM Mini IT8 packs plenty of IO for its size. The front panel sports a USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A port, a USB-C port (data only), and a 3.5mm audio jack with mic support. The power button on the right has status LED built-in, which will light up in blue when the machine is booted.

View attachment 5626229

The rear panel plays host to two more USB 3.2 Gen2 ports, a Gigabyte Ethernet jack, an HDMI 2.0b, a mini-DisplayPort 1.4, a multifunction Type-C (data & display), and a DC-in. As the keen-eyed have noticed, that gives this machine the potential to drive three 4K displays at once. GEEKOM advertises that the Mini IT8 supports four simultaneous screens, but to achieve that you need a Type-C hub with two video output interfaces, and it won’t be cheap.

View attachment 5626231

Due to the soaring prices of card readers recently, many PC makers have removed the storage card slots from their PC products, but not GEEKOM, as you can find an SDXC slot on the left side of this mini PC.

View attachment 5626233

Getting access to the internals could not be easier, just loosen the four screws and you will be able to remove the bottom panel.

View attachment 5626235

There are two memory slots, an M.2 2280 NVMe/SATA SSD slot, and a connector for a 2.5-inch SATA HDD/SSD on the Mini IT8’s motherboard. You can have up to 32GB dual-channel DDR4-2400 memory, and as much as 3TB of total internal storage. The Mini IT8 doesn’t come with fancy features such as WiFi6, or 2.5Gbps ethernet like some higher-end mini PCs do. But dual-band WiFi5 still offers fast and reliable wireless internet access, and the Gigabyte Ethernet jack can come in handy when you want more stable data rate.

View attachment 5626237

Because of the magnalium impact-protection frame, the Mini IT8 is a little bit heavier than most other mini PCs of the same size. The unit that I am testing weighs 580g on its own ( with two memory sticks and an M.2 2280 NVMe drive). When we add the relatively bulky power brick to the equation, the combined weight reaches 996g. In comparison, the Beelink SEI8, which is about the same size, weighs only 340g on its own and 500g with the power brick included. Still, moving the GEEKOM Mini IT8 around in the house or taking it to work shouldn’t be too much effort.

View attachment 5626239

The build quality of the Mini IT8 is among the best I have seen in any mini PC. The PC-ABS chassis is extremely robust, and won’t flex however I squeeze it. Thanks to the well-structured metal impact-protection frame inside, this machine looks like it can take a serious amount of office abuse, and may even be able to survive a few occasional falls.

System & App

View attachment 5626241

Most mini PCs and laptops run on the Home Edition of Windows OS, but the GEEKOM Mini IT8 ships with licensed Windows 11 Pro, which offers quite a few extra features. The most important one is being able to join a domain, including Azure Active Directory for single sign-on to cloud services (and have group policy applied as part of that).

You also get Hyper-V for virtualization, BitLocker whole disk encryption, enterprise mode Internet Explorer, Remote Desktop, a version of the Windows Store for your own business, Enterprise Data Protection containers (a feature that comes later in the year) and assigned access (which locks a PC to running only one modern application, to use like a kiosk). Pro users can get updates from Windows Update for Business, which includes options for scheduling updates, so they don't reboot PCs at important business times.

The Windows 11 Pro here is completely clean, with no pre-installed 3rd party applications or bloatware that you need to uninstall after first bootup. The Windows 11 OS license will be automatically activated once the mini PC gets internet access.