GMKtec NucBox M3 mini PC review: Core i5-12450H is just too power-hungry

The NucBox M3 succeeds last year's NucBox M2 by swapping out the 11th gen Tiger Lake Intel Core H CPU for 12th gen Alder Lake options alongside a slightly revised chassis design. Our specific review unit comes configured with the Core i5-12450H, 32 GB RAM, and 1 TB SSD for approximately $480 USD, but barebone options start at just $370.
Alternatives to the NucBox M3 include other budget-oriented mini PCs like the Beelink SER5, Geekom A5, or BMAX B7.
More GMK reviews:
Potential Competitors in Comparison
Rating | Date | Model | Weight | Height | Size | Resolution | Price |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
78.7 % v7 (old) | 11 / 2023 | GMK NucBox M3 i5-12450H, UHD Graphics Xe G4 48EUs | 440 g | 42.4 mm | x | ||
82.8 % v7 (old) | 10 / 2023 | GMK NucBox K3 Pro i7-12650H, UHD Graphics 64EUs | 396 g | 43.2 mm | x | ||
82.1 % v7 (old) | 11 / 2023 | Beelink SER5 R5 5560U, Vega 6 | 439 g | 42 mm | x | ||
73.1 % v7 (old) | 10 / 2023 | Beelink Mini S12 Pro N100, UHD Graphics 24EUs (Alder Lake-N) | 335 g | 39.1 mm | x | ||
81.2 % v7 (old) | 10 / 2023 | Geekom A5 R7 5800H, Vega 8 | 555 g | 49.2 mm | x | ||
80.8 % v7 (old) | 04 / 2023 | Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK i7-1360P, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | 538 g | 37 mm | x |
Case
The NucBox M3 is smaller than the NucBox K3 Pro while being heavier for a denser feel. The chassis consists of metal for the sides and plastic for the top and bottom. Though build quality is solid and without any noticeable defects on our unit, the plastic top and bottom make the system feel cheap when compared to the Intel NUC series.
Connectivity
While port options are decent, the single USB-C port appears to have issues outputting video. The manufacturer advertises USB-C DisplayPort compatibility, but none of our USB-C external monitors would work. Thunderbolt is not supported either likely to save on costs.
Communication
Networking | |
iperf3 transmit AXE11000 | |
Beelink SER5 | |
GMK NucBox K3 Pro | |
GMK NucBox M3 | |
Geekom A5 | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK | |
Beelink Mini S12 Pro | |
iperf3 receive AXE11000 | |
Beelink SER5 | |
GMK NucBox K3 Pro | |
Geekom A5 | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK | |
GMK NucBox M3 | |
Beelink Mini S12 Pro | |
iperf3 transmit AXE11000 6GHz | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK | |
iperf3 receive AXE11000 6GHz | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK |
Maintenance
Accessories And Warranty
The retail box includes an HDMI cable, AC adapter, paperwork, and VESA mount with screws. The usual one-year limited manufacturer warranty applies if purchased in the US.
Performance
Testing Conditions
We set Windows to Performance mode prior to running the benchmarks below. The manufacturer installs no specialized software for toggling any model-specific features.
Processor
Multi-thread performance from our Core i5-12450H is about 25 to 30 percent slower than the Core i7-12650H as found on the NucBox K3 Pro. The deficit is enough to put our CPU neck-to-neck with the Ryzen 5 5560U which is a less expensive and more power-efficient alternative. The Core i5-12450H instead excels at single-thread performance where it's within striking distance with the Core i7-13700H.
Cinebench R15 Multi Loop
Cinebench R23: Multi Core | Single Core
Cinebench R20: CPU (Multi Core) | CPU (Single Core)
Cinebench R15: CPU Multi 64Bit | CPU Single 64Bit
Blender: v2.79 BMW27 CPU
7-Zip 18.03: 7z b 4 | 7z b 4 -mmt1
Geekbench 5.5: Multi-Core | Single-Core
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2: 4k Preset
LibreOffice : 20 Documents To PDF
R Benchmark 2.5: Overall mean
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2 / 4k Preset | |
Dell OptiPlex Micro | |
Beelink SER7 | |
Minisforum Neptune Series HX77G | |
Lenovo IdeaCentre Mini 01IRH8 | |
Geekom AS 6, R9 6900HX | |
Geekom AS 5 | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK | |
Geekom A5 | |
GMK NucBox K3 Pro | |
Average Intel Core i5-12450H (8.78 - 12.3, n=6) | |
Beelink SER5 | |
GMK NucBox M3 | |
LG Gram 15Z90Q | |
BMAX B7 Power G7A2 | |
Beelink Mini S12 Pro |
Cinebench R23: Multi Core | Single Core
Cinebench R20: CPU (Multi Core) | CPU (Single Core)
Cinebench R15: CPU Multi 64Bit | CPU Single 64Bit
Blender: v2.79 BMW27 CPU
7-Zip 18.03: 7z b 4 | 7z b 4 -mmt1
Geekbench 5.5: Multi-Core | Single-Core
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2: 4k Preset
LibreOffice : 20 Documents To PDF
R Benchmark 2.5: Overall mean
* ... smaller is better
AIDA64: FP32 Ray-Trace | FPU Julia | CPU SHA3 | CPU Queen | FPU SinJulia | FPU Mandel | CPU AES | CPU ZLib | FP64 Ray-Trace | CPU PhotoWorxx
Performance Rating | |
Geekom A5 | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK | |
GMK NucBox K3 Pro | |
Beelink SER5 | |
Average Intel Core i5-12450H | |
GMK NucBox M3 | |
Beelink Mini S12 Pro |
AIDA64 / FP32 Ray-Trace | |
Geekom A5 | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK | |
GMK NucBox K3 Pro | |
Beelink SER5 | |
Average Intel Core i5-12450H (7229 - 10474, n=6) | |
GMK NucBox M3 | |
Beelink Mini S12 Pro |
AIDA64 / FPU Julia | |
Geekom A5 | |
Beelink SER5 | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK | |
GMK NucBox K3 Pro | |
Average Intel Core i5-12450H (37583 - 51636, n=6) | |
GMK NucBox M3 | |
Beelink Mini S12 Pro |
AIDA64 / CPU SHA3 | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK | |
Geekom A5 | |
GMK NucBox K3 Pro | |
Average Intel Core i5-12450H (1724 - 2359, n=6) | |
Beelink SER5 | |
GMK NucBox M3 | |
Beelink Mini S12 Pro |
AIDA64 / CPU Queen | |
Geekom A5 | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK | |
GMK NucBox K3 Pro | |
Beelink SER5 | |
Average Intel Core i5-12450H (59539 - 68897, n=6) | |
GMK NucBox M3 | |
Beelink Mini S12 Pro |
AIDA64 / FPU SinJulia | |
Geekom A5 | |
Beelink SER5 | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK | |
GMK NucBox K3 Pro | |
Average Intel Core i5-12450H (5007 - 6147, n=6) | |
GMK NucBox M3 | |
Beelink Mini S12 Pro |
AIDA64 / FPU Mandel | |
Geekom A5 | |
Beelink SER5 | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK | |
GMK NucBox K3 Pro | |
Average Intel Core i5-12450H (18516 - 25115, n=6) | |
GMK NucBox M3 | |
Beelink Mini S12 Pro |
AIDA64 / CPU AES | |
Geekom A5 | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK | |
GMK NucBox K3 Pro | |
Beelink SER5 | |
GMK NucBox M3 | |
Average Intel Core i5-12450H (46835 - 78537, n=6) | |
Beelink Mini S12 Pro |
AIDA64 / CPU ZLib | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK | |
Geekom A5 | |
GMK NucBox K3 Pro | |
Average Intel Core i5-12450H (490 - 708, n=6) | |
Beelink SER5 | |
GMK NucBox M3 | |
Beelink Mini S12 Pro |
AIDA64 / FP64 Ray-Trace | |
Geekom A5 | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK | |
GMK NucBox K3 Pro | |
Average Intel Core i5-12450H (4025 - 5614, n=6) | |
Beelink SER5 | |
GMK NucBox M3 | |
Beelink Mini S12 Pro |
AIDA64 / CPU PhotoWorxx | |
GMK NucBox K3 Pro | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK | |
GMK NucBox M3 | |
Geekom A5 | |
Average Intel Core i5-12450H (12271 - 28682, n=6) | |
Beelink SER5 | |
Beelink Mini S12 Pro |
CrossMark: Overall | Productivity | Creativity | Responsiveness
PCMark 10 / Score | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK | |
Geekom A5 | |
GMK NucBox K3 Pro | |
Beelink SER5 | |
GMK NucBox M3 | |
Average Intel Core i5-12450H, Intel UHD Graphics Xe G4 48EUs (n=1) | |
Beelink Mini S12 Pro |
PCMark 10 / Essentials | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK | |
GMK NucBox K3 Pro | |
GMK NucBox M3 | |
Average Intel Core i5-12450H, Intel UHD Graphics Xe G4 48EUs (n=1) | |
Geekom A5 | |
Beelink SER5 | |
Beelink Mini S12 Pro |
PCMark 10 / Productivity | |
Geekom A5 | |
Beelink SER5 | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK | |
GMK NucBox K3 Pro | |
GMK NucBox M3 | |
Average Intel Core i5-12450H, Intel UHD Graphics Xe G4 48EUs (n=1) | |
Beelink Mini S12 Pro |
PCMark 10 / Digital Content Creation | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK | |
Geekom A5 | |
GMK NucBox K3 Pro | |
Beelink SER5 | |
GMK NucBox M3 | |
Average Intel Core i5-12450H, Intel UHD Graphics Xe G4 48EUs (n=1) | |
Beelink Mini S12 Pro |
CrossMark / Overall | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK | |
GMK NucBox K3 Pro | |
GMK NucBox M3 | |
Average Intel Core i5-12450H, Intel UHD Graphics Xe G4 48EUs (n=1) | |
Geekom A5 | |
Beelink SER5 | |
Beelink Mini S12 Pro |
CrossMark / Productivity | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK | |
GMK NucBox M3 | |
Average Intel Core i5-12450H, Intel UHD Graphics Xe G4 48EUs (n=1) | |
GMK NucBox K3 Pro | |
Geekom A5 | |
Beelink SER5 | |
Beelink Mini S12 Pro |
CrossMark / Creativity | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK | |
GMK NucBox K3 Pro | |
Geekom A5 | |
GMK NucBox M3 | |
Average Intel Core i5-12450H, Intel UHD Graphics Xe G4 48EUs (n=1) | |
Beelink SER5 | |
Beelink Mini S12 Pro |
CrossMark / Responsiveness | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK | |
GMK NucBox M3 | |
Average Intel Core i5-12450H, Intel UHD Graphics Xe G4 48EUs (n=1) | |
GMK NucBox K3 Pro | |
Geekom A5 | |
Beelink SER5 | |
Beelink Mini S12 Pro |
PCMark 10 Score | 5310 points | |
Help |
AIDA64 / Memory Copy | |
GMK NucBox K3 Pro | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK | |
Geekom A5 | |
GMK NucBox M3 | |
Average Intel Core i5-12450H (21750 - 43918, n=6) | |
Beelink SER5 | |
Beelink Mini S12 Pro |
AIDA64 / Memory Read | |
GMK NucBox K3 Pro | |
Geekom A5 | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK | |
GMK NucBox M3 | |
Average Intel Core i5-12450H (22956 - 47555, n=6) | |
Beelink SER5 | |
Beelink Mini S12 Pro |
AIDA64 / Memory Write | |
GMK NucBox K3 Pro | |
GMK NucBox M3 | |
Geekom A5 | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK | |
Average Intel Core i5-12450H (22297 - 46963, n=6) | |
Beelink SER5 | |
Beelink Mini S12 Pro |
AIDA64 / Memory Latency | |
Beelink Mini S12 Pro | |
GMK NucBox K3 Pro | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK | |
Beelink SER5 | |
Average Intel Core i5-12450H (76.5 - 100.9, n=6) | |
Geekom A5 | |
GMK NucBox M3 |
* ... smaller is better
DPC Latency
DPC Latencies / LatencyMon - interrupt to process latency (max), Web, Youtube, Prime95 | |
Beelink Mini S12 Pro | |
GMK NucBox M3 | |
GMK NucBox K3 Pro | |
Geekom A5 | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK | |
Beelink SER5 |
* ... smaller is better
Storage Devices
GMK deploys the same Lexar NM610 Pro PCIe3 x4 NVMe SSD for both its NucBox M3 and NucBox K3 Pro models. The system does not ship with a PCIe4 SSD likely to save on costs.
A second SSD can be installed but it must be 42 mm in length or shorter.
Drive Performance Rating - Percent | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK | |
Beelink SER5 | |
Geekom A5 | |
GMK NucBox M3 | |
GMK NucBox K3 Pro | |
Beelink Mini S12 Pro |
* ... smaller is better
Disk Throttling: DiskSpd Read Loop, Queue Depth 8
GPU Performance
Graphics performance is faster than the average PC with the same Iris Xe 48 EUs since this integrated GPU is typically paired with slower Core U-series CPUs. In this case, the faster Core H-class CPU in our NucBox M3 helps to boost overall GPU performance. Nonetheless, the system is still nowhere near fast enough to run most games natively.
3DMark 11 Performance | 4418 points | |
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score | 17770 points | |
3DMark Fire Strike Score | 2928 points | |
3DMark Time Spy Score | 1001 points | |
Help |
* ... smaller is better
Witcher 3 FPS Chart
low | med. | high | ultra | |
---|---|---|---|---|
GTA V (2015) | 106.7 | 90.7 | 15 | 6.32 |
The Witcher 3 (2015) | 61.1 | 38.6 | 20.1 | 9.5 |
Dota 2 Reborn (2015) | 37 | 36.2 | 35.4 | 34.7 |
Final Fantasy XV Benchmark (2018) | 28.5 | 14.8 | 10.6 | |
X-Plane 11.11 (2018) | 36.3 | 23.8 | 22 | |
Far Cry 5 (2018) | 34 | 17 | 16 | 15 |
Strange Brigade (2018) | 64.4 | 25.6 | 20 | 17.7 |
Cyberpunk 2077 1.6 (2022) | 10.8 | |||
Tiny Tina's Wonderlands (2022) | 17.1 | 13.3 | ||
F1 22 (2022) | 27.9 | 24.8 | 17.5 | 13.5 |
Emissions
System Noise
Fan noise behavior is probably the worst aspect of the NucBox M3. The fan pulses frequently and much more often than on most other mini PCs. For example, the fan would briefly spike to 39 dB(A) when launching applications or even for seemingly no reason when web browsing before returning to normal. Moving to a U-series CPU instead of the H-series would have likely addressed this annoying issue.
Noise Level
Idle |
| 25.7 / 25.7 / 39.1 dB(A) |
Load |
| 37 / 43.5 dB(A) |
![]() | ||
30 dB silent 40 dB(A) audible 50 dB(A) loud |
||
min: ![]() ![]() ![]() |
GMK NucBox M3 UHD Graphics Xe G4 48EUs, i5-12450H, Lexar NM610 Pro NM610P001T-HNNNG | GMK NucBox K3 Pro UHD Graphics 64EUs, i7-12650H, Lexar NM610 Pro NM610P001T-HNNNG | Beelink SER5 Vega 6, R5 5560U, Crucial P3 Plus CT1000P3PSSD8 | Beelink Mini S12 Pro UHD Graphics 24EUs (Alder Lake-N), N100 | Geekom A5 Vega 8, R7 5800H, Lexar NM620 512GB | Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK Iris Xe G7 96EUs, i7-1360P, Samsung PM9A1 MZVL2512HCJQ | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Noise | 7% | 20% | 12% | -6% | -8% | |
off / environment * | 23.9 | 23.1 3% | 23.7 1% | 23.3 3% | 25 -5% | 29.8 -25% |
Idle Minimum * | 25.7 | 25 3% | 23.9 7% | 26.3 -2% | 28.2 -10% | 30.2 -18% |
Idle Average * | 25.7 | 25.5 1% | 23.9 7% | 26.3 -2% | 28.2 -10% | 31.1 -21% |
Idle Maximum * | 39.1 | 25.5 35% | 23.9 39% | 26.3 33% | 28.2 28% | 31.9 18% |
Load Average * | 37 | 39.9 -8% | 28 24% | 31.9 14% | 47.8 -29% | 40 -8% |
Witcher 3 ultra * | 43.5 | 39.9 8% | 27.6 37% | 33 24% | ||
Load Maximum * | 43.5 | 39.9 8% | 32.8 25% | 36.7 16% | 47.4 -9% | 40.5 7% |
* ... smaller is better
Temperature
Fresh air enters from the sides of the unit instead of the top unlike on the recent Beelink SER5. Thus, it's safe to place items on top of the unit so long as the sides and rear have ample space for airflow.
Stress Test
When running Prime95, the CPU would boost to 2.6 GHz and 45 W for only about 10 seconds before falling and stabilizing at 1.8 GHz and 35 W in order to maintain a reasonable core temperature of 75 C. Maximum Turbo Boost potential is therefore short-lived on the NucBox M3. Repeating this same test on the NucBox K3 Pro with the faster Core i7-12650H would result in both higher clock rates and warmer core temperatures approaching 84 C.
CPU Clock (GHz) | GPU Clock (MHz) | Average CPU Temperature (°C) | |
System Idle | -- | -- | 54 |
Prime95 Stress | 1.8 | -- | 78 |
Prime95 + FurMark Stress | 0.9 | 998 | 73 |
Witcher 3 Stress | 1.4 | 1197 | 74 |
Energy Management
Power Consumption
It's no secret that Intel 12th gen CPUs can be very power demanding especially those from the Core-H family. The Core i5-12450H is no different as it's nearly as demanding as the Ryzen 7 5800H in the Geekom A5 even though the AMD CPU offers faster multi-thread performance. Worse yet, our system completes CineBench R15 xT at about the same time as the Ryzen 5 5560U in the Beelink SER5 but it consumes almost 80 percent more power to do so.
Power consumption when running GPU-heavy applications like games also doesn't put the our GMK system in a favorable light. Running Witcher 3 would demand almost 60 percent more power than on the Beelink SER5 even though graphics performance is similar between the two models.
Off / Standby | ![]() ![]() |
Idle | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Load |
![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | |
Key:
min: ![]() ![]() ![]() |
GMK NucBox M3 i5-12450H, UHD Graphics Xe G4 48EUs, Lexar NM610 Pro NM610P001T-HNNNG, , x, | GMK NucBox K3 Pro i7-12650H, UHD Graphics 64EUs, Lexar NM610 Pro NM610P001T-HNNNG, , x, | Beelink SER5 R5 5560U, Vega 6, Crucial P3 Plus CT1000P3PSSD8, , x, | Beelink Mini S12 Pro N100, UHD Graphics 24EUs (Alder Lake-N), , , x, | Geekom A5 R7 5800H, Vega 8, Lexar NM620 512GB, , x, | Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK i7-1360P, Iris Xe G7 96EUs, Samsung PM9A1 MZVL2512HCJQ, , x, | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Power Consumption | 5% | 51% | 42% | 14% | 11% | |
Idle Minimum * | 10.6 | 7.1 33% | 4.4 58% | 8.3 22% | 6.9 35% | 5.1 52% |
Idle Average * | 11.9 | 10.1 15% | 5 58% | 8.8 26% | 7.9 34% | 5.8 51% |
Idle Maximum * | 12.5 | 18.6 -49% | 5.3 58% | 8.9 29% | 8.9 29% | 10.2 18% |
Load Average * | 54.9 | 45.3 17% | 29.8 46% | 20.1 63% | 60.8 -11% | 68.1 -24% |
Witcher 3 ultra * | 46.4 | 55.2 -19% | 28.8 38% | 21.5 54% | ||
Load Maximum * | 75.6 | 52.9 30% | 40.4 47% | 32.2 57% | 89.7 -19% | 108.3 -43% |
* ... smaller is better
Power Consumption Witcher 3 / Stresstest
Power Consumption external Monitor
Pros
Cons
Verdict
A major reason for using a Core H-based mini PC instead of Core U or Ryzen U is for the faster performance. Unfortunately, the Core i5-12450H doesn't offer enough over U-series CPUs to justify the increase in power consumption and fan noise. The NucBox M3 runs noticeably louder than U-series alternatives like the Beelink SER5 without providing any significant advantages in terms of multi-thread performance or graphics performance. Add to the fact that most U-series mini PCs are cheaper than the NucBox M3 and it becomes more difficult to recommend the model.
The NucBox M3 runs louder and hotter than most other mini PCs with U-series CPUs without offering all that much better performance to compensate.
Highlights of the NucBox M3 include easily accessible internals and plenty of port options. However, these highlights are shared across most mini PCs and so they can't be considered major advantages. The model would need to do more to better distinguish itself from the ocean of alternatives like tool-less servicing, Thunderbolt support, multiple USB-C ports, integrated AC adapter, or quieter fan noise.
Price and Availability
Amazon is not yet offering the NucBox M3. Users can instead purchase directly from the manufacturer for $380 USD if configured with 32 GB RAM and 1 TB SSD.
GMK NucBox M3
- 11/09/2023 v7 (old)
Allen Ngo
Transparency
The selection of devices to be reviewed is made by our editorial team. The test sample was provided to the author as a loan by the manufacturer or retailer for the purpose of this review. The lender had no influence on this review, nor did the manufacturer receive a copy of this review before publication. There was no obligation to publish this review. We never accept compensation or payment in return for our reviews. As an independent media company, Notebookcheck is not subjected to the authority of manufacturers, retailers or publishers.
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