Geekom A5 review: A rose-colored mini PC, NUC alternative with an AMD Ryzen 7 APU and 32 GB of RAM
At first glance, the Geekom A5 is reminiscent of the Mini IT11 and Mini IT12 models. Technically and visually, they were very similar to the Intel NUC family of mini PCs. But, contrary to expectations, the A5 is powered by an AMD CPU. The AMD Ryzen 7 5800H found here might not quite be a modern SoC, but, with its 8 cores and 16 threads, it is a chip that can still currently deliver adequate performance. We will find out later whether or not this turns out to be the case. In addition, purchasing the Geekom A5 will get you 32 GB of RAM and a 512 GB SSD. At $399, the A5 stands eye-to-eye with the competition. Meanwhile, alternative specifications or even a barebone option are not available.
We have chosen comparison devices which match the A5 performance-wise and are also in the same price category. We have compiled a summary of these competing devices in the following table.
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Possible competitors compared
Rating | Date | Model | Weight | Height | Price |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
81.2 % v7 (old) | 10 / 2023 | Geekom A5 R7 5800H, Vega 8 | 555 g | 49.2 mm | |
83.7 % v7 (old) | 05 / 2023 | Morefine M600, 6600U R5 6600U, Radeon 660M | 768 g | 40.6 mm | |
82.3 % v7 (old) | 05 / 2023 | Geekom Mini IT12 i7-1260P, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | 572 g | 45.6 mm | |
81.9 % v7 (old) | 05 / 2023 | Minisforum Venus Series NAB6 i7-12650H, UHD Graphics 64EUs | 616 g | 55 mm | |
81.7 % v7 (old) | 05 / 2023 | Minisforum Venus Series UM560 XT R5 5600H, Vega 7 | 652 g | 48 mm | |
78 % v7 (old) | 10 / 2023 | Minisforum Venus Series UN1245 i5-12450H, UHD Graphics 64EUs | 545 g | 54.3 mm | |
77.8 % v7 (old) | 09 / 2023 | Acemagic AD15 i7-11800H, UHD Graphics Xe 32EUs (Tiger Lake-H) | 765 g | 76 mm | |
73.8 % v7 (old) | 08 / 2023 | Blackview MP200 i5-11400H, UHD Graphics Xe 16EUs (Tiger Lake-H) | 678 g | 75.5 mm |
The Geekom A5 with an AMD Ryzen 7 5800H in detail
Case - A familiar face!
If you took a quick look at the Geekom A5, you would immediately think this seems familiar. And, in actual fact, the similarities to the Geekom IT11 and IT12 are there to be seen and this is clearly highlighted in the images. In terms of space requirements, there is also no difference and this underlines the similarities.
There are no changes when it comes to the material choice either: The internal metal cage is enclosed by a plastic casing that gives the device excellent solidity. Design-wise, Geekom has taken a different route and adorned the A5 with a rose-gold color. It might not be everyone's cup of tea but it's certainly different to drab gray or black. Paired with its white peripheral devices, the Geekom A5's rose gold fits in with the overall concept. When it comes to build quality, the A5 is in no way inferior to the IT11 and IT12. Every part fits perfectly and there are no noticeable gaps. The only point of criticism worth mentioning is the material choice since a premium metal case could have taken the haptic feedback to an even higher level.
Incidentally, just like many other mini PCs, it is possible to fix the Geekom A5 directly to a monitor via the supplied VESA mount.
Features - Thunderbolt is absent
When it comes to connectivity, we initially observed a good selection of ports which can be found on the front and rear of the device. There are a total of six USB ports available, of which two are type-C connectors. However, the manufacturer has done without USB 4 Thunderbolt. Nevertheless, one of the two USB-C ports allows you to directly control a monitor. This means the Geekom A5 can handle up to three monitors simultaneously. We also shouldn't forget the 2.5G network connector as well as the speedy, wonderfully performing, UHS II SD card.
SD card reader
Geekom has fitted the A5 with an SD card reader that delivers superb results when paired with our (Angelbird AV Pro V60) reference card. Thanks to the UHS II connectivity, the card reader is also suitable for transferring large amounts of data.
SD Card Reader | |
average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs) | |
Geekom A5 (AV Pro SD microSD 128 GB V60) | |
Geekom Mini IT11, i7-11390H (AV Pro SD microSD 128 GB V60) | |
Intel Beast Canyon NUC (AV Pro SD microSD 128 GB V60) | |
Intel Dragon Canyon NUC | |
Average of class Mini PC (15.1 - 214, n=26, last 2 years) | |
Zotac ZBOX Magnus EN173070C (AV Pro SD microSD 128 GB V60) | |
Geekom MiniAir 11 Special Edition (AV Pro SD microSD 128 GB V60) | |
maximum AS SSD Seq Read Test (1GB) | |
Intel Beast Canyon NUC (AV Pro SD microSD 128 GB V60) | |
Intel Dragon Canyon NUC | |
Geekom A5 (AV Pro SD microSD 128 GB V60) | |
Geekom Mini IT11, i7-11390H (AV Pro SD microSD 128 GB V60) | |
Average of class Mini PC (18.2 - 221, n=26, last 2 years) | |
Zotac ZBOX Magnus EN173070C (AV Pro SD microSD 128 GB V60) | |
Geekom MiniAir 11 Special Edition (AV Pro SD microSD 128 GB V60) |
Communication
The radio module found in the Geekom A5 is a Wi-Fi 6 model from Realtek. However, the device lacks modern 6 GHz radio connectivity with the Wi-Fi module operating in either the 2.4 or 5 GHz frequency band. Nonetheless, the measured transfer speeds when sending and receiving data are good and this is underlined by the device sitting in pole position in the current comparison. The radio module also supports Bluetooth connections (5.2) meaning either a headset or a mouse can be wirelessly connected. For this test, we used our Asus ROG Rapture GT-AXE11000 test router.
Accessories
A varied selection of accessories are included and all the necessary items are there to help get the device up and running. In addition to the device itself, there is a 120-watt PSU, as well as a mounting plate for the VESA installation. An HDMI cable, a quick guide and a thank you card are also part of the box contents.
Maintenance
The Geekom A5 is very easy to open. The base is fixed by four screws and is also used to dissipate heat from the SSD. A second M.2 slot is available but a thermal pad is missing on the rear side. A total of three mass storage devices can be installed, as was the case with the Geekom Mini IT11 or the Geekom Mini IT12. In order to gain access to the CPU fan, the device has to be disassembled further. Unfortunately, quick cleaning is not possible.
Performance - AMD's Ryzen 7 5800H with 8 Zen 3 cores and 16 threads
With the AMD Ryzen 7 5800H, the Geekom A5 has a good SoC, even though it's no longer one of the most up-to-date models. With the eight Zen-3 cores, the A5 has no reason to hide because our tests revealed good multi-core performance. The Geekom A5 also copes easily with memory-intensive applications thanks to its 32 GB of RAM and 512 GB SSD.
Test conditions
We carried out all of the performance tests using the balanced
energy profile. We did not alter the SoC's performance and left the BIOS configurations in accordance with the factory settings.
Processor
The Geekom A5 is equipped with the AMD Ryzen 7 5800H. The SoC offers 8 cores and 16 threads which both help to achieve good multi-thread performance. The direct performance comparison shows that the Geekom A5 is on par with the Geekom Mini IT12. However, in the individual disciplines, the AMD Ryzen 7 5800H has some disadvantages when it comes to single-core performance. Nevertheless, in terms of the performance rating, this is still enough to secure third place, but, the Geekom A5 is left in its tracks by the Minisforum Venus Series NAB6. With the Intel Core i7-12650H-based mini PC, you can expect roughly 10 percent more performance.
For additional comparisons and benchmarks, take a look at our CPU comparison table.
Performance Rating - Percent | |
Minisforum Venus Series NAB6 | |
Geekom Mini IT12 | |
Acemagic AD15 | |
Geekom A5 | |
Minisforum Venus Series UN1245 | |
Morefine M600, 6600U | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM560 XT | |
Blackview MP200 |
Blender - v2.79 BMW27 CPU | |
Morefine M600, 6600U | |
Blackview MP200 | |
Minisforum Venus Series UN1245 | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM560 XT | |
Acemagic AD15 | |
Geekom A5 | |
Minisforum Venus Series NAB6 | |
Geekom Mini IT12 |
R Benchmark 2.5 - Overall mean | |
Blackview MP200 | |
Acemagic AD15 | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM560 XT | |
Geekom A5 | |
Minisforum Venus Series UN1245 | |
Morefine M600, 6600U | |
Geekom Mini IT12 | |
Minisforum Venus Series NAB6 |
LibreOffice - 20 Documents To PDF | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM560 XT | |
Geekom A5 | |
Morefine M600, 6600U | |
Blackview MP200 | |
Geekom Mini IT12 | |
Minisforum Venus Series UN1245 | |
Acemagic AD15 | |
Minisforum Venus Series NAB6 |
WebXPRT 3 - Overall | |
Minisforum Venus Series NAB6 | |
Geekom Mini IT12 | |
Minisforum Venus Series UN1245 | |
Morefine M600, 6600U | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM560 XT | |
Acemagic AD15 | |
Geekom A5 | |
Blackview MP200 |
Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total | |
Blackview MP200 | |
Geekom A5 | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM560 XT | |
Acemagic AD15 | |
Morefine M600, 6600U | |
Minisforum Venus Series UN1245 | |
Geekom Mini IT12 | |
Minisforum Venus Series NAB6 |
* ... 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 | |
Average of class Mini PC | |
Acemagic AD15 | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM560 XT | |
Minisforum Venus Series NAB6 | |
Blackview MP200 | |
Morefine M600, 6600U | |
Minisforum Venus Series UN1245 | |
Geekom Mini IT12 |
AIDA64 / FP32 Ray-Trace | |
Average of class Mini PC (646 - 51004, n=117, last 2 years) | |
Geekom A5 | |
Acemagic AD15 | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM560 XT | |
Minisforum Venus Series NAB6 | |
Blackview MP200 | |
Morefine M600, 6600U | |
Minisforum Venus Series UN1245 | |
Geekom Mini IT12 |
AIDA64 / FPU SinJulia | |
Geekom A5 | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM560 XT | |
Morefine M600, 6600U | |
Average of class Mini PC (408 - 29064, n=117, last 2 years) | |
Acemagic AD15 | |
Minisforum Venus Series NAB6 | |
Blackview MP200 | |
Minisforum Venus Series UN1245 | |
Geekom Mini IT12 |
AIDA64 / FP64 Ray-Trace | |
Average of class Mini PC (350 - 26952, n=117, last 2 years) | |
Acemagic AD15 | |
Geekom A5 | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM560 XT | |
Minisforum Venus Series NAB6 | |
Blackview MP200 | |
Morefine M600, 6600U | |
Minisforum Venus Series UN1245 | |
Geekom Mini IT12 |
AIDA64 / CPU PhotoWorxx | |
Minisforum Venus Series UN1245 | |
Average of class Mini PC (4408 - 50500, n=117, last 2 years) | |
Geekom Mini IT12 | |
Minisforum Venus Series NAB6 | |
Morefine M600, 6600U | |
Geekom A5 | |
Acemagic AD15 | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM560 XT | |
Blackview MP200 |
Geekom A5 vs. Cinebench R15 multi-loop
With the Cinebench R15 continuous loop, we got our first glimpse into the installed cooling system's efficiency and how it interacts with the processor's power consumption. Initially, we observed the best result which was also accompanied by the highest power consumption. In terms of temperatures, we only recorded 100 °C at the start of the second run. That means that the performance had to be reduced somewhat. This fate affects almost all devices which operate under continuous load. The Geekom A5's reduction in performance is significantly smaller, and, in comparison, our review sample delivered the best result over 50 runs (1,715 points). In the same test, the Minisforum Venus Series NAB6 only managed an average of 1,627 points.
System performance
In the system performance-related synthetic benchmarks, the Geekom A5 showed a relatively good PCMark 10 result. In the Crossmark test, our review device could no longer keep up meaning the Geekom A5 could only secure a mid-table placing. Likewise, the review sample completed the RAM tests very successfully even though this was only good enough to manage fourth place. In this area, the Morefine M600 finds itself at the top of the pack due to its DDR5. In everyday use, we observed no limitations. Smooth and fast work is possible with all of the comparison devices and the Geekom A5 is no exception to this rule.
AIDA64 / Memory Write | |
Average of class Mini PC (6862 - 98583, n=117, last 2 years) | |
Morefine M600, 6600U | |
Minisforum Venus Series NAB6 | |
Geekom Mini IT12 | |
Minisforum Venus Series UN1245 | |
Geekom A5 | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM560 XT | |
Acemagic AD15 | |
Blackview MP200 |
AIDA64 / Memory Latency | |
Morefine M600, 6600U | |
Average of class Mini PC (44.9 - 184.8, n=117, last 2 years) | |
Geekom A5 | |
Geekom Mini IT12 | |
Acemagic AD15 | |
Minisforum Venus Series UN1245 | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM560 XT | |
Blackview MP200 | |
Minisforum Venus Series NAB6 |
* ... smaller is better
DPC latencies
The Geekom A5's measured latencies were unconvincing and not the best in class. The review system already achieved those latencies when opening multiple Edge browser tabs. However, we wouldn't view these values as critical and would we still recommend using the Geekom A5 as a streaming client since 4K video playback didn't result in an increase in latency. During this, the iGPU was utilized to just over 30 percent. Prime95 also didn't result in any worse latencies.
DPC Latencies / LatencyMon - interrupt to process latency (max), Web, Youtube, Prime95 | |
Blackview MP200 | |
Geekom A5 | |
Morefine M600, 6600U | |
Geekom Mini IT12 | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM560 XT | |
Acemagic AD15 | |
Minisforum Venus Series NAB6 | |
Minisforum Venus Series UN1245 |
* ... smaller is better
Mass storage
Geekom has treated the A5 to a Lexar 512 GB NVMe SSD. The installed model makes perfect use of the NVMe interface and consequently offers excellent transfer speeds. The Minisfourm UN1245 and the Miniforum NAB6's superb SSD performance is not matched by the model found in our review device. However, the solid third place achieved in our comparison gives no cause for concern since the difference in performance is not perceptible in everyday use. What is more important is the continuous performance and that is something the Geekom A5 copes with confidently. The read performance remains stable over longer periods of time. The Minisfourm UN1245 falters slightly in this area which we see as an advantage for the Geekom A5.
The Geekom A5 can be equipped with two M.2 SSDs. In addition to the M.2 slots, the device offers a 2.5-inch slot meaning up to three mass storage devices can be installed. Nonetheless, attention should be paid to the maximum height of 7 millimeters.
Additional comparisons and benchmarks can be found in our comparison table.