Geekom AE7 review: NUC mini-PC with AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS, DDR5 RAM, modern interfaces and one problem

As the supposed successor to the Geekom A5, the Geekom AE7 has been given a more modern SoC. The basis is an AMD Ryzen 7 7940HS which is also equipped with the very powerful AMD Radeon 780M iGPU. Meanwhile, the Geekom AE7 is only available in the configuration we tested, which means there is always 32 GB DDR5 RAM and a 1 TB SSD on board. At 740 euros, the Geekom AE7 is anything but inexpensive and no bargain. We will now find out whether the price is justified by its outstanding performance.

The mini-PC faces competition from its own company. Other competitors aren't sleeping and Minisforum, Aoostar, and Acemagic also have powerful mini-PCs in their range, some of which are even significantly cheaper. We have summarized our selection of competitors in the following table.

Note: We have updated our rating system and the results of version 8 are not comparable with the results of version 7 here.

After the Geekom A8 and also the Geekom GT13 Pro initially came with stylish aluminum housing, Geekom has gone backwards with the AE7 and opted for an older case design. Geekom's IT11 and IT12 are almost identical in design to the Intel NUC models. The Geekom A5 was the first one to have an AMD APU in such a case, which has now been replaced with the upgrade to the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS in the Geekom AE7.

The only major difference to the otherwise identical Geekom AE7 is the color scheme. The device is painted silver. Due to the uniform choice of materials, there are no color differences. Internally, the plastic housing is still complemented by a sturdy metal cage. The workmanship remains at a very high level. All parts fit together perfectly and the matt surfaces make fingerprints barely visible. With regard to the Geekom A8 or the Geekom GT13, Geekom shows that it is possible to deliver higher-quality devices in terms of the choice of materials. A completely redesigned housing would not only bring a breath of fresh air to the dusty look but would also provide scope for more effective cooling.

Incidentally, like many other mini-PCs, the Geekom AE7 can be attached directly to a monitor using the supplied VESA mount.

The issue of maintenance is not present at the beginning, as Geekom only markets the AE7 in the pre-configured option. As before, the mini-PC is easy to open. Only four small screws have to be loosened on the underside, which then allows the bottom panel to be removed. Once inside, we can access the RAM and SSD relatively easily. The WLAN module can also be removed if required. This is located directly under the SSD. The device is already fully equipped and an upgrade can only be carried out by directly replacing the components. To access the CPU fan, the entire circuit board must be removed. However, this is also possible with a little skill.

The Geekom AE7 is delivered in a small cardboard box, which is appropriate for the dimensions of the actual test device. The accessories are again packed in separate plastic bags, which is not conducive to sustainability. The device is mainly made of plastic and metal. We do not know whether special recycled materials have been used in its manufacture.

We carried out all performance tests with the Balanced power plan. We did not change the performance of the SoC and left it in the delivery state according to the BIOS settings.