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MagyarGeekom Mini IT13 Mini PC Review - Mini Desktop with an overkill Core i9
Geekom recently released the Mini IT13, the latest in its growing family of mini desktop PCs. As its name implies, the Mini IT13 is powered by Intel 13th Gen (Raptor Lake) CPUs. The desktop maintains Geekom's history of easy upgradeability, a compact form factor, and competitive pricing. Our review model sports an Intel Core i9-13900H, 32 GB of RAM, and a 2 TB NVMe SSD. In this hands-on, we will see if the tiny PC can contain one of Intel's most powerful Raptor Lake processors.
Competitors of the Mini IT13 include the Beelink SEi12, Intel Serpent Canyon NUC 12, Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit (Vivid Canyon), GMK NucBox K3 Pro, and Minisforum Venus Series UM790 Pro.
potential competitors in comparison
Rating | Date | Model | Weight | Height | Size | Resolution | Best Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 78.8 % | 12/2023 | Geekom Mini IT13 i9-13900H, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | 652 g | 49.2 mm | x | ||
12/2022 | Beelink SEi12 Core i5-1235U i5-1235U, Iris Xe G7 80EUs | 465 g | 42 mm | x | |||
| 88.4 % | 03/2023 | Intel NUC 12, NUC12SNKi72_Serpent Canyon i7-12700H, A770M | 2 kg | 60 mm | x | ||
| 82.8 % | 10/2023 | GMK NucBox K3 Pro i7-12650H, UHD Graphics 64EUs | 396 g | 43.2 mm | x | ||
| 83.1 % | 08/2023 | Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit i7-1360P, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | 558 g | 37 mm | x | ||
| 82.8 % | 07/2023 | Minisforum Venus Series UM790 Pro R9 7940HS, Radeon 780M | 666 g | 52.3 mm | x |
Case and Connectivity
Those that have experience with Geekom's other Intel-based mini PCs will find the Mini IT13 very familiar as the chassis is largely unchanged from the Mini IT11 and Mini IT12.In typical Geekom fashion, the mini PC is very well built. We have no qualms with the Mini IT13's build quality. The only criticism we have is that the case is mostly made of plastic (albeit a thick, high-quality plastic). While crafting the case from metal would surely give the Mini IT13 a more premium look and feel, it would also raise the cost. The benefit in this material upgrade would largely be unseen as the Mini IT13 is intended to be stored inconspicuously on a desktop.
It is fairly compact at 117 x 112 x 49.2 mm (4.6 x 4.4 x 1.9 in), and it is easy to stow away underneath a monitor. The Mini IT13 is a bit taller than other NUC units to accommodate a 2.5-inch drive. Geekom includes a VESA mounting bracket for securing the mini PC to the back of a compatible monitor.
Something to note is the lightning-fast SD card reader. Mini PCs typically have an average SD card reader (if they have on at all) with most clocking in at roughly 70-80 MB/s, but the Mini IT13's reader boasts read speeds up to 180 MB/s, which may make it a good option for professionals that move a lot of data on and off SD cards.
The Mini IT13 is packed with ports, including two USB4 40 Gbps ports on the back. Coupled with the two HDMI 2.0 ports, users can connect up to four displays. The Mini IT13 supports two DDR4 SODIMMs, one M.2 2280 PCIe Gen 4x4 SSD, an M.2 2242 SATA SSD (not NVMe), and a 2.5-inch SATA drive. Geekom sells the Mini IT13 with these components pre-installed, but upgrades/swaps are easy; simply unscrew the four captive Phillips Head screws, pull off the bottom plate, and swap out the desired parts.
Connectivity
| SD Card Reader | |
| average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs) | |
| Geekom Mini IT13 | |
| Average of class Mini PC (16.9 - 181.8, n=17, last 2 years) | |
| Intel NUC 12, NUC12SNKi72_Serpent Canyon (AV Pro SD microSD 128 GB V60) | |
| maximum AS SSD Seq Read Test (1GB) | |
| Geekom Mini IT13 | |
| Average of class Mini PC (18.2 - 200, n=17, last 2 years) | |
| Intel NUC 12, NUC12SNKi72_Serpent Canyon (AV Pro SD microSD 128 GB V60) | |
Performance
The Mini IT13 comes with either a 13th Gen Intel Core i5-13500H, Core i7-13700H, or Core i9-13900H. Our review unit is the top-specced model with the Core i9-13900H. The six Hyperthreaded P-cores and 8 E-cores make for a powerful package. Unfortunately, the Core i9 proves to be a bit too hot for the Mini IT13, leading to some thermal throttling and less-than-expected performance.
Processor
The Intel Core i9-13900H is a top-tier Raptor Lake CPU boasting 20 total threads (6 Hyperthreaded P-Cores, 8 E-Cores) clocked between 1.9 GHz and 5.4 GHz. Generally speaking, the 13900H is a powerful CPU that suffers from some thermal issues. With adequate cooling, the CPU provides stable and lightning-fast performance. Unfortunately, the Core i9-13900H seems to be too much for the Mini IT13's chassis.
In our Cinebench R15 loop test, performance almost perfectly matches the Intel Core i7-1360P found in the Intel NUC 13. Interestingly, the Mini IT13 falls well behind the Intel Core i7-12700H (used in Intel's Serpent Canyon NUC 12) and the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS (found in the Minisforum Venus UM790 Pro); this may be due to the former's improved cooling infrastructure and the latter's more efficient CPU architecture. The Mini IT13's performance remains fairly stable after an initial drop from the first run.
This story remains much the same throughout other CPU benchmarks. The Core i9-13900H in the Mini IT13 cannot catch up to the Ryzen 9 7940HS, but outpaces its predecessor (the Mini IT12 with a Core i7-1260P) by 50% in multi-core benchmarks.
Cinebench R15 Multi Loop
Cinebench R15: CPU Single 64Bit | CPU Multi 64Bit
Blender: v2.79 BMW27 CPU
7-Zip 18.03: 7z b 4 -mmt1 | 7z b 4
Geekbench 5.5: Single-Core | Multi-Core
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2: 4k Preset
LibreOffice : 20 Documents To PDF
R Benchmark 2.5: Overall mean
| Cinebench R20 / CPU (Single Core) | |
| Average Intel Core i9-13900H (428 - 792, n=22) | |
| Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit | |
| Minisforum Venus Series UM790 Pro | |
| Intel NUC 12, NUC12SNKi72_Serpent Canyon | |
| GMK NucBox K3 Pro | |
| Geekom Mini IT13 | |
| Geekom Mini IT12 | |
| Beelink SEi12 Core i5-1235U | |
| Average of class Mini PC (155 - 736, n=99, last 2 years) | |
| Cinebench R20 / CPU (Multi Core) | |
| Average Intel Core i9-13900H (4960 - 7716, n=22) | |
| Minisforum Venus Series UM790 Pro | |
| Intel NUC 12, NUC12SNKi72_Serpent Canyon | |
| Geekom Mini IT13 | |
| Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit | |
| GMK NucBox K3 Pro | |
| Average of class Mini PC (293 - 7188, n=99, last 2 years) | |
| Geekom Mini IT12 | |
| Beelink SEi12 Core i5-1235U | |
| Cinebench R15 / CPU Single 64Bit | |
| Minisforum Venus Series UM790 Pro | |
| Average Intel Core i9-13900H (211 - 297, n=23) | |
| Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit | |
| Intel NUC 12, NUC12SNKi72_Serpent Canyon | |
| GMK NucBox K3 Pro | |
| Geekom Mini IT13 | |
| Geekom Mini IT13 | |
| Geekom Mini IT12 | |
| Beelink SEi12 Core i5-1235U | |
| Average of class Mini PC (68 - 286, n=100, last 2 years) | |
| Cinebench R15 / CPU Multi 64Bit | |
| Average Intel Core i9-13900H (2061 - 3100, n=23) | |
| Minisforum Venus Series UM790 Pro | |
| Intel NUC 12, NUC12SNKi72_Serpent Canyon | |
| Geekom Mini IT13 | |
| Geekom Mini IT13 | |
| Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit | |
| GMK NucBox K3 Pro | |
| Geekom Mini IT12 | |
| Average of class Mini PC (148 - 2986, n=100, last 2 years) | |
| Beelink SEi12 Core i5-1235U | |
| Blender / v2.79 BMW27 CPU | |
| Average of class Mini PC (178 - 3860, n=99, last 2 years) | |
| Beelink SEi12 Core i5-1235U | |
| GMK NucBox K3 Pro | |
| Geekom Mini IT12 | |
| Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit | |
| Geekom Mini IT13 | |
| Average Intel Core i9-13900H (166 - 268, n=21) | |
| Intel NUC 12, NUC12SNKi72_Serpent Canyon | |
| Minisforum Venus Series UM790 Pro | |
| 7-Zip 18.03 / 7z b 4 -mmt1 | |
| Minisforum Venus Series UM790 Pro | |
| Average Intel Core i9-13900H (3665 - 6600, n=22) | |
| Intel NUC 12, NUC12SNKi72_Serpent Canyon | |
| Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit | |
| GMK NucBox K3 Pro | |
| Geekom Mini IT12 | |
| Geekom Mini IT13 | |
| Beelink SEi12 Core i5-1235U | |
| Average of class Mini PC (2369 - 6749, n=98, last 2 years) | |
| 7-Zip 18.03 / 7z b 4 | |
| Minisforum Venus Series UM790 Pro | |
| Average Intel Core i9-13900H (45045 - 79032, n=22) | |
| Intel NUC 12, NUC12SNKi72_Serpent Canyon | |
| Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit | |
| Geekom Mini IT13 | |
| GMK NucBox K3 Pro | |
| Average of class Mini PC (4955 - 74475, n=98, last 2 years) | |
| Geekom Mini IT12 | |
| Beelink SEi12 Core i5-1235U | |
| Geekbench 5.5 / Single-Core | |
| Minisforum Venus Series UM790 Pro | |
| Average Intel Core i9-13900H (1140 - 2043, n=22) | |
| Geekom Mini IT13 | |
| Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit | |
| GMK NucBox K3 Pro | |
| Geekom Mini IT12 | |
| Beelink SEi12 Core i5-1235U | |
| Intel NUC 12, NUC12SNKi72_Serpent Canyon | |
| Average of class Mini PC (453 - 2010, n=98, last 2 years) | |
| Geekbench 5.5 / Multi-Core | |
| Average Intel Core i9-13900H (9094 - 15410, n=22) | |
| Minisforum Venus Series UM790 Pro | |
| Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit | |
| Intel NUC 12, NUC12SNKi72_Serpent Canyon | |
| GMK NucBox K3 Pro | |
| Geekom Mini IT13 | |
| Geekom Mini IT12 | |
| Beelink SEi12 Core i5-1235U | |
| Average of class Mini PC (927 - 15525, n=98, last 2 years) | |
| HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2 / 4k Preset | |
| Minisforum Venus Series UM790 Pro | |
| Average Intel Core i9-13900H (14.7 - 22.3, n=22) | |
| Intel NUC 12, NUC12SNKi72_Serpent Canyon | |
| Geekom Mini IT13 | |
| Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit | |
| GMK NucBox K3 Pro | |
| Average of class Mini PC (0.95 - 21.4, n=98, last 2 years) | |
| Geekom Mini IT12 | |
| Beelink SEi12 Core i5-1235U | |
| LibreOffice / 20 Documents To PDF | |
| Average of class Mini PC (35.1 - 168.4, n=98, last 2 years) | |
| Beelink SEi12 Core i5-1235U | |
| Average Intel Core i9-13900H (34.4 - 82.8, n=22) | |
| Geekom Mini IT12 | |
| Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit | |
| Minisforum Venus Series UM790 Pro | |
| Intel NUC 12, NUC12SNKi72_Serpent Canyon | |
| GMK NucBox K3 Pro | |
| Geekom Mini IT13 | |
| R Benchmark 2.5 / Overall mean | |
| Average of class Mini PC (0.4184 - 1.565, n=98, last 2 years) | |
| Beelink SEi12 Core i5-1235U | |
| Geekom Mini IT13 | |
| Geekom Mini IT12 | |
| GMK NucBox K3 Pro | |
| Intel NUC 12, NUC12SNKi72_Serpent Canyon | |
| Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit | |
| Average Intel Core i9-13900H (0.4052 - 0.723, n=22) | |
| Minisforum Venus Series UM790 Pro | |
* ... smaller is better
System Performance
Overall system performance is excellent. The Mini IT13 outpaces competitors with Intel's 12th Gen CPUs and lower-tiered Raptor Lake processors. It also puts up excellent fights against the Ryzen 9 7940HS in all but graphically-demanding tasks like digital content creation. This is to be expected considering the latter's excellent iGPU.
In real-world use, the Mini IT13 garners no complaints, save one item: apps tends to take several seconds to open upon first launch, but will start near-immediately on subsequent launches. This behavior repeats after power cycling the desktop.
| PCMark 10 / Score | |
| Intel NUC 12, NUC12SNKi72_Serpent Canyon | |
| Minisforum Venus Series UM790 Pro | |
| Geekom Mini IT13 | |
| Average Intel Core i9-13900H, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs (6190 - 6472, n=5) | |
| Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit | |
| GMK NucBox K3 Pro | |
| Geekom Mini IT12 | |
| Beelink SEi12 Core i5-1235U | |
| Average of class Mini PC (1461 - 7916, n=97, last 2 years) | |
| PCMark 10 / Essentials | |
| Geekom Mini IT13 | |
| Average Intel Core i9-13900H, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs (11156 - 11774, n=5) | |
| Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit | |
| Beelink SEi12 Core i5-1235U | |
| GMK NucBox K3 Pro | |
| Intel NUC 12, NUC12SNKi72_Serpent Canyon | |
| Minisforum Venus Series UM790 Pro | |
| Geekom Mini IT12 | |
| Average of class Mini PC (3998 - 11647, n=97, last 2 years) | |
| PCMark 10 / Productivity | |
| Minisforum Venus Series UM790 Pro | |
| Geekom Mini IT13 | |
| GMK NucBox K3 Pro | |
| Average Intel Core i9-13900H, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs (7505 - 7979, n=5) | |
| Average of class Mini PC (2697 - 10970, n=97, last 2 years) | |
| Geekom Mini IT12 | |
| Beelink SEi12 Core i5-1235U | |
| Intel NUC 12, NUC12SNKi72_Serpent Canyon | |
| Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit | |
| PCMark 10 / Digital Content Creation | |
| Intel NUC 12, NUC12SNKi72_Serpent Canyon | |
| Minisforum Venus Series UM790 Pro | |
| Average Intel Core i9-13900H, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs (7573 - 8073, n=5) | |
| Geekom Mini IT13 | |
| Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit | |
| Geekom Mini IT12 | |
| GMK NucBox K3 Pro | |
| Average of class Mini PC (786 - 13402, n=97, last 2 years) | |
| Beelink SEi12 Core i5-1235U | |
| PCMark 10 Score | 6374 points | |
Help | ||
DPC Latency
Compared to its predecessors (the Mini IT11 and Mini IT12), DPC latencies are disappointing. The Mini IT13 seem to be just on the cusp of adequate real-time audio processing. Still, 4K60 video streaming was smooth in our testing with only 11 frames dropped at the beginning of a YouTube video.
| DPC Latencies / LatencyMon - interrupt to process latency (max), Web, Youtube, Prime95 | |
| Intel NUC 12, NUC12SNKi72_Serpent Canyon | |
| GMK NucBox K3 Pro | |
| Geekom Mini IT13 | |
| Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit | |
| Minisforum Venus Series UM790 Pro | |
| Geekom Mini IT12 | |
| Beelink SEi12 Core i5-1235U | |
* ... smaller is better
Storage Devices
Geekom ships the Mini IT13 with a 2 TB M.2 2280 (80 mm) PCIe Gen4x4 SSD from Lexar. Not only is there ample storage space, the drive is wickedly fast with read speeds in excess of 4000 MB/s. 4K read and writes are also very quick. Interestingly, the drive dips in performance during long activity periods, as noted by the DiskSpd Read Loop test.
The Mini IT13 also supports an M.2 2242 (42 mm) SSD and a 2.5-inch drive.
* ... smaller is better
Disk Throttling: DiskSpd Read Loop, Queue Depth 8
GPU Performance
The Mini IT13 has onboard Intel Iris Xe Graphics (96 EUs) for graphics processing. Performance (as measured by 3DMark) is better than expected for the integrated GPU, coming in roughly 10-15% better than the average Intel Iris Xe Graphics iGPU.
While the Intel iGPU isn't suitable for heavy graphical work (e.g., 3D modelling), it is suitable for some light photo and video editing. It can also handle 4K video streaming without fuss. The AMD Radeon 780M, which is integrated on Ryzen 7000 series APUs, is between 50-75% faster.
The Mini IT13 has two USB4 40 Gbps ports which can support Thunderbolt-compatible eGPUs. We did not have an eGPU available during this review to test the feasibility of this setup and its performance, but is an option.
| 3DMark 11 Performance | 7656 points | |
| 3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score | 24458 points | |
| 3DMark Fire Strike Score | 5229 points | |
| 3DMark Fire Strike Extreme Score | 2446 points | |
| 3DMark Time Spy Score | 1910 points | |
Help | ||
Gaming Performance
While Intel's Xe iGPUs have come a long way, they are still not suitable for modern AAA games. Even at the lowest settings, games like Spider-Man Miles Morales barely break 30 FPS and suffer from stutters. Lighter titles like Dota 2 Reborn or older games should be playable at Full HD, depending on the title.
Check the dedicated page for the Intel Iris Xe Graphics (96 EU) for more gaming benchmarks.
| low | med. | high | ultra | 4K | |
| Dota 2 Reborn (2015) | 133.8 | 87.3 | 67.6 | 61.2 | 24.2 |
| Final Fantasy XV Benchmark (2018) | 46.1 | 24.7 | 17.7 | ||
| X-Plane 11.11 (2018) | 50.5 | 36.1 | 31.4 | ||
| Spider-Man Miles Morales (2022) | 35.1 |
Emissions & Power
System Noise
Here lies the weakest point of the Geekom Mini IT13: fan noise. When under full load, the mini desktop has a noticeable whine that cuts through standard office noise like a hot knife. While it isn't as loud as top-tier gaming laptops, the fan's high pitch is immediately noticeable.
Interestingly, the fan ramps up seemingly at random, even when the computer sits idle on the Windows desktop. These bursts are rather short (1-2 seconds), but they can be irritating due to their random nature.
Temperature
Despite its loud fan, the Mini IT13 struggles to keep the Core i9-13900H cool under extreme stress. During an hour-long Prime95 torture test, the Core i9-13900H peaked at 96° C at a clock speed of 4.2 GHz, well below its rated boost of 5.4 GHz. The CPU averaged 2.0 GHz during the test, hovering just above its base clock.
The iGPU saw similar outcomes during an hour-long run of Furmark, peaking at 100° C and averaging at 91° C. While the GPU maintained an average clock speed of 1366 MHz, the CPU was more erratic.
Stressing both the CPU and GPU resulted in much more conservative performance, albeit with lower overall temperatures.
All said, the Core i9-13900H seems to be too hot to handle for the small chassis of the Mini IT13. The Core i7-13700H may be a better option for thermal management.
The Mini IT13's case stays fairly cool, even under load. The hottest spot is at the rear exhaust (which is to be expected), topping out at about 50° C.
Power Consumption
For a Mini PC, the Mini IT13 can draw a fair bit of power. Average draw under load is about 60 Watts. This is roughly in line with other Intel-based mini desktop PCs.
| Off / Standby |   1.1 / 27 Watt |
| Idle |  6.7 / 7.8 / 9.4 Watt |
| Load |
59.8 / 114.3 Watt |
    
| |
Power Consumption Witcher 3 / Stresstest
Pros
Cons
Verdict
The Mini IT13 is a tangible definition of the word "iteration." It is essentially the Mini IT12 with a newer CPU. While it offers better multi-core and general use performance (largely due to the performance differential between the Core i9-13900H and the Mini IT12's Core i7-1260P), it also has a higher power draw, more heat, and a louder fan.
The Mini IT13 is a powerful mini PC with a lot of power crammed into its tiny shell, but this power cannot fully be tapped due to some noticeable thermal throttling. Still, the ample port selection (including dual USB4 40 Gbps ports), fast included SSD, and compact size are serious draws.
If you already own a mini PC with a 12th Gen Intel Core i7 CPU or better, there's little reason to upgrade to the Mini IT13. However, if you are looking for a powerhouse in a small package, the Mini IT13 may fit the bill. Just consider the cheaper (and more easily managed) Core i7-13700H variant.
Price and availability
The Geekom Mini IT13 is available from Geekom. The configuration reviewed (Core i9-13900H, 32 GB RAM, 2 TB SSD) is available at a list price of $899. Use coupon code notebookcheckit13 to save $40.
Geekom Mini IT13
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12/20/2023 v7
Sam Medley
Transparency
The present review sample was made available to the author as a loan by the manufacturer or a shop for the purposes of 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.
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