Geekom IT13 Max review: An Ultra 9 mini PC held back by its own configuration

Geekom IT13 Max: 30-second review

The Geekom IT13 Max is an interesting machine, built in the style of the usual Mini PC, yet with a quality that is slightly more solid and industrial than I’d usually expect. The design also lacks anything inspirational; it’s purely functional even down to the metal pressed backplate.

The specifications are also interesting, with a high-powered Ultra 9 185H and Arc GPU and NPU all integrated, providing impressive computing power. However, it all feels slightly limited with just 24GB of RAM that's soldered and non upgradable, then there’s the storage at just 500GB meaning that if you’re looking to store files onboard then you’ll quickly run out of space. Exactly as I discovered with the 4K video edit test in Premiere Pro and the gaming test, where it was a strict one game installed at a time.

However, as I started to look deeper at the system, you see that there’s something else going on with the RS232 and RS485 headers that means this can be integrated with a larger industry systems, well beyond anything that I have access to.

This is a mini PC that has a market in industry or as a solid machine for office use; if you work in the creative industry or fancy a bit of gaming, then while it’s powerful enough to handle quite demanding tasks, it's not the best mini PC we've tested for that, and there are better options out there.

As a standalone mini PC, it’s understated and powerful, great as a solid machine for the office that will plough through Microsoft Office applications with ease, but in reality this is a machine with a focus as part of larger industry applications.

Geekom IT13 Max: Price and availability

• How much does it cost? £749 / $749
• When is it out? Now
• Where can you get it? Directly from Geekom

The IT13 Max is available direct from Geekom US for $799 and Geekom UK for £749.

It's also on sale for the same price at both Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk.

This buys you the 24GB RAM and 500GB SSD version that I have looked at in this review. There are, however, two present versions of this machine available. The other is what seems to be the lower-specified 16GB DDR5 with a 1TB SSD option; however, this machine offers two SO-DIMM slots accepting up to 96GB, which would be better suited for creatives, especially if used with an eGPU.

From now until August 15, TechRadar Pro readers can score an 8% discount when buying from either Geekom or Amazon when using the code TRT13MAX.

• Value: 4/5

Geekom IT13 Max: Specs

CPU: Intel Core Ultra 9 185H, 16 cores / 22 threads
Cache: 1.6MB L1, 18MB L2, 24MB L3
Graphics: Intel Arc (integrated).
NPU: Intel AI Boost
Memory: 24GB LPDDR5, 6,400 MTS
Storage: 500GB PCIe Gen4 SSD. Two slots: M.2 2280 PCIe NVMe Gen4 (to 4TB) and M.2 2242 SATA III (to 2TB), 6TB total
Display: 2 x USB4 40Gbps, 2 x HDMI 2.0, four 4K displays or 8K output
Networking: Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, 2 x 2.5GbE
Other: dTPM 2.0, Kensington lock, VESA mount, RS232/RS485 headers
OS: Windows 11
Dimensions: 132 x 132 x 50mm (Measured)
Weight: 840g (Weighed)

Geekom IT13 Max: Design

Lifting the machine from the packaging, the size and weight are in line with what I’ve come to expect from a standard Mini PC, coming in at 132 x 132 x 50mm and weighing in at 836g. One point about the build quality that instantly stands out is how solid this is, with its full metal build including the base plate, which is usually plastic.

The other point is that the design is about as understated as you can get; this is by no means a design piece, and it is clearly not trying to be. It feels industrial, solid and functional: something you would be happy to see bolted into a workshop or sitting as part of a production line, although that simplicity also helps it to blend into the scenery in most offices.

The port layout across the machine is also relatively well thought out, if a little dated in the approach with the four USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 ports across the front and the faster USB4 at the back. The front also sees a 3.5mm audio jack and the power button. On the back, alongside the two USB 4 are two HDMI 2.0, two 2.5GbE LAN RJ45, USB-A 3.2 Gen 2, USB-A 2.0 and DC in. On the side is an SD 4.0 card reader.

One of the feature that will be of real interest to some users are the RS232/RS485 headers; these are really features that will only appeal to those looking for a machine to use in an industrial situation, and there’s no direct accessibility to them from the exterior of the machine.

Opening the machine up by removing the metal baseplate, secured in place with four crosshead screws, you can see the two connectors along the back plate of the machine. These two internal four-pin RS‑232 and RS‑485 headers are positioned beside the rear HDMI ports, although breakout cables are not supplied.

Checking the baseplate, however, there is an extra plate that would enable you to slip the cables neatly into it, and then you’d probably need to machine an opening for the cables to exit the system.

Have never used this type of connector; I was unable to test this with the top-level 3D printers, Laser engravers and CNC machines that I look at, obviously under the threshold or where this connector type comes into play.

These are essentially industrial-grade connections, beyond what I can test here. Still, if your CNC equipment or production machinery uses serial control, this could be an interesting solution, and there is very little else at this price offering it.

These industrial options may well be the reasoning for much of the port choices and layout, which I did find frustrating with modern kit and connectors in my office and workshop.

The two USB4 connections are great to see even if they’re hidden round the back, but there is a row of USB-A ports across the front, and these days I don’t have a single machine, device or accessory running on this type of connector.

The display support also seems like a feature to hit a headline; four 4K monitors sounds impressive, but most businesses have two or, at the most, three screens that will suffice, and rarely if ever do I see four in play.

• Design: 4.5 / 5

Geekom IT13 Max: Features

The Ultra 9 185H CPU is a headline feature, and with its 16 cores, 18MB L2 and 24MB L3 cache in a hybrid layout, and 22 logical processors, with a 2.50GHz base that boosts it to 4.64GHz and a 45W TDP, it all looks very impressive on paper.

That CPU is partnered with the Intel Arc graphics and an NPU Intel AI Boost that has impressed in past reviews and now has a proven track record for on-device AI work that the likes of Windows 11 and the Adobe Suite increasingly pull on.

The CPU is at the heart of the machine and is joined by 24GB of LPDDR5 memory in the review sample that I have taken a look at. As this memory is soldered to the motherboard, there’s no upgrade route.

However, there is another version of the same machine available with removable RAM and this ships with just 16GB but is upgradable to 96GB.

It’s worth noting that the hardware for this machine will all utilise that 24gb of RAM, which for many high-intensity applications does instantly look like a limitation in the hardware configuration for some uses.

While the RAM may be limited, the internal storage does offer a little more flexibility despite only arriving with 500GB. There are two slots: an M.2 2280 PCIe NVMe Gen4 taking up to 4TB, and an M.2 2242 SATA III, so you do have the option of upgrading to a 6TB total.

Networking is well balanced considering the level of the hardware with Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, and two 2.5GbE ports.

• Features: 4.5 / 5 (Will change once features are available)

Geekom IT13 Max: Performance

Getting started with the Geekom IT13 Max required the usual run-through of the Windows 11 Pro set-up, which takes between 10 and 20 minutes depending on integrations and your internet connection. Aside from the normal, there’s nothing too tricky about the process, so setting up one or multiple machines in a workplace should be quite straightforward.

The one thing to note is that this does feel like a good, robust machine, so if you are attaching this to a rig, van or other piece of equipment, the design and quality here do show that this is an ideal solution as part of larger systems and not just as something to sit on a desktop.

Once everything had loaded, I was interested to see just how fast this Ultra 9 185H machine would be, having been impressed with similar mini PCs in the past. What was apparent almost immediately was that while that CPU power was there, when it came to applications that put demand on the system, it felt as though something was holding it back.

Checking the R23 multi-core score and the 14,934 showed that the CPU was in line with other machines, and even with the slightly elevated ambient temperatures, the machine's cooling was doing its job.

Checking through the rest of the machines' settings and again Geekbench score of 13,150 for the multi-core and 2,402 single-core, PCMark7,526 overall, and a Time Spy CPU score of 10,613 against 3,508 for graphics showed once again just how good this processor is even with the integrated graphics.

However, as I started to run through the real-world tests, the performance was mixed, with Microsoft Office applications running as well as with any machine; likewise, Photoshop and Lightroom Classic ran well, with some slowing down when rendering thumbnails in libraries and in Adobe Bridge but otherwise handling images and adjustments with ease.

Opening Premiere Pro started to show the limitations, and while lite edits were fine, as soon as higher-bitrate 4K footage was loaded, the machine started to slow down. Firstly, the storage was limited, so an external drive needed to be connected and then as the timeline filled, render speeds quickly extended and the smoothness of the application faltered.

Switching over to gaming and similar traits started to show as I loaded up Hogwarts Legacy, and while the initial gameplay was fine, the graphic quality needed to be lowered, and even then the smoothness of playback was affected.

As I checked through the tests, I noted that the scores for CrystalDiskMark highlighted a decent 5,466MB/s read, but only 3,289MB/s write. This was far less than I expected for a Gen4 drive and was most likely caused by the 500GB capacity getting close to capacity.

Through the test, I was also at that point of needing to uninstall applications before installing the next, which was frustrating, so a new SSD for me would be an instant upgrade.

This lack of capacity of the SSD would also help explain the Windows Experience Index of 8.2, which for an Ultra 9 machine is low.

Looking back at the real-world tests and for office work, including writing this review and other standard light to midweight tasks using Microsoft Office and the Adobe Creative Suite, the machine performed well. It was only when more was demanded from the machine, such as Premiere Pro 4K edits, that it started to struggle, although it could still manage light editing without too much issue.

When I switched to gaming, those struggles followed a similar pattern. Hogwarts Legacy is playable, but a little less smooth than I would have expected for a CPU of this power, and again the memory and storage were an issue.

At present, it is hot generally inside and out, and the noise generated by the machine when working under load is worth highlighting. What I liked was that the fans respond quickly as the intensity of the workload increased; during testing, the ambient temperatures were higher than usual at around 25°C in the office and 20°C in the workshop.

Regarding that noise fan, I measured ambient noise of 32.4 dB; then, with normal running, browsing the internet and using Word, the noise sits at 46.8dB, rising to 59.5dB under load.

This increase in noise essentially meant that when editing in Premiere Pro, the fan noise becomes audible, while Lightroom, Photoshop and Office work stay relatively quiet. Then when it comes to gaming, the system pushes the fans to the max as soon as the graphics load increases.

As a final note, the dual 2.5GbE networking is great to see for creative users, although I do like to see 5GbE or 10-GbE to make the most of my network. Still, 2.5GbE enables surprising transfer speeds and is a good balance between speed and cost. Two ports mean one can run to the network while the other connects directly to a NAS; this helps to speed up backups and just about makes network editing possible.

• Performance: 4.5 / 5

Geekom IT13 Max: Final verdict

The Geekom IT13 Max is an interesting machine; it is, as you’d expect from a Mini PC, compact, with plenty of connection options and perfectly suited to office work, browsing and light to medium creative tasks. It then takes the pace up a level with dual 2.5GbE networking, the ability to connect to four monitors and those two USB4 ports, but then it also has the build quality and slightly odd RAM and storage configurations.

The processor is powerful and AI-ready, which was shown in the benchmark tests; however, while 24Gb of soldered memory is fine for Office tasks and light multimedia editing, it struggles as soon as anything more graphically demanding is required. Then the 500GB drive means that you run out of space surprisingly quickly, and in the test I was only able to install one large game at any one time, although I do take into account that the storage is upgradable; still, these days 1TB is generally the minimal I would recommend.

Then there’s the build quality and those two RS232/RS485 headers which really highlight that while you can use this in the office and it will be a productive work machine, in reality its use is a little more niche and it would be better suited to demanding workflows and systems, which again explains the build and those two very focused internal connectors.

In this review I’ve looked at the fixed RAM model, and there is also the 16GB model with its SO-DIMM slots and 1TB drive which, if you do need a machine that’s robust and better for creative use, would seem like a far better buy, especially upgraded to 96GB if you need it.

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