• 2 min read
Geekom A9 Max falls short of its price
Geekom’s 2026 mini PC packs ports and decent CPU speed, but inconsistent graphics and a high price make the older Ryzen AI 300 model a better buy.
Image: Gizmodo
Geekom’s A9 Max (2026) aims at the same premium mini PC crowd as Apple’s M4 Mac mini, but Gizmodo’s review says it doesn’t do enough to justify its $2,299 MSRP. The tested configuration pairs a Ryzen AI 9 HX 470 with 32GB of RAM and a 2TB SSD, though the system is sometimes discounted as low as $1,609.
Physically, the A9 Max is close to Apple’s machine in footprint at 5.3 x 5.2 x 1.8 inches and 1.8 pounds, versus the 5 x 5 x 2 inches and 1.5 pounds of the Mac mini. Where Geekom clearly wins is connectivity: the front has four USB 3.2 Type-A ports and a combo audio jack, while the back adds two USB 4.0 Type-C, one USB 3.2 Type-A, one USB 2.0 Type-A, two HDMI 2.1, RJ45 ethernet, and DC-in. There’s also an SD card reader on the side and VESA mount support.
That hardware advantage fades once performance is measured. Gizmodo says the A9 Max does well in general CPU work and video encoding, but the 2024 M4 Mac mini with a 10-core CPU still beat it by about 15% in Geekbench 6 multi-core. The Geekom did pull ahead in rendering-heavy tests, leading by 8% in Cinebench 2024 and finishing faster in Gizmodo’s custom Blender CPU test. In Handbrake, it transcoded a 4K movie to 1080p in 3 minutes and 37 seconds, more than 30 seconds faster than the Dell XPS 16 (2026) with an Intel Core Ultra X7 358H.
Graphics are the bigger problem. Gizmodo found gaming performance inconsistent, with fan noise and heat showing up quickly under load. In Baldur’s Gate III, the A9 Max stayed above 30 fps at 1080p on medium settings, but moving to high introduced stuttering and visual artifacts. Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail held around 30 fps at 1080p on the High (Laptop) preset in quieter areas, then dropped to about 20 fps in combat or crowded hubs. The review also says claims around running Black Myth: Wukong should be treated skeptically.
Pricing and older Ryzen AI 300 alternative
Gizmodo’s main criticism is value. Geekom’s older Ryzen AI 9 370 model with 32GB of RAM and 2TB SSD costs $1,899, with a 1TB base version at $1,799. The review says the newer Ryzen AI 400 system is only about 10% better on average, sometimes worse in certain workloads, and not worth the roughly $300 to $400 premium.
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If Windows is a must, Gizmodo recommends buying the older Ryzen AI 300 version instead. If it isn’t, the review argues the M4 Mac mini remains the stronger all-around machine despite weaker port selection and less convenient VESA mounting.
Computing Editor
Tomas lives in the terminal. He covers chips, laptops, and operating systems with a focus on performance and efficiency. He reads kernel changelogs the way other people read fiction, and he's always on the hunt for the perfect mechanical keyboard switch. If it processes data, Tomas has an opinion on it.
via Gizmodo
