Here's a question that's been bugging me for months: can a computer the size of a thick book actually deliver desktop-class performance? After spending two months with the GMKtec EVO X2 Mini PC, I'm convinced we've hit a turning point in compact computing.
This isn't your typical office mini PC that struggles with YouTube videos. The EVO X2 packs AMD's flagship Ryzen AI Max Plus 395 processor – a 16-core monster with what might be the most powerful integrated graphics we've ever seen. We're talking about an iGPU that can hang with dedicated cards like the RTX 4060 and RX 7600.
I've put this thing through its paces: AI video generation, AAA gaming at 1440p, local LLM inference, and everything in between. The results? Let's just say my gaming tower is getting a little jealous of the attention this mini PC has been getting.
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| GMKtec EVO X2 Mini PC Review |
Can a Mini PC Really Replace a Gaming Tower?
Build Quality & Design – Small Frame, Big Power
Right off the bat, the EVO X2 feels premium. The all-aluminum shell isn't just for looks – it's actually functional, helping dissipate heat from that power-hungry APU inside. At first glance, you'd think this was some kind of high-end router or network appliance, not a full-fledged Windows 11 machine.
The real engineering magic happens inside. GMKtec has crammed a dual-blower cooling system into this compact chassis, complete with a beefy heat sink that would make some desktop coolers jealous. There's even an RGB fan dedicated to keeping your M.2 SSDs happy – because yes, this thing can handle up to 16TB of storage.
What impressed me most was the rear exhaust design. All that hot air gets pushed out the back, keeping your desk area comfortable even during extended gaming sessions. It's the kind of thoughtful design that shows GMKtec actually understands how people use these machines.
The form factor is honestly perfect for modern workspaces. Whether you're tucking it behind a monitor, sliding it into a media center, or just keeping it on your desk, the EVO X2 disappears until you need it. That's the beauty of great mini PC design – maximum power, minimal footprint.
Specs Overview – Ryzen AI Max Plus 395 is a Beast
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| Ryzen AI Max Plus 395 is a Beast |
Let's talk about the star of the show: AMD's Ryzen AI Max Plus 395. This isn't just another mobile processor – it's a full-blown desktop replacement built on AMD's latest Zen 5 architecture.
The CPU specs alone are impressive: 16 cores, 32 threads, with a base clock of 3.0 GHz that boosts all the way up to 5.1 GHz. That's serious processing power, backed by 64MB of L3 cache. I've been consistently pulling 150 watts from this chip using tuning utilities, and it just keeps asking for more.
But here's where things get interesting – the integrated graphics. The Radeon 8060S iGPU features 40 compute units running on RDNA 3.5 architecture. To put that in perspective, the popular Ryzen Z1 Extreme only has 12 compute units. This thing is packing serious graphics horsepower.
The memory situation is both a blessing and a curse. You get 128GB of LPDDR5X running at 8000 MHz, which is absolutely bonkers for a mini PC. The downside? It's soldered, so what you buy is what you get. But here's the kicker – you can allocate up to 96GB of that RAM as VRAM for the iGPU. That's more video memory than most dedicated graphics cards.
Connectivity is thoroughly modern: Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, and Windows 11 Pro comes pre-installed. This machine is ready for whatever you throw at it.
Storage & Upgradability – Room to Grow
While the RAM situation is locked down, storage is where the EVO X2 really shines for upgradability. Two M.2 2280 PCIe 4.0 slots give you plenty of room to grow, with support for up to 8TB drives in each slot. That's 16TB total – more than enough for even the most demanding content creators.
The storage bays are easily accessible too. Pop off the aluminum shell, and you've got clear access to both M.2 slots. My review unit came with a 2TB drive pre-installed, but I've since added a second 4TB drive for game storage, and the process took maybe five minutes.
This is where mini PCs have really evolved. Gone are the days of being stuck with whatever storage you bought initially. The EVO X2 gives you genuine upgrade potential, even if you can't swap out the CPU or add a discrete GPU.
Real-World AI Performance – Not Just Marketing Hype
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| Real-World AI Performance |
AMD has been pushing the AI angle hard with this processor, and honestly, I was skeptical. Marketing teams love to slap "AI" on everything these days. But after extensive testing, I'm genuinely impressed by what this little machine can do.
Video generation is where the iGPU really flexes. Using Amuse, I generated a 6-second video clip that took 231 seconds to complete – that's roughly 38 seconds per second of video. Not bad for an integrated graphics solution. The process used the full power of the Radeon 8060S, pushing the system to about 140 watts total power draw.
There's also an AMD XDNA NPU for AI acceleration, though driver support is still hit-or-miss. I couldn't get AMD's super resolution working with video generation in my testing, but that's likely a driver issue that'll be resolved soon.
Local LLM inference is where this machine really surprised me. Running Deepseek R1 through LM Studio, I was getting 13+ tokens per second on pure CPU power. That's fast enough for real-time conversation with AI models running entirely on your own hardware. Privacy-conscious developers and AI tinkerers will love this capability.
The 128GB of RAM means you can run some seriously large language models locally. While a dedicated GPU would be faster, the EVO X2 offers something unique: AI performance in a package you can actually fit on your desk.
Benchmarks – Geekbench, 3DMark & More
Numbers don't lie, and the EVO X2 puts up some impressive ones. In Geekbench 6, I recorded a single-core score of 3076 and a multi-core score just over 20,000. That multi-core performance is genuinely impressive for what's essentially a mobile processor.
GPU benchmarks tell an even more interesting story. 3DMark Time Spy delivered a total score of 11,253, while Steel Nomad hit 22,000+ points. These aren't just good scores for an iGPU – they're competitive with dedicated mid-range graphics cards.
The Steel Nomad result particularly caught my attention because it's designed to test modern graphics features. The fact that an integrated GPU can hang with dedicated cards in this test shows just how far AMD has pushed their graphics architecture.
Real-world performance backs up these synthetic scores. The EVO X2 consistently delivers desktop-class performance in a form factor that would make most laptops jealous.
Gaming Performance – Yes, This iGPU Handles 1440p AAA Titles
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| AMD's Most Powerful iGPU Meets Ultimate Portability |
Here's where the rubber meets the road. Gaming performance is often the make-or-break factor for any PC, and the EVO X2 doesn't disappoint.
Spider-Man 2 at 1440p with very high settings and FSR set to balanced delivered smooth 60+ FPS gameplay. But here's where it gets interesting – enable FSR 3 frame generation, and you're looking at 130+ FPS averages. The fake frame debate is real, but on an iGPU, frame gen can be genuinely helpful.
Doom: The Dark Ages impressed me most. This thing was actually outperforming the RTX 5060 8GB in my testing. At 1440p high settings with FSR balanced, I was getting solid 60+ FPS when the RTX 5060 was struggling. That's an integrated graphics solution beating a dedicated GPU – in 2025, that's wild.
Borderlands 3 at 1440p ultra with 100% resolution scaling maintained 90+ FPS averages. There's still some frame stutter during heavy particle effects, but that seems to be more of an AMD driver issue than a hardware limitation.
Marvel Rivals hit 77 FPS average at 1440p high settings, but drop to 1080p and you're looking at 120+ FPS even during intense battles. For competitive gaming, this thing absolutely delivers.
Cyberpunk 2077 – the ultimate graphics stress test – ran at 74 FPS average with ultra settings and FSR quality at 1440p. Enable FSR 3 frame generation, and you're cruising at 120+ FPS. It's playable, it looks great, and it's running on integrated graphics.
Thermal & Power Management – 140W TDP, But Well Handled
Power management is crucial in a mini PC, and GMKtec has done excellent work here. The EVO X2 boosts to 140 watts out of the box, then settles into a steady 115-120 watt range during sustained loads.
I've been running this thing at 150 watts using universal x86 tuning utility, and the cooling system handles it without complaint. The dual-blower setup keeps temperatures reasonable, and I haven't experienced any thermal throttling during extended gaming sessions.
The 230-watt power supply gives plenty of headroom, and the efficient AMD 4nm process means you're getting serious performance per watt. It's the kind of thermal engineering that makes mini PCs viable for serious work.
Downsides – What You Give Up for Size
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| EVO X2 puts up some impressive ones |
No product is perfect, and the EVO X2 has some legitimate limitations. The biggest one is upgradability – or rather, the lack thereof. That 128GB of RAM is soldered, so you can't expand it later. For most users, 128GB is overkill, but it's still a limitation worth noting.
Price is another consideration. Anything with the Ryzen AI Max Plus 395 is expensive, largely due to AMD's pricing on the chip itself. You're looking at desktop PC money for mini PC convenience.
The iGPU, while impressive, isn't ideal for full-time AI/ML workloads compared to dedicated GPUs. If you're doing serious machine learning work, a desktop with a discrete GPU will still be faster.
There are also some software compatibility issues. AMD's XDNA drivers are still maturing, and some applications don't fully support the AI acceleration features yet. This will improve over time, but it's something to consider.
Final Verdict – Should You Buy the GMKtec EVO X2 in 2025?
After two months of daily use, I'm convinced the EVO X2 represents the future of compact computing. This isn't just a mini PC – it's a legitimate desktop replacement that happens to be incredibly small.
The ideal buyer is someone who needs serious performance but values portability and efficiency. Developers who want to run AI models locally, gamers who don't want a massive tower, content creators who need power in a small package – these are the people who'll love the EVO X2.
It's not for everyone. Budget builders and tinkerers who want to swap GPUs should stick with traditional desktops. But if you want desktop-class performance in a package you can throw in a backpack, the EVO X2 is pretty much unmatched.
This is easily the best mini PC GMKtec has ever made, and it's setting a new standard for what's possible in compact computing. The combination of 16-core processing power, desktop-class graphics, and genuine AI capabilities in this form factor is genuinely impressive.
🖥️ Ready to Experience Desktop Power in Mini Form?
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| Experience Desktop Power in Mini Form |
The GMKtec EVO X2 delivers 16 cores, Radeon 8060S iGPU performance, 128GB LPDDR5X RAM, and up to 16TB storage – all in a chassis smaller than most game consoles.
Whether you're developing AI applications, gaming at 1440p, or just want the ultimate space-saving workstation, the EVO X2 handles it all.
🛒 👉 Buy Now on Amazon – EVO X2 Mini PC with Ryzen AI Max Plus 395 (Starting at $1,499 USD)
Experience the future of compact computing. Desktop power, laptop efficiency, mini PC convenience.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What's the price of the GMKtec EVO X2 in the U.S.? A: Pricing starts around $1,499 USD for the base configuration, with higher-end models reaching $2,000+ depending on storage options. The price reflects the premium AMD Ryzen AI Max Plus 395 processor inside.
Q: Can the EVO X2 handle AAA gaming at 1440p? A: Absolutely! The RDNA 3.5 Radeon 8060S iGPU delivers smooth 1440p gaming in titles like Spider-Man 2, Cyberpunk 2077, and Doom: The Dark Ages. With FSR 3 frame generation, you can expect 120+ FPS in most modern games.
Q: How much power does the EVO X2 draw? A: The system boosts to 140W TDP initially, then settles at 115-120W during sustained loads. With tuning software, you can push it to 150W for maximum performance. The included 230W power supply provides plenty of headroom.
Q: Does the EVO X2 support AI and LLM workloads? A: Yes! It excels at local AI inference, video generation, and running large language models like Deepseek and LLaMA. The 128GB RAM allows for massive model loading, while the iGPU accelerates AI tasks. The XDNA NPU provides additional AI acceleration as drivers mature.
Q: Can I upgrade the RAM or GPU in the EVO X2? A: No, the RAM is soldered (maxed at 128GB) and there's no discrete GPU slot. However, you can upgrade storage via two M.2 slots, supporting up to 16TB total. This is the trade-off for the compact form factor.
Q: Is it better than building a desktop PC for the same price? A: It depends on your priorities. If you need maximum performance per dollar and don't mind a large case, a desktop build offers better value. But if you want desktop-class performance in a tiny, efficient package, the EVO X2 is unbeatable.
Q: How does the cooling system handle the 140W processor? A: The dual-blower cooling system with large heat sink handles the thermal load well. I haven't experienced throttling during extended gaming or AI workloads, and the system remains relatively quiet under load.
Q: What makes this better than other mini PCs? A: The Ryzen AI Max Plus 395 processor is currently the most powerful APU available, offering 16 cores and iGPU performance matching dedicated graphics cards. The 128GB RAM and AI acceleration capabilities are also unique in the mini PC space.