GEEKOM Mini Air12 PC Review

With the Mini Air12, GEEKOM is aiming to provide a low-cost, yet still capable, system for users in 2024. As we’ve seen with previous GEEKOM products, the company is well versed in cutting costs in the right places to help bring the overall price down, without drastically impacting performance. Has this been achieved with the Mini Air12? Here is my review.

The sweet spot

First things first, let’s talk internals. The GEEKOM Mini Air12 comes equipped with the 12th Gen Intel Alder Lake N100 chip. This is joined by 16 GB DDR5-4800 RAM – yep, DDR5 – and a 512 GB SSD. It should be noted that the RAM is single-channel, although the DDR5 speeds are still impressive and should help performance overall.

Other highlights, especially for the price, include Mini DP 1.4 and USB 3.2 Gen2 Type C ports, as well as support for Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2.

Small yet mighty

As with all of GEEKOM’s mini PCs, the size of the Mini Air12 is impressively compact. Despite the size, it still packs a punch when it comes to performance. While photo and video editing are more challenging for this configuration leading to longer processing times and the need to view sources in lower resolutions for smooth playback, it can still get the job done. Where the Mini Air12 truly shines is during lighter workloads like browser management and word processing across multiple monitors. With support for up to three monitors, this tiny unit can power an impressive multitasking setup.

Thanks to its small form factor and ability to be mounted under a desk or on the back of a monitor, the Mini Air12 can be neatly tucked out of view. I love how stealthy mini PCs are, especially for lounge, kitchen, or bedroom setups where you don’t necessarily want a PC on display.

Unsurprising limits

As expected, the Mini Air12 has its limitations. The limited power of the CPU won’t deliver enough performance for intensive workloads like 3D rendering or gaming in the latest AAA titles. Additionally, the single-channel RAM configuration may cause potential buyers to hesitate. However, given the price of $249, I think GEEKOM offers enough here.

Disclosure: GEEKOM Mini Air12 provided for review. Available on Amazon.com ($20 off using “GRAIR128OFF”) and GEEKOM ($20 off using “gamerevolution20”).