As someone who's legally blind I HATE Amazon's "clip the coupon" system. I use several accessibility options, but not a screen reader as I have some vision left, and often don't see that stupid little line telling me to clip to apply more savings. Makes me frustrated to think how much money I've wasted. /Rant Good video as always Lon!
@@LonSeidman I haven't as I don't feel I have a solution/idea to offer them. As long as it's a "notice the coupon" system I'll struggle. JAWS (most common PC screen reader) does pick it up but I don't use it as I can generally navigate a PC and phone using enlarged text, reduced motion, and high contrast. A flag that would always clip coupons for disabled folks would be nice but also kinda discriminates against regular users. Just a stinky situation. Thanks for the reply!
Almost every time I’ve received a used item from Amazon when the product listing purports to be ‘new’ it happened when I clipped a coupon. What’s up with that?
@@MostlyBlindMitch I think it's good to bring it up so they can try to find a solution themselves. It'd be nice if the coupons were automatically applied for everyone honestly.
After the not so recent events with malware and certain mini-pc companies, I see no problem with having the Windows installation skipping the signing in the MS account. Something which I would do so anyway. But as I don't trust them, I will proceed with a clean installation of Windows and see if it will re-activate as it should. One issue that might exist, other than the potential non re activation of Windows, is drivers. In many if not most of the mini PC manufacturers sites I have checked, they don't tend to have drivers available to download. Which is really really really not the way to do this. I know I would never buy a PC made by someone who doesn't have the drivers on their site. Regarding the ports, I wonder if it is a hardware issue, a lie from them, or a software issue. Thanks for the video!
I have one of these, I use it as a plex server and to that end it works great. I chose the barebones option and supplied my own RAM and NVME stick; 4 TB.
I have 16Gigs RAM in the system, I only ever need to stream a video/movie to two devices and already have the files on the sever as MKV/MP4, etc, etc. Been using it now for about 2 months without any incident.
I don't think the Plex will transcode if it doesn't have to. That being said, sofar the Plex has been able to stream whatever format I've found to my Smart LG TV so I'm going to guess that in a few instances it does; but mostly probably no.
hey lon, did you tested it for malware? aside from that the gigabit issue is quite concerning as well. sometimes when your computer has driver issues it can lead to issues later on. i know because i have a lenovo gaming pc that had issues with the headphone driver that caused the computer to had crashes and locks up . i had to go to my motherboard to disable the whole headphone audio thing. its rather known issue for a few gaming pcs of them. thank God for Bluetooth huh! anyways, thanks for the video
I know from experience that these license types will let you register to your Microsoft account. Then you can just make a windows installer USB stick, wipe the SSD and do a clean install. I did it a week ago on a GMKtec n100 nuc (G3).
Personally, I would never spend 6 to 800.00 on a mini. I've seen many reviews of mini PC's and in my opinion in order to get close a decent gamer you are going to have spend 800.00 plus. As cool as I think these are it's just too much money. This one at 6 to 800.00 should function perfectly, but Lon found issues with the hardware you would not accept even on a new Optiplex for example. If I spent that kind of money and it wasn't perfect there would be no excuse making. It would be on the way back to the seller.
The Ethernet speed test for the second Ethernet port in the back of the Mini PC is the same in Linux as well. Am I correct on that you only get 1Gbps down and 2.5Gbps up with Linux? I'm hoping this might or not not be a Windows issue.
Dont recommend buying from gmktec , order that unit 1 month ago , they say shipping time is 5-8 days for my destination waited 1 month contacted them with the question whata happening to my order, they cancel my order instantly now im waiting for a refund aomewhere in the future , very poor customer service i hope at least i can get my money back , dont order
I was under the impression that Windows 11 Pro doesn't require users to have a BS MS account to use their computers. That is the real appeal for getting the "pro" version. I would reset the OS to new status to get rid of any bloat or spyware that might be on the installation that ships from the factory.
...I have the GMKTec K6 (7840HS) and eGPU doesn't work/recognized on USB4 (win 11 or win 10).... I think their implementation of USB4 doesnt support PCIe Tunneling or its actually only USB 3.2....had to use an m.2 version of eGPU adapter on the 2nd m.2 slot....
I just bought the Gmktec K8, but it has signal problems on the HDMI, as soon as I turn it on the gmktec logo appears but then my screen goes black and I lose the HDMI signal, with the headphone in my ear I hear Windows starting normally . how to resolve this? I have been using the USB C port as a video output.
The windows 11 local account solution is interesting. One major downside of requiring windows account before you can get into windows 11 is that if someone is building a new pc or servicing a current pc for a person and they have to install a fresh copy of windows in order to make sure that everything works with the hardware, they then cant just give the person a ready to use pc unless they use the local account method.
I love the idea of these mini PCs, but reliability is the big question for me. I recently got one similar to this, but from a different manufacturer, to replace my ancient tower PC that died after nearly 15 years. I'm shocked at the value and performance. Considering the price, I'll be happy if the new one lasts for at least three years.
Thanks for the information new subscriber here. Looks like you will be my go-to guy for tech. Just curious what do you do with these review items. Return them donate them give them away? Anyway glad to be here Lon.
I wish they'd stop putting 2 ethernet devices on these and put more display outputs. I have a Hades Canyon with up to 6 monitors being able to be connected and I use 5 or 6 pretty regularly. Would love to see a more modern mini computer with that many displays. Though likely a single GPU can only do 4. 4+ USB-C ports all with DP Alt mode would be nice. 4 USB-A ports and 6 USB-C with 4 of them with DP Alt would be a great setup.
I don't understand what the appeal is with these Mini cyber security risks, price to Performance you can get a regular desktop from a reputable brand. I know some people say because they're mini they're portable but you would still need to carry a screen and a keyboard. the fact that several of these lesser PC makers have been shown to ship PCS with malware makes it a hard pass.
Might be an idea to retest the ethernet and USB4 on Linux just to check it's not Windows being funky..
As someone who's legally blind I HATE Amazon's "clip the coupon" system. I use several accessibility options, but not a screen reader as I have some vision left, and often don't see that stupid little line telling me to clip to apply more savings. Makes me frustrated to think how much money I've wasted. /Rant Good video as always Lon!
Have you reached out to them ? They should address this !
@@LonSeidman I haven't as I don't feel I have a solution/idea to offer them. As long as it's a "notice the coupon" system I'll struggle. JAWS (most common PC screen reader) does pick it up but I don't use it as I can generally navigate a PC and phone using enlarged text, reduced motion, and high contrast. A flag that would always clip coupons for disabled folks would be nice but also kinda discriminates against regular users. Just a stinky situation. Thanks for the reply!
My comment got caught up in the spam filter. Hopefully Lon can approve it.
I've created a script that can assist you.
Almost every time I’ve received a used item from Amazon when the product listing purports to be ‘new’ it happened when I clipped a coupon. What’s up with that?
@@MostlyBlindMitch I think it's good to bring it up so they can try to find a solution themselves. It'd be nice if the coupons were automatically applied for everyone honestly.
I ordered bare bone one and upgraded to 96g curical ram. It support 96g ram.
After the not so recent events with malware and certain mini-pc companies, I see no problem with having the Windows installation skipping the signing in the MS account. Something which I would do so anyway. But as I don't trust them, I will proceed with a clean installation of Windows and see if it will re-activate as it should.
One issue that might exist, other than the potential non re activation of Windows, is drivers. In many if not most of the mini PC manufacturers sites I have checked, they don't tend to have drivers available to download. Which is really really really not the way to do this. I know I would never buy a PC made by someone who doesn't have the drivers on their site.
Regarding the ports, I wonder if it is a hardware issue, a lie from them, or a software issue.
Thanks for the video!
I have one of these, I use it as a plex server and to that end it works great. I chose the barebones option and supplied my own RAM and NVME stick; 4 TB.
It will work well without intel’s quick sync? Just curious..
I have 16Gigs RAM in the system, I only ever need to stream a video/movie to two devices and already have the files on the sever as MKV/MP4, etc, etc. Been using it now for about 2 months without any incident.
Do you transcode?
I don't think the Plex will transcode if it doesn't have to. That being said, sofar the Plex has been able to stream whatever format I've found to my Smart LG TV so I'm going to guess that in a few instances it does; but mostly probably no.
@@Pantherman1979 have you tried?
Always appreciate the honest disclosure, keep up the good reviews lon
hey lon, did you tested it for malware? aside from that the gigabit issue is quite concerning as well. sometimes when your computer has driver issues it can lead to issues later on.
i know because i have a lenovo gaming pc that had issues with the headphone driver that caused the computer to had crashes and locks up . i had to go to my motherboard to disable the whole headphone audio thing. its rather known issue for a few gaming pcs of them.
thank God for Bluetooth huh!
anyways, thanks for the video
Yes it was mentioned in the video it came back clean.
@@LonSeidman sorry i didnt noticed. maybe because i just woke up from a nap. either way thank you for your honesty
I know from experience that these license types will let you register to your Microsoft account. Then you can just make a windows installer USB stick, wipe the SSD and do a clean install. I did it a week ago on a GMKtec n100 nuc (G3).
Personally, I would never spend 6 to 800.00 on a mini. I've seen many reviews of mini PC's and in my opinion in order to get close a decent gamer you are going to have spend 800.00 plus. As cool as I think these are it's just too much money. This one at 6 to 800.00 should function perfectly, but Lon found issues with the hardware you would not accept even on a new Optiplex for example. If I spent that kind of money and it wasn't perfect there would be no excuse making. It would be on the way back to the seller.
Amen! Screw that. $800 and it's defective out of the box. NO THANK YOU!
The Ethernet speed test for the second Ethernet port in the back of the Mini PC is the same in Linux as well. Am I correct on that you only get 1Gbps down and 2.5Gbps up with Linux? I'm hoping this might or not not be a Windows issue.
I was wondering the same thing myself.
@@john_in_phoenix Glad I'm not the only one.
I see not having to deal with an MS online account as a plus. It takes a reg hack to get around in usually.
Dont recommend buying from gmktec , order that unit 1 month ago , they say shipping time is 5-8 days for my destination waited 1 month contacted them with the question whata happening to my order, they cancel my order instantly now im waiting for a refund aomewhere in the future , very poor customer service i hope at least i can get my money back , dont order
I think I have a different defitintion of "cheap" to you Lon. The link you've provided has the PC as £2,044! That is $2500 dollars, haha.
Amazon does these auto referrals to the local version of the product. Sometimes it links up to the wrong one or it's an alternative.
I was under the impression that Windows 11 Pro doesn't require users to have a BS MS account to use their computers. That is the real appeal for getting the "pro" version. I would reset the OS to new status to get rid of any bloat or spyware that might be on the installation that ships from the factory.
Keep up the great work
...I have the GMKTec K6 (7840HS) and eGPU doesn't work/recognized on USB4 (win 11 or win 10).... I think their implementation of USB4 doesnt support PCIe Tunneling or its actually only USB 3.2....had to use an m.2 version of eGPU adapter on the 2nd m.2 slot....
If this is a regular thing, that's a big problem.
would be interesting to see if you had the network issue running Linux.
In terms of speed, you are using bits and bytes as equivalents! They are NOT the same thing and are NOT equivalent!!!
Incorrect - that test is measured in bytes not bits. The network test was in bits and not bytes.
You never mention the spyware
I just bought the Gmktec K8, but it has signal problems on the HDMI, as soon as I turn it on the gmktec logo appears but then my screen goes black and I lose the HDMI signal, with the headphone in my ear I hear Windows starting normally . how to resolve this? I have been using the USB C port as a video output.
Can I run a LLM on this mini pc?
The windows 11 local account solution is interesting.
One major downside of requiring windows account before you can get into windows 11 is that if someone is building a new pc or servicing a current pc for a person and they have to install a fresh copy of windows in order to make sure that everything works with the hardware, they then cant just give the person a ready to use pc unless they use the local account method.
I would immediately wipe the install and start fresh. Realtek nics are terrible for Linux support, which is a shame.
I love the idea of these mini PCs, but reliability is the big question for me. I recently got one similar to this, but from a different manufacturer, to replace my ancient tower PC that died after nearly 15 years. I'm shocked at the value and performance. Considering the price, I'll be happy if the new one lasts for at least three years.
Hopefully no malware/viruses on this one?
Thanks for the information new subscriber here. Looks like you will be my go-to guy for tech. Just curious what do you do with these review items. Return them donate them give them away? Anyway glad to be here Lon.
Welcome aboard! I have a whole write up on what I do with the stuff here: lon.tv/disclosures - generally I donate the Mini PCs to local schools.
I've got a Geekom A5 and love it for gaming - I would love to check out a GMKTec one at some point.
What do you play on a A5? The K8 is such a beast with the best igpu on the market
I wish they'd stop putting 2 ethernet devices on these and put more display outputs. I have a Hades Canyon with up to 6 monitors being able to be connected and I use 5 or 6 pretty regularly. Would love to see a more modern mini computer with that many displays. Though likely a single GPU can only do 4. 4+ USB-C ports all with DP Alt mode would be nice. 4 USB-A ports and 6 USB-C with 4 of them with DP Alt would be a great setup.
i kind of like the dual lan. it seems to make setting up vlans easier. i guess it depends what you use it for
nice review. one of the ethernet ports is probably 1 Gbps. i've seen it before with other reviews of these kinds of systems
Both are supposed to be 2.5 - as you saw one of them could get 1 on the downstream but was uploading at 2.5
@@LonSeidman oh that's interesting. i didn't notice that it was fine uploading
Fantastic review!
I don't understand what the appeal is with these Mini cyber security risks, price to Performance you can get a regular desktop from a reputable brand. I know some people say because they're mini they're portable but you would still need to carry a screen and a keyboard. the fact that several of these lesser PC makers have been shown to ship PCS with malware makes it a hard pass.
No full bandwidth with Thunderbolt and some weird shit with network card. No worthy of these 600 bucks
Great review
I really appreciate the honesty with the testing 🫶