I've been using this Geekom mini-PC for three weeks, and it might just be the Mac mini rival Windows users have been looking for

The Geekom IT15 enters a mini-PC market that has long been dominated by one product over all others: the Apple Mac mini. Windows contenders have come and gone, with big-name makers like Dell, HP, ASUS, Acer all trying to offer their own alternative for the compact desktop computer consumer, and all largely failing to make any lasting impression at all.

Maybe what's needed is someone who focuses on the humble mini-PC format above all others?

Enter Geekom.

Last year, this relatively little-known computer hardware maker impressed me greatly with the GT1 Mega, a robustly built and impressively specced mini-PC, packing 32GB of RAM and 2TB of storage (and some well-judged connectivity) to rival the top-specced Mac minis around.

And this year, they're aiming to do one better with the IT15. Sporting 32GB of RAM and 2TB of storage yet again, the CPU has been upgraded to the latest-gen Intel processor, the Core Ultra 9-285H, with its inbuild AI boost to keep up with the geometric development of AI technology and software. And I've been using it for my work (and some of my play) for the last few weeks.

Key specifications

Design and build

• Incredibly compact
• Lots of ports on offer
• Unexciting design

The Geekom IT15 takes the basic design of the GT1 Mega I tried out last year and somehow squishes the form factor even more, making the IT15 smaller than the Mac mini on all fronts. That means it will fit on even the most space-deprived desk space, and the super-lightweight 593-gram build makes it eminently portable for hot-desking workers who want desktop CPU performance, as long as they have a screen to access, obviously.

The casing is a combination of metal and hardened plastic composites, which makes it mostly very sturdy, although I noticed a little 'wobble' in the power button on the front, which cheapens the experience ever-so-slightly. Thankfully, however, the ports, of which there is a plentiful supply, are all perfectly and solidly packed into the unit, most on the back panel, but with two 10 Gbps USB-A 3.2 ports conveniently placed on the front next to the headset jack to provide quick-access connection for a keyboard and mouse (and speakers/headphones) if you need to set up on the go.

In great news for photographers and video creators, there's even an SD card slot included, with a 4.0 spec placed on one side panel, with a Kensington lock for extra security located on the other side.

The black colour does make it all a little bland, however, and doesn't help the Windows brigade much in trying to entice many users drawn in by the more aesthetically pleasing Mac mini and Mac Studio market leaders. However, if you look beyond the cover, there's plenty of enticement still to be found...

Design score: 3.5/5

Features

• Ray-tracing graphics? In a mini-PC?
• Excellent CPU and memory offering

While the product design might be a little plain, the hardware inside is anything but.

Stuffed into the port-rich box is the 16-core Intel Core Ultra 9-285H CPU, which can provide up to 5.4GHz core frequency at max turbo mode, along with 32GB of DDR5 RAM and an integrated Intel Arc 140T GPU. That GPU is a big step up from previous Iris Xe Graphics cards, though, as it supports ray-tracing and has up to 77 TOPS of AI performance. Put in layman's terms, that means this is more than just a productivity PC; it should easily churn through CPU-intense computing tasks, including AI-reliant jobs, and even handle some gaming.

Of course, unlike laptops or all-in-one PCs, there's no screen included here, so you'll have to figure that into your purchase plans. One of our recommended monitors for graphic artists should do nicely...

To make up for the lack of an actual screen, the two HDMI ports and the DisplayPort-supporting USB-C ports provide support for up to four screens being linked up at once (that's two more than the Mac mini supports...)_, and with that CPU, you should be able to keep each of those fairly busy, too.

Feature score: 4/5

Benchmark scores

We test every one of our computers using the same benchmarking software suite to give you a thorough overview of its suitability for creatives of all disciplines and levels. This includes:

• Geekbench: Tests the CPU for single-core and multi-core power, and the GPU for the system's potential for gaming, image processing, or video editing.
• Cinebench: Tests the CPU and GPU's ability to run Cinema 4D and Redshift.
• UL Procyon: Uses UL Solutions' Procyon software suite to test the system's ability for AI image generation in Stable Diffusion, and its Microsoft Office performance.
• Topaz Video AI: We use Topaz Video AI to test the system's ability to upscale video and convert video to slow-motion.
• PugetBench for Creators: We use the PugetBench for Creators benchmarking suite to test the system's ability to run several key tasks in Photoshop and DaVinci Resolve Studio, as well as its performance when encoding/transcoding video.
• ON1 Resize AI: Tests the system's ability to resize 5 photos to 200% in a batch process.

Performance

• Fantastic CPU performance
• Falls a little short on graphics

As you can see from the benchmark charts above (select each test from the dropdown), the Geekom IT15 testing process was a two-part story. Everything I threw at the CPU, it aced, while most of what I challenged its GPU on turned out to be a bit less stellar. Now, it is to be expected that a computer with integrated graphics is never going to reach the lofty heights of one fitted with the latest generation of Nvidia or AMD graphics cards, but considering the claims made by Intel and Geekom about the capabilities of the Arc 140T GPU, I was left a little flat. It promises ray-tracing capabilities and gaming-ready performance, but it struggled mightily with any moving-graphics tests, and fell over in our Premiere Pro stress test, for example.

This applied to both 'traditional' graphics loads and AI-boosted ones. Stable Diffusion, Geekbench AI DirectML (which tests the GPU's load-bearing AI ability), Topaz Video AI enhancement performance was largely on par with productivity laptops such as the HP Elitebook X, the Dell 16 Plus 2-in-1, or recent Acer Aspire models, none of which are going to darken a pro graphic designer's door any time soon. Now, this isn't exactly a surprise, but I would have loved just a 10% uptick from my achieved results on this front to better justify the graphics-performance claims.

However, the CPU performance is absolutely stellar. The Geekom IT15 finds itself up there with ASUS ProArt, MSI Stealth and ahead of the Mac mini in Geekbench and Cinebench CPU tests and the Geekbench CPU AI test. That means it will easily handle LLMs, AI productivity workflows and a healthy level of traditional multitasking without breaking a sweat.

In addition, its impressive PugetBench for Photoshop score of 7768 is ahead of all but the most powerful mini-PCs and studio/gaming laptops on the market, marking the Geekom IT15 out as a great sub-$1,000 option for ambitious photo-editing pros.

Performance score: 4/5

Price

• Competitive price vs mini-PC rivals
• 10% off with code CREATIVEIT15

At the time of writing he Geekom IT15 retails for $1,099 in the USA, and £949 in the UK. However, if you use the code CREATIVEIT15, you can knock an extra 10% off that price, bringing it down to $989 in the US and £854 in the UK, which makes it very competitive for the CPU performance it offers. Yes, you will need to factor in a monitor purchase too, if you don't already have a screen, but this is very much on par with or better than equivalent CPU power from a Mac mini would cost you.

Value score: 4/5

Who is it for?

• Photo editors and general creatives

Photo editors looking for a compact, travel-friendly PC should take a long, hard look at the Geekom IT15, and general creatives, as long as they don't demand discrete graphics-card performance, will find a lot to like here.

Buy it if...

• You are a photo editor looking for a compact PC
• If you already have a screen
• You want to travel with your PC

Don't buy it if...

• You work with a lot of moving images
• You really just want an Apple