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[quote author=drive-by poster link=msg=735834 date=1769127100]
these systems only make sense if your main use case is running llms Large enough to need more memory than you can reasonably get things like Nvidia graphics cards at a reasonable price, size, noise level, etc.. And if you wouldn't mind having you wouldn't mind having some gaming options for your down time along the way as a distant second requirement.

if you're that guy, and I happen to be that guy, systems like this are a no-brainer.

if you're not that guy, these are really probably not for you. I'm sure there are marketing reasons why they trumpet the gaming capability of a system like this, and there is an achievement there, it's surprisingly good at those things for what it is, but not good enough to be worth buying.

I have the HP workstation version of this thing + it really is spot on what I wanted. if I want a game with my kid occasionally I can, if I want to build an AI system with a bunch of different llms are running for different use cases as potentially at the same time so as to enable an agent to do some stuff, it can do that for me quite well, assuming I can actually get the damn things working, but that's my techno clumsiness at work. I'm a product manager trying to learn how to build these systems because eventually I'll have to deal with this at work. I could Even conceive of putting something commercially useful into production on this little box, as a side hustle.

but I wouldn't recommend it for most people who have other tiny PCS of various sorts as options in the market, or who want better gaming than a system like this can deliver. deliver. it's too expensive compared to most other small PCS and not good enough at gaming compared to most true gaming PCS. I'm actually trying to understand why so many companies have brought versions of this to market, it doesn't feel like the demand should be there. I'm not complaining, like I said for me it was a case of shut up and take my money, but I know that it occupies an awkward middle ground.

also I do wish it had rather more memory bandwidth and I think I would have preferred the future proofing of one PCI Express slot. MSI has a version of the machine with that. + if I didn't want the HP, on-site support, etc, that might have been a preferred configuration versus what I bought or versus what this review covers. I reckon if I get desperate I can use the USB 4 to interface to an external graphics card or other peripherals. but it would have been nicer if they could have fit inside the case.
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Posted by drive-by poster

- Today at 01:11:40

these systems only make sense if your main use case is running llms Large enough to need more memory than you can reasonably get things like Nvidia graphics cards at a reasonable price, size, noise level, etc.. And if you wouldn't mind having you wouldn't mind having some gaming options for your down time along the way as a distant second requirement.

if you're that guy, and I happen to be that guy, systems like this are a no-brainer.

if you're not that guy, these are really probably not for you. I'm sure there are marketing reasons why they trumpet the gaming capability of a system like this, and there is an achievement there, it's surprisingly good at those things for what it is, but not good enough to be worth buying.

I have the HP workstation version of this thing + it really is spot on what I wanted. if I want a game with my kid occasionally I can, if I want to build an AI system with a bunch of different llms are running for different use cases as potentially at the same time so as to enable an agent to do some stuff, it can do that for me quite well, assuming I can actually get the damn things working, but that's my techno clumsiness at work. I'm a product manager trying to learn how to build these systems because eventually I'll have to deal with this at work. I could Even conceive of putting something commercially useful into production on this little box, as a side hustle.

but I wouldn't recommend it for most people who have other tiny PCS of various sorts as options in the market, or who want better gaming than a system like this can deliver. deliver. it's too expensive compared to most other small PCS and not good enough at gaming compared to most true gaming PCS. I'm actually trying to understand why so many companies have brought versions of this to market, it doesn't feel like the demand should be there. I'm not complaining, like I said for me it was a case of shut up and take my money, but I know that it occupies an awkward middle ground.

also I do wish it had rather more memory bandwidth and I think I would have preferred the future proofing of one PCI Express slot. MSI has a version of the machine with that. + if I didn't want the HP, on-site support, etc, that might have been a preferred configuration versus what I bought or versus what this review covers. I reckon if I get desperate I can use the USB 4 to interface to an external graphics card or other peripherals. but it would have been nicer if they could have fit inside the case.

Posted by correct

- January 19, 2026, 20:03:36

Medicaid's, correct, with any such mini-PCs, one pays the price for it being so small.

Since you mentioned it, leme quote:
LLMs
The "Strix Halo" APU is a 256-bit chip with a theoretical memory bandwidth of 256 GB/s (256-bit * 8000 MT/s / 1000 / 8) (and ~210 GB/s practically (expected)), comparable to an entry level quad-channel (4 * 64-bit) workstation' memory bandwidth. A normal desktop PC is dual-channel at best. AMD specifically advertises "Strix Halo" for running/inferencing LLMs. You can run the same LLMs on any PC, if you have at least the same amount of RAM (well, running off of a SSD will also work, but the speed will be super slow), ATX sized or not, dual-channel RAM or not, the differences are:

The size: This is 2.5 to 4 Liters, depending on the Strix Halo chassis.
The RAM speed at which any LLM will be running at: Strix Halo is a quad-channel chip at 8000 MT/s vs a normal PC, which is dual-channel at 5600 MT/s to 6200 MT/s (2*64-bit*6200/1000/8 = 99,2 GB/s)). A (mini-)PC based on the "Strix Halo" APU will run a LLM about 2.5 times faster: 256 GB/s / 99.2 GB/s = ~2.58.
The RAM upgradability: The LPDDR5X RAM in "Strix Halo"-based PCs is not upgradable, but it runs at 8000 MT/s vs 5600 MT/s to 6200 MT/s typically seen in DDR5 UDIMMs. A DDR5 UDIMM version with upgradable RAM may appear later, but it's not going to be at 8000 MT/s, like the soldered ones. CUDIMM may reach 8000 MT/s.

Questions to ask yourself:

Is the LLM speed difference of 2.5 times (150 %) and the price worth it vs simply getting 2x48GB RAM sticks or 2x64GB RAM sticks for a fraction of the price and having then more RAM (although, yes, slower) vs paying 2400 bucks and being stuck with the hardware and no upgrade path (on a desktop you could upgrade to 4x64GB)?
And, if the size matters, you can still get a mini-ITX case, AM5 mini-ITX motherboard and build a PC of the same size (or get a pre-built mini-ITX PC), with the possibility to:
- Upgrade the RAM.
- Having a dedicated GPU. For 4.0 - 4.5 Liter mini-ITX builds: RTX 4060 LP or RTX 5060 LP), and both are still better and faster (and harder, stronger, hehe) than the built-in iGPU in Strix Halo. And if you are ok with a 5.5 Liter case, then you can even fit a normal/full-sized 4060 Ti 16GB / 5060 Ti 16GB or 5070 (rumor: 18 GB VRAM option in 2026's Refresh using 3 GB GDDR7 chips, instead of the current 2 GB ones - a 50% increase in VRAM density). A 5070 Ti SUPER 24 GB VRAM may fit too.
  - You get the ability to upgrade the GPU later, like when/if in 2026 the Refresh GPUs come out, using 3GB, instead of 2GB, GDDR7 chips and you get 50 % more VRAM in the same size.
  - A dedicated GPU (4060 / 5060) will also have much faster prompt processing (pp), since it's much faster than the iGPU (think of it in terms of gaming performance (higher FPS = higher pp).
  - The ability to partially or fully offload to the fast VRAM of the GPU (5060: 448 GB/s) for much faster token generation (tg), where the memory bandwidth is key.
  - A dedicated GPU adds additional, very fast, memory capacity to the RAM.
  - And, not LLM related, but: You can also game with higher FPS if you add a GPU that is faster than Strix Halo's iGPU (between RTX 4060 Laptop (=RTX 4050 desktop, which doesn't even exist, this is how bad it would be (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GeForce_RTX_40_series)) and RTX 4070 Laptop (=RTX 4060 desktop)).
- Having 24 PCIe 4.0 lanes vs Stix Halo's 16 PCIe 4.0 lanes. Just know that some non-normal CPUs have only 16 PCIe lanes, instead of the full 24.
- Repairability.
- And, if looks matter, there are many arguably better looking mini-ITX cases, too.
A normal mainstream AMD AM5 B650 / B850 mobo, using 2x64 GB dual-channel 6000 MT/s RAM + a RTX 4090 (1 TB/s bandwidth) will have similar token generation (tg) speed as a Strix Halo, then layers are also offloaded to the 4090, and much faster prompt processing (pp) than Strix Halo' 4060 Laptop iGPU performance.

Posted by Medicaid’s

- January 19, 2026, 19:32:55

This seems like a paid promotion.

Essentially, for the price of an Apple laptop with the same 40 TOPS + mobility and a screen and thunderbolt 5...you can get a mini pc with mediocre at best I/O options.

Heck, you could build a better PC for less. Or, get a different mini PC + an external GPU with many times more TOPS for about the same price.

I don't see how this is a deal in any case...just seems like it was ridiculously overpriced to begin with and is now just stupidly overpriced.

Posted by Nicolas

- January 17, 2026, 11:10:21

Quote from: CtrlAltDel on January 16, 2026, 03:04:26The problem of this PC is not lack of memory upgrdability, the problem of this PC is a price tag (even after discount), which is only justified for AI professionals who needs 96 GB of memory. There are many pre-build machines with much better gaming performance for much less money.

And they also eat 3x as much power.

Posted by CtrlAltDel

- January 16, 2026, 03:04:26

The problem of this PC is not lack of memory upgrdability, the problem of this PC is a price tag (even after discount), which is only justified for AI professionals who needs 96 GB of memory. There are many pre-build machines with much better gaming performance for much less money.

Posted by Redaktion

- January 15, 2026, 16:28:36

Gaming and local LLM enthusiasts who prefer mini PCs will most likely have AMD Strix Halo-powered systems on their radars. The GMKtec Evo-X2 is one such system with a 16-core Zen 5 APU featuring the Radeon 8060S iGPU, 96 GB of memory, and a 2 TB SSD, currently on sale with a 25% discount on Amazon.

https://www.notebookcheck.net/GMKtec-Evo-X2-gaming-mini-PC-with-16-core-AMD-Strix-Halo-APU-and-96-GB-LPDDR5-memory-scores-600-discount.1204840.0.html