Geekom IT8 Mini Review – A Great Value Mini PC

Mini PCs are great for all sorts of tasks, from basic office productivity to entertainment and gaming. And the Geekom IT8 mini PC is a value-packed small-form-factor NUC-like desktop. It features great specs, excellent connectivity, and runs Windows 11 out of the box. With its fantastic versatility, the Geekom mini IT8 is one of the best mini PCs on the market. Learn why you should consider the IT8 in our hands-on Geekom IT8 review!

Overview: What is the Geekom IT8 Mini PC?

The Geekom IT8 is a NUC-like mini PC. It comes in a small footprint but packs fairly powerful hardware with an Intel Coffee Lake i5 8259U CPU and Intel Iris Plus 655 integrated graphics. You’ll find configurations ranging from 8GB RAM with a 256GB SSD all the way up to 16GB RAM with a 512GB SSD. Geekom’s IT8 comes preloaded with Windows 11, and features superb connectivity.

Geekom Mini IT8 Specs

• CPU: Intel Coffee Lake i5 8259U
• Integrated GPU: Intel Iris Plus 655 graphics
• RAM/SSD configurations: 8GB RAM/256GB SSD, 8GB RAM/512GB SSD, 16GB RAM/256GB SSD, 16GB RAM/512GB SSD
• Operating system (OS): Windows 11
• Connectivty: 1 x SD card slot, 1 x Kensington security bolt, 1 x headphone/mic jack, 1 HDMI, 3 x USB 3.2 gen 2 Type-A, 1 x mini DisplayPort, 1 x USB-C with data and display, 1 x USB Type-C (data only)
• Networking: 1000Mbps Ethernet LAN, Bluetooth 4.2, dual-band Wi-Fi 2.4GHz/5GHz
• Memory: Dual-channel SODIMM DDR4, up to 32 expandable
• Storage: 1 x M.2 SATA & PCIe SSD expandable to 1TB, 1 x 2.5 7mm SATA HDD slot expandable up to 2TB
• Dimensions: 117 x 112 x 45.6mm
• Weight: 572.6g

Geekom IT8 Mini PC Review Verdict: An Outstanding Versatile Home Office PC

The Geekom IT8 is a solid little SFF desktop. It measures just 117 x 112 x 45.6mm while clocking in at 572.6g making it small and portable. An included VESA mounting bracket lets you affix the IT8 to the back of a monitor, television, or to the wall.

There’s excellent connectivity with a host of inputs and outputs. With its HDMI, mini DisplayPort, and USB Type-C jacks, you can drive up to four displays. In my testing, I had no issues driving even a 4K monitor with the IT8 mini.

Out of the box, the Geekom IT8 runs Windows 11. Buoyed by its Intel Coffee Lake i5 8259U CPU and Intel Iris Plus 655 integrated graphics, the IT8 provides a snappy experience. I found the Geekom quick to boot up and extremely responsive.

For basic office productivity like writing, editing, checking email, and web browsing, the IT8 is an absolute beast. On the entertainment side, its CPU iGPU combo tackles 4K video streaming competently. Whether you want to stream from Netflix, Disney+, Tidal, and Spotify or play back local files in Kodi or VLC, the IT8 is more than up to the challenge.

Although the Geekom IT8 isn’t a gaming desktop, and doesn’t come with a dedicated GPU (dGPU), it handles older AAA titles, indie games, and emulation pretty well. I was able to play Skyrim Special Edition on 1080p at low settings with a constant 30-40 frames per second (FPS). Dropping down to 720p or even 900p, I was able to maintain a constant 60 FPS.

In CounterStrike: Global Offensive, I managed over 80 FPS at 720p on medium settings. Additionally, the IT8 can emulate loads of retro games from consoles like the Nintendo 64, Sony PlayStation Portable, Nintendo GameCube, and Sony PlayStation 2.

Especially with the prevalence of fiber internet and faster networking speeds, Wi-Fi 6 would have been a nice touch. Still, that’s a minor quibble about an otherwise superb computer. Ultimately, the Geekom IT8 mini PC is a nifty little desktop that’s right at home in the home office or living room.

Geekom IT8 Mini PC Design and Build

The Geekom IT8 mini PC is a small NUC-like desktop. It’s got dimensions of 117 x 112 x 45.6mm while weighing 572.6g. In front, you’ll find a USB Type-C data port, USB 3.2 gen 2 Type-A jack, 3.5mm shared headphone/mic jack, and power button.

On the left-hand side of the unit, there’s a full-size SD card reader.

The right-hand side of the PC features a Kensington lock.

Around back, you’ll find an 18V barrel jack power connector, mini DisplayPort, 1000Mbps Ethernet LAN port, two USB 3.2 gen 2 Type-A slots, a USB-C with data and video display capabilities, plus an HDMI out.

Underneath, you’ll find four feet to keep the IT8 elevated.

Geekom IT8 Mini PC Benchmarks

In my benchmarking, the Geekom IT8 held up favorably against similarly-specced mini PCs. It scored 866 in single-core and 3512 for multi-core in Geekbench 5 tests. I got a 940 single CPU and 3950 in multi-CPU for Cinebench.

Office Productivity on the Geekom IT8 Mini

When it comes to office productivity, the Geekom IT8 really shines. Web browsing with multiple Chrome tabs open, multi-tasking with lots of apps running, checking emails, writing, editing, creating presentations, and working with spreadsheets are no problem for the IT8’s Intel CPU and iGPU.

I hooked up my Movo Webmic HD Pro webcam and Movo UM300 microphone for Zoom calls. The VESA mounting bracket lets you easily connect the IT8 to the back of a monitor for a clean, uncluttered workspace. Audio and image editing are a breeze. Although video editing typically benefits from a beefier GPU, the IT8 can render 4K videos just fine. All in all, the IT8 is perfect for virtually any office (or home office) needs.

Geekom Mini IT8 Entertainment

With a small form factor, the Geekom IT8 is a competent little home theatre PC (HTPC) solution. You can easily stream in up to 4K from the likes of Disney+, YouTube TV, Netflix, and a variety of other streaming services. Media playback, whether from streaming services or local files using VLC and Kodi, is extremely smooth. With YouTube playing at 4K 60 FPS, I only saw around 30 skipped frames out of 3000. That’s certainly not bad at all.

Geekom IT8 Gaming Performance

Admittedly, the Geekom IT8 isn’t a gaming PC. Its iGPU is no substitute for a desktop with a dedicated GPU. Nevertheless, the IT8 can run many older AAA titles, indie games, and emulators.

I ran Skyrim: Special Edition at 1080p on low settings and achieved a constant 30-40 FPS. Dropping the resolution back to 720p and even 900p, I enjoyed over 60FPS. CS:GO clocked over 80 FPS at medium settings on 720p.

On the emulation side, the Geekom IT8 can run up through PlayStation 2 and Nintendo Wii or GameCube titles like a champ. GoldenEye 64  for the Nintendo 64 ran buttery smooth.

The extremely demanding God of War: Chains of Olympus for the Sony PlayStation Portable played with no issues on 5x resolution with the Vulkan backend. In general, PSP titles should run anywhere from 4x to 7x resolution depending on the game.

For PlayStation 2, Shadow of the Colossus ran with no audio or visual stutters. PS2 emulation should work at 720p for a lot of titles, and 1080p for select games. Using the Dolphin emulator, I achieved 720p and 1080p with loads of Wii and GameCube games including Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets for GameCube.

Cloud game streaming from NVIDIA GeForce Now, Google Stadia, Amazon Luna, and Xbox GamePass proves no challenge. Likewise, if you’ve got a gaming desktop or laptop on hand, you can stream games from your main gaming rig to the Geekom IT8 using Steam in-home streaming. Despite not being a true gaming workhorse, the IT8 lets you play any number of ways.

Linux Compatibility

One of the Geekom IT8’s highlights is that it comes preloaded with Windows 11. However, you can run many Linux distributions (distros) as well. I tried out System76’s Pop!_OS which ran flawlessly. Most Debian- and Ubuntu-based Linux distros should run just fine on the IT8.

Should You Get the Geekom IT8? Mini PC Use Cases

The Geekom IT8 is a good value mini PC. It gets you a reliable CPU and iGPU combo, Windows 11, up to 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD, plus an extremely pint-sized footprint. For office productivity, the IT8 absolutely shreds. It’s a great HTPC solution as well since it’s able to drive up to four 4K displays. Native gaming is hit or miss unless you’re playing older games or willing to dial back the resolution and quality. But the IT8 is a cloud game streaming and emulation champ.

The most obvious use case for the Geekom IT8 is as an office desktop. I liked the IT8 a lot as my main work machine in my home office. It’s also a good home theatre PC for entertainment purposes like audio and video playback, or even video conferencing on the big screen with Zoom. Hardcore gamers might be a bit disappointed, but cloud gaming, emulation, and in-home game streaming all work flawlessly. Its affordability and versatility make the Geekom IT8 a terrific space-saving desktop.

Geekom IT8 mini PC use cases:

• Office/home office productivity
• Entertainment (streaming movies, TV shows, and music, local media playback)
• Cloud game streaming
• Retro gaming emulation
• Light gaming (older AAA titles, indie games)

Geekom IT8 Mini PC Review: Final Thoughts

Overall, there’s a lot to like about the Geekom IT8 mini PC. It’s small, energy-efficient, yet doesn’t compromise on power under the hood. Sure, it’s not a gaming desktop, but for everyday multi-tasking, entertainment, and even light gaming, the IT8 is a fabulous computer, and the best value mini PC available. If you need something with a bit more oomph, consider the Geekom AS6 mini PC.