Which GMKtec Mini PC Should You Buy?

GMKtec’s NUCBOX range runs from a R4,299 desk box to compact workstations with a discrete RTX 5070 or 128GB of shared AI memory. With names spanning the G, M3, M6, K, EVO and NEO series, and sibling configurations that differ only in memory and storage, it helps to have a clear map. This guide covers all 29 configurations Wootware carries, and answers one question: which one matches what you actually want to do?

Start with the picker below, then find the full comparison table and use-case breakdowns underneath. Every pick links to the exact product page, and prices were checked on 1 October 2026.

Quick picks

• Everyday office on a tight budget: NUCBOX G3S (R5,799). An efficient Intel N95 quad-core chip, Windows 11 Pro and an upgradeable memory slot.
• Best all-round productivity: NUCBOX M3 Pro 16GB/512GB (R11,499). Twelve i5-13500H cores and a PCIe 4.0 SSD at an entry-level desktop price.
• Most versatile all-rounder: NUCBOX M6 Ultra 32GB/1TB (R15,499). DDR5, USB4, dual 2.5GbE LAN and memory that upgrades to 128GB.
• Cheapest local-AI machine: NUCBOX K17 Plus (R19,999). Copilot+ class with GMKtec quoting up to 115 TOPS of platform AI performance.
• Unified-memory AI workstation: NUCBOX EVO-X2 64GB (R37,999). Ryzen AI Max+ 395 with a shared CPU/GPU memory pool.
• RTX gaming and CUDA work: NEO-X1 (R39,999). Ryzen 9 9955HX with a discrete RTX 5060 Ti.

The range at a glance

Every configuration in this guide, grouped by family, with each configuration's price and standard warranty shown beside its name. The link under each 1-year chip opens that configuration’s 1-year-to-3-year warranty upgrade at Wootware. Storage and memory figures are the as-shipped configuration; several models add a free SO-DIMM or M.2 slot you can fill later.

Four families matter for how you should shop. The G series handles everyday office work at entry prices. The M3/M6 and K series are proper productivity and all-round machines, moving from older Intel platforms to current Zen 4 Ryzen chips. The EVO series splits in two: EVO-X1, EVO-T1 and K17 Plus run AI-assist features on NPUs with conventional system memory, while EVO-X2 and EVO-X3 use a fundamentally different unified-memory design explained below. The NEO-X1 pair are compact towers with real GeForce RTX graphics cards.

Everyday office, home and schoolwork

For browsing, Office, email and video calls, you need a modern low-power chip and enough memory to keep tabs open — not gaming silicon. The NUCBOX G3S (R5,799) is the value pick here: an Intel N95 quad-core, 256GB of storage and a single SO-DIMM slot that takes the memory to 32GB when you need it. The G3 Plus (R6,499) moves to the newer N150 chip and an NVMe SSD, and its 16GB/512GB configuration (R7,999) is the version to pick if you want the memory already maxed at its 16GB limit.

The NUCBOX G11 (R6,799) is the small-business option in this class: an 8-thread Ryzen Embedded R2514, dual-channel DDR4 and a USB-C port with DisplayPort, so dual screens work without adapters. The G5S (R4,799) is the compact entry option, with 8GB of on-board memory and an M.2 SATA SSD, which makes it a tidy second PC for a study or TV.

Multitasking, meetings and small business

Once you run many apps at once, core count and memory bandwidth take over. The NUCBOX M3 Pro 16GB/512GB (R11,499) is the standout: Intel’s 12-core i5-13500H with a PCIe 4.0 SSD, in a box roughly the size of two stacked paperbacks. Step up to the 32GB/1TB M3 Pro (R14,499) when spreadsheets, virtual meetings and dozens of tabs coexist — memory tops out at 32GB on that platform.

The NUCBOX M6 Ultra 32GB/1TB (R15,499) is our most versatile pick for mixed work: Zen 4 cores, DDR5, a USB4 port, HDMI 2.0 and DisplayPort (each rated 4K at 60Hz), and dual 2.5GbE Ethernet for offices with NAS storage or a fast LAN. Its memory slots take the configuration to 128GB, which is unusual at this price. The M3 Ultra 32GB/1TB (R12,499) covers the same duties on a 14-core i7-12700H for less, if you don’t need USB4 or 2.5GbE.

Photo and video editing

Editing benefits from CPU cores first, graphics second. The NUCBOX M3 Plus (R13,999) carries the most CPU in the M3 family — a 14-core i9-12900HK — for less than the 32GB/1TB M3 Pro, making it the budget editor’s pick. The K8 Plus (R17,499) balances that with the stronger Radeon 780M GPU and DDR5-5600, which helps timeline scrubbing and GPU-accelerated effects. Both come with 32GB and 1TB in dual-channel configurations.

The K11 (R19,499) raises the ceiling further with a Ryzen 9 8945HS in a 70W performance mode, and the K17 Plus (R19,999) adds Intel’s Arc 140V graphics plus a spare PCIe 5.0 M.2 slot for fast media storage. If your editing is light (photo libraries, 1080p cuts), the M3 Pro above remains the value pick.

Local AI and Copilot+: the NPU machines

Three families run AI-assistant features locally, and their memory designs differ in a way that matters:

The K17 Plus (R19,999) is the cheapest Copilot+ class machine here. Its Core Ultra 7 258V has an Intel AI Boost NPU, GMKtec quotes up to 115 TOPS of total platform AI performance, and its 32GB of LPDDR5X-8533 is the fastest conventional-system memory in the range. The EVO-X1 (R21,999) counters with a 12-core, 24-thread Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 and Radeon 890M graphics — more CPU muscle than the K17 Plus.

The EVO-T1 (R29,999) is the balanced middle option: a 16-core Core Ultra 9 285H with 64GB of conventional DDR5-5600 in two SO-DIMM slots — easy to upgrade later, and shared with its Arc 140T graphics. GMKtec quotes up to 99 TOPS of platform AI performance from that combination. It is the pick when you want big memory capacity plus upgradeability, not a single shared pool. The EVO-X1 Pro (R27,999) plays the same role on the AMD side with 64GB of LPDDR5X and the higher-binned HX 470 chip.

Local AI, part two: unified-memory workstations

The EVO-X2 (64GB, R37,999), EVO-X2 128GB (R72,999) and EVO-X3 (R79,999) are a different design. Each carries AMD’s Ryzen AI Max+ 395 — 16 Zen 5 cores, 32 threads, Radeon 8060S graphics — with the memory soldered on board as LPDDR5X. Because there is no separate video memory, CPU and GPU draw from one large pool: 64GB on the entry EVO-X2 at LPDDR5X-8000, or 128GB on the two flagship configurations. A large slice of that pool can be assigned to graphics, which is exactly what memory-hungry local AI work wants from a small chassis.

Practical differences: the 64GB EVO-X2 is the cheapest unified-memory entry point; the 128GB EVO-X2 doubles the pool and adds a 2TB SSD; the EVO-X3 is the same platform in a 120W performance-tuned chassis with a 4TB SSD, and GMKtec quotes 126 TOPS of total AI performance. None of them have upgradeable memory, so choose the size you want to live with for the machine’s life.

Compact gaming on integrated graphics

Esports titles and medium-settings 1080p gaming run on the K series’ Radeon 780M, and the K8 Plus (R17,499) and K12 (R17,499) deliver that recipe with 8 Zen 4 cores and DDR5-5600 at the same price. The K11 (R19,499) adds Ryzen 9 cache and its 70W mode. If gaming is the main goal and your budget is small, these are the boxes; if you want a machine that also looks the part on a desk, the M6 Ultra handles the same games at slightly lower settings with its Radeon 760M.

RTX gaming workstations: NEO-X1

For genuinely demanding games and CUDA-driven work, the NEO-X1 (R39,999) pairs a 16-core Ryzen 9 9955HX with a discrete RTX 5060 Ti (8GB GDDR7), 32GB of DDR5-5600 and upgradeable memory to 96GB — all in a 14.6-litre chassis far smaller than a conventional tower. The NEO-X1 Pro (R49,999) steps up to the 3D V-cache Ryzen 9 9955HX3D and an RTX 5070 with 12GB of GDDR7, and the 64GB/2TB Pro (R59,999) fills both. These are the picks for 1080p/1440p gaming and GPU-accelerated AI frameworks that expect a discrete NVIDIA card.

Monitors that suit these mini PCs

A mini PC needs a screen, and the choice follows the machine. Below are monitors from the Wootware range for each GMKtec family: Dell and WootVision for the office boxes, WootVision, Gigabyte and Dell UltraSharp for the creator and AI systems, and Alienware, ASUS and Gigabyte gaming panels — including fast QD-OLED screens — for the RTX NEO-X1. Prices are the listed product-page prices on 1 October 2026. Our WootVision 27Q M240 vs 27QF I210 comparison goes deeper on the 27-inch 1440p WootVision options.

GMKtec mini PCs you can mount behind your monitor

A VESA mount bolts the mini PC to the same 75x75mm or 100x100mm holes a monitor arm uses, so the computer disappears behind the screen and the desk keeps one box and one cable run. The models below have a VESA mount listed in the box on their Wootware product page, on GMKtec’s official product page, or on both. Check the pattern on the back of your monitor before you buy.

What else do you need?

Every configuration here includes Windows 11 Pro and a power supply — you add the monitor, keyboard and mouse. Two practical additions from the Wootware catalogue:

• Warranty extensions: every configuration here comes with a one-year warranty, and each has its own GMKtec 1-year-to-3-year warranty upgrade at Wootware, from R329 for the GMKtec NUCBOX G5S 8GB/128GB upgrade to R5,499 for the GMKtec NUCBOX EVO-X3 128GB/4TB upgrade. The range table links the exact upgrade under each configuration’s warranty chip.
• Monitors and peripherals: any HDMI or DisplayPort screen works; check each product page for the exact port list before buying adapters. Our monitor round-up matches screens to each GMKtec family, and the VESA list shows which models mount behind the screen.

Need more AI capacity? The Gigabyte AI TOP ATOM

GMKtec mini PC questions, answered

How this guide was put together

Specifications come from each product’s Wootware product page and GMKtec’s published specifications; monitor and AI TOP details come from the matching Wootware product pages; VESA mounting was checked on each model’s Wootware product page and GMKtec’s official product page, and each warranty upgrade on its own Wootware listing; prices were checked on 1 October 2026 and change without notice, so treat the figures here as a snapshot and the linked pages as current. The recommendations follow from the specifications in the table: what each chip family delivers, how much memory is installed and how much you can add, and which platforms have the graphics or AI hardware a workload needs. No benchmark figures are quoted; where a number appears (TOPS ratings, boost clocks) it is the manufacturer’s specification.

Every configuration listed here is part of Wootware’s current GMKtec range. If a configuration you had your eye on is not shown, search the store — the range refreshes regularly.