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Geekom delivers a capable last-generation Core Ultra 9 chip in a sleek, compact case, supported by 24GB of soldered RAM and a 500GB SSD. Most importantly, during a component crisis, you can get all of that within an $800 budget.
The strategy of using last-gen laptop parts in mini PCs once meant excellent performance at competitive prices—at least, it did until the RAMpocalypse swept across tech. Nevertheless, Geekom argues that its IT13 Max, using a Core Ultra 9 185H processor at $799, offers a compelling value option in mid-2026. Looking at some of the other prices for mini PCs seen recently, the company may have a point.
Beyond the reasonable Ultra 9 tier pricing for the performance, RAM, and storage in the current market, Geekom delivers a very competent mini PC. It presents an unassuming, business-like appearance from the outside, but houses plenty of ports, easy internal access, and robust construction.
Geekom's IT13 Max 2026 follows a traditional NUC design. With its just-under-a-liter volume, the black device is only slightly larger in every dimension than the MSI Cubi NUC AI+ 3MG (0.8 L) and shares much of that unit's matte dark, understated design and subtle branding. The two units prove to have considerable similarities in performance, despite being two Intel generations apart with a significant price gap.
The chassis uses a matte plastic outer shell, but the perforated venting areas on the sides and removable bottom plate are metal, as is the inner chassis. Access is straightforward—just four screws positioned in the center of the rubber feet. Users have power and headphones on the front panel, plus a wide range of fast USB, networking, and monitor connection options. Geekom has not implemented biometrics in the power button and eschews a Copilot button.
On the front, there is a generous row of four USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports, one supporting always-on smart device charging, along with a 3.5 mm audio jack and an inset power button with a white LED indicator. The left side features a full-size SD card reader, while the right side includes a Kensington lock slot. The rear houses most of the I/O: a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A port, a USB 2.0 Type-A, two USB4 Type-C ports (both with DisplayPort Alt Mode, one offering Power delivery), two RJ-45 2.5 Gbps Ethernet ports, two HDMI 2.0 ports, and a DC barrel jack for the power adapter.
Opening the unit reveals limited upgrade potential. Two of the four rubber feet unscrew by hand, though the other pair requires a Phillips-head screwdriver. Inside, the RAM is soldered, preventing any memory upgrades. The only available upgrades involve swapping M.2 storage devices. An M.2 2280 slot holds the 500GB Kingston NVMe PCIe 4.0 drive with thermal pad, while an M.2 2230 slot contains the wireless connectivity card. A vacant M.2 2242 slot sits nearby, though Geekom's spec sheet initially mentioned 2.5-inch SATA expansion options instead, suggesting late-stage specification changes.
The system houses an Intel Core Ultra 9 185H (16C/22T), which boosts to 5.1 GHz and shares die space with an Arc iGPU featuring eight Xe cores. The processor also includes an NPU capable of 11 TOPS according to Intel's datasheets. Alongside 24GB of soldered LPDDR5 RAM, a 500GB Kingston NV3 PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD, Intel Wi-Fi 7 with Bluetooth 5.4, and a robust selection of connectivity options, Geekom claims all-round flagship performance, thankfully skipping any outlandish AI-related claims.
In Cinebench 2026, Maxon's current-generation CPU rendering benchmark, the IT13 Max achieved a single-thread result of approximately 450 points, trailing newer rivals but not disastrously. In the multicore result, the Geekom mini PC with its older Meteor Lake chip essentially matched the MSI Cubi NUC AI+ 3MG based on Intel Panther Lake silicon. The former's 16C/22T core count and higher power limits provide an edge over the Intel Core Ultra 9 386H with 16C/16T in the MSI.
In HandBrake, the Geekom managed 13 frames per second on a standard video transcoding test, essentially matching the MSI—though only with very long videos would the performance difference become noticeable. The IT13 Max is not hopeless in gaming, but occupies the lower portion of mini PC gaming benchmark comparison tables, mostly outperforming the MSI Panther Lake mini PC. Not bad for hardware two generations old.