GMKtec M5 Plus Gaming Mini PC Ryzen 7 5825U (Upgraded 5700U), 32GB RAM 1TB SSD Dual NIC LAN 2.5GbE Desktop Computers, Triple 4K Display, WiFi 6E, USB3.2, USB-C, BT 5.2, DP, HDMI 2.0

I’ve been using this compact NUC for some time now, and overall, it’s been performing wonderfully. I did encounter a couple of hiccups along the way. Initially, the system would occasionally boot into the BIOS, failing to detect the NVME drive. I reached out to support, and they promptly identified the issue as a faulty NVME, sending a replacement right away. While swapping it out, I noticed the case fan wasn’t spinning. A quick email later, and they shipped a new fan without delay.Though these issues popped up, the support team’s fast and effective responses kept things smooth.This little device is fantastic! It serves as our daily PC and impresses with its speed, quiet operation, and tiny footprint. We’ve got it neatly mounted on the wall inside a cabinet. I’m really pleased with it and wouldn’t hesitate to purchase it again.

Edit update again 01/10/2025: I fixed my fan issue and as promised raised the score back up to 5 stars. It is a good, fast little computer but does get hot when you are gaming. I recommend popping the top off and exposing the top fan to the outside as this really helps in keeping it cool. When you put the top back on, when your finished, don't snap the top back in place so it will be easy for you to remove when needed. I know this would bother some people but I am not bothered by it as it helps keep it cool. Still five stars for what it can do for it's size. Still highly recommended.Edit up date 01/09/2025: I had to reduce the GMKtec M5 Plus from five stars to three stars because the little top cooling fan will not work all the time. I have the lid on but not snapped in because I have to take it off to force the fan to run. A quick spin with my fingers gets it going but I got to keep an eye on it other wise the little computer will over heat even though it's only fifteen watts. This is serious and the reason for only three stars. I am going to try to contact them and if they help I will improve the review back to five stars.*Next is another concern that has a lot of YouTube press and that is, Mini PC's shipping out with Malware or viruses. Let me make clear that GMKtec has been cleared so far and I tested mine forward and backwards with zero positives but you should be made aware of this. The most offending company (watch YouYube to get the companies name as it is all over) still has not completely cleaned their computers and are being very sneaky in the way they hide the Malware. One buyer replaced his M2 SSD and loaded a fresh copy of Windows 11. If you are one of those people who are sensitive to computer security then you need to know what you are getting into with Mini PC's. I didn't know this before I bought mine. Please check out the problem on YouTube before you buy. If you do buy, do not connect to the net till you have run a complete check. I recommend the very long but important Windows 11, full virus scan and download the free version of Malwear Bytes and run a test with that. I hope Amazon allows this review update to be printed as this is an important issue that everyone should be made aware of before they buy a mini PC.First off, it worked right out the box. Early setup could not have been any easier, a smart 8 year old could have set this mini computer up. That's not stretching it either. However setting up all the drivers from AMD and getting Windows 11 up to date did take time and requires someone a little more knowledgeable.I bought this as a novelty but now using it all the time. My big gaming computer has taken a back seat to this amazing little mini computer.Pros: Very quite, Very fast, Yes it plays games but more on the casual level. Beautiful eye popping monitor visuals, It uses only 15 watts of power. That means it runs very cool. The AMD processor the 5825U is designed to run on 15 watts.Cons: Terrible instructions with tiny print. Example, they send you a piece of black metal with some black screws that looks like it might be some sort of mounting bracket but the instructions give you zero information on what it is for. It uses only 15 watts of power. I know I had that as a pro but it could also be a con if you want to play more powerful AAA games. But who would use a mini computer to play AAA games like Cyber Punk 2077 or Hogwarts. Come on, use common sense.I will end this by saying do your research. Not all mini computers are only fifteen watts like this one. And if you look you will find the newest mini computers are AM5 platform and use up to 70 watts. But those units run from seven hundred and fiftly to almost a thousand dollars. You start spending that muchmoney you might as well buy a full size gaming rig.Highly recommended

UPDATE 2:Welp the newest one works so I suppose it was indeed a qc issue after all. Updated back to 4 stars since this one works. Amazon's return policy saved me so a+ to Amazon for that.UPDATE:So I bought a 2nd one and...it had a hardware malfunction and I had to return it.The replacement...has the EXACT same hardware error. What are the odds??I am going to assume that quality control is very poor. I still like the 1st one that works, but after this fiasco with having to return it AGAIN I will not be giving them any more chances. Disappointed.You know....my expectations were pretty low going into this but I am pleasantly surprised. It feels solid enough, came on with no issues(lots of updates to do though), and as I had hoped, is total overkill for a movie streaming computer. Extremely snappy, even at higher resolutions(2k/4k). Also very quiet. No issues at all so far. If it lasts this way another month or so I will grab a couple more because it seems like a very nice value so far. Also this particular company seems to have better specs for your money(I looked at a bunch of similar models that were anywhere from$20-200 more).

I’ve had this computer for probably 2 months now, and it works great. I was worried when I first got it because I bought it to use for gaming and game development and it would hardly run even small 2D games without the mouse buffering. But after some digging, I realized I just needed to update the driver which can be done through GMKTec’s website. After that, it began running very smoothly. I can make 3D models, run my games, use Unity, etc. with no issue now. The fan isn’t very loud imo - just a little louder than my HP laptop. It only kicks on every once in a while, or if I’m opening Unity (but it calms down after the app is actually running).My only con is that it doesn’t have any speakers, but that’s something I almost certainly should’ve expected. It’s a really great computer for the price and size and easy to set up - it took me through set up with Windows 11 Pro which I already use and took about a day to sync my stuff. You can also change the BIOS if you want to, though I didn’t feel the need to.

My dad is 93 and his 12 year old PC just wasn't cutting it anymore. Rather than build a new tower, I suggested a mini PC. This is easily 10 times as fast as his old machine and really performs well! Really nice specs and superior cooling with the larger fan design/upgrade over the older K8 model. He doesn't game, but the built in iGPU can easily handle 1080 gaming and all his video needs without breaking a sweat. The win11 Pro install that it comes with is nice and clean - no crapware or shovelware preinstalled. This is the perfect household computer - plenty of power/connectivity to handle PC chores of any kind and loaded with ports/features in a really small form factor that can easily be mounted to the rear of a monitor (comes with a VESA plate adapter/screws for doing so, which is what I did.) Highly recommended!