We’ve just received a sample of the GEEKOM IT13 Max mini PC powered by an Intel Core Ultra 9 185H CPU for review. With up to 35 TOPS, sixteen cores clocked up to 5.1 GHz, and up to 24 GB LPDDR5 memory, the Meteor Lake mini PC is well-suited for AI workloads, creative tasks, coding, and heavy multitasking.
Two configurations are available: one with 16 GB DDR5 SODIMM RAM and a 1 TB PCIe Gen4 SSD, and another with 24 GB soldered-on LPDDR5-5600 memory and a 500 GB SSD. Both feature two 40 Gbps USB4 ports, five USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports, two HDMI 2.0 ports, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, and dual 2.5 GbE networking, and come pre-installed with Windows 11 Pro.
GEEKOM specifically sent us the IT13 Max mini PC with 24 GB LPDDR5 and a 500 GB M.2 SSD for testing. In this article, we will cover the mini PC’s specifications, go through an unboxing and a teardown, and boot it to Windows 11 Pro. More thorough features and performance testing on Windows 11 and Ubuntu 26.04 will follow in the next parts of the review.
GEEKOM IT13 Max specifications
- SoC – Intel Core Ultra 9 185H
- CPU – 16-core (6P+8E+2LPE)/22-thread Meteor Lake-H processor @ up to 5.1 GHz with 24 MB cache
- GPU – Intel Arc graphics
- AI accelerator – Intel AI Boost NPU up to 11 TOPS (INT8); combined AI performance up to 35 TOPS (INT8)
- TDP – 45 W
- Memory – 24 GB LPDDR5
- Storage
- 500GB M.2 2280 NVMe SSD, upgradable up to 4 TB
- M.2 2242 SSD slot, up to 2 TB
- SD card reader slot
- Video output
- 2x HDMI 2.0 ports
- 2x USB4 ports with DisplayPort Alt mode
- Up to 4x independent displays
- Audio – 3.5 mm stereo headset jack
- Networking
- 2x 2.5 Gbps Ethernet RJ45 jacks
- Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 via Intel BE200 module
- USB
- 2x USB4 ports, one of which supports USB PD power input
- 5x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A ports, one of which supports Always On function
- USB 2.0 Type-A port
- Security – dTPM 2.0 support
- Misc
- Power button with LED (LED colors: Power On: solid white, MS: blinking white)
- Kensington Lock
- RTC coin-cell battery
- Power supply – 19 V (120 W) power adapter
- Dimensions – 135.9 x 132.1 x 50 mm
- Certifications – CE, FCC, CB, CCC, and RoHS
The specifications are nearly identical to the GEEKOM GT1 Mega mini PC we reviewed in 2024, with the main differences being 24GB LPDDR5 vs 32GB DDR5 (SO-DIMM) memory, the smaller storage capacity (500GB vs 2TB), and a slightly different form factor (see teardown).
Unboxing
We received a sturdy retail box designed to protect the mini PC and its accessories well. The top is marked “GEEKOM IT Series” with “Max” in the lower-right corner.
The bottom side of the box features a sticker listing the key specifications of our computer: IT13 Max mini PC, Intel Core Ultra 9 185H CPU, 24 GB LPDDR5 memory, and 500 GB M.2 SSD, all as advertised and expected.
The package includes the GEEKOM IT13 Max mini PC itself, a power adapter, a power cord, an HDMI cable, a VESA mount and screw kit, a user manual, and a Thank You card.
The 120 W adapter supports 100–240 V ~ 50/60 Hz AC input, and outputs 19.0 V DC up to 6.32 A.
Each USB port on the mini PC is clearly labeled with feature-identifying logos and rated speeds. The front panel features four USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps) Type-A ports, with the leftmost port supporting always-on charging, a 3.5 mm audio jack, and the power button.
The rear panel features most of the ports. From left to right: a 19V DC jack, a USB4 (40 Gbps) port with DisplayPort Alt mode and power delivery support, an HDMI 2.0 connector, two 2.5 GbE RJ45 jacks, a USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps) port, a USB 2.0 port, another USB4 (40 Gbps) port with DisplayPort Alt mode only, and a second HDMI 2.0 port. Ventilation holes can also be found right above the connectors.
One side of the mini PC has more ventilation holes and a full-size SD card reader.
The other side has ventilation holes and a Kensington Lock slot.
From the outside, the IT13 Max looks identical to the GT1 Mega, except for the color (black vs grey).
GEEKOM IT13 Max mini PC teardown
Let’s now teardown the IT13 Max mini PC to check out its hardware design. You can simply take out the bottom cover after loosening four screws.
One advantage of the GEEKOM IT13 Max is that it’s truly designed to be opened by the user. The GT1 Mega and most recent GEEKOM mini PCs require the removal of sticky rubber pads, and the user needs to be careful not to break the WiFi antenna cable when opening the mini PC.
We didn’t have to do any of that for the IT13 Max, since there were no rubber pads and it’s close to impossible to damage the WiFi antenna cables, since none are connected to the bottom cover. We didn’t need to remove an additional cooling plate either, since it’s the job of the bottom cover. That means we get direct access to the motherboard. We can find an M.2 2242 SSD slot, a thermal pad on top of the M.2 NVMe SSD, and a coincell battery for the BIOS/RTC. There are also a few unpopulated connectors, including one SATA FPC footprint.
Let’s remove the thermal pad. The storage device is a 500 GB Kingston NV3 M.2 PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD.
After removing the M.2 SSD, we can have a better look at the M.2 2230 wireless module (Intel BE200NG) for WiFi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 connectivity. We can also clearly see the two antenna cables going under the motherboard, and the 3V CR2032 battery.
The motherboard of the GEEKOM IT13 Max has a very similar layout to the one for the GT1 Mega, except for the extra SO-DIMM sockets for the latter. The GT1 Mega also came with a larger 2 TB M.2 NVMe SSD (Crucial P3 Plus), and one of the antenna cables was connected to the cooling plate.
First Boot to Windows 11 Pro
Let’s reassemble the mini PC and boot it up. We connected the mini PC to its power adapter, a USB-C display, and an RF dongle for a wireless mouse/keyboard combo. The first boot requires going through the initial Windows 11 Pro setup screens, such as language selection and connecting to an Ethernet or Wi-Fi network. Once done, we could access the Windows 11 Pro desktop with Internet connectivity (over WiFi).
The System → About window confirms we have an IT13 Max computer powered by a 2.50 GHz (base frequency) Intel Core Ultra 9 185H processor paired with 24 GB RAM and 466 GB of storage running Windows 11 Pro 64-bit 25H2.
That’s all for today. In the next part of the review, we will test features and benchmark the GEEKOM IT13 Max mini PC on Windows 11 Pro in detail, before doing so with Ubuntu 26.04 to evaluate Linux performance. We’ll also make sure to compare the results to our experience with the similar GEEKOM GT1 Mega to find out what a difference nearly 2 years make (if any).
We’d like to thank GEEKOM for sending the IT13 Max mini PC with 24 GB LPDDR5 RAM and 500 GB SSD for review. This model is priced at $799 on GEEKOM’s online store and on Amazon. If you prefer additional storage capacity and more flexibility with regard to memory capacity, the other configuration with 16 GB DDR5 SO-DIMM and a 1 TB SSD is priced the same. You can also get 8% off on either store with the coupon code CST13MAX.
CNXSoft: This article is a translation – with some additional insights – of the original review on CNX Software Thailand by Suthinee Kerdkaew.
Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.
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