Known primarily for producing mini PCs, GMKtec has ventured into the small form factor market with the GMKtec Neo-X1 Pro, a 14.6-liter compact gaming desktop designed to deliver high-end hardware without taking up excessive desk space. Measuring 13.78 by 6.50 by 10.43 inches, the chassis is smaller than the HP Victus 15L and roughly comparable in footprint to two Xbox Series X consoles placed side by side. Equipped with top-mounted carrying handles, the system aims to bridge the gap between portable setups and traditional desktop muscle.
Hardware Specifications and Design
To prevent thermal throttling inside the densely packed 14.6-liter enclosure, the manufacturer relies on a custom all-in-one liquid cooling system paired with an 850W SFX power supply. The review unit tested features an AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX3D mobile processor paired with 64GB of DDR5 memory and a dedicated Zotac desktop-grade Nvidia RTX 5070 graphics card featuring 12GB of VRAM. The system includes an unused secondary M.2 NVMe slot for storage expansion up to 16TB, and memory can theoretically be upgraded to 96GB using dual 48GB sticks.
Connectivity options are distributed across the front and back panels. The front includes a 3.5mm audio jack, two USB-A ports, and a single USB-C port. The rear features four USB-A ports, a 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet port, an additional USB-C port, multiple audio jacks, Wi-Fi antenna connectors, and video outputs consisting of one HDMI 2.1 port and one DisplayPort 1.4 connection from the motherboard. The discrete RTX 5070 card adds a single HDMI 2.1b port and three DisplayPort 2.1b connections.
Performance and Acoustics
In benchmark evaluations, the AMD Ryzen 9 processor delivered compute scores slightly trailing the desktop-class 9950X3D found in larger towers like the HP Omen Max 45L, though the compact system excelled in SSD transfer speeds and completed HandBrake 4K video encoding tests efficiently. The generous system memory and 12GB VRAM allocation also position the rig to handle local AI models.
For gaming, the system managed demanding titles at stable frame rates. Testing demonstrated triple-digit frame rates at 1080p without DLSS, 96 fps in Forza Horizon 6 at 4K High settings, and 51 fps in Black Myth: Wukong at 4K Medium settings. Testing on a 5120 by 1440 super ultrawide monitor running Red Dead Redemption 2 yielded consistent performance without stuttering or screen tearing.
Acoustic performance stood out during testing. Thanks to the custom AIO liquid cooler, the machine maintained a faint background hum even under heavy gaming loads, proving significantly quieter than many typical pre-built towers.
Upgradability and Pricing
Accessing the interior requires removing two screws to slide off the side panel. While the AMD Ryzen 9 processor is permanently soldered to the motherboard, the presence of a standard rear expansion bracket and an 850W SFX power supply means users can swap the pre-installed GPU for an off-the-shelf alternative, provided the replacement card stays under 310 millimeters in length and adheres to a dual-slot design. However, servicing components like memory and storage requires navigating around and partially dismantling the internal liquid cooling assembly, making the internal layout more daunting for beginners.
Small form factor systems command a financial premium due to specialized engineering and components. The GMKtec Neo-X1 Pro starts with higher configurations reaching up to $3,699 at full price, though units have been offered with discounts around $3,199. While experienced builders can assemble larger DIY desktop rigs for less money, the compact tower provides a pre-built alternative for users prioritizing a portable footprint with desktop performance.
