Geekom A9 Max 2026 Review: Mini-PC Upgrades to Ryzen AI 9 HX 470 Power!

Only a few months following our review of the first A9 Max, Geekom is back with an update to its premium mini PC.

The 2026 edition retains the same chassis and design philosophy but now includes the brand new AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 470 processor, unveiled in January 2026. This is the direct successor to the HX 370 found in the previous model, with a similar thermal design and a promise of a more powerful NPU for artificial intelligence tasks.

I tested the configuration offered by Geekom for two weeks: 32 GB of DDR5 and a 2 TB SSD. Let’s dive in!

Technical Specifications

This test unit was provided by Geekom.

Identical Design, and It’s Almost a Pity

In terms of aesthetics and form factor, Geekom makes no changes. The chassis of the A9 Max 2026 Edition is exactly the same as the previous A9 Max, and even the A8 Max from two years ago: an almost square base of 135 × 132 mm, a height of 46.9 mm, all wrapped in an all-silver aluminum and steel, with a chrome logo on top. The construction is robust, and the finish honors a product that costs over 1,600 euros.

The only visual change is the appearance of the official HDMI logo on the front, likely related to the FRL (Fixed Rate Link) certification that comes with the HDMI 2.1 ports. Otherwise, the A9 Max 2026 Edition is indistinguishable from its predecessor. This aligns with Geekom’s refresh strategy, but a slight aesthetic evolution wouldn’t have hurt to clearly distinguish the two generations.

On the front, we find the four aligned USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 ports that the series is known for, one of which is in “Always On” mode to charge a device even when the machine is turned off. A 3.5 mm jack and the power button complete the front face.

At the back, it’s a real parade of connectors: two HDMI 2.1, two USB4 in Type-C (40 Gbps, DisplayPort 1.4 Alt-Mode, Power Delivery 100 W), one USB-A 3.2 Gen 2, one USB-A 2.0, two RJ-45 2.5 GbE ports, and the DC input. A UHS-II SD card reader is placed on the side, along with a Kensington lock. It’s hard to find more comprehensive connectivity on a mini-PC of this size.

A usual regret: no USB-C port on the front. It would have been convenient for connecting a portable display or charging a phone without going behind the machine. Otherwise, the “4 USB-A front + USB4 back” combo remains very practical for daily use, especially for cleanly connecting multiple controllers or wireless devices.

The external power block is compact for its 120 watts (253 grams), and a VESA mounting kit is included to position the A9 Max behind a monitor. That’s about it for accessories: an HDMI cable, a brief manual, and that’s all. Geekom doesn’t take advantage of this high-end positioning to include any extras.

Disassembly: Not Complicated, But Methodical

Accessing the inside requires a bit of patience. First, you must remove the four rubber pads glued under the casing, which frees up four Phillips head screws.

Then you can remove the bottom shell.

Once this first step is completed, you encounter an internal metal plate held by four additional screws.

Only after this second disassembly can you access the two SO-DIMM slots, the main SSD, and the Wi-Fi module.

The entire process can be done without special tools, but be careful when lifting the internal plate: the Wi-Fi antennas are attached to it, and pulling on them could tear off the connectors. Once inside, a significant discovery regarding memory: the tested version only includes one 32 GB DDR5-5600 bar. The second SO-DIMM slot is free.

This is a deliberate choice by Geekom, likely due to the recent surge in RAM prices, but it has concrete consequences on graphic performance.

If you purchase this machine, I recommend investing quickly in a second 32 GB SO-DIMM DDR5-5600 module. It’s not urgent for office tasks, but switching to dual channel significantly frees up the performance of the iGPU Radeon 890M, which is closely dependent on memory bandwidth. The second M.2 PCIe 4.0 slot is also free, but limited to the shorter and less common 2230 format than the 2280.

Performance: Progress on AI, Setback on GPU

I pushed the machine on the usual benchmarks and compared the results to those of the previous A9 Max under HX 370. The findings are mixed.

Benchmark Summary

The Ryzen AI 9 HX 470 is a refresh of the HX 370 under the codename Gorgon Point. AMD keeps the same hybrid architecture with 4 performance Zen 5 cores and 8 energy-efficient Zen 5c cores, all coupled via SMT (Simultaneous Multi-Threading) to reach 24 threads. The boost frequency climbs to 5.2 GHz from 5.1 GHz before, a modest gain.

On Geekbench 6, the score of 2,962 points in single-core and 12,508 in multi-core is solid, if not impressive. On Cinebench 2026, the HX 470 scores 4,177 points in multi-threads and 490 points in single-thread, with an MP ratio of 8.53x, a good multi-thread score that justifies the 12 cores/24 threads nature of the chip.

For slightly advanced office work, development, content creation, or even video encoding, the chip shows no limits. The HX 470 easily surpasses an Intel Core Ultra 9 285H on multi-thread tests, largely because Intel has dropped Hyper-Threading on its latest chips.

However, compared to an HX 370 in the same case, the differences are surprisingly modest. The HX 470 and HX 370 finish at comparable levels on most CPU loads, with the 470 sometimes taking a slight advantage in sustained multi-thread. For those who already own the previous version, the CPU upgrade alone is not a compelling argument.

GPU: The Big Disappointment of Single Channel

This is where the problem lies, and it needs to be clear. The Radeon 890M integrated into the HX 470 is exactly the same as the one in the HX 370. It has 16 RDNA 3.5 cores at 3.0 GHz, and it’s supposed to compete well with rival iGPUs for gaming at 1080p with moderate settings. However, in this 32 GB single-stick configuration, 3D performance plummets.

On 3DMark Time Spy Extreme, I score 1,132 points (986 graphics / 7,208 processor). On Fire Strike, it’s 5,131 points (5,535 graphics / 30,600 physical). For comparison, the old A9 Max under HX 370 with 2×16 GB in dual channel scored significantly higher on the same benchmarks: 9,327 points on Fire Strike. The difference is not explained by the chip; the GPU is the same, but by the memory bandwidth halved in single channel: the HX 470 falls below the HX 370 on the vast majority of graphic tests when fitted with just one bar.

Practically, switching to 2 x 16 GB or ideally 2 x 32 GB in dual channel restores the expected performance. Geekom justifies its choice by the desire to simplify upgrades (one bar to replace rather than two), and by the current context of soaring memory prices. The reasoning is defensible, but the end customer must know: as is, the A9 Max 2026 Edition is not the Full HD gaming machine it could have been.

In Geekbench 6 Vulkan, the score is still 43,449 points, which remains decent for GPU-accelerated content creation and generative AI.

SSD: A Fast and Steady Kingston

The 2 TB Kingston OM8TAP42048K1-A00 SSD built-in does good work. On CrystalDiskMark, I achieve 6,124 MB/s in sequential read and 5,493 MB/s in sequential write, slightly beyond the official speeds. The random performance is also satisfactory for a consumer drive.

During sustained write tests, the speed maintains around 3,900 MB/s, which is a more stable behavior than some competing SSDs that quickly drop off.

For daily tasks, the SSD will never be a bottleneck. And it’s possible to add a second unit in the free M.2 2230 slot, provided you can find a model in this specific format.

Local AI: The Real Generational Leap

This is where the HX 470 gains ground. AMD has significantly beefed up its XDNA 2 NPU, which now reaches 55 TOPS dedicated against 50 TOPS on the HX 370. By combining CPU, GPU, and NPU, AMD claims a total AI power of 86 TOPS. The machine is certified Copilot+ PC, and can thus run locally integrated AI functions in Windows 11 (real-time subtitles, Cocreator, Recall search, etc.).

On Procyon AI tests, the HX 470 performs twice as well as the HX 370 on NPU loads. It’s a significant leap, and the machine becomes an interesting option for anyone experimenting with local LLMs, Stable Diffusion inference, or assisted transcription tools. The 32 GB of RAM allows running 7B to 13B models without difficulty.

Office Work and Gaming

On PCMark 10, the score climbs to 8,590 points, the best score I’ve seen on a Geekom to date. Office work, content creation, and browsing are absolutely flawless. For demanding professional use, multiple video calls, dozens of tabs, heavy office suites, Lightroom photo editing, the machine shows no limits.

On the gaming side, however, the disappointment is clear as long as the machine is in single channel. Cyberpunk 2077 at 1080p Ultra hovers around 12 fps versus 25 fps on the same config in dual channel. Forza Horizon 5 is still playable at medium settings, but clearly, two bars are needed to comfortably exploit 1080p. Indie games, of course, remain comfortable regardless of memory settings.

Heat and Noise: An Excellent Compromise

This is another big success for this machine. With a sound meter placed one meter away, I measure 37.4 dB at full load, with a very muted, non-aggressive blower that blends into the ambient noise of a typical office. In office use, the mini-PC is almost inaudible. The IceBlast 2.0 cooling system inherited from the previous A9 Max does its job well.

Thermally, the case stays warm on the surface (around 33 °C maximum on top under sustained load). The processor peaks around 85 °C in extended stress tests, which is well below AMD’s 100 °C limit. Thermal management is thus controlled, with no throttling on normal loads.

A9 Max HX 370 vs A9 Max 2026 Edition: What Really Changes?

For those wondering whether upgrading to this new edition is worth it, here’s a side-by-side comparison of the two versions.

In summary, the HX 470 brings a more powerful NPU for AI, Wi-Fi 7, and a three-year warranty. In return, the single-channel memory configuration handicaps the graphics part until a second bar is added. Thus, the generational leap is less obvious than it appears on paper.

Price and Availability

The Geekom A9 Max 2026 Edition is marketed at an official price of 1,699 euros at Geekom and on Amazon. This high price is justified by the combination of the latest AMD processor, 32 GB of RAM, a 2 TB SSD, and a 3-year warranty.

At this full price, the machine struggles to justify itself against cheaper alternatives that perform equally well on most uses, starting with the old A9 Max HX 370 or the Minisforum AI X1 Pro.

Fortunately, Geekom is currently offering a promo code that changes the game: FRADA9M8 offers an 18% discount on the official site and on Amazon.

The discount brings the price around 1,400 euros, making the investment much more defensible. At this price, the machine becomes a serious contender against competing mini PCs, provided you plan to purchase a second RAM bar to unlock the GPU potential.

You can find our buying guide for the best mini PCs to help you make your choice.