GEEKOM Air12 Lite, Review: good value office mini PC

Today we will see in our analysis or review the new mini PC GEEKOM Air12 Lite, a robust design computer designed for office use.

We will test this computer GEEKOM Air12 Lite, a device with rugged case that surprises with its 9-pin front connector. Inside as engine we find the Intel N100 (Alder Lake-N) processor manufactured in 10 nm. On its board we find by default a SODIMM of 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB SSD unit that we can expand with more capacity. The operating system installed is Windows 11, it is also compatible with Linux if we want to change it.

With our tests we will see the results it gives and how it is in this competitive sector.

GEEKOM Air12 Lite Mini-PC Details

Unboxing of GEEKOM Air12 Lite

The GEEKOM Air12 Lite mini computer arrives in a simple but well protected cardboard box. In the video we discuss its specifications and salient features.

Description of the GEEKOM Air12 Lite

The small GEEKOM Air12Lite has a sober and robust design due to the steel plate mounted on the bottom. On the front and in the rear area we have all the connection ports, highlighted by the 9-pin port cover that can be removed.

• Ports: 4x USB-A 3.2 G2 / 2x USB 2.0 / 1x HDMI 2.1 / 1x DP 1.4 / 1x Audio Jack / 1x 9 Pin.

Este puerto de 9 pines nos permite conectar un frontal para múltiples aplicaciones, desde este interface podemos resetear o encender a distancia el ordenador por ejemplo.

On the connector we have access to 5V, power button control, hard disk activity led, power button and LED power connector.

The removable bottom cover allows us to see inside. Inside we find a 256 GB M.2 2280 SATA disk installed in a PCle 3.0 ×4 slot that we can replace. It has DDR4 3200 MHz RAM memory of 8 GB expandable. As cooling we have a very quiet fan in the lower area.

System and performance

Environment and user experience

We start the GEEKOM Air12 Lite by pressing the side power button, the front LED of the power button lights up. Quickly, we get to the Windows 11 Pro 64 bit desktop that is activated when connected to the Internet. As we can see it has the drivers installed correctly and we update it without problems. The system moves properly on desktop, a valid computer to use office apps or multimedia content.

• OS: Windows 11 Pro 64bit / Linux optional.
• Software: No preinstalled apps / Antivirus check = OK.
• BIOS: ESC access / BIOS AMI text / WOL / Auto Power ON / Power ON RTC.
• Tutorials: Control with your Smartphone / Install Windows 11 / Migrate Windows to SSD

Network, Storage, RAM and Ports

In the connectivity section, the GEEKOM Air12 Lite has a Wifi 5 + Bluetooth 5.1 wireless adapter with very good speed and a Gigabit Ethernet port. The SSD is a SATA 3 2280, this limits its performance, but we can replace it with a NVMe. The RAM is DDR4 SODIMM and is 8 GB of RAM 3200 MHz with Single Channel configuration.

• Wifi: Range 42 dBm / Link 5G 680 Mbps / Bluetooth OK.

Processor, performance and thermals

As the engine inside the GEEKOM Air12 Lite we have the popular Intel N100 (Alder Lake-N) chip manufactured in 10 nm (Intel 7) that has four cores and four threads that moves up to 3.2 GHz. In the graphics section, we have an Intel UHD Graphics GPU up to 750 MHz with 24 EU (the N95 has 16 EU). This processor has a power consumption of only 6 W TDP. This computer has an adequate performance for desktop and office, suitable for use with KODI or IPTV and applications up to a certain level.

GEEKOM Air12 Lite Benchmarks

We passed multiple performance tests with the GEEKOM Air12 Lite, as we can see from the data it is in line with these Intel N100 type processors manufactured in 10 nm. The installed Intel UHD Graphics GPU, as we can see, is limited for running simple games.

We squeezed the GEEKOM Air 12 Lite mini PC and found that it offers good thermal performance, the system keeps temperatures under control with its very quiet fan. At idle it is inaudible and in games it is audible, but not much more noise.

• Consumption: Off 0.9W / Sleep 8W / Usage 13W / Max 20W.
• Thermal: 40ºC – 71ºC Max / 68ºC Games / CPU 2.3 GHz Max / Performance up to 100%.
• Noise: 36 dBA Max / Variable RPM / Active.

Gaming

We tested the performance in games with the GEEKOM Air12 Lite, the results are the usual for this type of GPU integrated into low-power Intel. As we see Intel UHD Graphics GPU with 24 EU is suitable for games in 1080p or 720p quality, it is not suitable for heavy games with a lot of 3D.

• Setting: Medium quality / 1080p resolution / No VSync / Play emulators with RetroArch.
• On models with integrated Intel HD GPU on low and 720p resolution.

With this mini PC we can play titles like LoL with a pretty good frame rate, in more demanding games like Fornite we do not have a good experience. As for emulators at most we stay in some simple Wii, PS2 and similar titles, we can not with heavy 3D emulators.

Video and audio test

Playback test

In the video and audio section, the GEEKOM Air12 Lite mini PC has an integrated Intel UHD Graphics GPU with VPU support for current codecs such as AV1. There is also support for HDR10 and multi-channel audio up to 7.1. This PC is valid as a multimedia system to use KODI, IPTV or to use it with PLEX.

• Video: 1x HDMI 2.0 / 1x DP 1.4 / HDR10.
• Audio: HDMI up to 7.1 Jack stereo / Dolby DTS.
• Tutorials: Install KODI with add-ons / Auto refresh rate / Multichannel audio on Windows

Video and audio tests

• Bitrate max: 350 Mbps.
• HW = With Hardware acceleration / SW = No Hardware acceleration.

• Formats: Native = Full support / Core = 5.1 only / PCM = Stereo / More info.

Streaming services

We used this GEEKOM Air12 Lite to pass several tests with the most popular streaming services, the results are positive in general. You can check our guides where we explain in detail all the most popular streaming services, in it we explain how to get FullHD quality or up to 4K@60 resolutions.

• Performance: Has hardware acceleration for AV1 4K codec on Youtube.
• Tutorial: Install Addons in KODI in a simple way / LibreELEC for PC

Conclusions and purchase links for GEEKOM Air12 Lite

Opinion about the GEEKOM Air12 Lite

This new GEEKOM Air12 Lite is a mini PC sufficient for desktop, simple apps and multimedia, which has a front 9-pin connector for multiple uses. The Intel N100 processor offers excellent performance with very low power consumption. It also features a silent fan, so when it is running this mini PC is almost inaudible.

The GEEKOM Air12 Lite mini PC has as storage a 256 GB SATA SSD that is possible to change to NVMe. We have 8 GB of RAM DDR SODIMM expandable, a fairly basic configuration that if we want we can expand. Its size is very small, but the structure is robust thanks to its design and materials. We can also hang it behind the monitor with its VESA bracket.

The small GEEKOM Air12 Lite is a rugged and economical mini PC, suitable for home or industrial use. The 9-pin connector allows multiple uses.

Evaluation

Where to buy