Geekom IT15 review: Tiny mini PC, mighty Intel Core Ultra 9 inside

Best Prices Today: Geekom IT15

The compact housing of the Geekom IT15 conceals the 2nd-generation Intel Core Ultra 9 285H. According to the manufacturer, it offers enough power for everyday tasks and it supports the AI functions of Windows 11.

With its multitude of connections and the ability to operate up to four monitors simultaneously, the IT15 presents itself as an interesting alternative to classic desktop PCs, which are becoming less and less relevant outside the gaming world.

We’re particularly interested to see how the Geekom IT15 with Intel CPU compares to the Geekom A9 Max with AMD hardware, which we’ve tested before.

Geekom IT15: Specifications

• Dimensions: 117 × 112 × 45.5 mm without rubber feet, 117 × 112 × 49.2 mm with rubber feet (each W × D × H)
• Weight: 1.32 lbs
• CPU: Intel Core Ultra 9 processor 285H, maximum operating power 45 watts
• Graphics processor (GPU): Intel Arc 140T GPU for 9 285H
• Memory: Dual-channel DDR5-5600 SODIMM, up to 128 GB
• Internal storage: 1 × M.2 2280 NVMe PCIe Gen4 x4 SSD, pre-installed Crucial P3 Plus CT2000P3PSSD8 2 TB
• Expandable: 1 × M.2 2242 SATA III SSD slot, 1 × 2.5″ SATA HDD slot (up to 2 TB each)
• Ports: 1 × USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, 1 × USB 2.0 Type-A (rear), 1 × USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A with S5 power supply, 1 × USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A (front), 2 × USB 4.0, one with PD input (rear), 1 × 3.5 mm stereo headphone jack (front), 2 × HDMI 2.0, SD card reader 4.0
• Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.4, Wi-Fi 7, 1 × 2.5G RJ45
• Extras: Kensington lock, VESA mount
• Operating system: Microsoft Windows 11 24H2 (64-bit), pre-installed
• Warranty: 3 years

Overall, the Geekom IT15 is a compact, efficient, and powerful mini PC ideal for productive and professional users.

Geekom IT15: Design

Geekom packs the hardware in a black case that’s less stylish than the A9 Max’s gray metal case. The IT15’s metal base and lid are built to withstand up to 200 kilograms, providing solid protection for the components inside.

Measuring 117×112×45.5 millimeters (A9 Max: 132 × 46.9 mm), the mini PC fits easily on any desk and can also be mounted to the back of a monitor or a wall using a VESA bracket.

As is typical for mini PCs, the ports are located on both the front and back. No matter how the computer is positioned on the desk, the side with the power button is considered the front.

Geekom hasn’t been stingy with connectivity: there are six USB ports in total, ranging from USB 2.0 and USB 3.2 Gen 2 to USB 4.0 Type-C. This allows external drives and peripherals to connect at high speeds—up to a theoretical 40 Gbps.

There are two USB 4 ports and two HDMI 2.0 ports for up to four 4K monitors. However, there’s no DisplayPort.

Other components include 2.5 Gbps Ethernet, Wi-Fi 7 (Intel BE200), Bluetooth 5.4, and a fully-fledged SD card reader. The mini PC can be secured against theft with a Kensington lock.

Geekom IT15: Equipment

The centerpiece of the Geekom IT15 is the Intel Core 9 285H. Alternatively, the IT15 is available with an Intel Ultra 5-225H processor and 32 GB of RAM, though that model comes with only a 1 TB SSD.

The Intel Core Ultra 9 285H is a modern high-performance processor from Intel’s current “Arrow Lake H” series, which was developed for high-performance laptops.

It combines six performance cores, eight efficiency cores, and two additional low-power efficiency cores, resulting in a total of 16 cores and 16 threads. With a maximum boost clock of up to 5.4 GHz and a 24 MB smart cache, the chip provides a strong foundation for demanding applications.

Its typical power consumption is around 45 watts, but can rise to up to 115 watts in turbo mode — good cooling is important. Geekom relies on its own “IceBlast 2.0” cooling system with a large heat sink, two heat pipes, and quiet fans.

The Intel Arc 140T is the integrated GPU of the Intel Core Ultra 9 285H and is based on the Xe architecture with eight Xe cores and ray tracing support. It offers strong performance for a CPU graphics and is well suited for everyday use, multimedia, content creation, and light gaming. Its strengths lie in its high efficiency, modern technology, and good integration into the CPU system. For complex games or professional 3D workloads, however, it doesn’t match the power as a dedicated graphics card.

The processor has 32 GB of DDR5 RAM (5,600 MT/s) at its disposal, divided into two 16 GB modules. This is fine in functional terms, but makes it difficult to upgrade to 64 GB at a later date, as both modules would have to be replaced. With a single 32 GB module, expansion would be much easier and cheaper. However, you wouldn’t benefit from the faster dual-channel mode with one module.

The 2 TB NVMe SSD in our IT15 is a Crucial P3 Plus (model CT2000P3PSSD8). It’s possible that other IT15 units may come with SSDs from different manufacturers.

There are two options for additional internal storage: A slot for an M.2 2242 and a slot for a 2.5-inch SSD–each with a capacity of up to 2 TB. This gives users much more flexibility than the A9 Max with its M.2 2230 slot.

Geekom IT15: Windows

In our test setup, a 27-inch Dell monitor is connected to the IT15, along with a wired Cherry keyboard and a Microsoft mouse using a dongle. The mini PC connects to the network via Ethernet through a 2.5 Gbps BrosTrend 8X switch.

The Geekom IT15 comes with a hardware-bound license for Windows 11 24H2. After booting the mini PC for the first time, the Windows installation begins and is completed within a few minutes. Updates install during setup, but Windows offers more updates later. And then a strange problem appears.

The Windows 11 25H2 update offered by Windows fails with an error message. During the alternative in-place upgrade using an ISO file, the Keep personal files and apps option is grayed out. The issue appears to stem from incorrect language settings in the pre-installed Windows.

We therefore selected Keep only personal files, which isn’t a problem on a fresh Windows installation. Another solution is the in-place upgrade with an English setup ISO. The installation then runs in German and the new Windows 25H2 starts with a German-language interface.

In addition to Windows’ built-in updates and provided drivers, the dedicated Intel drivers should also be installed. The easiest way to do this is with the free Intel Driver and Support Assistant, which installs the latest drivers for Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Arc Graphics, and the NPU.

We won’t go any further into Windows itself, but we can see in many places that the AI features of the operating system are supported and activated.

Geekom IT15: Performance

We used the PCMark 10 benchmark test to measure desktop performance. This software gives us realistic values by running everyday tasks. With a score of 8,341, the Geekom IT15 with its Intel Core 9 285H ranks in the top third. The Geekom A9 Max we tested with the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 scored 7,976 points–that’s only four percent less.

This shows how the Intel Core 9 285H performs in comparison to Qualcomm and AMD CPUs.

The gaming graphics performance of the Geekom IT15 was measured by 3DMark Steel Nomad Light, where it scored 3,393 points (Geekom A9 Max: 3,279 points) — a good result that’s slightly above average. The Time Spy benchmark delivered 4,244 points. That’s significantly higher than the A9 Max with its AMD processor, which scored 3,701 points.

With a TimeSpy score of 4,244, the IT15 achieved strong CPU performance for a mini PC as well as decent iGPU performance for light gaming applications.

The M.2 NVMe SSD installed in the IT15 comes from Crucial. The P3 Plus CT2000P3PSSD8 model, with 2 TB capacity, delivers read speeds of 5,029 MB/s and write speeds of 4,658 MB/s in the CrystalDiskMark. These are decent values, though the A9 Max with its Lexar SSD performs even better, reaching 6,242 MB/s read and 5,423 MB/s write.

And what about the AI performance of the system? We ran the Geekbench AI test to find out:

• Single Precision Score: 4,350
• Half Precision Score: 1,790
• Quantized score: 8.005

These are typical results for a mid-range system or a system that’s not primarily designed for heavy AI workloads.

Compared to the A9 Max (2837/1342/6,496), the IT15 scores with better AI performance and is therefore pretty much on par with an Intel Core Ultra or similar laptop SoCs with an integrated NPU.

In combination with its GPU, the processor is suitable for games that benefit from its high single-core performance. At the same time, the large number of cores enables strong multi-core performance. This is perfect for video editing, 3D rendering, photo editing, or music production.

Thanks to its efficient hybrid architecture, the Intel processor handles multitasking, office apps, and browsing smoothly.

Geekom IT15: Conclusion

The Geekom IT15 impresses in the test with strong performance from Intel, modern AI support, and extensive features. The Intel Core Ultra 9 285H offers plenty of power for work, multimedia, and light creative applications, while the integrated Arc 140T GPU delivers solid graphics performance.

With Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, USB 4, and support for up to four 4K monitors, the mini PC is versatile and future-proof. Criticisms include the lack of Thunderbolt 4, the loud fan under load, and limited RAM upgrade options. Overall, the IT15 is a compact, efficient, and powerful mini PC ideal for productive and professional users.