GEEKOM A5 mini-PC Review: Affordable Cezanne Zen 3 at 35W
by Ganesh T S on December 8, 2023 9:15 AM ESTSetup Notes and Platform Analysis
Our review sample of the GEEKOM A5 came with all necessary components pre-installed - including the OS. Prior to setting up the OS on first boot, we took some time to look into the BIOS interface. Unlike the GUI-based UEFI interface offered by tier-one vendors, the BIOS here is a vanilla one with keyboard-only navigation. There are plenty of configurable options, and the video below presents an overview of the features.
The GEEKOM A5 is one of the first UCFF systems to expose overclocking features in the BIOS, albeit behind a bunch of warning screens. The thermal solution is limited by the form-factor. This makes the BIOS feature more of a novelty rather than something really useful. A lot of the other options seem to be OEM control knobs that have been inadvertently left enabled in the shipping BIOS.
One of the drawbacks of using a 2021 processor is the absence of support for the latest high-speed I/Os such as USB4. However, that has not prevented GEEKOM from packing the A5 with relatively high-end connectivity features for a sub-$400 system. The PCIe lane allocations from the Cezanne SoC are detailed below.
- PCIe 3.0 x1 port #2: In Use @ x1 (O2Micro Integrated MMC/SD Controller)
- PCIe 3.0 x1 port #4: In Use @ x1 (Realtek RTL8125 Gaming 2.5GbE Family Ethernet Controller)
- PCIe 3.0 x1 port #5: In Use @ x1 (Realtek RTL8852BE Wireless LAN WiFi 6 PCIe Network Adapter)
- PCIe 3.0 x4 port #1: In Use @ x4 (Maxio MAP1202 NVMe SSD Controller)
The set of USB ports and internal SATA ports are all direct from the Cezanne SoC.
In today's review, we compare the GEEKOM A5 and a host of other systems based on processors with TDPs ranging from 28W to 65W. The systems do not target the same market segments, but a few key aspects lie in common, making the comparisons relevant.
| Comparative PC Configurations | ||
| Aspect | GEEKOM A5 | |
| CPU | AMD Ryzen 7 5800H Zen 3 (Cezanne) 8C/16T, 3.2 - 4.4 GHz TSMC 7nm, 16MB L3, 45W Max / Target TDP : 45W / 35W |
AMD Ryzen 7 5800H Zen 3 (Cezanne) 8C/16T, 3.2 - 4.4 GHz TSMC 7nm, 16MB L3, 45W Max / Target TDP : 45W / 35W |
| GPU | AMD Radeon Graphics (Renoir) - Integrated (RX Vega 8) (8 CUs @ 2.4 GHz) |
AMD Radeon Graphics (Renoir) - Integrated (RX Vega 8) (8 CUs @ 2.4 GHz) |
| RAM | Shenzhen Wodposit Tech. WPBH32D408SWM-16G DDR4-3200 SODIMM 22-22-22-52 @ 3200 MHz 2x16 GB |
Shenzhen Wodposit Tech. WPBH32D408SWM-16G DDR4-3200 SODIMM 22-22-22-52 @ 3200 MHz 2x16 GB |
| Storage | Lexar NM620 (512 GB; M.2 2280 PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe;) (SK hynix 176L 3D TLC; Maxio MAP1202A-F1C Controller) |
Lexar NM620 (512 GB; M.2 2280 PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe;) (SK hynix 176L 3D TLC; Maxio MAP1202A-F1C Controller) |
| Wi-Fi | 1x 2.5 GbE RJ-45 (Realtek RTL8125) Realtek 8852BE Wi-Fi 6 (2x2 802.11ax - 1.8 Gbps) / Bluetooth 5.2 |
1x 2.5 GbE RJ-45 (Realtek RTL8125) Realtek 8852BE Wi-Fi 6 (2x2 802.11ax - 1.8 Gbps) / Bluetooth 5.2 |
| Price (in USD, when built) | (Street Pricing on Dec 7th, 2023) US $399 (as configured, with OS) |
(Street Pricing on Dec 7th, 2023) US $399 (as configured, with OS) |
The next few sections will deal with comparative benchmarks for the above systems.
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t.s - Friday, December 15, 2023 - link
Yes. Inferior, yet pricier than AMD counterpart.sjkpublic@gmail.com - Saturday, December 9, 2023 - link
All I see here is outdated hardware. Gen3 and not Gen4 or better. No USB 4. Etc. Great unit if you are placing it in a Mall display.FWhitTrampoline - Sunday, December 10, 2023 - link
An ASRock X300 Desk Mini with an STX/AM4 MB and Ryzen 5700G can be had for a little over $320 and the X300 Desk Mini comes with 2, M.2 x4 PCIe link slots and space for 2 SATA internal SSDs. And one of the M.2 slots can be fitted with an M.2 to OCuLink adapter and there's plenty of Knockouts on the X300 Desk Mini's case to rout the OCuLink cable out of the case easily sans any need to open the case afterwards. So with Knockouts on the case for an optional OEM 2 USB port kit or other knockout some OCuLink port could be retrofitted is one gets creative!Reflex - Monday, December 11, 2023 - link
As an owner of a MiniITX board with a 5700G I regret to inform you that external PCIe lanes only run at x3 with that CPU, even for storage. So while on paper that X300 looks better than this mini box, in practice it's got the same limitation. The 5700G is overall not quite as powerful as this mini box at equivalent wattages, although thanks to being an ITX sysem I run mine at 65W which likely outperforms this box substantially.FWhitTrampoline - Tuesday, December 12, 2023 - link
The M.2 PCIe Lanes on processor side of the Board is listed as PCIe 3.0 X4 lanes while the M.2 on back side of the MB limited to what's listed so not according to ASrock's specifications page for the X300 Desk Mini:- 2 x SATA 6Gb 2.5-inch 7mm/9.5mm Hard Drive (RAID 0/1)
- 1 x Ultra M.2 (2280) PCIe Gen3 x4 SSD Slot
- 1 x Ultra M.2 (2280) Slot
- PCIe Gen3 x4 (Renoir, Picasso and Raven Ridge APU)
- PCIe Gen3 x2 (Athlon 2xxGE series APU)
t.s - Friday, December 15, 2023 - link
And what Gen3 that not enough for you that you have to use Gen4? As for USB4, I agree. And you can get it if you buy mini-pc with ryzen 6800u/h or 7735H.Schugy - Sunday, December 10, 2023 - link
That non-USB-C PSU brick must be a joke.lmcd - Monday, December 11, 2023 - link
Depending on your USB controller as part of the lone source of power is an anti-feature in my opinion. With laptops it's different because there's a battery, but USB-C desktop power is a "no thanks."meacupla - Monday, December 11, 2023 - link
It's a standard, and really cheap, 19V laptop power brick.Finding a cheap USB-C charger than can output >120W over a single port is a challenge, unfortunately. Most of them top out at 100W per port.
200W and 240W PD cables have been available for at least 6 months, but no such charger has shown up yet.
stephenbrooks - Monday, December 11, 2023 - link
The brick is nearly as large as the PC.