The Geekom A9 Max is a premium mini PC intended to compete with Apple’s Mac mini. The M4 Mac mini is almost two years old, but I’m mentioning it here for a reason: it’s a compact powerhouse that has stood the test of time, with a mix of size, efficiency, and performance that is hard for Windows mini PCs, even ones pumped out in 2026, to beat. Unfortunately, the Geekom A9 Max doesn’t quite measure up. The 2026 Geekom A9 Max that I reviewed features a Ryzen AI 9 HX 470 CPU, which is not terrible but is certainly pricey for the performance it offers. Inconsistent graphics output, in particular, makes it difficult to justify its $2,299 MSRP. There certainly are reasons to consider the A9 Max over the M4 Mac mini, depending on your needs. But a simple price-to-performance calculation, as well as underwhelming comparisons to last year’s Ryzen AI 300 configuration (which, by the way, Geekom is always discounting these days), lay bare the mini PC’s noteworthy flaws.
3.5 Geekom A9 Max (2026) Uneven performance, but decent value if Windows is a requirement. Pros Great general and video encoding performance Plenty of ports Lightweight and easy to mount Base configuration is often on sale Cons Inconsistent graphic output Ryzen AI 400 isn’t worth the price hike A lightweight machine The power button is on the front, unlike the one bottom-facing one on the M4 Mac mini. © Raymond Wong / Gizmodo Comparisons between the A9 Max and the M4 Mac mini are unavoidable. Both PCs have a silver rectangular chassis. The Mac mini is 5 x 5 x 2 inches and weighs just 1.5 pounds; the Geekom A9 Max is slightly larger (5.3 x 5.2 x 1.8 inches) and weighs 1.8 pounds. Realistically, the two take up about the same desk space, and if you plan to bolt your mini PC to a monitor or carry it to the office every now and then, the weight difference will not be noticeable.
