Ryzen AI 9 HX 370-powered GMKTec EVO X1 Mini PC Goes on Sale

[GGforever]

AMD's recently announced Strix Point APU lineup has received favorable reviews from critics and consumers alike. Especially for SFF/Mini PC enthusiasts, Strix Point brings commendable efficiency and performance to the table - both of which are absolutely essential for a high-end mini PC. The GMK EVO-X1 is surely among those, and the system is now available for purchase from GMKTec's official online store.

The EVO X1 sports a 110.19 x 107.3 x 63.2 mm chassis, which is decently compact for its class. As mentioned previously, the system is powered by the 12-core (4x Zen 5 + 8x Zen 5c) Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 APU with the shockingly potent RDNA 3.5-based Radeon 890M iGPU with 16 CUs. For most CPU-centric workloads, the EVO X1 should easily suffice. The iGPU, as mentioned, is potent enough to handle most graphically demanding tasks, including some lightweight gaming, but expecting anything more from it would be futile. Thankfully, an OCuLink port is present, which should allow for extremely fast eGPU connections courtesy of its 64 Gbps bandwidth.




The system comes with 32 GB of LPDDR5X-7500 memory, which unfortunately, is not user-upgradeable. Storage requirements, on the other hand, are taken care of by dual M.2 2280 slots which are user-accessible, of course, and can accommodate up to a maximum of 8 TB. Connectivity is decent, with the system featuring a healthy spread of USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports, USB4, HDMI, DP 2.1, and an audio jack. The absence of Ethernet is certainly a major bummer, though. But at least, the system does look well-equipped from nearly every other angle. As for pricing, the EVO X1 is currently available for $949.99 for the 32 GB + 1 TB variant. Expensive? Sure, but that's just what we have come to expect from Strix Point.

View at TechPowerUp Main Site | Source

 

[Wirko]

One of the illustrations suggests there's a third M.2 2242 slot for a SATA SSD. The spec list doesn't mention that but lists "Intel 1226V" (literally) in networking section. They don't know exactly what they are selling.

 

[Timbaloo]

Strix Point is the ultimate let down for someone like me that is (was?) looking to replace the big desktop with a mini PC. The performance gains are small, the price "gain" is massive. Strix Halo will be even more expensive, but there we at least can hope for a more substantial performance boost...

The times were AMD had good offers bang for buck are long over (unless you buy last gen in this particular case).

 

[AcE]

This OCuLink port is really a godsend. Generally this little machine is relatively strong with a GPU of 16 CUs (1024 shaders) and very fast RAM.

 

[bonehead123]

No ethernet, limited storage size, & no ram upgrade is an Auto NO-BUY IMHO, especially at that price, what a dick move

 

[Timbaloo]

No ethernet, limited storage size, & no ram upgrade is an Auto NO-BUY IMHO, especially at that price, what a dick move

Ethernet in fact is not listed, but this shot imho shows 2x Ethernet:

https://img.fantaskycdn.com/fa2fffd422be946025c16ca5fc8a6e5a_1080x.jpg

@Wirko is right, they have no what they're selling LOL

While non-upgradable RAM sounds bad, I believe it's somehow understandable since LPDDR5X is needed to get the GPU remotely non-bandwidth limited. That's a downside I'd accept, but it seems it's also used to keep the price point up, which is bad.

 

[Wirko]

no ram upgrade

PEOPLE CAN SOLDER THESE DAYS! You mean you can't?

But seriously, demand for RAM is going up slowly. Those who buy this box and find 32GB to be enough now will probably be happy for the next few years. **unless** everyone's soon going to need 64GB AI models to answer all the possible questions of this world in advance, etc.

Also, at least the SSD is swappable. So if you're a little short on RAM and paging destroys your SSD in a couple years, you can stick a new one in.

limited storage size

Really, that's weird. Would an 8 TB SSD refuse to work with this processor/mobo ... or do they just think no one will add a $€700 SSD to a $€900 PC?

Ethernet in fact is not listed, but this shot imho shows 2x Ethernet

The so-called Intel 1226V can feed only one 2.5G Ethernet port. Do AMD non-socketed Ryzens also have an Ethernet controller built in? The connections diagram in TPU's database shows one PCIe/LAN lane, which may be just that.

 

[Timbaloo]

The so-called Intel 1226V can feed only one 2.5G Ethernet port. Do AMD non-socketed Ryzens also have an Ethernet controller built in? The connections diagram in TPU's database shows one PCIe/LAN lane, which may be just that.

Pretty much most AMD mini PCs these days have at least 1x2.5GBit/s (in fact most have 2x2.5GBit/s, which I find weird) ethernet, so tbh I never thought about where they're coming from.
The fact that this company can't even write down what the device can/believes/identifies do is a big "hell no".

 

[Cheeseball]

No ethernet, limited storage size, & no ram upgrade is an Auto NO-BUY IMHO, especially at that price, what a dick move

Not sure why all current Strix Point implementations are only using embedded LPDDR5X, but my guess is that they (either AMD or the OEM) don't want to show off the new APUs with low performance. LPDDR5X-6400+ is a boon for the iGPUs.

LPCAMM2 can't come sooner enough.

 

[igormp]

Not sure why all current Strix Point implementations are only using embedded LPDDR5X, but my guess is that they (either AMD or the OEM) don't want to show off the new APUs with low performance. LPDDR5X-6400+ is a boon for the iGPUs.

LPCAMM2 can't come sooner enough.

AFAIK Strix Point's IMC only supports LPDDR5, not regular DDR5.

 

[Cheeseball]

AFAIK Strix Point's IMC only supports LPDDR5, not regular DDR5.

It's confusing because the specs for the AI 365 and HX 370 on their site says its supports both DDR5 & LPDDR5X, but we haven't seen any laptops or mini-PCs with them that use SO-DIMMs yet.