From: Evan Leibovitch via Talk <talk@lists.gtalug.org>
Thanks for the field notes on your mini PC.
To: GTALUG Talk <talk@lists.gtalug.org> Cc: D. Hugh Redelmeier <hugh@mimosa.com>, Evan Leibovitch <evanleibovitch@gmail.com> Date: Sun, 28 Sep 2025 17:52:19 -0400 Subject: [GTALUG] Re: Evan's amazing mini PC
On Sun, Sep 28, 2025 at 12:24 PM D. Hugh Redelmeier via Talk < talk@lists.gtalug.org> wrote:
I think Evan's GMKtec EVO-X2 is very interesting.
It remains interesting. Thanks for the comparisons.
I must admit to not keeping abreast of what else is using the architecture.
It's kind of sad that so few mainstream labels have issued models with this APU / SoC. Perhaps it takes more engineering than they want to invest for a niche product. Perhaps they think that the time of this processor at the top of the hill is limited.
I was also eyeing the Framework PC, but at the time PCs coming from the US were subject to retaliatory tariffs.
I'm annoyed that don't get a discount on China produced units corresponding to the US tariff that we don't have to pay.
So getting the PC shipped directly from GMKtec in China was an easy decision. Plus the Framework, configured identically to what I had, was $500 more IIRC.
Yeah.
I am generally happy with the GMKtek system. My one concern, cooling issues, has not been a problem yet.
Cooling must be a place where careful engineering is required for this processor.
For connectors I wish there had been a second HDMI or Displayport rather than just one of each, but that's a very minor niggle.
DisplayPort+ to HDMI is kind of easy. You do need to get a dongle that is "active" so that it can handle the bandwidth of 4k @ 60 Hz. Most cheap dongles don't bother to say that they are limited to 4k @ 30 Hz. If you want HDR or more that 8 bits/pixel/colour, you need higher bandwidth and I don't know how to discover appropriate dongles. I don't know anything about HDMI to DP. In the abstract, I think DP is better than HDMI, but we don't live in an abstract world. DP always seems a bit ahead of HDMI in resolution but HDMI dominates in the consumer space, which really matters. USB C 3.x video is formally DisplayPort over USB but I don't know if that has any implications. All my USB C to video cables are for HDMI (they all came with other hardware).
I am a little disappointed that AMD has been slower in releasing ROCm V7 for this architecture, as support was not provided in its first release. One would think that this would be one of the primary targets, but I guess the high end consumer GPUs sell in greater volumes. We have been promised support Real Soon Now. If I really wanted to tinker I could get it now but I'll wait for the official process.
I think that desktop AI is dominated by Windows. Seems unfortunate. AMD has been terribly slow with lots of things Linux. For 15 years.
What I had thought would be the real competition to this was the Nvidia DGX Spark, which was announced in early 2025 <https://www.theverge.com/2025/1/6/24337530/nvidia-ces-digits-super-computer-ai> (originally named Project Digits. Not only is there nothing to be released in sight, but the price for those who pre-ordered has jumped by $1000 to now double the price of the EVO-X2. I wonder if it'll be worth the wait.
Interesting. It is possible that it will be twice as good. I say that without *any* knowledge. I'm not an Nvidia fan but they kind of own the AI field.