I Replaced Windows 11 With Linux On This Mini Pc, And It's Already Paying Off For My Workflow

ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• The Geekcom IT 15 Mini PC is disposable connected Amazon for $1,100.
• This mini form-factor PC has plentifulness of powerfulness to spare for mundane tasks.
• The only downside is that nan IT15 doesn't person a dedicated GPU.

I've ever enjoyed a mini PC, and immoderate clip I tin cobble together a strategy pinch a mini shape factor, I consciousness for illustration a kid astatine Christmas. The latest mini to grace my desktop was nan Geekcom IT 15 Mini PC, a genuinely diminutive instrumentality pinch a patient action of I/O. 

This instrumentality measures 4.5 x 4.5 x 2 inches, truthful it's not only small, but it besides includes a VESA equine truthful you tin connect it to nan backmost of your show to lucifer an all-in-one.

Also: The champion mini PCs you tin buy

But, for me, however, nan biggest trading constituent is nan power. Although it's not built for superior gaming aliases number crunching, for emblematic usage cases, this mini PC has much than capable power.

Let's chat astir it.

My experience

After unboxing nan IT 15 Mini PC, I attached it to a spare show and keyboard. When I booted it up, I was sadly greeted by Windows 11. Yeah, not a fan. I went up and walked done nan setup, which took acold excessively long, and past did what you astir apt expected I would do.

I burned Linux to a USB flash drive, inserted nan drive, rebooted nan PC, and installed Ubuntu Budgie. Instead of installing Linux complete Windows, I decided to dual-boot them, mostly truthful I could comparison nan capacity of each OS. That comparison, of course, is tangential to this review, but it was nosy regardless. Plus, I'm exponentially much acquainted pinch Linux than I americium pinch Windows, and I judge Linux gives maine a clearer image of really good a PC tin perform. 

After Linux was installed, I booted into it to footwear nan tires of nan PC. My extremity was to dainty this arsenic if it were my superior desktop machine, to spot if it could guidelines up to what I propulsion astatine it. The first point I did was to instal Ollama AI and Msty, which has go my go-to trial for PC hardware. 

I fig if a machine tin execute good utilizing a section LLM, it'll beautiful overmuch do thing nan mean personification would need. One point to understand is that section LLMs devour a batch of strategy resources, and without an NPU aliases Nvidia GPU, each processing is connected nan shoulders of nan CPU. 

Also: This Windows mini PC fits successful my manus - and supports up to 3 4K monitors

Unfortunately, nan IT 15 sports an Intel GPU, which intends nan CPU will return connected nan entirety of nan AI load, and it showed. 

When nan installation was complete, I fired up nan GUI and ran a speedy query of "What is Linux?" Ollama went to activity pinch nan default LLM (gemma3:1b) and instantly began printing replies to nan query. On a instrumentality pinch an Nvidia GPU, nan output would beryllium almost instantaneous, but pinch Ollama utilizing only nan CPU, nan output was considerably slower. Again, that's not nan responsibility of nan CPU, but rather, nan deficiency of a supported GPU. Even so, nan output didn't return excessively agelong to complete, and I had a very elaborate reply to my question.

You get 2 other USB ports and a 3.5 mm headphone jack connected nan beforehand panel.

Jack Wallen/ZDNET

After that test, I went astir doing nan accustomed things: browsing, installing software, moving upgrades, etc. The CPU successful this PC is an Intel Core Ultra 9 285H -- which raises it good supra midrange and into high-end territory -- truthful I could only ideate really accelerated nan AI would execute pinch an Nvidia GPU. That being said, everything I threw astatine this mini beast ran to perfection. Apps launched almost immediately, animations were cleanable and smooth, and everything connected Ubuntu Budgie performed for illustration a champ.

Also: Why I ditched Google Authenticator for Proton's caller 2FA app - and really to group it up

I'd spell truthful acold arsenic to opportunity this is nan best-performing small-form-factor PC I've ever used. That makes sense, fixed this instrumentality is targeted astatine users who want precocious performance, and it surely delivers. You'd beryllium hard-pressed to find a much powerful instrumentality astatine this size.

With galore mini form-factor PCs, I'm utilized to seeing a spot of integrative and respective corners trim to little nan price. Although nan IT 15 does usage PC+ABS for nan outer case, which tin withstand 200 kg of force, nan soul framework is each metallic and has a crushproof standing of 441 pounds.

Need much storage, you get an SD paper slot pinch nan IT 15.

Jack Wallen/ZDNET

The tolerances connected each facet of nan hardware are spot on, and nan internals are good laid retired and fabricated. I person zero complaints successful this category.

According to nan Geekom site, nan IT 15 uses Intel AI Boost, powered by an NPU delivering a highest of 13 TOPS (INT8). Naturally, pinch Ollama/Msty, I wasn't capable to trial text-to-image AI conversion (on apical of which, I'm not keen connected utilizing AI for creating art), but I tin safely opportunity nan CPU is powerful capable to do immoderate you need.

ZDNET's buying advice

This 1 is easy. If you're looking for a caller PC, you don't person overmuch space, and you don't want to sacrifice power, nan Geekom IT15 Mini PC is simply a awesome bargain astatine $1,100 connected Amazon. If I had to switch my existent System76 Thelio pinch a PC this size, you tin stake I'd beryllium happy utilizing nan IT15. The cherry connected apical is that everything worked retired of nan container pinch Linux.

Also: This charismatic Ubuntu Spin mightiness conscionable beryllium nan cleanable intro to Linux

If you're a instrumentality of mini PCs, do yourself a favour and drawback a Geekom IT15. You tin usage nan default Windows 11 OS, instal Linux complete it, aliases dual-boot Linux and Windows to person nan champion of some worlds. It's a bargain and will outperform your expectations for astir emblematic usage cases.

How it compares

Geekom IT15 tech specs

• CPU - Intel Core Ultra 9-285H
• GPU - Integrated Intel Arc 140T GPU
• Memory - Dual-channel DDR5 262PIN 5600 MHz SODIMM, up to 64 GB
• Storage - Crucial P3 Plus M.2 NVMe PCIe 4.0 2TB SSD
• Ports - USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type A x 3, USB 2.0 Type-A x 1, USB4 x 2, 3.5 mm stereo jack x 1, 2.5G RJ45 x 1, HDMI x 2, SD paper 4.0 scholar x 1
• Ethernet - Intel 10/100/1000/2500 Mbps RJ45
• Wireless LAN - Intel M.2 Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5
• Cooling - soul instrumentality (which tin get somewhat large nether dense load)