Mini PC with the new Ryzen 7 for gaming in Full HD: Aoostar Gem12 Pro in the test

Aoostar is the namesake successor of T-Bao – the inscription “Designed by Tianbei” should be explained accordingly, the company to which T-Bao (Tianbao) also belonged. From our experience, this is the epitome of a good mini PC. The manufacturer continues this tradition and offers the Aoostar Gem12 Pro, a mini PC equipped with a powerful Ryzen 7 8845HS, 32 GB of main memory (RAM) and 512 GB and a very fast M.2 SSD. You can play on this system just as you can on comparable solutions from Awow, GMKtec or Minisforum. We show in the following test report how well it performs in practice.

Offers for Aoostar Gem12 Pro 570 Euros id=’action_msg_1379’> (code BGREUGEM12P) A remarkably good overall package that covers everything from home office to gaming. Its simple appearance means it fits well in a variety of scenarios. With its features, it is perfectly suited for running out of gaming PCs in the summer, otherwise the room will get unnecessarily hot.

In the Aoostar Gem12 Pro, AMD’s latest eight-core processor with 16 threads operates at a maximum of 5.1 GHz – the AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS. The fast eighth-generation APU uses the same Zen 4 architecture as the seventh generation, and is in fact technically identical to its predecessor, the Ryzen 7 7840HS, a classic refresh that we already know from some older Ryzen CPUs. But this does not make the situation worse, as will be shown in the performance section. Accordingly, the Ryzen APU relies again on the powerful iGPU Radeon 780M. The only new thing is the current version of the Ryzen AI Engine, which now runs at higher speeds and therefore has more power for AI tasks.

The main memory uses Crucial’s powerful 32 GB DDR5-5600 RAM in SODIMM form factor. The RAM can be replaced, a maximum kit size of 64 GB is supported. The integrated 512 GB M.2 SSD runs at the top level; in the Crystal Disk Mark test it reads at 5185 MB/s and writes at 4730 MB/s. On top of the removable WLAN card in M.2 form factor, another M.2 slot is free for an additional M.2 2280 SSD, although PCIe 4.0 is also supported here. A separate thermal pad for the additional SSD is also included here – very commendable.

The Aoostar Gem12 Pro is also impressive when it comes to connections, as it not only has two Ethernet ports (good for use as a firewall appliance) and USB-C 4.0, but also a USB-C port for power supply. A 120 Watt USB-C power supply is included, which is quite compact. The PC also has a current HDMI 2.1 port, enabling 4K at 120Hz, DisplayPort version 1.4 is available. The OcuLink port is also special for external graphics cards, although it is not hot-swappable. The manufacturer states that the motherboard may be damaged if the PC is not turned off before plugging/unplugging the graphics card.

Fortunately, the mini PC works wirelessly with Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2 through a fairly up-to-date interface.

As expected, the Aoostar Gem12 Pro has a lot going on in terms of performance. In the PCMark 10 benchmark test it scored an average of 7611 points with a peak of 7648 points. This is indeed remarkably good value, although the Awow HA7 (test report) performed slightly better – but due to the small differences, this falls into the area of ​​possible measurement inaccuracies. In the 3DMark Time Spy benchmark the mini PC scored 3215 points and the graphics 2865 points. Neither of these is the best value for a CPU, but they are still very good results and are currently among the best.

The benchmark results are also visible in the game test at Full HD. counter attack Can be played well even at 100 to 120 fps Anno 1800 is enjoyable at 70 FPS on medium to high settings and with Fidelity FX Super Resolution enabled. Resource hungry games, such as cities skylines 2 Runs smoothly under medium settings with sometimes even more than 60 FPS. According to our AC power meter, the system consumes about 45 to 50 watts. Desktop mode requires less than 6 watts without any apps open; with a browser and documents open it’s about 15 to 20 watts.

With no additional bloatware programs pre-installed on the system, our entire virus test concludes with no malware findings.

Aoostar has done a lot of things right when it comes to cooling, as the device not only stays relatively cool, but also quiet – even with Prime95. The case heats up to a maximum of 62 degrees under full load, the volume on the case is then around 38 to 40 decibels, and 32 decibels from a distance of one meter. In desktop mode the values ​​are barely measurable and the two fans are hardly noticeable. We could still read 30 decibels on the housing. The only thing noticeable during operation was the slight beeping noise that the system sometimes produces when starting up and under load. Fortunately, nothing beeps when switched off.

In addition, the TDP (Thermal Design Power) can be adjusted in the BIOS, so you can decide for yourself whether you want more power with higher consumption and noise or less power with less volume. You can choose between Silent (45-54 watts), Balance (54-65 watts) and Performance (65-75 watts) modes.

The workmanship of the Aoostar Gem12 Pro is really high quality, it uses metal on the top and sides and plastic on the bottom. The choice of materials promotes good heat dissipation. It’s a pity that the top is prone to fingerprints. On the other hand, the “GEM” lettering on the top is stylish, which the manufacturer creates using fan openings that open at different widths – very ingenious. The simple, black housing has typical dimensions of 130 × 130 × 60 millimeters. Since the mini PC is VESA compatible, you can easily mount it on the back of the monitor using a bracket.

The screws to open the housing are located under the rubber feet, which serve to reduce operational noise. After loosening these screws it is easy to remove from the bottom, there is a fan attached so you have to be careful with the cables. The RAM and SSD as well as the WLAN card and the CMOS battery are easily accessible.

they are comparable Gmktec Nukebox K6 (test report) and wow HA7 (Test report), which relies on the alleged predecessor Ryzen 7 7840HS – but it has almost the same CPU as the Aoostar Gem12 Pro. Gmktec K6 is currently priced at 32/1000 GB memory 495 euros. Awow HA7 comes with 32 GB RAM 630 Euros ,Choose 100 Euro Coupon,

The Aoostar Gem12 Pro impressed us in the test. With its top equipment you will be able to enjoy it for many years to come. As for gaming in Full HD, it offers enough power even for current games, which is really impressive considering the consumption and low volume.

In addition to the strong performance thanks to the Ryzen 7 8845HS and quiet operation, the mini PC gets plus points and therefore gets a full five stars in the end result, especially the USB-C port for the power supply, the OcuLink connection and the high-quality housing. It is kept simple and therefore looks good in many environments. It’s a pity that the material is somewhat sensitive to fingerprints.

Using USB-C for power supply makes there no need for a USB-C port, so there is only one on the front. However, these are minor sensitivities that, for us, have no impact on the quality, performance and evaluation of the system. So we give the Aoostar Gem12 Pro five stars for its excellent overall package.

The following articles on the topic are also recommended: