Updated September 2026
Data from Amazon and official Asus and Geekom sites.
2026 verdict
These two sit at opposite ends of the mini PC market, and Geekom A8 Max (Ryzen 9) wins on every performance measure: a Ryzen 9 8945HS with Radeon 780M graphics and an XDNA AI engine, 32GB of DDR5 at 5600 MT/s expandable to 64GB, a 2TB PCIe Gen4 drive, two 2.5G Ethernet ports, Wi-Fi 6E, two USB4 Type-C ports alongside five USB 3.2 Type-A, an SD reader, a Kensington slot, a VESA mount and a 3 year warranty, running Windows 11 Pro in an aluminium chassis owners call near-silent. Asus Chromebox 5a (Celeron 4GB + 128GB) costs a fraction as much and is built for a different job: ChromeOS with automatic updates and Google admin console management, seven USB ports, dual HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 1.4, a micro SD reader and Wi-Fi 6E with Bluetooth 5.4, on a Celeron with 4GB of memory and a 128GB drive. Buy Asus Chromebox 5a (Celeron 4GB + 128GB) for managed, browser-based deployments; buy Geekom A8 Max (Ryzen 9) when the machine has to do real work.
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| Feature | Asus Chromebox 5a (Celeron 4GB + 128GB) | Geekom A8 Max (Ryzen 9) | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $359.00 | $949.00 | Asus Chromebox 5a (Celeron 4GB + 128GB) |
| Rating | 4.4 | 4.3 | Asus Chromebox 5a (Celeron 4GB + 128GB) |
| Memory Type | DDR4 | DDR5 | Geekom A8 Max (Ryzen 9) |
| Memory Speed | 3200 MT/s | 5600 MT/s | Geekom A8 Max (Ryzen 9) |
| Memory Capacity | 4 GB | 32 GB | Geekom A8 Max (Ryzen 9) |
| Storage Capacity | 128 GB | 2 TB | Geekom A8 Max (Ryzen 9) |
| CPU Model | Intel Celeron 7305 | AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS | Different strengths |
| Memory Configuration | Single-channel | Dual-channel | Different strengths |
| GPU Model | Intel UHD Graphics | AMD Radeon Graphics 780M | Different strengths |
10% OFF
$359.00
$399.00
- + Price: $359.00
- + Rating: 4.4
- - Memory Type: DDR4 vs DDR5
- - Memory Speed: 3200 MT/s vs 5600 MT/s
Winner
14% OFF
$949.00
$1099.00
- + Memory Type: DDR5
- + Memory Speed: 5600 MT/s
- + Memory Capacity: 32 GB
- - Price: $949.00 vs $359.00
- - Rating: 4.3 vs 4.4
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is better overall, the Geekom A8 Max (Ryzen 9) or the Asus Chromebox 5a (Celeron 4GB + 128GB)?
Geekom A8 Max (Ryzen 9), by a wide margin: a Ryzen 9 8945HS, 32GB of DDR5-5600, a 2TB Gen4 SSD, dual 2.5G Ethernet, two USB4 ports and a 3 year warranty. Asus Chromebox 5a (Celeron 4GB + 128GB) competes only on price and ChromeOS manageability.
How big is the performance gap?
Very large. Geekom A8 Max (Ryzen 9) runs a Ryzen 9 8945HS with Radeon 780M graphics and an AI engine, comfortable with photo editing, development and music production. Asus Chromebox 5a (Celeron 4GB + 128GB) uses an entry-level Celeron 7305 with 4GB of memory, suited to browser tabs and documents.
Which has better networking?
Geekom A8 Max (Ryzen 9), with two 2.5G Ethernet ports and Wi-Fi 6E, useful for virtualisation or a router-style role. Asus Chromebox 5a (Celeron 4GB + 128GB) also has Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.4 but is limited to a single Gigabit Ethernet port.
What are the storage options?
Geekom A8 Max (Ryzen 9) ships with a 2TB M.2 2280 PCIe Gen4 SSD. Asus Chromebox 5a (Celeron 4GB + 128GB) ships with 128GB on an M.2 2280 NVMe PCIe 4.0 drive, which is replaceable, and adds a micro SD slot for extra capacity.
Who should buy the Asus Chromebox 5a (Celeron 4GB + 128GB)?
Buyers deploying ChromeOS at scale in classrooms, kiosks or signage, who want automatic updates, central management and plenty of USB and display outputs cheaply. For creative work, virtualisation or anything demanding, Geekom A8 Max (Ryzen 9) is in a different class.
Full comparison table
Compare all 68 Mini PCs side by side
You are looking at two of them. The full table lines up all Mini PCs in the catalog with the same specs, so you can filter by what you need and sort by price or rating.
- 68 Mini PCs
- 41 specs compared
- 38 filters
MINISFORUMX1 Lite-255 (32GB + 1TB)
$699.90
AsusNUC 15 Pro+ (Ultra 9 32GB + 1TB)
$1902.44
MINISFORUMMS-A2 (Ryzen 9 9955HX 96GB + 2TB)
$2099.00
AsusNUC 13 Pro Slim (i7 16GB + 512GB)
$949.99
AsusROG GR70 (RTX 5070 32GB + 2TB)
$2599.00
BeelinkMini S12 Pro (N100 16GB + 500GB)
$339.00
AsusNUC 15 Pro Slim (Core 5 16GB + 512GB)
$1100.84
GeekomIT13 2026 Edition (Ultra 7 32GB + 1TB)
$1399.00
BeelinkSER9 Pro (24GB + 1TB)
$689.00
AppleMac Mini (M4 16GB + 512GB)
$979.99
AppleMac Mini (M4 Pro 24GB + 512GB)
$1569.00
AppleMac Mini (M2 Pro 16GB + 512GB)
$1273.46
BeelinkSER5 Pro (16GB + 480GB)
$389.00
GMKtecNucBox M7 Ultra (32GB + 512GB)
$599.99
GeekomGT1 Mega Ultra 9
10% OFF$949.00$854.10
BeelinkMini S12 (N95 8GB + 480GB)
$289.00
MINISFORUMMS-S1 Max (128GB + 2TB)
$3799.00
GeekomA9 Mega (128GB + 2TB)
5% OFF$3999.00$3799.04
GMKtecNucBox G3 Pro (16GB + 512GB)
28% OFF$459.99$329.99
GMKtecNucBox M2 Pro S (16GB + 1TB)
$499.98
Mini PCsAsusAscent GX10 (128GB + 1TB)
4.0(79)$5998.96- Mini PCsAsus
Chromebox 5a (Celeron 4GB + 128GB)
4.4(35)10% OFF$399.00$359.00 - Mini PCsAsus
NUC 13 Pro Slim (i7 16GB + 512GB)
5.0(2)$949.99 
Mini PCsAsusNUC 14 Pro Tall (Ultra 7 32GB + 1TB)
4.1(29)$1299.99- Mini PCsAsus
NUC 15 Pro+ (Ultra 9 32GB + 1TB)
5.0(5)$1902.44 - Mini PCsAsus
NUC 15 Pro Slim (Core 5 16GB + 512GB)
$1100.84 
Mini PCsAsusNUC 16 Pro (Ultra 7 16GB + 512GB)
$1549.00
Mini PCsAsusNUC 16 Pro (Ultra X7 32GB + 1TB)
$2799.00- Mini PCsAsus
ROG GR70 (RTX 5070 32GB + 2TB)
5.0(2)$2599.00 
Mini PCsAsusROG NUC 16 (RTX 5060 32GB + 1TB)
$2499.00
Mini PCsAsusROG NUC 16 (RTX 5070 Ti 32GB + 1TB)
$3199.00
Mini PCsAsusROG NUC 16 (RTX 5080 32GB + 1TB)
3.6(4)$3699.00
Mini PCsAsusROG NUC 16 (RTX 5080 64GB + 2TB)
$4999.00
Mini PCsAsusROG NUC 2025 (RTX 5070 32GB + 1TB)
4.1(12)10% OFF$3899.00$3499.00
Mini PCsAsusROG NUC 2025 (RTX 5070 32GB + 2TB)
3.5(3)$3882.41
Mini PCsAsusROG NUC 2025 (RTX 5070 Ti 32GB + 2TB)
3.9(8)$3399.99
Mini PCsAsusROG NUC 2025 (RTX 5080 32GB + 2TB)
2.9(14)26% OFF$5299.00$3899.99
RoutersAsusROG Rapture GT-BE19000AI
3.6(35)$899.93
RoutersAsusROG Rapture GT-BE98 Pro
4.3(603)$684.99
RoutersAsusROG Strix GS-BE12000
4.2(133)16% OFF$399.99$337.19
Mini PCsGeekomA5 (Ryzen 5 16GB + 512GB)
4.2(165)12% OFF$395.10$349.00
Mini PCsGeekomA5 Pro (Ryzen 5 16GB + 512GB)
4.4(642)$569.00
Mini PCsGeekomA5 Pro 2026 Edition (16GB + 1TB)
4.3(678)$569.00
Mini PCsGeekomA6 (Ryzen 7 16GB + 1TB)
4.4(445)$599.00
Mini PCsGeekomA7 Max (Ryzen 9)
4.3(115)$699.00
Mini PCsGeekomA8 (Ryzen 7 16GB + 1TB)
4.3(414)$639.00
Mini PCsGeekomA8 Max (Ryzen 7)
4.1(46)$799.00
Mini PCsGeekomA8 Max (Ryzen 9)
4.3(147)14% OFF$1099.00$949.00
Mini PCsGeekomA9 Max (HX 370)
4.3(697)10% OFF$1299.00$1169.10
Mini PCsGeekomA9 Max (HX 470)
4.3(640)$1599.00- Mini PCsGeekom
A9 Mega (128GB + 2TB)
4.5(2)5% OFF$3999.00$3799.04 
Mini PCsGeekomA9 Mega (64GB + 1TB)
4.3(681)$2399.00
Mini PCsGeekomAX8 Max (16GB + 1TB)
4.3(346)10% OFF$649.00$584.10
Mini PCsGeekomGT1 Mega Ultra 5
4.4(29)$1299.00- Mini PCsGeekom
GT1 Mega Ultra 9
4.5(369)10% OFF$949.00$854.10 
Mini PCsGeekomIT13 (1TB)
4.4(643)$799.00- Mini PCsGeekom
IT13 2026 Edition (Ultra 7 32GB + 1TB)
4.8(9)$1399.00 
Mini PCsGeekomIT13 (2TB)
4.4(636)$599.00
Mini PCsGeekomIT15 (32GB + 1TB)
4.4(642)$1199.00
Mini PCsGeekomMini Air12 (Pentium 7505 8GB + 256GB)
4.3(261)10% OFF$299.00$269.10