By - New Chinese mini PC debuts with enhanced connectivity options
- GEM12 Pro Max can drive four 8K monitors; offers OCuLink port
- Powered by Ryzen 7 8845HS, supports upto 64GB DDR5 RAM
Chinese mini PC manufacturer Aoostar has launched its latest device, the GEM12 Pro Max.
Building on the Pro variant introduced earlier in 2024, the new device sports a couple of noteworthy improvements including a DC power port, which provides an alternative to USB-C-based power delivery used in previous models. While the Pro featured a single front-facing USB4 port, the upgraded Pro Max adds another at the rear, a welcome addition.
Like its predecessor, the Pro Max is powered by an AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS processor, offering a base clock speed of 3.8GHz, a boost clock of up to 5.1GHz, and 16MB of L3 cache. This is backed by the integrated Radeon 780M GPU. Users can adjust the TDP to a maximum of 75W, tailoring performance to specific needs.
Drives up to four 8K screens
The GEM12 Pro Max supports up to 64GB of DDR5-5600MHz memory in a single slot and features two M.2 2280 NVMe PCIe 4.0 x4 slots for high-speed storage. For users needing more hardcore graphics performance, the GEM12 Pro Max retains the OCuLink port from the Pro model, located on the front panel. This allows connection to an external GPU, like the DEG1 eGpu, for tasks such as video editing and 3D rendering without using the M.2 slots reserved for storage.
As with its predecessor, the GEM12 Pro Max features a built-in screen and fingerprint reader. Connectivity includes WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, and dual 2.5G Ethernet ports located on the back. The rear panel also houses two USB2.0 ports, an HDMI 2.1 port, and a DisplayPort 1.4. On the front, there are two USB3.2 Gen2 ports, an audio jack, and the power button. The system can drive up to four 8K monitors simultaneously.
The compact device measures 13cm x 13cm x 6cm and weighs 0.66kg. It uses the Glacier 3.0 cooling system with a vapor chamber to maintain stable performance during intensive workloads.
The barebones GEM12 Pro Max is priced from CNY 2299 (approximately $317) and is currently available only in China. Given Aoostar’s history, a global release seems unlikely for now, which is a shame.
