GMKtec EVO T1 Review: The Most Powerful Arrow Lake Mini PC Yet

GMKtec’s EVO T1 isn’t just another compact PC – it’s the most powerful Arrow Lake Mini PC we’ve tested so far, packing Intel’s new Core Ultra 9 285H into a surprisingly versatile chassis. Priced at $999 for the 64GB RAM + 1TB SSD configuration, it aims to deliver workstation-grade performance in a footprint small enough to sit quietly on your desk.

Intel Core Ultra 9 285H at the Core

At the heart of the EVO T1 sits Intel’s flagship Arrow Lake-H processor, the Ultra 9 285H.

Built with 16 cores (6P + 8E + 2LPE) and boosting up to 5.4 GHz, this chip brings serious multi-threading muscle while keeping a 45W base TDP, stretching to 115W when pushed. Alongside its CPU power, Intel integrates the Arc 140T GPU based on the improved Alchemist+ architecture – offering ray tracing support, XeSS upscaling, and better AI-driven frame generation compared to older Intel iGPUs.

The chip’s NPU (Neural Processing Unit) also gets an upgrade, hitting 13 TOPS for AI acceleration across frameworks like OpenVINO and ONNX. In practice, that makes the EVO T1 more than capable of handling AI-assisted workloads as well as everyday productivity and creative tasks.

Design, Cooling & Expansion

GMKtec’s design stands out with a metallic-gold accented chassis, RGB-lit cooling fans, and thoughtful airflow engineering. A dual-fan system and vapor chamber heatsink ensure temperatures remain manageable – even when the CPU nears 100°C under heavy stress. It’s chunkier than other Minis, but that bulk comes with benefits: three Gen4 NVMe slots (up to 8TB total), dual 2.5GbE LAN ports, and an OCULink port for external GPU expansion. Front I/O includes four USB 3.2 Gen2 ports and a USB-C with PD/DP support, making it unusually flexible for such a small PC.

Performance Benchmarks

In testing, the EVO T1 consistently pulled ahead of its Ryzen-powered rivals in CPU-heavy tasks. Cinebench, Geekbench, and Blender workloads all showed Intel’s chip delivering faster results. In AI benchmarks, the combination of Arc 140T GPU and upgraded NPU left AMD’s Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 trailing in text and image generation tasks.

Gaming at 1080p was also solid. Cyberpunk 2077, Forza Horizon 5, and Metro Exodus were all playable with XeSS enabled, though AMD’s Radeon 890M occasionally edged ahead in raw FPS. Still, Intel’s Arc GPU proved surprisingly competitive, especially in ray-traced workloads where it often took the lead.

Verdict

The GMKtec EVO T1 sets a new bar for Mini PCs. It combines workstation-class CPU performance, capable integrated graphics, strong AI acceleration, and excellent expandability in a compact package. At $999, it’s positioned for enthusiasts, creators, and power users who want near-desktop performance without a tower. GMKtec has already teased an even more ambitious EVO X model with AMD’s Ryzen AI MAX+ 395 APU, but for now, the EVO T1 is one of the best Arrow Lake Minis you can buy.