GMKtec M5 Plus Gaming Mini PC Ryzen 7 5825U (Upgraded 5700U), 32GB RAM 1TB SSD Dual NIC LAN 2.5GbE Desktop Computers, Triple 4K Display, WiFi 6E, USB3.2, USB-C, BT 5.2, DP, HDMI 2.0

My name is Dr A and I am a real person. I recently purchased this product, the GMKtec Plus Gaming Mini PC Loaded with Win 11 and a 1T SSD. It can be used for Gaming but can also be used as a PC, which is what i bought it for. I love its compact size. It sits on my desk next to my monitor. It is extremely quiet. literally, I cannot hear its dual cooling fans working. As with most electronic devices things rarely go smoothly which is where technical support is extremely important, especially when this purchase involves software (Win 11) and hardware. I did have issuers getting some of my old peripheries to work correctly and I had some Win 11 glitches. I am happy to report that the technical support I received was outstanding, to say the least. After about 5-7 days of working kinks out, I discovered the errors were mostly on my part, such as the Microsoft One Drive, and Screen Saver, Screen sleep and Power plans such as PC going to Sleep functions were working. Once I resolved the One Drive issues (I completely by removing it from the OS register and deleted it from my computer. I do not use or need the Cloud. The only issue remaining were the screen saver and screen shut off and Mini PC not going to sleep functions not working. With the aid of technical support, we believed the issue may be with my older Hp monitor with it VGA port. In order to get the monitor to work and to plug into the Mini's HDMI port I need to use a VGA to HDMI adapter. I was thrilled this adapter worked well however, I later discovered this adapter was preventing the Screen Saver and Sleep (Power Setting Plans) from working correctly. I was advised by technical support to test the Mini PC with a different monitor. I tested with the HPE243 monitor with a dedicated HDMI port. I connected it to the Mini PC with the HDMI cable which shipped with the Mini PC. I tested it with WIFI connect and also unconnected. I also tested it at different launch times for the Screen saver and screen power off as well as mini PC Sleep functions. To my surprise the monitor and or adapter were the issues. Problem solved. All functions are now working perfectly. I created a Recover Disk and performed a full disk image backup onto an external drive. Now, I'm all set. Oh, I also order a new monitor. I cannot thank the technical support staff enough for not only helping me with the hardware side but also on the software issues. The GMKtec Plus Gaming Mini PC is an amazing Mini PC. I've already referred several of my friends. I highly recommend, if you are looking to conserve space and have a great Mimi PC/gaming box, this is the one for you. An addition: I discovered the new win 11 does not like wireless USB mouse. If you use one the power plan functions will not work, the screen saver, screen power off and PC sleep. I tried this on three separate machines with wireless usb mouse. Once disconnected and a conventional wired usb mouse connected, all worked well. This was not the case in win 10.

Edit update again 01/10/2025: I fixed my fan issue and as promised raised the score back up to 5 stars. It is a good, fast little computer but does get hot when you are gaming. I recommend popping the top off and exposing the top fan to the outside as this really helps in keeping it cool. When you put the top back on, when your finished, don't snap the top back in place so it will be easy for you to remove when needed. I know this would bother some people but I am not bothered by it as it helps keep it cool. Still five stars for what it can do for it's size. Still highly recommended.Edit up date 01/09/2025: I had to reduce the GMKtec M5 Plus from five stars to three stars because the little top cooling fan will not work all the time. I have the lid on but not snapped in because I have to take it off to force the fan to run. A quick spin with my fingers gets it going but I got to keep an eye on it other wise the little computer will over heat even though it's only fifteen watts. This is serious and the reason for only three stars. I am going to try to contact them and if they help I will improve the review back to five stars.*Next is another concern that has a lot of YouTube press and that is, Mini PC's shipping out with Malware or viruses. Let me make clear that GMKtec has been cleared so far and I tested mine forward and backwards with zero positives but you should be made aware of this. The most offending company (watch YouYube to get the companies name as it is all over) still has not completely cleaned their computers and are being very sneaky in the way they hide the Malware. One buyer replaced his M2 SSD and loaded a fresh copy of Windows 11. If you are one of those people who are sensitive to computer security then you need to know what you are getting into with Mini PC's. I didn't know this before I bought mine. Please check out the problem on YouTube before you buy. If you do buy, do not connect to the net till you have run a complete check. I recommend the very long but important Windows 11, full virus scan and download the free version of Malwear Bytes and run a test with that. I hope Amazon allows this review update to be printed as this is an important issue that everyone should be made aware of before they buy a mini PC.First off, it worked right out the box. Early setup could not have been any easier, a smart 8 year old could have set this mini computer up. That's not stretching it either. However setting up all the drivers from AMD and getting Windows 11 up to date did take time and requires someone a little more knowledgeable.I bought this as a novelty but now using it all the time. My big gaming computer has taken a back seat to this amazing little mini computer.Pros: Very quite, Very fast, Yes it plays games but more on the casual level. Beautiful eye popping monitor visuals, It uses only 15 watts of power. That means it runs very cool. The AMD processor the 5825U is designed to run on 15 watts.Cons: Terrible instructions with tiny print. Example, they send you a piece of black metal with some black screws that looks like it might be some sort of mounting bracket but the instructions give you zero information on what it is for. It uses only 15 watts of power. I know I had that as a pro but it could also be a con if you want to play more powerful AAA games. But who would use a mini computer to play AAA games like Cyber Punk 2077 or Hogwarts. Come on, use common sense.I will end this by saying do your research. Not all mini computers are only fifteen watts like this one. And if you look you will find the newest mini computers are AM5 platform and use up to 70 watts. But those units run from seven hundred and fiftly to almost a thousand dollars. You start spending that muchmoney you might as well buy a full size gaming rig.Highly recommended