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GMKtec NucBox K17 : 30-second review
The GMKtec NucBox K17 is one of those understated Mini PCs that can be summed up as your typical average mid-range machine designed for everyday use. While the grey outer, relatively compact sizing and design are all very run of the mill, GMKTec has actually done something quite special with this small machine; they pushed the technology inside and while this is an everyday machine, the components selected mean that it’s also well future proofed.
Inside is one of the latest Intel CPUs, and this is matched with an integrated GPU and NPU that provides plenty of processing power for both traditional applications and the latest AI models.
Out of the box, the build quality also feels good and solid, verging on premium considering the price. Checking over the body, there are plenty of ports on the front and back with venting slots helping to keep everything cool and running smoothly.
The processor combo is all new generation and sits in the midrange, but joining the latest releases are a few other interesting additions that you just don’t see on this level of mini PC. The first is that the second M.2 slot accepts PCIe 5.0 x4 SSD, and this sits alongside the existing 1TB PCIe 4.0 drive.
Installation for the second drive is straightforward; the drive screws into place, and once it’s in place, the machine reboots, and it’s ready to format and use. The other major addition is the 2.5GbE Ethernet port, which was impressive in terms of speed when connected directly to a Ugreen DXP4800 GT NAS. My only reservation here is that the Wi-Fi antenna is easily displaced when removing the lid, and is almost impossible to reinsert.
Out of the box, Windows 11 Pro is installed and feels fast as I navigated around the settings and installed a variety of applications for the test. This performance was reflected with a Windows Experience Index of 8.7, one of the highest I’ve seen.
AI applications and functions are well handled with Copilot+ and local LLM inference via LM Studio, both performing well for a machine at this price. I ran a few questions through the models loaded on photography processes, and it managed to answer with reasonable speed.
Where the K17 started to show its limits was as I started some creative work: 16GB of fixed RAM becomes has limited reach in Premiere Pro and large Lightroom catalogues took a while longer than the more powerful machines I’ve been looking at recently, but still what it could do and the speed is still impressive and surpasses what I would have expected from a PC of this form factor a year ago.
Gaming was also good generally, but the Arc graphics do start to show their limits and premium games such as Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, while very playable, did require settings to be dropped.
Two other points of note are that there is only a single USB4 port, and this is positioned on the front, with nothing equivalent at the rear, which means that you can only ever opt for a fast accessory such as an external SSD or an eGPU rather than connecting both.
The internal Wi-Fi antenna connectors are also very delicate, so when adding a second M.2 drive, disconnecting them even when you’re being careful seems to just happen, and then when it comes to reconnecting them, it’s incredibly difficult.
If you need a fast and reliable office machine, the K17 is one of the best mini PCs out there right now. I found it well specified with a range of features that have been designed to deliver the performance we expect from a work machine now, with plenty of updated extras that you don’t usually expect on a machine of this price, which will help future-proof it for a good few years.
GMKtec NucBox K17 : Price and availability
- How much does it cost? From £469 / $619
- When is it out? Available now
- Where can you get it? Directly from GMKtec or Amazon
The GMKtec NucBox K17 is priced at $619.99 / £469.99 for the 16GB RAM and 1TB SSD configuration that I have tested here.
A 16GB/512GB configuration is also available at $559.99 / £469.99.
The K17 is now available direct from GMKtec, as well as on Amazon.com.
GMKtec NucBox K17 : Specs
CPU: Intel Core Ultra 5 226V
GPU: Intel Arc 130V
NPU: Intel AI Boost, 40 TOPS
RAM: 16GB LPDDR5X
Storage: 1TB PCIe 4.0 M.2 2280 SSD, second M.2 slot, PCIe 5.0 x4 capable, up to 16TB total
Front Ports: USB3.2 (Gen2) 10Gbps, USB3.2 (Gen1) 5Gbps, USB4, 3.5mm Audio
Rear Ports: 2 x HDMI 2.1, 8K 60Hz and one 4K 60Hz, 2.5GbE RJ-45, 2XUSB3.2 (Gen1) 5Gbps, USB3.2 (Gen1) 5Gbps, USB2.0 480Mbps
VESA Mount: Yes
Dimensions: 5.02 by 5.00 by 1.75 in (127.5 x 127 x 44.5mm)
Weight: 1.01 lb (460g)
Power: 100W external power adapter
Operating System: Windows 11 Pro
GMKtec NucBox M6 Ultra: Design
The K17 adopts the standard Mini PC design aesthetic and sets itself apart from similarly styled Mini PCs by featuring the green GMKTec power button. This button is set alongside a small array of ports, including a mix of USB-A and USB-C, which offer plenty of connection options for most accessories that you might want to quickly attach.
Size-wise, the machine is a touch smaller than some I’ve looked at recently, measuring 5.02 by 5.00 by 1.75 in (127.5 x 127 x 44.5mm) and weighing a relatively light 1.01 lb (460g), which makes it prime for VESA mounting behind a monitor or a dedicated mount to maximise your work surface.
Inside, there’s a powerful combination of CPU, GPU, and NPU, and to ensure there’s plenty of cooling, there are ventilation slots across the body, which are part of the larger cooling system that includes a large superconducting copper turbine fan.
What really highlights this as a little more than your usual everyday Mini PC is the range of ports on the front and back of the machine. On the front, there are two USB-A ports, one USB3.2 (Gen2) 10Gbps and the other USB3.2 (Gen1) 5Gbps, then there’s the single USB4 port that has DisplayPort support to connect a monitor, then there’s a 3.5mm CTIA port for headphones and mic combos.
At the rear, there’s the impressive 2.5GbE Ethernet port and two HDMI 2.1 outputs, one supporting 8K at 60Hz and the other 4K at 60Hz. The one design choice I do have to question is the fact that there isn’t a USB4 port on the back; there are two further USB-A, a USB3.2 (Gen1) 5Gbps and a USB 2.0 480Mbps and then two further USB3.2 (Gen1) 5Gbps ports.
Access to the inside of the machine is easy enough once the screws on the base are removed; however, it’s worth noting that the WiFi antenna connectors easily detach from the WiFi card and are really difficult to reconnect. When you take the back off the machine to upgrade the storage, it’s worth taking your time and really making sure that these don’t disconnect.
GMKtec NucBox K17 : Features
The machines’ specifications essentially lay out a base level list for mid-range office PC’s for the future. Most of the components, including the Intel Core Ultra 5 226V, utilise next-generation technology, and the uplift in speed that the components offered enabled smooth and fast handling for general Windows navigation, Microsoft Office, and browser-based work.
Writing in Word, building presentations in PowerPoint and recording test results in Excel all felt fast, and with each app being responsive, this overall performance was reflected in the Windows Experience Index of 8.7. Just to put that in context, this is one of the highest scores recorded across recent mini PC testing, and also a reminder of how far this category has advanced in a short time. At the beginning of 2026, a more common score of 8.1 would highlight a decent machine in this respect.
The one weaker point for the processing combo of CPU, GPU and NPU is the Intel Arc 130V GPU, which is noticeably less powerful than the Arc B390; however, even with the lower scores that it gained, when you compare it with the last generation of integrated GPU, you can see just how much more powerful these new processors are.
Checking this out by playing Indiana Jones and the Great Circle and Hogwarts Legacy, both ran at 1080p with low-to-medium settings, but graphical breakup appeared more readily than on higher-specified machines, and when switching to some video editing in Premiere Pro, the timeline render times occasionally slowed as video edits rendered out.
As this is using the latest processors, it’s fully equipped to deal with AI processing and requests with the NPU. This enables 40 TOPS, and this means that the combined AI figure with the CPU and GPU is 97 TOPS , impressive for a machine at this price.
In use, this is reflected with Copilot+ handling assistant requests quickly. I then decided to push it by downloading a local LLM, which I ran using LM Studio. After installation and setup, the local chatbot was able to answer a series of photography questions at a decent speed.
I then switched to some of the Adobe applications and again, using the AI-accelerated features in Photoshop, including generative fill, and Premiere Pro’s timeline expansion, the small machine was more than powerful enough to handle some impressive alterations.
On the front is the single USB4 port, and in use, this delivered fast transfer speeds when tested with a Thunderbolt 4 device. What was a little disappointing was that this single USB4 was placed on the front, with nothing equivalent at the rear. If you want to use both an eGPU and fast external storage at the same time, then this just isn’t possible without the addition of a hub.
Then, as we look through the features, you start to see what really marks the K17 out against most others. Firstly, there’s the second M.2 slot, which takes a next-generation PCIe Gen 5 x4 SSD. Installing an SSD module is fast, taking a few seconds; simply screw the drive into place and format it after a reboot. If you’re thinking about running local AI workloads, video editing or coding environments, adding a high-speed second drive here is an easy upgrade, if at present a little pricy.
The other big surprise is the 2.5GbE Ethernet port, which offers a speedy connection as I connected the machine through the wired network to the dock and then to a UGREEN DXP4800 GT NAS. At 2.5 GbE, I was able to get decent transfer rates, which was especially useful as I downloaded images and video to the machine and then onto the NAS.
Through the test, I switch between wired and wireless connections and while the Wi-Fi tops out at 6E and the Bluetooth 5.2, they both offer solid performance for network and accessory connections. Bluetooth connected easily to wireless accessories.
Wi-Fi, however, was initially fast even with the slightly older 6E; however, after testing the installation process of the second M.2 slot, the small Wi-Fi antenna connectors became disconnected, and trying to reconnect them was near impossible.
Finally, on the feature front, it’s the ability to connect to three displays via the two rear HDMI ports and the front USB4 port works; it’s not the neatest solution as cables poke out from the front and back; it might not be pretty, but it works.
GMKtec NucBox K17: Performance
Benchmark scores
Crystal Disk Mark Read: 7045.28
Crystal Disk Mark Write: 6182.82
Geekbench CPU Multi: 9469
Geekbench CPU Single: 2619
Geekbench GPU: 25645
PC Mark Overall: 6855
Cinebench CPU Multi (Threads): N/a
Cinebench CPU Single (Threads): N/a
Fire Strike Overall: 7429
Fire Strike Graphics: 8551
Fire Strike Physics: 11509
Fire Strike Combined: 2953
Time Spy Overall: 3631
Time Spy Graphics: 3473
Time Spy CPU: 4897
Wild Life Overall: 24312
Steel Nomad Overall: N/a
Windows Experience Overall: 8.7
Starting out with the K17 requires running through the last few steps of the Windows setup, which, depending on your connection speeds, will take between five and ten minutes. As the machine loads for the first time, the speed of the boot and afterwards installation of applications and basic running all start to highlight the speed of the machine.
One of the features that instantly stood out to me was the number of connectivity ports around the body. I was able to quickly plug in a LaCie Rugged SSD Pro5 and a CFExpress Type-B reader so that I could transfer files quickly.
Around the back, there were also plenty of ports so connecting a wired keyboard and mouse, along with the network and HDMI. I would have liked to have seen an additional USB4 on the back and an additional network port, but in an office situation, the port allocation and positioning actually make a lot of sense.
As I started to run the Microsoft Office suite and then the Adobe applications, it was apparent just how fast that initial load was, and working on large images within Photoshop, brush strokes and general edits were applied quickly. Part of the reason for this is the speed of the internal SSD.
When running the CrystalDiskMark test, it gained results of 7,045 MB/s read and 6,182 MB/s write, showing just how fast the PCIe 4.0 SSD is. What’s quite surprising is that this is not a PCIe 5.0 drive, and if you do need even more speed, then there’s an empty second PCIe 5.0 M.2 slot.
If you’re planning serious video editing, local AI workloads, or coding environments, then upgrading to the PCIe 5.0 second slot is a great idea, although performance for these more demanding applications will be limited by the 16GB of RAM.
Checking out the overall performance and the PCMark 10 Overall score of 6,855 sits below both the previously recorded Geekom A9 Max and Bosgame VTI-490, and as the PC is used for more demanding creative applications, the limits of the box do start to appear.
General office work, web browsing and everyday Windows tasks all felt as fast as any machine I have tested recently. However, those limitations started to become apparent when working with batches of images in Lightroom, as well as more complex Photoshop documents, or starting a bit of gaming, where the fixed 16GB of RAM and Arc 130V GPU really started to be put under pressure.
Looking at some of the other results and the Geekbench scores of 9,469 multi-core and 2,619 single-core show a good balance of performance for a mid-range Mini PC. In use, these scores translated into Lightroom and Photoshop when used for normal photographic work, running exceptionally well, and a slowdown in performance was really only noted during longer editing sessions using Premiere Pro.
As the chipset is AI-ready, I also installed a Local LLM inference, and this ran well but was slightly slower than the more premium machines, which wasn’t a huge surprise.
Photo and video editing in Lightroom, Photoshop and Premiere Pro were all well balanced, with occasional pauses during heavier processing in Premiere Pro. Long-form video editing is not what the K17 is designed for, especially with the limit of 16GB and no option to upgrade, but for short edits and social media content in applications like CapCut, particularly once the second M.2 slot is installed, the K17 is a great machine.
Gaming at 1080p with low-to-medium settings was more than playable across Hogwarts Legacy and several other titles tested. The Intel Arc 130V GPU is not as smooth as the higher-end GPUs, but for a machine retailing just above £500, it’s still pretty good.
Overall, this is a great machine, but it does have its limitations, especially with the 16GB of RAM. Still, for general Windows use, browsing and office work, 16GB is more than sufficient. For more creative endeavours, Photoshop or Lightroom batch work, or any mid to long Premiere Pro editing sessions, a machine with at least 32GB of RAM would be a better option. For everyday work, this is one of the best mini PCs that I have used.
GMKtec NucBox K17: Final verdict
The GMKtec NucBox K17 is an easy machine to recommend for office and everyday productivity use, and an impressively future-proofed one, given the combined CPU, GPU, and NPU capabilities on offer at this price. It handles Windows, Microsoft Office, web browsing, and Copilot+ AI features extremely well, and the inclusion of a PCIe 5.0-ready second M.2 slot, alongside 2.5GbE Ethernet, future-proofs the technologies more than many other machines in this price bracket.
For creative work, the picture, while still good, is a little more limited. Lightroom and Photoshop both handle edits and files well, but when switching to video editing in Premiere Pro, the limitations of a fixed 16GB of RAM started to become apparent. If you’re planning to use this primarily for creative work, a machine with at least 32GB of RAM would be the better starting point.
The single front-only USB4 port and the delicate Wi-Fi antenna connectors are the two minor issues. Neither are overtly bad, but the USB4 limitation will affect you if you want to attach fast storage and eGPU, and the Wi-Fi antenna issue will only be a problem if you are planning to open the case for an M.2 upgrade.
At $619.99 / £519.99, the K17 is excellent value for money and gets you a reliable, fast, AI-ready everyday mini PC for home or office use. While the RAM is fixed, there’s also plenty of scope for upgrades elsewhere, such as the USB4 for an eGPU. With the 2.5GbE network port, you can connect to fast NAS storage. Making this a great option for any office and those looking for a work-focused machine.
Should I buy the GMKtec NucBox K17?
|
Value |
At $619.99/£519.99, this small work-focused machine balances performance with some of the latest technologies |
5 |
|
Design |
There’s no doubt it has a premium finish, and with the VESA mount and huge array of ports, it can be seen as practical rather than a design classic. |
4.5 |
|
Features |
An impressive list for a mini range Mini PC that includes PCIe 5.0 second M.2 slot, 2.5GbE, capable NPU and Copilot+, although the fixed 16GB RAM and WiFi reliability hold this back |
4.5 |
|
Performance |
Excellent everyday performance and Windows Experience score from PCMark and 3DMark show it’s provides the power where needed |
4 |
|
Overall |
An excellent everyday and lightly creative mini PC at a great price, best suited to office, AI and general use rather than serious video production. |
4.5 |
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