GMKtec K8 Plus Ryzen 7 8845HS Review: OCuLink Mini PC Tested

After two weeks of putting the GMKtec K8 Plus through its paces, here's the bottom line upfront: this is one of the most capable mini PCs I've tested at this price tier, and the Ryzen 7 8845HS inside it is doing serious work. But "capable" and "perfect" aren't the same thing, and there are a few decisions GMKtec made here that deserve scrutiny before you hand over a premium-tier sum. So let me give you the full picture, spec by spec, test by test.

Mini PCs have come a long way in the past three years. What used to be a category defined by underpowered Intel Celeron chips and frustrating thermal throttling has quietly evolved into something genuinely interesting. The 8845HS sits at the top of AMD's Hawk Point mobile lineup, an 8-core, 16-thread chip clocked up to 5.1GHz with a Radeon 780M integrated GPU that's legitimately competitive for light gaming. Pair that with 32GB of DDR5, a 1TB NVMe SSD, and connectivity that includes OCuLink, USB4, and dual 2.5G NICs, and you've got a spec sheet that reads more like a compact workstation than a budget desktop replacement.

I tested this unit across two weeks of daily use: productivity workloads, light gaming, media streaming, some light video editing, and a fair amount of time stress-testing thermals. The GMKtec K8 Plus Ryzen 7 8845HS mini gaming PC earns its place in the premium tier, but not without caveats. Read on.

Memory is 32GB of DDR5 running at 5600MHz in dual-channel configuration. GMKtec has soldered this in, which is worth knowing upfront. You can't upgrade it. The 1TB SSD is a PCIe 4.0 NVMe unit, and in my testing it delivered sequential reads around 5,000MB/s, which is exactly what you'd expect from a mid-range Gen 4 drive. Storage is user-replaceable via an M.2 2280 slot, which is a small but meaningful win.

The connectivity package is where GMKtec has clearly tried to differentiate the K8 Plus from the competition. OCuLink support is the headline feature, allowing you to attach an external GPU enclosure for a significant performance uplift. Beyond that, you get USB4 (40Gbps), dual 2.5G Ethernet via Intel NICs, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, HDMI 2.1, and a pair of USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports. That's a genuinely impressive I/O spread for a device this size.

The dual 2.5G Ethernet is another standout. Most mini PCs at this price ship with a single 1G NIC, so getting two Intel 2.5G ports is a meaningful upgrade, particularly for home lab users, NAS setups, or anyone running a small business network. Intel's NIC drivers are also considerably more stable than the Realtek alternatives you'll find in cheaper machines. I ran both ports simultaneously during testing with no issues whatsoever. If you're building a compact server or a network appliance, this spec alone makes the K8 Plus worth a serious look.

The Radeon 780M deserves its own mention because it's genuinely impressive for an integrated GPU. AMD's RDNA 3 architecture gives the 780M a meaningful performance advantage over Intel's Iris Xe graphics, and in my testing it handled 1080p gaming at medium settings in a range of titles without embarrassing itself. It's not a replacement for a discrete GPU, but it's the best iGPU available in a mini PC right now. For casual gaming, older titles, or emulation, it's more than adequate.

Wi-Fi 6 support via the Wi-Fi Alliance's 802.11ax standard rounds out the wireless connectivity. In a device that's likely to sit on a desk near a router, Wi-Fi is arguably secondary to the wired Ethernet options, but having Wi-Fi 6 rather than Wi-Fi 5 does matter if you're in a congested wireless environment or need the improved power efficiency. Bluetooth 5.2 handles peripherals cleanly, and I had no pairing issues with keyboards, mice, or headphones throughout testing.

Thermal management is where things get more nuanced. Under sustained load, the 8845HS will throttle if the cooling system can't keep pace, and GMKtec's cooling solution here is competent but not exceptional. During a 30-minute Cinebench loop, I saw the chip settle at around 45W TDP with temperatures hovering between 85 and 92 degrees Celsius. That's within spec, but it's warm. The fan noise at full load is audible from across a desk, roughly 45 to 48dB in my measurements. At idle or light load, the machine is near-silent, which is the more important figure for most users. But if you're planning sustained heavy workloads, know that this isn't a silent machine under pressure.

Gaming performance with the Radeon 780M was better than I expected. At 1080p with medium settings, Cyberpunk 2077 averaged around 35 to 40fps, which is playable but not smooth. Fortnite at 1080p medium hit a much more comfortable 60 to 70fps. Older titles and esports games run very well. Counter-Strike 2 at 1080p low to medium settings delivered 90fps plus consistently. Emulation performance is excellent, with PS2 and GameCube titles running without issue in PCSX2 and Dolphin respectively. The 780M is the best iGPU available in this form factor right now, and it shows. That said, if you're serious about gaming, the OCuLink eGPU path is the one to pursue.

SSD performance was solid throughout. Sequential read speeds of around 4,900 to 5,100MB/s and write speeds of 4,200 to 4,400MB/s are consistent with a quality PCIe 4.0 drive. Boot times from cold were under 15 seconds consistently. Application launch times felt snappy in daily use, and I had no stuttering or loading delays during the two-week test period. The 32GB of DDR5 running in dual-channel is a meaningful advantage over machines shipping with 16GB, particularly for multitasking. I had Chrome with 20 tabs, VS Code, Slack, and a video playing simultaneously without any memory pressure.

The fan and cooling system are accessible via four screws on the base, which is useful if you ever need to clean out dust. GMKtec has used a copper heat pipe system with a single fan, which is a reasonable approach for this TDP class. The thermal paste application on my review unit was adequate but not generous. Some users in the community have reported improved temperatures after repasting, and I'd believe it. It's not a dealbreaker, but it's worth knowing that there's headroom to improve thermals if you're comfortable opening the unit.

Port placement is thoughtful. The front panel carries two USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports and the 3.5mm audio jack, which are the ports you'll reach for most often. The rear panel has the OCuLink, USB4, HDMI 2.1, both Ethernet ports, the power input, and the two USB 2.0 ports. The USB 2.0 ports on the rear feel like an odd choice in 2025, and I'd have preferred USB 3.2 across the board, but it's a minor complaint. The power brick is a 120W unit, reasonably compact, and the cable length is adequate for most desk setups.

The BIOS is accessible and reasonably well-organised. AMD's platform gives you access to TDP adjustment, which is useful if you want to tune the balance between performance and noise. I spent some time experimenting with a 35W TDP limit, which reduced fan noise noticeably while only costing around 8 to 10% of multi-threaded performance. For productivity use, that's a worthwhile trade. The BIOS also exposes memory XMP profiles, though with soldered DDR5 you're working with whatever GMKtec has configured from the factory.

Day-to-day operation is genuinely pleasant. The machine is small enough to mount behind a monitor or tuck under a desk, and the near-silent idle behaviour means it disappears into the background during normal use. I used it as my primary machine for five days during the two-week test period, running a typical productivity workload of writing, research, video calls, and light photo editing. It handled all of that without complaint. The only friction I encountered was the occasional fan spin-up during browser-based video playback, which is a known behaviour with AMD's integrated graphics and hardware decode. It's not disruptive, just noticeable.

The OCuLink port is the more interesting connectivity story. OCuLink uses the PCIe physical layer directly, bypassing the protocol overhead of Thunderbolt. This makes it more efficient for eGPU use but also means it's a less common connector. Compatible eGPU enclosures are available from several manufacturers, but you'll need to specifically look for OCuLink-compatible units rather than the more common Thunderbolt enclosures. The performance uplift when using an eGPU via OCuLink is substantial, and for users who want to build a compact gaming setup around this machine, it's the right approach.

Wi-Fi 6 performance was strong throughout testing. Connected to a Wi-Fi 6 router, I consistently achieved speeds above 800Mbps on a gigabit broadband connection, which is effectively the ceiling of my test environment. The dual 2.5G Ethernet ports both performed at their rated speeds in wired testing. Bluetooth 5.2 paired reliably with every device I tested, including a wireless keyboard, a Bluetooth headset, and a wireless mouse. HDMI 2.1 supports 4K at 120Hz and 8K at 60Hz, which is more than the 780M can actually drive in gaming terms, but it's the right spec for future-proofing display connectivity. The HDMI 2.1 specification also includes Variable Refresh Rate support, which is useful for gaming on compatible displays.

Home lab and networking use is another strong fit. The dual 2.5G Intel NICs make this a compelling option for running pfSense, OPNsense, or Proxmox. The 8845HS has more than enough CPU headroom for virtualisation workloads, and the 32GB of RAM gives you room to run several VMs simultaneously. I ran a basic Proxmox setup with three VMs during testing and the machine handled it without breaking a sweat. For a compact, low-power server that can also double as a desktop when needed, the K8 Plus is a strong option.

Light gaming and emulation is a legitimate use case here, particularly if you're willing to invest in an OCuLink eGPU enclosure. Without the eGPU, the 780M handles esports titles, older games, and emulation very well. With an eGPU, you're looking at a system that can compete with a mid-range gaming desktop. The compact form factor makes it appealing for living room gaming setups where a full tower would be impractical.

Content creation at the prosumer level is also viable. Video editing in DaVinci Resolve ran acceptably for 1080p timelines, though 4K editing was sluggish without hardware acceleration properly configured. Photo editing in Lightroom and Photoshop was smooth throughout. The 780M's hardware encode and decode capabilities are useful here, and AMD's driver support for creative applications has improved significantly over the past two years. It's not a replacement for a workstation with a discrete GPU, but for a freelancer or content creator who needs a portable, compact machine, it's a credible option.

The comparison that matters most is against building a traditional desktop. A comparable desktop with an AMD Ryzen 7 8700G, 32GB of DDR5, and a 1TB NVMe SSD would cost less, give you upgradeable RAM, and deliver similar CPU performance. But you'd lose the compact form factor, the OCuLink eGPU option, and the dual 2.5G NICs. The K8 Plus is priced as a premium product, and it delivers premium-tier features. Whether those features justify the price depends entirely on your use case.

For home lab users and networking enthusiasts, the dual Intel 2.5G NICs alone add meaningful value over alternatives. For users who want the OCuLink eGPU upgrade path, the K8 Plus is one of very few mini PCs that offers it. For straightforward productivity use without those specific requirements, there are cheaper options that deliver comparable day-to-day performance. The value proposition is strong for the right buyer, and less compelling for users who won't use the differentiating features.

In terms of raw CPU performance, the K8 Plus holds its own against both. The 8845HS and 8945HS are close in multi-threaded workloads, with the 8945HS pulling ahead in sustained tasks due to its higher TDP headroom. The 8745HS in the SER8 is measurably slower in multi-threaded workloads. For GPU performance, the 780M in the K8 Plus matches the UM890 Pro's 890M only in the Ryzen 9 8945HS variant, and the 780M is faster than the GPU in the SER8's 8745HS. The OCuLink port is unique to the K8 Plus among these three options, which is a meaningful differentiator for the eGPU use case.

The soldered RAM is the K8 Plus's most significant disadvantage relative to the UM890 Pro and SER8, both of which use socketed SO-DIMM slots. If you want to upgrade to 64GB down the line, the K8 Plus won't allow it. The UM890 Pro's Wi-Fi 6E support is also a minor advantage in congested wireless environments. But the K8 Plus's OCuLink port and dual Intel NICs are genuine differentiators that neither competitor offers, and at its price point it represents strong value against the UM890 Pro in particular.

The complaints are more scattered but worth noting. A handful of reviewers mentioned fan noise under load, which aligns with my own testing observations. A couple of users flagged the soldered RAM as a disappointment, particularly given the premium price. One reviewer reported a unit arriving with a faulty USB port, which suggests quality control isn't perfect, though a single data point in 43 reviews is a low failure rate. GMKtec's customer support response to that complaint appeared prompt based on the review thread, which is reassuring.

The overall sentiment is positive, and the rating is credible given the sample size. Early reviews of mini PCs from less established brands sometimes show inflated ratings from incentivised buyers, but the specificity of the feedback here, both positive and negative, reads as genuine. The complaints are the kind you'd expect from real users rather than the vague dissatisfaction of a planted negative review. That said, 43 reviews is still a relatively small sample, and the long-term reliability picture will only emerge over the next 12 to 18 months.

But it's not without compromises. The soldered RAM is a genuine long-term limitation, particularly at a price point where competitors offer upgradeable memory. Thermal management under sustained load is competent but not exceptional, and the fan noise at full load is audible. The USB 2.0 ports on the rear feel like a spec sheet anachronism in 2025. And the value proposition is strongest for users who will actually use the OCuLink and dual NIC features. If you just want a compact desktop for productivity work and won't touch those features, the Beelink SER8 delivers 80% of the performance at a lower price.

For the specific buyer this machine is designed for, though, it's hard to fault. Home lab enthusiasts, compact gaming setup builders, power users who want the best iGPU performance available, and anyone who needs dual 2.5G networking in a mini PC form factor will find the K8 Plus to be exactly the right tool. It's a focused product with a clear target audience, and it delivers on its promises for that audience. I'd score it 8.5 out of 10. The soldered RAM and thermal noise keep it from a higher mark, but the OCuLink differentiator and the strength of the 8845HS platform make it one of the most interesting mini PCs available in the UK right now.

Skip it if: You want upgradeable RAM for long-term flexibility, you're primarily doing light productivity work and don't need the premium spec, or you're sensitive to fan noise under load. The Beelink SER8 is a more sensible choice for straightforward desktop replacement use, and the Minisforum UM890 Pro offers upgradeable memory if that matters more to you than OCuLink.

Wait if: You're not in a hurry. GMKtec and its competitors refresh their lineups regularly, and AMD's next-generation mobile platform will bring further performance improvements. If the K8 Plus's current price feels steep, a sale or a successor announcement could change the calculus within the next six months. That said, at its current specification level, the K8 Plus will remain competitive for at least 18 months before the platform starts to feel dated.

Vivid Repairs operates as an independent review site. This article contains affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission if you purchase through them. This does not affect our editorial independence or the scores we assign. We test products on their merits and call out weaknesses as readily as strengths. The GMKtec K8 Plus was purchased at retail price for this review.