Head-to-head · Best AI Mini PCs for Local LLM

Beelink GTR9 Pro vs GMKtec EVO-X2

Which is the better buy? Side-by-side on rating, price, strengths, and watch-outs — with the published ratings we averaged to get there.

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The short answer

Beelink GTR9 Pro and GMKtec EVO-X2 score essentially the same (4.4 vs 4.4). Pick the one whose trade-offs match your priorities — the strengths and watch-outs below are where they actually differ.

Ranked #4 in Best AI Mini PCs for Local LLM

Beelink GTR9 Pro

4.4

4 sources1 derived$3,649as of Aug 1

Inside, the Beelink GTR9 Pro is the same AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 with 128 GB LPDDR5X as the GMKtec EVO-X2: same 50 TOPS NPU, same 126 TOPS platform total, same memory ceiling. Two things separate them, dual 10GbE Intel E610 networking and an industrial-grade metal chassis. Reviewers at jasondeegan.com, starryhope, and minipcreviewer praised its workstation-class AI performance and high-bandwidth networking. Beelink shipped firmware updates in Nov 2025 and Q1 2026 that addressed NIC-related BSOD and mouse-lag issues, though Beelink support acknowledged a hardware-level issue with no complete software fix. Pick this over the EVO-X2 if you plan to cluster two boxes for distributed inference or share a 10GbE NAS at line rate. Otherwise the EVO-X2 gives you the same LLM throughput for $300 less.

Strengths

— Dual 10GbE LAN with Intel E610 controllers — the only mini PC at this size with high-throughput networking for AI clustering and NAS
— AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 with 50 TOPS XDNA 2 NPU (126 TOPS platform total) and 128 GB LPDDR5X unified memory
— 2 TB PCIe 4.0 SSD and support for up to four 8K displays via HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 2.1, and USB4

Watch-outs

— Premium price point of ~$2,000 — $300 more than the GMKtec EVO-X2 for the same Strix Halo silicon
— 3.27 kg metal chassis makes it heavy and less portable
— Beelink support acknowledged a hardware issue with no software fix available; firmware updates (Nov 2025, Q1 2026) mitigated some NIC-related BSOD but the root cause remains

$3,649 · Check Price on Amazon Full review →

Ranked #3 in Best AI Mini PCs for Local LLM

GMKtec EVO-X2

4.4

4 sources$1,999.99as of Aug 1

If the requirement is fitting a 120B-parameter model locally, the GMKtec EVO-X2 is the 128 GB-class mini PC to buy. PCWorld praised its 'excellent combination of CPU, GPU, and NPU performance at desktop workstation level' and scored it 4.5/5. The XDNA 2 NPU contributes 50 TOPS toward a 126 TOPS platform total once the Ryzen AI Max+ 395 and the Radeon 8060S iGPU are counted. With 128 GB of LPDDR5X at 256 GB/s it loads GPT-OSS 120B Q4 with room to spare and runs 70B-class models at 6-8 tokens/sec for a single user. Memory is soldered, and a single 2.5G Ethernet port limits clustering.

Strengths

— 128 GB LPDDR5X unified memory at 256 GB/s — fits 120B-class models locally
— AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 with 50 TOPS XDNA 2 NPU (126 TOPS platform total CPU+GPU+NPU)
— Supports multiple open-source AI models and popular development frameworks (Ollama, llama.cpp, MLC)

Watch-outs

— Memory is soldered — no future RAM upgrades
— Single 2.5G Ethernet port limits AI clustering compared to the Beelink GTR9 Pro
— Possibly oversized for users who don't need 120B-class model headroom

$1,999.99 · Check Price on Amazon Full review →

Derived means the reviewer published no score, so one was inferred from their written verdict. Everything else is a number the publisher printed. How we rank.

How they stack up

Beelink GTR9 Pro

The Beelink GTR9 Pro shares the same AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 silicon and 128GB of unified memory at 256 GB/s as the GMKtec EVO-X2 and Framework Desktop, so the three deliver effectively identical local-LLM throughput (~6-8 tokens/sec on 70B Q4). It differentiates on networking and chassis: dual 10GbE ports for AI clustering plus an industrial metal case. Beelink released firmware updates in Nov 2025 and Q1 2026 that mitigated NIC-related BSOD issues, though a hardware-level issue was acknowledged as unfixable. If you do not need the 10GbE, the GMKtec EVO-X2 saves money for the same performance, and the Framework Desktop offers a more open platform. Versus the Mac mini M4 Pro it doubles memory headroom; versus the Mac Studio M4 Max it is far cheaper but much lower bandwidth.

GMKtec EVO-X2

The GMKtec EVO-X2 is the best-value 128 GB box for local-LLM users whose models outgrow 64 GB. Its 128GB of unified memory at 256 GB/s fits 120B Q4 models the Mac mini M4 Pro cannot, far cheaper than the Mac Studio M4 Max. It shares the same Strix Halo silicon as the Beelink GTR9 Pro and Framework Desktop, so all three deliver effectively identical throughput; the EVO-X2 wins on price and fan-control buttons but loses dual 10GbE to the Beelink GTR9 Pro and the open, repairable chassis to the Framework Desktop. Pick it for the cheapest path to 128 GB of model headroom.

Specs side-by-side

Spec	Beelink GTR9 Pro	GMKtec EVO-X2
CPU	AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395	AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 (16 cores, 32 threads)
GPU	Radeon 8060S iGPU (RDNA 3.5)	Radeon 8060S (RDNA 3.5, 40 cores)
RAM	128 GB LPDDR5X 8,000 MHz	128 GB LPDDR5X 8,000 MHz
Storage	2 TB PCIe 4.0 SSD	2 TB PCIe 4.0 SSD
NPU	XDNA 2, 50 TOPS (126 TOPS platform total)	XDNA 2, 50 TOPS (126 TOPS platform total)
Connectivity	Dual 10GbE (Intel E610), Wi-Fi 7	Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2
Neural Engine	—	50 TOPS
Dimensions	—	7.6 x 7.31 x 3.03 in

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