MediaTek MT7922 WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.3 modules have recently been found in several mini PCs, but Bluetooth would not work in Linux due to a lack of drivers. In this post, we’ll show how to easily enable Bluetooth in MediaTek MT7922 modules when running Ubuntu 24.04. We previously noted that Ian Morrisson submitted a patch adding the IDs for the MT7922 module (Azurewave AW-XB591NF) used in recent GEEKOM mini PCs last March. In theory, you could have rebuilt the Linux kernel, but now that Linux 6.10 has been released, it’s much easier since Canonical has made the Linux 6.10 kernel available for Ubuntu, so we only need to install it and problem solved! Ubuntu 24.04 ships with Linux 6.8, we can see a Bluetooth opcode error in the kernel log.
GEEKOM Mini IT13 Core i7-13620H PC discounted by $100 for Prime Day (Sponsored)
You can now get the GEEKOM Mini IT13 mini PC with a $100/£100 discount when using the coupon code CNX13 on GEEKOM US or GEEKOM UK bringing the price down to $499 and £499 respectively. The offer is valid on the model with an Intel Core i7-13620H 10-core/16-thread Raptor Lake processor, 32GB DDR4 RAM, and a 1TB NVMe SSD for storage. The mini PC can drive up to four 4K displays through HDMI and USB4 ports, supports 2.5GbE and WiFi 6E networking, and comes with six USB ports for expansion. GEEKOM Mini IT13 specifications: SoC – Intel Core i7-13620H 13th Gen Raptor Lake processor with 10 cores, 16 threads up to 4.90 GHz with 24MB Cache, Iris Xe graphics; PBP: 45W System Memory – 32GB dual-channel DDR4-3200 via 2x SODIMM sockets Storage 1TB M.2 2280 PCIe Gen 4 x4 SSD M.2 2242 SATA SSD slot, expandable up to 1TB […]
GEEKOM AE7 Review – An AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS mini PC tested with Windows 11 and Ubuntu 24.04
Today we’ll review the GEEKOM AE7 mini PC powered by an AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS octa-core processor with up to 32GB DDR5, a 1TB NVMe SSD, four 4K capable video outputs through HDMI and USB-C ports, 2.5GbE and WiFi 6E connectivity, and six USB ports for expansion. As its name implies the GEEKOM AE7 is an evolution of the earlier GEEKOM A7 with almost identical specifications that we reviewed with Windows 11 Pro and Ubuntu 22.04 earlier this year. So we won’t do our usual three-part review and instead focus on differences between the two Ryzen 9 7840HS mini PCs in terms of features, performance, and cooling ability in a shorter review that covers hardware, Windows 11 Pro, and Ubuntu 24.04 testing. GEEKOM AE7 specifications SoC – AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS 8-core/16-thread processor up to 4.0GHz with 16MB cache, AMD Radeon 780M Graphics; TDP: 35 to 54W System Memory – […]
$60 coupon code for the GEEKOM Mini IT12 mini PC with Intel Core i7-12650H, 32GB RAM, 1TB NVMe SSD (Sponsored)
GEEKOM is offering a $60 discount coupon code as part of a Prime Day promotion for the GEEKOM Mini IT12 mini PC powered by an Intel Core i7-12650H 10-core Alder Lake processor and equipped with 32GB DDR4 memory, a 1TB NVMe SSD, and an Intel AX211 WiFI 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 module. US customers can make use of the CNXIT12 $60 off coupon on GEEKOM US to get the mini PC for $489, and British users can also benefit from the same coupon on GEEKOM UK to purchase the mini PC for £489. GEEKOM Mini IT12 specifications: SoC – Intel Core i7-12650H 10-core/16-thread Alder Lake hybrid processor up to 4.70 GHz with 24MB Cache, 64 EU Intel UHD Graphics @ up to 1.4 GHz; PBP: 45W System Memory – 32 GB dual-channel DDR4-3200 via SODIMM sockets upgradeable up to 64GB Storage 1TB M.2 2280 PCIe Gen 4 x4 SSD, expandable […]
GEEKOM GT13 Pro Core i9-13900H mini PC review with Windows 11 and Ubuntu 24.04
GEEKOM GT13 Pro is a Windows 11 mini PC powered by a 13th Gen Intel Core i9-13900H or Core i7-13620H processor with Intel Xe Iris graphics, two Thunderbolt 4 ports, a 2.5GbE port, WiFi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity. GEEKOM sent us a review sample of the GEEKOM GT13 Pro mini PC with a Core i9-13900H 14-core/20-thread processor, 32GB RAM, and a 2TB NVMe SSD. We would usually do a three-part review, but the GEEKOM GT13 Pro uses the same motherboard as the GEEKOM Mini IT13 reviewed at the end of last year. So we’ll do a more condensed one-part review focusing on the differences between the two models in terms of features and performance in both Windows 11 Pro and Ubuntu 24.04. GEEKOM GT13 Pro specifications SoC – Intel Core i9-13900H 13th Gen Raptor Lake processor with 14 cores, 20 threads up to 5.40 GHz, 24MB Cache, Iris Xe […]
Purchase GEEKOM Mini Air12 mini PC for just $219 with cnxair12off coupon code (Sponsored)
GEEKOM has just launched a promotion for its entry-level Mini Air12 mini PC powered by an Intel Processor N100 quad-core processor with 16GB DDR5 and a 512GB NVMe SSD. The low-power Windows 11 Pro mini PC is now sold for $219 on Amazon instead of $249, or a $30 discount when using the 12% discount coupon code cnxair12off. The mini PC supports up to three 4K displays through HDMI, mini DP, or USB-C ports, gigabit Ethernet and WiFi 6 wireless connectivity, and a full-size SD card reader, and is equipped with five USB 3.2/2.0 ports for expansion. As a reminder, here are GEEKOM Mini Air12 specifications: SoC – Intel Processor N100 Alder Lake-N quad-core/quad-thread processor @ up to 3.4 GHz (Turbo) with 6MB cache, 24EU Intel HD graphics @ up to 750 MHz; TDP: 6W System Memory – 16GB DDR5-4800 via SO-DIMM socket Storage 512GB M.2 2280 PCIe Gen 3 […]
GEEKOM A8 Review – Part 3: Ubuntu 24.04 tested on an AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS mini PC
We’ve already checked out GEEKOM A8 mini PC hardware with an unboxing and a teardown, before testing the AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS mini PC in Windows 11 Pro, and we’ll now report our experience with the GEEKOM A8 running Ubuntu 24.04 to see how it performs in Linux. We tested most features of the GEEKOM A8 mini PC on Ubuntu 24.04, ran several benchmarks to compare it to the similar GEEKOM A7 mini PC, performed storage and networking performance testing, ran stress test to check thermal performance, and measured fan noise and power consumption under various conditions. Installing Ubuntu 24.04 on the GEEKOM A8 mini PC As usual, we resized the Windows 11 partition to install Ubuntu 24.04 alongside Microsoft OS using a bootable USB flash drive created with the Ubuntu ISO. But you’ll notice BitLocker is enabled so the Ubuntu 24.04 installation can’t proceed. The installation wizard will ask […]
How to repair/replace a WiFi antenna in a mini PC
In this short tutorial, we’ll show how to repair/replace a WiFi antenna in a mini PC. We’ll use GEEKOM A8 Mini PC as a test device because one of its WiFi antennas is attached to the top plastic cover, and it may potentially get damaged when the user opens the case to change or upgrade the SSD or memory sticks. This happened to us during the teardown of the GEEKOM A8 mini PC as shown in the image below. While WiFi still works with one antenna, the performance is quite better when two antennas are connected so we decided to repair the mini PC. We asked a few local shops, but they would only sell WiFi modules with antennas and none would just sell the antennas themselves. But luckily, such WiFi antennas can easily be purchased online in pairs. The first time, we purchased a WiFi antenna pair from Shopee […]