The GMKtec EVO-X3 is the headline mini PC launch of the moment: a flagship Ryzen AI Max+ 395 “Strix Halo” mini PC with 128GB of LPDDR5X memory, a triple-fan 140W cooling system, and — the big new addition — an OCuLink eGPU port. It sells direct from gmktec.com at $3,600 (128GB/2TB) and $3,849 (128GB/4TB), making it one of the first retail Strix Halo boxes to ship with OCuLink and a direct rival to the AMD Ryzen AI Halo and the Beelink GTR9 Pro.

This is a launch report, not a full review — we haven’t tested a unit yet. Here’s what’s confirmed, what isn’t, and why local-LLM builders are paying attention.

What is the GMKtec EVO-X3?

The EVO-X3 is the successor to the GMKtec EVO-X2, rebuilt around the same AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 platform but in a dramatically redesigned chassis. Tom’s Hardware noted the new unit was shown bearing AMD CEO Lisa Su’s signature of approval — GMKtec is clearly positioning this as its halo product.

The form factor has grown to fit the cooling: a full CNC-machined metal chassis measuring 353 × 186 × 41 mm at about 2.3 kg — roughly PlayStation 4-sized, closer to a console than a NUC. Inside, GMKtec runs the chip at up to 140W in Performance mode (54W Silent, 85W Balanced) through a triple-fan, triple-heat-pipe cooler.

What’s confirmed: specs and pricing

From GMKtec’s official product page and launch coverage:

  • CPU: AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395, 16 Zen 5 cores / 32 threads, up to 5.1GHz
  • GPU: Radeon 8060S integrated graphics, 40 RDNA 3.5 compute units
  • NPU: XDNA 2 at roughly 50 TOPS, up to 126 TOPS platform total
  • Memory: 128GB LPDDR5X-8000, soldered (not upgradeable), with up to 96GB allocatable as VRAM
  • Storage: dual M.2 PCIe 4.0 x4 slots, 2TB or 4TB pre-installed, up to 16TB total
  • I/O: OCuLink (PCIe Gen4 x4), USB4 40Gbps Type-C, HDMI 2.1, USB-A 10Gbps, 2.5G Ethernet, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4
  • OS: Windows 11 Pro pre-installed; Ubuntu/Linux supported
  • Price: $3,600 (2TB) / $3,849 (4TB), listed against a $4,100 regular price

The launch date is genuinely contested. Press coverage — including VideoCardz and Gizmochina — reported early access on June 22, 2026 with a $20 early-bird coupon and a global launch on June 29, 2026. GMKtec’s own product page, however, stated a launch of July 6, 2026 at 12:00 AM PST. As of this writing the page shows the unit in stock at the sale price, so whichever date you believe, it’s orderable now.

What’s new vs the EVO-X2?

The silicon is unchanged — same Ryzen AI Max+ 395, same 128GB ceiling. What’s new is the connectivity and thermals:

  • OCuLink PCIe Gen4 x4 for external GPUs, absent on the EVO-X2
  • USB4 40Gbps and HDMI 2.1 output
  • Wi-Fi 7 radio
  • The 140W triple-fan cooler in the larger CNC metal chassis

That OCuLink port is the strategic piece: it makes the EVO-X3 one of the first retail Strix Halo machines that can add a discrete GPU for prompt processing or gaming while keeping the 128GB unified pool for model weights.

Is the GMKtec EVO-X3 good for local LLMs?

On paper, that’s exactly who it’s for. With up to 96GB of the 128GB pool allocatable as VRAM, the EVO-X3 can hold models far beyond what any consumer discrete GPU fits — GMKtec claims support for models in the 200B+ parameter class (quantized). The honest caveat carries over from every Strix Halo machine we’ve covered: LPDDR5X-8000 bandwidth (~256 GB/s) caps token-generation speed well below a discrete high-end GPU, the same trade-off we flagged on the NVIDIA DGX Spark at a similar price. Big-model capacity, modest tokens per second.

What’s still unknown

  • Sustained thermals and noise. 140W in a 41mm-tall chassis is ambitious; no independent long-duration testing exists yet.
  • Real-world LLM throughput on this specific board and BIOS — early YouTube coverage is promising but thin.
  • The 192GB variant. VideoCardz reports GMKtec has confirmed a higher-tier EVO-X3 with a Ryzen AI Max+ “PRO 495” and 192GB later this year. Treat naming and timing as preliminary until AMD says it.
  • Amazon availability. At launch the EVO-X3 sells direct at gmktec.com only; Amazon still carries only the older EVO-X2, X1, and T1.

Expected availability and price outlook

$3,600–$3,849 puts the EVO-X3 about $400 under the AMD Ryzen AI Halo reference machine with the same chip and memory, and in the same bracket as GB10-class AI boxes. The listed $4,100 “regular” price suggests the launch pricing is promotional — if you want one, the early window is the cheap window.

We’ll publish a full review once we’ve spent time with a retail unit. Until then, our GMKtec EVO-X2 review covers the platform this machine is built on.

Sources & caveats

Specs and pricing come from GMKtec’s official product page, with launch details cross-checked against Tom’s Hardware, VideoCardz, and Wccftech. No independent review data existed at publication time; performance claims above are the manufacturer’s. The June 29 vs July 6 launch-date discrepancy is GMKtec’s own — we’ve reported both.