What it is

The GMKtec NucBox K8 Plus is a compact mid-range mini PC built around AMD’s Ryzen 7 8845HS — an 8-core, 16-thread Zen 4 chip with a 16-TOPS NPU and the Radeon 780M iGPU. In a roughly 1-liter chassis with a metal frame and a translucent acrylic top that twists off without tools, GMKtec packs in dual USB4 ports, an OCuLink port, dual 2.5 GbE, and two M.2 SSD slots — and prices the loaded 32 GB / 1 TB configuration around $399.

The K8 Plus’s pitch is simple: take last year’s Geekom A8-class chip and Beelink-class connectivity, undercut both on price, and add a translucent lid that lets you see the heatsink. For most readers shopping under $500, that is a credible pitch.

What it’s good for

Home and office work. The Ryzen 7 8845HS handles the ordinary productivity workload — Office, Teams, twenty browser tabs, a video call — without breaking a sweat. With 32 GB of DDR5 stock and dual 2.5 GbE, the K8 Plus is a perfectly credible primary desk PC and an excellent secondary one.

1080p gaming and emulation. The Radeon 780M is by now a known quantity. Public review benchmarks put esports titles (Valorant, CS2, Rocket League) comfortably above 100 fps at 1080p, and 1080p Medium AAA titles in the 50-80 fps range with FSR. Team Pandory recorded Cyberpunk 2077 at 70+ fps with FSR Quality, and the K8 Plus is also a strong emulation host up through PS3 and Switch.

Light on-device AI. The 16-TOPS NPU accelerates Windows Studio Effects and the inference layer of consumer creator apps. It will not run a 70B language model — but for the 7B-to-13B class, and for the AI features Microsoft and AMD have been pushing through 2025, the K8 Plus handles its share.

eGPU experimentation. The K8 Plus is one of the few sub-$400 mini PCs with both USB4 and a dedicated OCuLink port on the front panel. If you want to dock a desktop GPU later, the wiring is already there.

Build and connectivity

The chassis is metal on five sides with a removable translucent polycarbonate top — twist counter-clockwise and it pops off, exposing the dual heatsinks and fans. Cooling is closed-loop with two upgraded fans; reviewers consistently report it stays quiet at idle and audible-but-not-loud under sustained load.

Port layout is generous for the size:

  • Front: USB4 Type-C (40 Gbps, PD + DP), 2× USB-A 3.2 Gen 2, OCuLink, 3.5 mm combo jack, power button
  • Rear: USB4 Type-C, 2× USB-A 2.0, HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 2.1, 2× 2.5 GbE, DC jack, Kensington lock
  • Display: up to four 4K/8K outputs across the two USB4, HDMI 2.1, and DP 2.1
  • Wireless: Wi-Fi 6 + Bluetooth 5.2 (some reviewers note it ships with Wi-Fi 6 rather than 6E despite some marketing)

GMKtec exposes three power modes — Silent (35 W), Balanced (54 W), and Performance (65 W, peak ~70 W) — toggled in BIOS.

Memory, storage, and upgrades

Out of the box: 32 GB DDR5-5600 (2 × 16 GB SODIMM) and a 1 TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD. Both are upgradable. The board accepts up to 96 GB of DDR5 across two SODIMM slots, and there is a second M.2 2280 slot for SSD expansion (GMKtec rates total storage up to 8 TB across both slots).

For a $400 mini PC, having two SSD slots and two SODIMMs is meaningful — most of the AI-class mini PCs in the same price band ship with soldered RAM. If you intend to keep the machine for five years, the K8 Plus gives you somewhere to grow.

Pricing and where to buy

As of April 2026, Amazon lists the 32 GB / 1 TB Ryzen 7 8845HS configuration in the $389-$429 range, with periodic discounts that drop it under $389. The 64 GB / 1 TB and 32 GB / 2 TB SKUs sit closer to $449-$499. Barebones (no RAM/SSD/OS) is available for around $329.

GMKtec’s own store sells the same SKUs at MSRP ($399.99) with their own warranty channel. The 1-year warranty applies to both retail paths. For most readers, the Amazon listing is the practical default — same warranty, faster shipping, and a 30-day return window.

What we’d flag

This is a positive review, but a fair one — the K8 Plus is not flawless.

  • Wi-Fi is 6, not 6E. Some marketing has been ambiguous; reviewers who opened the unit found a Wi-Fi 6 module. For most users this is fine, but if you specifically want 6E, confirm the SKU.
  • The NPU is 16 TOPS — useful, but well below the 40-TOPS bar Microsoft set for “Copilot+ PC” branding.
  • One-year warranty. Geekom and Beelink generally offer 2-3 years on comparable hardware. GMKtec’s one-year coverage is the weakest in this price band.
  • Plastic-trimmed lid feels a step below full metal. The translucent top is a fun design choice, but it does not feel as premium as a solid aluminum cover.
  • Fan ramps under sustained load. Not loud — comparable to a quiet laptop fan — but present in Performance mode.

Verdict

The GMKtec NucBox K8 Plus is one of the better value buys in the mini PC market right now. Ryzen 7 8845HS, 32 GB of DDR5, dual USB4, OCuLink, dual 2.5 GbE, two SSD slots, and a $389-$429 street price land it ahead of nearly anything else in its class.

If you can live with a one-year warranty and a Wi-Fi 6 (not 6E) module, this is the one to put on the short list for a home office, light AI experimentation, and casual 1080p gaming.